.png) Tabb playing forReading in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jay Anthony Tabb | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-02-21)21 February 1984 (age 41) | ||
| Place of birth | Tooting, Greater London, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Crystal Palace | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2006 | Brentford | 128 | (20) |
| 2003 | →Crawley Town (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2006–2009 | Coventry City | 95 | (11) |
| 2009–2013 | Reading | 89 | (0) |
| 2013 | →Ipswich Town (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2013–2016 | Ipswich Town | 76 | (3) |
| Total | 397 | (35) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2006 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 10 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jay Anthony Tabb (born 21 February 1984) is a retired professionalfootballer. He began his career atCrystal Palace but was released as a junior and joinedBrentford in 2000. He moved toCrawley Town in 2003 on a loan which was ultimately cut short by injury. He played in both of Brentford's unsuccessful play-off campaigns in 2005 and 2006, making over 150 appearances for the club in total.
Tabb moved toCoventry City in June 2006 and spent two and a half years at the club, picking up thePlayer of the Season Award for his performances during the 2007–08 season. In January 2009 he joined Reading. In 2012, he achieved the first promotion of his career as part of the2011–12Championship winning squad. He joined Ipswich Town on loan in March 2013 before making the move permanent three months later. He is primarily a central midfielder but has also played asfull back, on bothwings and ascentre forward. In February 2015 Tabb won the "Dan Bartram Player of the Month" award, which included pre-match a trophy presentation at Portman Road.
Born in England to Irish parents, he is a dual citizen who has represented theRepublic of Ireland at international level and won ten caps for theunder-21 side between 2004 and 2006. He received his first call up to the senior team in 2006 but has yet to make an appearance.[citation needed]
Tabb was born inTooting, Greater London and was released fromCrystal Palace as a junior at the age of 16, after being deemed, at 5'5", too short to play professional football.[2] Undeterred, he signed forBrentford.[3] He attendedWimbledon College from 1997 to 2000, leaving to pursue a football career. Tabb made his Brentford debut on 3 May 2001 in a 2–2 draw againstLuton Town but made only five appearances in his first two seasons at the club.[4]
Tabb struggled with injuries during the 2002–03 season and again made only a handful of appearances for Brentford that year. Tabb travelled toCrawley Town (then playing in theSouthern League Premier Division) in February 2004 intent on signing loan forms, but ultimately did not agree to terms after suffering torn ligaments in training with Brentford a few days later.[5][6][7] He did not appear again for Brentford until 19 April, starting in a 2–1 defeat toQueens Park Rangers and made just two starts during the entire campaign. Despite his injury hit season Brentford took up their option to extend Tabb's contract by a year in May 2003 with managerWally Downes confident he would break into the first team the following season.[4]
Tabb played a major role in the 2003–04 season contributing 11 goals in 40 appearances making him the club's second top scorer. His strong performances saw him sign a new deal in October 2003 keeping him at Brentford until 2005 with the option of a further one-year extension beyond that.[8] He continued his good form into the start of the next season and began attracting interest from higher division clubs with Brentford admitting they would not stand in Tabb's way if they received an offer that was too good to refuse.[9] He remained at the club though and in March 2005 extended his contract until the end of the 2005–06 season.[10]
Tabb's last appearances for Brentford were in the 2005–06 League One play-offsemi final defeat toSwansea City. He scored in the first leg draw at theLiberty Stadium but a 2–0 defeat in the return leg ended their promotion hopes.[11] With Tabb wanting to leave the club in pursuit of football at a higher level he was placed on the transfer list on 18 May.[12] Tabb left Brentford on the expiration of his contract and made 114 starts for Brentford, appearing 42 times from the bench and scoring 24 goals.[13]
On 30 June 2006, Tabb signed forCoventry City, for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract.[14] He wore number 21 for Coventry and made his debut as a substitute againstCardiff City on 12 August, coming on for the injuredAdam Virgo who himself was a substitute. On 23 April 2008, Tabb was awarded the Player of the Year accolade for his services to Coventry City during the 2007–08 season.[15]
On 19 January 2009, Tabb signed forReading, who were, at the time, managed by his former bossSteve Coppell. The transfer fee was undisclosed and Tabb was given the squad number 37 by Reading.[16] Manager Steve Coppell said, "He is a player I know well, and I am certain he will supplement our squad as we go into this final third of the season."[17] He made his Reading debut as a second-half substitute in the 1–0 defeat toNottingham Forest on 28 February 2009 but only featured sporadically in his first few months at the club.[18][19]
Tabb put together a run of appearances at the end of the season though and started in both legs of the play-offsemi-final defeat toBurnley.[20] He made his firstPremier League appearance in Reading's 2–2 draw away atSwansea City on 6 October 2012 and earned plaudits for his no-nonsense performances in subsequent games.[21][22]
Despite featuring regularly during the first half of the season, Tabb was told in January he was free to leave the club during the transfer window after Reading signedDaniel Carriço andHope Akpan.[23] No move materialised and he remained in the club's 25-man squad for the second half of their Premier League campaign.[24]
Having not featured in the Reading team since early January, Tabb joinedIpswich Town on a one-month loan on 7 March.[25] He made his debut two days later in a 0–0 draw withPeterborough United[26] and was selected in the Championship Team of the Week after his performance in the 1–0 win overBolton Wanderers the following weekend.[27] After two impressive performances for Ipswich, Tabb expressed a hope that his good form could earn him a new contract at Reading, despite being surplus to requirements under the previous management.[28] On 4 April his loan was extended for the rest of the season[29] after which he returned to Reading before being released on 24 May.[30]
On 5 June 2013, Tabb joined Ipswich Town on a permanent basis, signing a two-year contract effective from 1 July.[31] He made his debut against his former club Reading on 3 August and scored the opener in a 2–1 defeat.[32] The diminutive midfielder featured regularly in the 2014–15 season as Town reached the play-Offs. He scored twice, one a rare headed goal at home to promotion rivals Middlesbrough[citation needed] and a scrappy winner in a crucial game at home to Bolton Wanderers.[citation needed] His opportunities were more scarce in the 2015–16 season despite scoring in a 2–1 victory over Stevenage in the League Cup.[citation needed]
Despite being born in England, Tabb also holds an Irish passport and has represented theRepublic of Ireland at international level.[33] He was first called up to theunder–21 squad on 18 May 2004 to faceScotland and made his debut in the match, helping Ireland to a 3–1 win.[34][35] Tabb scored his first and only international goal in his next appearance for the under–21s, a 3–2 win overBulgaria on 17 August 2004, and was a regular in the squad for the next two years.[36] His final appearance came as a second-half substitute in a 3–0 win overAzerbaijan on 18 May 2006 and he ended his under–21 career with ten caps and one goal.[37][38]
The day after the win over Azerbaijan, Tabb was called up to the senior squad for the first time for the match againstChile though he did not make an appearance.[39][40] He received another call up for theEuro 2008 qualifier againstCyprus but again failed to make it off the bench and never made his full international debut.[41]
Tabb joinedRugby Union sideOld Wimbledonians in 2017.[42]
On 13 March 2020, Tabb was interviewed duringITV Racing's coverage of theCheltenham Festival when leading up one ofPhilip Hobbs' horses where he now works as a stable lad.[43]
In October 2021, it was reported that Tabb would ride at theFitzdares Racing Welfare Charity Flat Race atWincanton Racecourse.[44] He finished sixth on the Hobbs-trained Umndeni and described the occasion as the 'best feeling ever'.[45]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brentford | 2000–01[46] | Second Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001–02[47] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03[48] | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04[49] | 36 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 2 | 40 | 11 | ||
| 2004–05[50] | League One | 40 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 53 | 6 | |
| 2005–06[51] | 42 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | 50 | 7 | ||
| Total | 128 | 20 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 156 | 24 | ||
| Coventry City | 2006–07[52] | Championship | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 3 | |
| 2007–08[53] | 42 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 49 | 6 | |||
| 2008–09[20] | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 3 | |||
| Total | 95 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 104 | 12 | |||
| Reading | 2008–09[20] | Championship | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 2009–10[54] | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11[55] | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12[56] | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13[57] | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| Total | 89 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 105 | 0 | ||
| Ipswich Town (loan) | 2012–13[57] | Championship | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| Ipswich Town | 2013–14[58] | Championship | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 30 | 1 | |
| 2014–15[59] | 40 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 42 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16[60] | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| Total | 76 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 85 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 388 | 35 | 30 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 13 | 3 | 450 | 41 | ||
Reading
Individual
