Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

Early career

Born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Ebanks-Blake attended the Netherhall School and his first clubs were Cherry Hinton Lions and Fulbourn Falcons in the Cambridge area. At the age of 15, having been on schoolboy terms with Cambridge United, he attended a two-week trial with Manchester United at their training centre. He was offered a contract at the end of the trial and turned down a scholarship with Cambridge to join Manchester United's Academy. He played his first match at senior level for the club on 26 October 2004 against Crewe Alexandra in the League Cup. One year later, he scored his first senior level goal for the club against Barnet in another League Cup tie. Towards the end of the 2004–05 season, he fractured his leg and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. He recovered and scored a hat-trick on his return for the Manchester United reserves. However, he was never called on for a first team league game again, although he was an unused substitute in several Champions League games. In January 2006, he moved on loan to Royal Antwerp in Belgium to gain first team experience.

Plymouth Argyle

Ebanks-Blake returned to England in the summer and signed a three-year deal with Championship club Plymouth Argyle on 14 July 2006. The fee paid to Manchester United was an initial £200,000, potentially rising to over £300,000 due to clauses. Ebanks-Blake was new manager Ian Holloway's first signing and became a first team regular. The striker…

In 2008 Ebanks-Blake was charged with causing actual bodily harm to a doorman in an incident at a Plymouth nightclub on 11 November 2007 while a Plymouth Argyle player. He was subsequently fined £1,350 with £650 costs and £500 compensation by Plymouth Crown Court on 4 July 2008, after admitting to having attacked the doorman with his girlfriend's handbag causing a three-inch cut to his head. In March 2013 he was arrested and questioned by police in Birmingham on suspicion of witness intimidation but released without charge.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Football League Championship: 2008–09 Individual

Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year: 2004–05 Football League Championship Player of the Month: March 2008 Football League Championship Golden Boot: 2007–08, 2008–09 PFA Team of the Year: 2008–09 Championship Football League Championship Player of the Year: 2008–09 Football League Goal of the Year: 2008–09