David Forde

David Forde (born 20 December 1979 in Galway, Republic of Ireland) is an Republic of Ireland football (soccer), currently playing for Football League One side Millwall F.C..

Career

Early career

At an early age, Forde showed huge promise as a goalkeeper and was rewarded, as a teenager, with a move to Welsh side Barry Town. Here, he continued to show his potential as an excellent shot stopper and in February 2002, he turned down an offer from Portsmouth F.C. to join West Ham United for a fee of £75,000. Forde initially had a trial at Upton Park before earning a professional contract. He was recommended to the 'West Ham United' by Barry Town boss Kenny Brown (footballer), a former West Ham United player.

Initially, Forde had ambitions of "looking to make the first team" at a time when David James (footballer) was firmly established as England national football team's FIFA World Cup number one, however, the signing of Raimond van der Gouw in the summer of 2002 pushed him further down the pecking order.

At the start of the 2002/2003 season, manager Glenn Roeder made Forde available for loan and it was then when Forde first joined Derry City F.C. After spending the season on loan at Brandywell Stadium, Forde moved back to his hometown and signed for Football League of Ireland side Galway United.

It was at Galway that Forde built a fine reputation in Irish football circles and his form earned him a permanent move back to Derry City F.C for the 2005 season. During this season and the next, he was ever present for 'City', consistently producing excellent performances and helping them to a second place finish in the Football League of Ireland on both occasions. He also helped the club win the FAI Cup on 3 December 2006.

Cardiff City

On 5 December 2006, it was announced that Forde had signed a 2 and a half-year contract with Football League Championship side Cardiff City F.C following the expiry of his contract with Derry City F.C.. He stated that the move back to Football Association of Wales, where he began his career, was "a dream come true". He joined the club and hoped to challenge Neil Alexander for the number one spot immediately, with an international spot surely not too far away. Even after he left Derry City for Cardiff City F.C. his contributions during the 2006 season were recognised by eircom and the Soccer Writers Association of Ireland who, together, nominated him for their 'Goalkeeper of the Year' award on 13 December. Forde made several appearances for Cardiff at the end of the 2006/07 season after first choice Neil Alexander was dropped due to a contract dispute with the club. With Alexander leaving the club he was expected to battle for the number 1 jersey with Michael Oakes and Ross Turnbull.

In August 2007 Forde signed a one-month loan deal at Luton Town F.C.and returned to Cardiff having made six first team appearances, five in the league and one in the Carling Cup, for the club. He found himself to be third choice goalkeeper at Cardiff during the 2007/08 season behind Michael Oakes and loanee's Ross Turnbull, Kasper Schmeichel and Peter Enckelman. On 22 January he was due to sign on an emergency loan deal at A.F.C. Bournemouth but was told on his way to his first match that Bournemouth had been placed under a transfer block after attempting to enter administration and the deal had been cancelled. He drove back to Cardiff and instead played in their 1-0 win over Welshpool Town F.C. in the FAW Premier Cup.

On 31 January he was set to join Scottish Premier League side Dundee United F.C. on loan but the move was blocked by the Scottish Football Association because players are not allowed to play in three countries in one season, Forde having played for Luton and in the FAW Premier Cup, but the decision was appealed by Dundee United but was eventually denied by FIFA. He eventually signed for Bournemouth on a one week emergency loan after the club were granted permission to sign him, making his debut on 8 March against Leeds United A.F.C. and playing against Oldham Athletic F.C. three days later, both matches ending in a 2-0 defeat. His loan spell was extended by another week before the clubs eventually agreed for it to run until the end of the season on 27 March. He made a total of 11 appearances for the club before returning to Cardiff, where he was released on his return.

Millwall

On 5 June 2008 he signed a two-year deal at Football League One side Millwall F.C., making his debut for the club on the opening day of the season in a 4-3 defeat to Oldham Athletic F.C..

Possible Wales International?

Contrary to popular belief, Forde is not a former Welsh under-21 international. Forde stated, "I'm not sure where that came from, but it's wrong," and continued: "That story started a long time ago when I played for Barry Town and seems to have stuck. I even read that I have a Welsh grandmother, but that's not right. Don't get me wrong because I love it here in Wales, but I am only qualified to play for the Republic of Ireland."