Stephen Bywater

Stephen Michael Bywater,, (born June 7 1981 in Manchester) is an English people professional football player who plays as a Goalkeeper (football) for Derby County F.C.. He has made appearances for seven clubs, most notably West Ham United F.C., where he spent eight seasons and made over 60 appearance, and Derby County F.C., where he has made over 50 appearances. He is also a former England national under-21 football team international.

Club career

West Ham United

Bywater attended the Blue Coat School in Oldham as a boy and started his career in August 1997 with Rochdale F.C.. His only first team appearance was against Carlisle United -in an Autoglass Trophy game which Rochdale lost 7-1. He was brought to West Ham as a 17 year old by Harry Redknapp in February 1998 for £250,000, rising to £1.75m depending on performances and achievements. He graduated through the youth set-up and featured in West Ham's 1999 FA Youth Cup Final squads 1998/99: West Ham United v. Coventry (3-0, 6-0) winning team along with Joe Cole and Michael Carrick.

He spent the next two seasons learning from former Manchester United F.C., Aston Villa F.C. and Coventry City F.C. goalkeeper Les Sealey and sitting in the pecking order behind Craig Forrest, Bernard Lama and Shaka Hislop. With first team opportunities limited, Bywater joined Wycombe Wanderers F.C. on loan in September 1999, making two appearances, and then went to Hull City A.F.C. on loan in November 1999, making four appearances. A broken leg for Shaka Hislop meant a debut for Bywater at the age of 19 against Bradford City A.F.C. in February 2000, in a game that saw Bradford score four times but which West Ham eventually won 5-4. Bywater also appeared in the final three games of the 1999-2000 in English football, against Arsenal F.C., Sunderland A.F.C. and Leeds United A.F.C. and made a single appearance in the 2000-01 in English football against Bradford in February 2001. but he returned to West Ham the following month having not made an appearance for Wolves other than on the bench in the opening game of the season against Portsmouth F.C.. His chances to move up the pecking order were limited with the club signing David James (footballer) in July 2001 and the retention of Shaka Hislop as James was injured on international duty in August 2001, and he did not make a single appearance for West Ham in the 2001-02 in English football nor in the 2002-03 in English football. Bywater became a regular starter in the first-team, making 23 appearances as West Ham reached the Football League Championship play-offs final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace F.C.. He signed a three-year contract extension in June 2004, saying "I am very pleased to have signed on for another three years at West Ham. We were very unlucky last year and I am sure that we will start next season with a squad capable of challenging for promotion again. The club have invested a lot in my career and the manager showed great faith in me last season. I am determined to repay everyone at the club by helping the team back into the Premiership."

He soon had to share the role of the club's primary keeper with James Walker (footballer born 1973) who was brought in from Walsall F.C. in June 2004 to provide competition for Bywater. Bywater made 39 league and cup appearances in the 2004-05 in English football for West Ham as the club were promoted to the Premier League,

The signing of Roy Carroll in June 2005 and the re-signing of Shaka Hislop on a one-year contract in July 2005 once again limited Bywater's first-team opportunities and he joined Coventry City F.C. in August 2005, on loan until the end of the year, where he made 14 appearances. He made a single appearance for West Ham in the remainder of the 2005/06 season, against West Bromwich Albion F.C. in November 2005. Bywater made 43 league and cup appearances in the 2006/07 season

In June 2007, Bywater reiterated his desire to play for England national football team and his hopes to be noticed in the 2007-08 in English football, saying "I grew up with a few of the lads like Paul Robinson, Robert Green and Chris Kirkland and they are good but I don't think they are anything special. I do believe if I play well and have a good season, I will be up there in contention. I am confident but not cocky." After a first half of the season that saw Derby County rooted to the foot of the Premier League, Bywater joined Ipswich Town F.C. on loan in January 2008 for the rest of the season. Jim Magilton, manager of Ipswich Town, described him as, "...a young, ambitious keeper who knows what is needed to win promotion from this division."

International career

Bywater made his England national under-19 football team debut during 1999 and rotated in the role with both Paul Robinson (goalkeeper) and Chris Kirkland. He later progressed to the England national under-21 football team with the same group of players though by that time both Kirkland and Robinson had become established league players. Injuries had limited his opportunities with both a broken finger and later on a fractured wrist holding up his development and limiting his opportunities. He made six appearances for the U21 team.