Dexter Blackstock
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| Dexter Blackstock | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dexter Anthony Titus Blackstock | |
| Date of birth | May 20, 1986 | |
| Place of birth | Oxford, England | |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Queens Park Rangers | |
| Number | 9 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 2002–2003 | Oxford United | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2003–2006 2005 2005 2006– |
Southampton → Plymouth Argyle (loan) → Derby County (loan) Queens Park Rangers |
28 (4) 14 (4) 9 (3) 72 (19) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2007– | England U21 | 2 (0) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Dexter Anthony Titus Blackstock (born May 20, 1986) is an English footballer who currently plays for Queens Park Rangers in the Football League Championship. He is normally a centre-forward.
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[edit] Playing career
[edit] Southampton
Born in Oxford, he came through the Oxford United youth system and was then signed by Southampton, who had to pay United compensation of £275,000 as a result. Due to an injury crisis he was brought into the Southampton first team, where he scored a hat-trick against Colchester United in the Carling Cup in 2004. He then scored in the local derby against Portsmouth in Southampton's 2-1 win, thus establishing himself in the squad.
He was sent out on loan twice; to Plymouth Argyle in February 2005 for twelve weeks, scoring 4 goals in 14 appearances, and to Derby County in October 2005, scoring 3 goals in 9 appearances. He was recalled from Derby on 22 December 2005 after the appointment of George Burley as Southampton manager.
On February 18, 2006 he played in goal for the final ten minutes of the FA Cup fifth round tie against Newcastle. An injury to Bartosz Bialkowski and with Southampton having used all three substitutes, meant that Blackstock had to take over.
Although Blackstock had featured regularly under Burley, Southampton's purchase of Bradley Wright-Phillips meant that Blackstock had more competition for a role in Southampton's first team. As a result, Blackstock moved to Queens Park Rangers on August 10, 2006 for a fee believed to be around £500,000.
[edit] Queens Park Rangers
The £500,000 transfer fee that Gary Waddock paid for Blackstock’s services raised a few eyebrows, but, unlike most of Waddock’s other signings, Blackstock went on to prove any doubters wrong.
Given the number 32 shirt for the 2006-07 season, Blackstock was first choice striker throughout the season and played with a number of different partners, including Kevin Gallen, Paul Furlong and Marc Nygaard. Somewhat surprisingly however, the teenager Ray Jones was Blackstock’s most regular partner as they struck up a good understanding with a combination of pace and power.
As the season progressed so did Blackstock, and it was in the final stages of the season that his performances started to blossom. Throughout the campaign his work effort was fantastic, but he had displayed a worrying sign of missing one-on-one’s in the early stages of his QPR career. These worries soon disappeared and a fantasic goal against Preston North End was the highlight of the season. Receiving a ball from Marc Nygaard in a left back position, Blackstock chested the ball down and volleyed it with his left foot into the top corner from 30 yards.
Blackstock ended the campaign as club top scorer on 14 goals, one short of his personal target of 15. He came second in the player of the season awards, and his goal against Preston won goal of the season.
For the 2007-08 season, Blackstock has been given the number 9 shirt.
On 16 August 2007, Blackstock was called up to Stuart Pearce's first England under-21 squad as full time manager. In the match against Montenegro on 7 September, he came on as a substitute on 90 minutes and headed the ball down for Andrew Surman to score the final goal in a 3-0 victory.[1]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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