PLAYER PROFILE

Nicky Shorey

Position: Defence

Height: 5'9

Weight: 10st 8lbs

Date of Birth: 1981-02-19 Romford, England

Nicky Shorey

Nicky Shorey signed for Reading in February 2001 from Leyton Orient for a fee of just £25,000 after starting out at Brisbane Road at the tender age of nine.

He was limited to just sixteen first team appearances with the Os, but it says alot for his class that that was all it took for Alan Pardew to become interested as the then-Reading manager offered him a trial before giving him a three and a half year contract.

He broke into Pardew's side almost immediatly, making his debut in a 4-0 Worthington Cup victory over Luton in August and then later taking on Aston Villa in the same competiton.

As the weeks went by he got more and more chances in Pardew's side, eventually notching up 35 consecutive games and earning himself an extended contract into the bargain as the team secured promotion.

The following season saw him don the blue and white shirt for another 39 consecutive games, scoring his first professional goal against Bradford in October 2002. He earned the club's player of the month in January 2003 and slotted in his second goal from the penalty spot against Preston.

After a poor start which saw him sent-off against Ipswich and miss a penalty against Nottingham Forest, Shorey continued to play well in the 2003/04 season, but at the end of the campaign it was discovered he had a foot infection, one which could have led to amputation.

Gladly for Reading, he made a full recovery and played a vital role not only in the 2004/05 season, but also the Championship-winning campaign of 2005/06.

This fine form continued in 2006/07 as he played 39 games for the Royals. He is now one of their most valued players.