Lloyd Opara Explained

Lloyd Opara
Fullname:Junior Lloyd Opara[1]
Birth Date:6 January 1984
Birth Place:Enfield, England
Position:Striker
Youthyears1:?–2001
Youthclubs1:Colchester United
Years1:2001–2002
Years2:2002–2003
Years3:2003
Years4:2003
Years5:2003
Years6:2003
Years7:2003–2004
Years8:2004
Years9:2004
Years10:2004
Years11:2005
Years12:2005
Years13:2005–2006
Years14:2006
Years15:2006–2007
Years16:2007
Years17:2007
Years18:2007
Years19:2007
Years20:2007
Years21:2007
Years22:2007–2008
Years23:2008
Years24:2008
Years25:2008
Years26:2012
Clubs1:Colchester United
Clubs2:Cambridge United
Clubs3:Stevenage Borough
Clubs4:Enfield (loan)
Clubs5:Braintree Town
Clubs6:Hornchurch
Clubs7:Grays Athletic
Clubs8:Swindon Town
Clubs9:St Albans City
Clubs10:Bishop's Stortford
Clubs11:Redbridge
Clubs12:Chelmsford City (loan)
Clubs13:Cheshunt
Clubs14:Peterborough United (loan)
Clubs15:Peterborough United
Clubs16:Burton Albion (loan)
Clubs17:Cheshunt
Clubs18:Windsor & Eton
Clubs19:Harlow Town
Clubs20:Potters Bar Town
Clubs21:Waltham Forest
Clubs22:Arlesey Town
Clubs23:Cheshunt
Clubs24:Broxbourne Borough V. & E.
Clubs25:Haringey Borough
Clubs26:Haringey Borough
Caps1:6
Caps2:10
Caps3:1
Caps4:4
Caps5:1
Caps6:5
Caps7:11
Caps8:0
Caps9:2
Caps10:1
Caps11:15
Caps12:1
Caps13:25
Caps14:8
Caps15:11
Caps16:1
Caps17:10
Caps18:1
Caps19:1
Caps20:0
Caps21:2
Caps22:2
Caps23:3
Caps24:6
Caps25:39
Caps26:7
Goals1:0
Goals2:1
Goals3:0
Goals4:2
Goals5:0
Goals6:1
Goals7:3
Goals8:0
Goals9:0
Goals10:1
Goals11:5
Goals12:0
Goals13:18
Goals14:1
Goals15:1
Goals16:0
Goals17:6
Goals18:0
Goals19:0
Goals20:0
Goals21:0
Goals22:1
Goals23:0
Goals24:2
Goals25:16
Goals26:1
Totalcaps:173
Totalgoals:59

Junior Lloyd Opara (born 6 January 1984) is an English former footballer who played as a striker. He played for many clubs during his career. While Opara was at Peterborough he starred in a 'Sky One' documentary Big Ron Manager which was aired in 2006.

His older brother Kelechi was also a professional footballer.[2]

Career

He began his career at Colchester United in 2001 and made his senior debut on 13 October 2001 against Blackpool.[3] After being released by Colchester in 2002 he joined Cambridge United, who were interested in taking on the final year of his scholarship. He instead joined Stevenage Borough in January 2003.[4] He has also played for Enfield, Braintree Town, Hornchurch, Cheshunt, and Swindon Town and many others. He left Swindon by mutual consent in September 2004 after failing to adapt to life outside London.[5] After a trial at Chelsea,[6] Opara was unhappy with life at Swindon, the 22-year-old was also a transfer target for League Two side Peterborough after training at London Road. "Chelsea want him to go there for a trial period, so we can't stand in his way," Posh manager Steve Bleasdale told his club's website. Opara, who has had previous spells with Colchester, Cambridge and Swindon, has scored 23 goals this season for Southern League side Cheshunt.

He signed for Peterborough United on loan in March 2006,[7] and while Opara was at Peterborough he starred in a Sky One documentary 'Big Ron Manager'. In January 2007 he joined Burton Albion on a month's loan,[8] after which time he returned to Peterborough,[9] who cancelled his contract the following month by mutual consent.[10] He joined, then rejoined Arlesey Town, after another brief spell at Cheshunt where he came on as a sub and picked up a winners medal in the final of the 2008 Herts Charity Cup. In 2008–09 season he appeared for Broxbourne Borough in the Premier Division of the Spartan South Midlands League.

After football

After retiring from football Opara became a teacher. In 2018 he was a deputy headteacher at the John Port School in Derbyshire[11] [12] but he has left the role.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Barry J. . Hugman . The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004 . 2003 . Queen Anne Press . 1-85291-651-6 . 324 .
  2. News: Soccer: U's look to youth . Colchester Daily Gazette. 9 November 2000. 5 October 2019.
  3. News: Late, Late Goal Denies U's Away Point. Colchester United F.C.. 13 October 2001. 25 August 2008.
  4. News: Opara opts for Stevenage. BBC Sport. 2 January 2003. 25 August 2008.
  5. News: Opara quits Swindon. BBC Sport. 16 September 2004. 25 August 2008.
  6. News: Andy. Sims. Chelsea pluck Opara from obscurity to boost striking ranks. The Independent. 10 March 2006. 25 August 2008.
  7. News: Peterborough sign Opara on loan. BBC Sport. 23 March 2006. 25 August 2008.
  8. News: Burton take striker Opara on loan. BBC Sport. 5 January 2007. 25 August 2008.
  9. News: Burton to let striker Opara leave. BBC Sport. 29 January 2007. 25 August 2008.
  10. News: Boston set to sign Posh striker. BBC Sport. 9 February 2007. 25 August 2008.
  11. News: Ex-Burton Albion footballer swaps pitch for classroom at Derbyshire school. Derbyshire Live. 23 April 2018. 5 October 2019.
  12. News: Remembering some Burton Albion signings whose stay was very brief. Derbyshire Live. 10 April 2020. 20 April 2020.