Greg Halford

**Last statistical update: 20:49, 21 January 2024 (UTC)**

**Gregory Halford** is a footballer who plays for **Hashtag United** (men).

Halford joined the Colchester United academy in July 2001, prior to penning pro terms with *The U's* just over a year later in August 2002. His competitive senior debut arrived on 21 April 2003 as Colchester lost 5–0 in the Second Division to Luton Town at Layer Road; playing for 78 minutes before being replaced by Pat Baldwin. That was his only appearance during 2002–03, with his next appearance coming in an October 2003 win in the LDV Vans Trophy first round away to Cheltenham Town. Halford netted his first senior goal on 6 March 2004 during a home league defeat to Hartlepool United. Further goals arrived in 2003–04 against Chesterfield, AFC Bournemouth and Wrexham.

Halford's first goal of 2004–05 occurred on 28 August 2004 in a League One win at home to Doncaster Rovers. He netted in that competition again against Oldham Athletic and Tranmere Rovers across September and October, which preceded a Carling Cup third round goal at Southampton on 27 October and an FA Cup first round draw away to Mansfield Town on 13 November. Colchester soon won the replay, which gave them a second round match-up away to Rushden & Diamonds - a match that Halford would score a hat-trick in on 4 December; *The U's* would reach the fourth round, losing to top-flight Blackburn Rovers. He scored his last goal of the season on 28 December in League One versus Luton Town.

The start of 2005–06 would see Halford net in August against Bradford City and in September versus Swansea City, which preceded the player notching a brace in October during a road win at Blackpool. Halford scored his fifth goal of the campaign on 5 November 2005 in a 9–1 thrashing of ninth tier Leamington in the FA Cup first round. A league goal on 19 Novemebr against Blackpool was followed by a brace a week later in a five-goal home win in the league against Gillingham. Colchester concluded the season with promotion to the Championship for 2006–07, which would be his final season with Colchester. In his final seven months with the club, Halford netted goals versus Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday and Southend United across 30 games in all competitions.

During his time with Colchester, Halford won their Young Player of the Year award in 2004–05 and was selected in the PFA's Team of the Year in 2005–06. Across five seasons there, he also played in various positions across defence, midfield and attack. Halford left in January 2007, having handed in a transfer request back in the preceeding August 2006. He also had two loan spells out in 2002.

Aylesbury United (loan)
In 2002, Halford spent time out on loan with Aylesbury United of the Isthmian League.

Braintree Town (loan)
Also in 2002, Halford was loaned to Isthmian League - Premier Division team Braintree Town.

Reading
On 30 January 2007, Halford was transferred to Premier League team Reading for an undisclosed club record fee; reported to be £2.5m. His bow for *The Royals* wouldn't arrive until March, as he came off the bench to replace Stephen Hunt in a goalless draw with Portsmouth at the Madejski Stadium on 17 March. His first start came on 1 April in a loss at White Hart Lane to Tottenham Hotspur, which preceded his third and final appearance on 5 May in a home defeat - as a starter - to Watford. Halford left Reading in the following off-season, though their director of football Nick Hammond claimed the two parties departed on positive terms.

Sunderland
In June 2007, after just a few months and games for Reading, Halford moved across the Premier League to Sunderland. Roy Keane gave him his competitive debut on 15 August as they drew 2–2 away to Birmingham City; playing for 70 minutes until going off in place of Roy O'Donovan. Halford was sent off during his fourth appearance on 28 August as they were dumped out of the Carling Cup second round by lower division Luton Town. He was red carded again three matches later, this time heading for an early bath in a 1–1 home league draw with Fulham; both reds were given just after the hour mark. Halford would appear just two more times for *The Black Cats*, against Derby County and Chelsea in December, before leaving on loan at the start of 2008 and permanently in mid-2009.

Charlton Athletic (loan)
January 2008 saw Halford sign for Charlton Athletic of the Championship on loan. After debuting at The Valley on 8 February versus Crystal Palace, Halford netted in back-to-back home league matches versus West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. His last appearance for the club arrived on 4 May as Charlton beat Coventry City 4–1 at home.

Sheffield United (loan)
In July 2008, Halford again departed Sunderland on loan as he agreed terms with second tier Sheffield United. As with his parent club, the player made his bow for *The Blades* in a league fixture at St Andrew's versus Birmingham City. Two weeks later, on 23 August, Halford scored his first goal in a win at Blackpool. He later, in January 2009, scored two goals in an FA Cup third round win at Leyton Orient. Halford netted again in round five at home to Hull City, in a season that also saw him net further Championship strikes versus Southampton, Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town and Preston North End; the latter occurred in a play-off semi-final, with Sheffield United going on to lose in the final to Burnley on 29 May 2009 at Wembley Stadium.

Wolverhampton Wanderers
Halford's next senior club became Championship winners Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2009. He made his top tier bow for the newly-promoted Premier League side on 15 August as they lost by two unanswered goals to West Ham United. He featured a further 16 times across 2009–10 as they avoided relegation, prior to heading out on loan in the early stages of the subsequent 2010–11 campaign. Halford departed permanently in July 2011.

Portsmouth
In October 2010, after two league games and two cup games for Wolverhampton Wanderers, recently relegated from the top-flight Portsmouth signed Halford on a month's loan. He made 6 appearances and scored 1 goal, on appearance two versus Hull City away from home, before having the deal extended for a further month; and eventually until January. In that aforementioned month, Halford returned to Wolves before rejoining Portsmouth on loan on 13 January 2011. In the lead up to his initial return to his parent club, the player scored goals versus Swansea City, Norwich City and Hull City across November, December and early January; though was also sent off in that spell against Watford. Halford featured 21 times in his second loan stint with Portsmouth.

In July 2011, Portsmouth captured Halford permanently from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The club suffered a miserable season as they were relegated to League One, though the player ended the season with 7 goals in 44 appearances. He scored the first of those on 10 September as they lost 4–3 at the Boleyn Ground to West Ham United, following it up with goals against Coventry City, Cardiff City and Middlesbrough up until March 2012. Halford then notched twice away to Doncaster Rovers on 14 April, prior to finishing his goalscoring output on 17 April with one against Crystal Palace. Given relegation and looming financial issues, Halford would leave Portsmouth at the end of 2011–12.

Nottingham Forest
On 27 July 2012, Halford completed a move to Nottingham Forest. His debut for them came in a Capital One Cup first round win away to Fleetwood Town on 13 August, with his Championship bow arriving days later as Forest beat Bristol City 1–0. *The Reds* would finish his first season in 8th, as Halford made 40 appearances in all competitions. He opened 2013–14 with a goal in the Capital One Cup first round versus Hartlepool United on 6 August. In the festive period across December and January, Halford netted 3 goals in 3 games as Forest beat Queens Park Rangers and Leeds United before drawing with Reading on New Year's Day 2014. He scored his fifth and final goal of the campaign on the penultimate day versus AFC Bournemouth.

After not featuring across the early months of 2014–15, Halford was loaned to Brighton & Hove Albion for the rest of the season in November 2014. He would then leave permanently in June 2015.

Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)
Championship outfit Brighton & Hove Albion signed Halford on loan in November 2014, giving him his debut on 4 November in a narrow one-goal home win over Wigan Athletic; as he replaced Elliott Bennett off the bench. He was used as a sub once more that month versus Norwich City, which preceded his first start coming on 12 December in a home loss to Millwall. He featured 20 times that campaign as they avoided relegation by six points.

Rotherham United
A move to the New York Stadium with Rotherham United was confirmed in June 2015. His first appearance for *The Millers* came in a 4–1 home loss to Milton Keynes Dons on 8 August. After 8 matches for them, Halford was loaned out in December to Birmingham City. Upon returning to Rotherham, he was sent off during a one-goal victory at home to Middlesbrough in early March 2016. April would see the player score two goals for the club, firstly in a 2 April win over Leeds United and secondly in a 19 April draw with Huddersfield Town. Halford would depart midway through 2016–17, though not before adding 15 appearances to his tally and scoring once more; in the EFL Cup first round against Morecambe on 9 August 2016 as Forest lost 5–4 at the City Ground.

Birmingham City (loan)
At the back end of November 2015, Halford signed with fellow Championship team Birmingham City on emergency loan terms until 2 January 2016. He would make just 3 appearances for the club, with them all arriving across December in league matches with Middlesbrough, Preston North End and Cardiff City. He then returned to his parent club when his loan expired.

Cardiff City
On 6 January 2017, Cardiff City of the Championship penned terms with Halford; as he moved to a club outside of England for the first time. He made his debut for the Wales-based outfit on 8 January in an FA Cup third round match with Fulham. He made a total of 32 appearances across his first few months as the club placed mid-table in 2016–17. In 2017–18, Halford would feature just 16 times across the season, but did net during his first match of the campaign on 8 August as Cardiff eliminated ex-club Portsmouth from the EFL Cup first round. He was released in June 2018, subsequently having a training spell with West Bromwich Albion; featuring in a Premier League 2 - Division 2 draw with Middlesbrough on 14 December.

Aberdeen
A move to Scotland was confirmed in February 2019, as Halford joined Ladbrokes Premiership side Aberdeen; having been unattached since his Cardiff departure in the preceding June. He would be made to wait for his competitive bow for *The Dons*, having gone as an unused substitute for fixtures with Hamilton Academical, Celtic, Livingston, Heart of Midlothian, Motherwell and Dundee across February, March and April. His debut belatedly arrived on 20 April during a one-goal win away to Kilmarnock, as he came off the bench to replace Connor McLennan. His second (and last) appearance was also as a substitute, though it lasted just ten minutes as the player was subbed off on 83 minutes in a game that ended in a 3–0 home loss versus Celtic.

Southend United
After departing Aberdeen at the end of 2018–19, Halford had a stint training with Northampton Town before signing a short-term contract with Southend United of League Two on 15 December 2020. He made it a goalscoring debut hours later as he netted in a 3–1 league victory over Grimsby Town at Roots Hall. After 5 appearances, the last of which saw him sent off in a win over Barrow on 9 January, Halford signed a contract extension until the end of the season with Southend. After 16 games for him, the club suffered relegation to non-league football in May 2021.

Waterford
On 23 July 2021, Halford moved to League of Ireland - Premier Division side Waterford. He debuted later that day in an FAI Cup first round match versus second tier Athlone Town, netting his first goal for *The Blues* in the process as his new team won via a penalty shoot-out. His league bow came at the Head In The Game Park against Drogheda United on 30 July, going on to score his first league goal on 2 November in a score draw at home to Derry City. Waterford concluded the campaign with relegation to the First Division.

Billericay Town
On 12 February 2022, Halford returned to England with National League South club Billericay Town. After February appearances versus Dulwich Hamlet and Tonbridge Angels, the player scored in consecutive league matches against Welling United and Hungerford Town to start March. Halford would suffer a fourth-career relegation as they went down to the Isthmian League - Premier Division as the player participated in 14 National League South matches. Billericay did, however, win the Essex Senior Cup in his time with *Ricay*.

England (youth)
Halford represented England at under-20 level, notably scoring once (versus South Korea) across 4 caps won at the 2005 Toulon Tournament.

### HTU

2022–23
On 26 August 2022, Halford was announced as a new signing by *The Tags*. He made his HTU debut as a starter in an Isthmian League - North Division draw at the Len Salmon Stadium versus Stowmarket Town on 27 August. After further showings in league and cup versus Brentwood Town, Romford, Bedfont Sports and Tilbury, the player netted his opening goal for the team on 20 September as they defeated Maldon & Tiptree in the league 2-0 at Park Drive. His second goal arrived at the same venue against the same opposition on 11 October as they knocked out Maldon & Tipree from the Velocity Sports Trophy second round with a 2-1 win. Halford subsequently netted 3 league goals in November versus Hullbridge Sports, New Salamis and Grays Athletic.

Halford's first goal of 2023 arrived on 13 January during a 4-0 road league victory over East Thurrock United. On 25 February, in a 3–2 win at home to AFC Sudbury, Halford scored his first brace for *The Tags*. On 15 April, the defender converted a spot-kick during the club's 6–0 home turf win versus Great Wakering Rovers as they secured the league title and promotion to the Isthmian League - Premier Division.

2023–24
On 29 July 2023, Halford netted his 10th HTU goal in a pre-season friendly triumph at Walton & Hersham. Competitively, he scored a penalty in the club's league draw at home to Kingstonian on 9 September. Goal 13 for *The Tags* came from 12 yards again on 28 October as they lost 6–3 away to Enfield Town.

## Style of Play

Halford has largely been a utility player throughout his career, having played across defence, midfield and attack. At Colchester, he made his breakthrough as a right-back before switching to later play as a centre-forward, at right midfield and at central midfield. HTU, upon signing the Englishman, noted that he had "played every position".

## HTU Statistics

Breakdown

'*Other Cups' includes competitions like the FA Trophy, the FA Vase and friendly tournaments. See also: HTUwiki:DataIssues.*

Appearances (58)
* List of appearances of Greg Halford

Goals (13)
* List of goals of Greg Halford

## HTU Honours

* Isthmian League - North Division (1): 2022–23

## External Links

* Soccerbase
* Soccerway
* Wikipedia
* World Football

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Halford makes rapid return to Colchester to say goodbye to players & fans" (archived) , 5 February 2007.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Scouting report: Greg Halford, Colchester United" , 3 October 2006.
3. ↑ "Halford stuns U's with transfer request" (archived) , 23 August 2006.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Greg Halford - Players - Colchester United" .
5. ↑ "Royals pay new club record transfer fee to sign Colchester's Greg Halford" (archived) , 30 January 2007.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Sunderland complete Halford deal" , 11 June 2007.
7. ↑ "Official: Blues sign up Greg Halford" (archived) , 26 November 2015.
8. ↑ "West Brom boss Darren Moore explains what's going on with free agent Greg Halford" , 12 December 2018.
9. ↑ "Greg Halford: Southend United sign veteran defender on short-term deal" , 15 December 2020.
10. ↑ "HALFORD SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION" , 18 January 2021.
11. ↑ "England bounce back" , 6 June 2005.
12. ↑ "NEW SIGNING!" , 27 August 2022.