England Football Online
Goalkeepers Index Page Last Updated
21 August 2023
 
 

Ben Foster

Manchester United FC, Watford FC, Birmingham City FC, West Bromwich Albion FC
  
8 appearances, 6 goals against
  
P 8 W 2 D 3 L 3 F 11: A 7
*(actual F 9: A 6)
 50% successful
2006-14
disciplined: 1
captain: none
minutes played: 630

Timeline
  Ben Anthony Foster

(*Actual for and against are the goals scored
while the player was on the field.)
Birth 3 April 1983 in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire [registered as Ben Anthony in Warwick & Leamington, June 1983].
Attended North Leamington Community School

Source

Barry J. Hugman's PFA Yearbook [2005] & .

Playing Career

Club(s)		 Starting with Racing Club Warwick, Foster signed for Stoke City FC on 25 April 2001.  Foster was loaned to Bristol City FC on 12 November 2002, but did not feature for them. It was followed quickly by a loan deal at Tiverton Town FC where he made sixteen Southern League Premier appearances. A loan move to Stafford Rangers FC followed a year later in March 2004, earning one more Southern League Premier appearance, then Kidderminster Harriers AFC on 29 October 2004.  Foster was then loaned to Wrexham AFC for the second half of the 2004-05 season. Manchester United FC picked up Foster's signature on 17 July 2005 for £1 million, and then loaned to Watford FC on 1 August 2005 for the season. Although he returned to United, on 10 August 2006, Foster returned once more to a season-long loan at Vicarage Road. Then, after finally making his United debut, Foster signed for Birmingham City FC on 19 May 2010 for £4 million. Foster then joined West Bromwich Albion FC on loan from 29 July 2011, before a permanent deal on 29 June 2012 for £4 million. When Albion were relegated, Foster returned to Watford FC on 5 July 2018 for £2½ million, only to experience relegation again two years later. Foster announced his retirement from playing on 15 September 2022.
However, on 23 March 2023, it was announced that Foster had come out of retirement to return to Wrexham AFC, now a National League side,. He made eight Conference appearances with three clean sheets, helping his side back into the Football League. Foster announced his second retirement four games into the 2023-24 campaign, on 21 August 2023.

League honours
480 appearances		 Kidderminster Harriers FC 2004 loan two appearances
debut (league two): 30 October 2004 Kidderminster Harriers FC 0 Shrewsbury Town FC 1.
Wrexham AFC 2005 seventeen appearances
debut (league one): 29 January 2005 Wrexham AFC 0 Doncaster Rovers FC 0.
Watford FC 2005-07 loan 73 appearances
debut (championship): 6 August 2005 Watford FC 1 Preston North End FC 2.
Manchester United FC 2008-10 twelve appearances
debut: 15 March 2008 Derby County FC 0 Manchester United FC 1.
Birmingham City FC 2010-11 38 appearances
debut: 14 August 2010 Sunderland AFC 2 Birmingham City FC 2.
West Bromwich Albion FC 2011-12 loan 37 appearances 2012-18 permanent 172 apps
debut: 14 August 2011 West Bromwich Albion FC 1 Manchester United FC 2.
Watford FC 2018-22 125 appearances
debut: 11 August 2018 Watford FC 2 Brighton & Hove Albion FC 0.
Wrexham AFC 2023 four appearances
debut (league two): 5 August 2023 Wrexham AFC 3 MK Dons 5.
last (league one): 19 August 2023 Wrexham AFC 5 Swindon Town FC 5.

Club honours		 Associate Members Trophy winners 2004-05;
Football League Championship third place 2005-06 (44ᵃ), runners-up 2020-21 (23);
Premier League Champions 2007-08 (1), 2008-09 (2), runners-up 2009-10 (9);
Football League Cup winners 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11;
FA Cup runners-up 2018-19 (0);
National Conference Champions 2022-23 (7);

Individual honours		 Watford FC Player of the Season 2006-07; Alan Hardaker Trophy 2008-09, 2010-11;
Birmingham City FC Player of the Season 2010-11; Birmingham City FC Players' Player of the Season 2010-11;
West Bromwich Albion FC Supporter's Player of the Season 2011-12, 2012-13, 2016-17; West Bromwich Albion FC Players' Player of the Season 2011-12, 2012-13; 
FWA Player of the Year nominee 2016-17; London Football Awards Goalkeeper of the Year 2019;
Premier League Player of the Month nominee December 2019;
Distinctions None
Height/Weight 6' 2", 12st 6lb. [2005]

Source

Barry J. Hugman's PFA Yearbook [2005].

England Career
Player number 1146th player to appear for England. 104th goalkeeper to appear.
Position(s) Goalkeeper
First match No. 849, 7 February 2007, England 0 Spain 1, a friendly match at Old Trafford, Stretford, Manchester, aged 23 years 310 days.
Last match No. 934, 24 June 2014, Costa Rica 0 England 0, a World Cup Finals group match at Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto, Belo Horizonte, aged 31 years 82 days.
Major tournaments World Cup Finals 2010 (standby list), 2014;
Team honours None


The Numbers
Squads Apps Comp
Apps		 Starts sub unused mins. GA GA Av.
min		 Comp GA Clean
Sheets		 Cln
Sht Av		 Capt. Disc.
25 8 2 5 ▲2
 ▼0		 24 630 6 105 min 1 4 50% none 1
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
8 2 3 3 11 7 +4 3 3 1.375 0.875 43.8 -1

Venue Record

Venue P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 5 2 1 2 9 4 +5 1 2 1.80 0.80 50.0 =0
Neutral 3 0 2 1 2 3 -1 2 1 0.667 1.00 33.3 -1

Shirt Record

Colour P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Green 4 2 1 1 7 1 +6 2 3 1.75 0.25 62.5 +1
Purple 2 0 1 1 2 3 -1 1 0 1.00 1.50 25.0 -1
Black 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 0 1.00 2.00 0.00 -1
Gold (nike) 1 0 1 0 1 1 =0 0 0 1.00 1.00 50.0 =0

Competition Record

Competition P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L

WCP

 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 0 1 3.00 0.00 100.0 +1
WCF 1 0 1 0 0 0 =0 1 1 0.00 0.00 50.0 =0
World Cup 2 1 1 0 3 0 +3 1 2 1.50 0.00 75.0 +1
Friendly 6 1 2 3 8 7 +1 2 1 1.333 1.167 33.3 -2

Tournament Record

World Cup Preliminary Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCP 2008-10 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 0 1 3.00 0.00 100.0 +1
WCP All 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 0 1 3.00 0.00 100.0 +1
World Cup Final Tournaments
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCF 2006 0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 00.0 =0
WCF 2014 1 0 1 0 0 0 =0 1 1 0.00 0.00 50.0 =0
WCF All 1 0 1 0 0 0 =0 1 1 0.00 0.00 50.0 =0
World Cup
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 2004-06 0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 00.0 =0
WC 2008-10 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 0 1 3.00 0.00 100.0 +1
WC 2012-14 1 0 1 0 0 0 =0 1 1 0.00 0.00 50.0 =0
WC All 2 1 1 0 3 0 +3 1 2 1.50 0.00 75.0 +1

European Championship Preliminary Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
ECP 2006-08 0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 00.0 =0
ECP 2010-12 0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 00.0 =0

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 2 1 1 0 3 0 +3 1 2 1.50 0.00 75.0 +1
2 1 1 0 3 0 +3 1 2 1.5 0 75 +1

Match History
  
 Club: Manchester United F.C. - no full appearances

coach: Sven-Göran Eriksson - no full appearancesx


apps match pic match details comp res rundown shirt

Age 23
836 30 May 2006 - England 3 Hungary 1, Old Trafford, Manchester
Fr		 HW
unused sub		 27
837 3 June 2006 - England 6 Jamaica 0, Old Trafford, Manchester HW 26
  
Sven-Göran Eriksson had named a provisional 23-man England squad, with a five-man standby list on 8 May 2006 that included Scott Carson. Carson later replaced Rob Green in the main squad, with Ben Foster replacing Carson as a reserve.

 Club: Watford F.C., on loan from Manchester United F.C. - one full appearance (90 min)

coach: Steve McClaren - one full appearance (90 min)x


843 16 August 2006 - England 4 Greece 0, Old Trafford, Manchester Fr HW unused sub 22
844 2 September 2006 - England 5 Andorra 0, Old Trafford, Manchester
ECP		 HW squad member
845 6 September 2006 - FYR Macedonia 0 England 1, Gradski Stadion, Skopje AW unused sub 13
846 7 October 2006 - England 0 FYR Macedonia 0, Old Trafford, Manchester
ECP		 HD squad member
847 11 October 2006 - Croatia 2 England 0, Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb AL
848 15 November 2006 - Netherlands 1 England 1, Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Fr AD unused sub 13
1 849 7 February 2007 - England 0 Spain 1
Old Trafford, Manchester		 Fr HL   1
850 24 March 2007 - Israel 0 England 0, The National Stadium, Ramat Gan
ECP		 AD
unused sub		 13
851 28 March 2007 - Andorra 0 England 3, Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona AW 13
  

Age 24
b 25 May 2007 - England 3 Albania A 1, Turf Moor, Burnley Fr HW withdrawn
squad member

 Club: Manchester United F.C. - three full appearances (225 min)

manager: Fabio Capello - four full appearances (315 min)x


Age 25
2 872 28 March 2009 - England 4 Slovakia 0
The National Stadium, Wembley		 Fr HW ▲(1-0) ht 21
873 1 April 2009 - England 2 Ukraine 1, The National Stadium, Wembley WCP HW unused sub 12
  

Age 26
876 12 August 2009 - Netherlandss2 England 2,, Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Fr AD withdrawn
squad member
877 5 September 2009 - England 2 Slovenia 1,,The National Stadium, Wembley Fr HW unavailable
squad member
878 9 September 2009 - England 5 Croatia 1, The National Stadium, Wembley WCP HW unused sub 12
879 10 October 2009 - Ukraine 1 England 0, Stadion Dnepr-Arena, Dnepropetrovsk
WCP		 AL squad member
3 880 14 October 2009 - England 3 Belarus 0
 The National Stadium, Wembley		 HW   1
4 881 14 November 2009 - Brazil 1 England 0
Istād Khalīfah, Al Rayyan		 Fr NL 55 56 1
  

 Club: Birmingham City F.C. - one full appearance (90 min)  

Age 27
889 11 August 2010 - England 2 Hungary 1, The National Stadium, Wembley Fr HW withdrawn
squad member
890 3 September 2010 - England 4 Bulgaria 0, The National Stadium, Wembley
ECP		 HW
unused sub		 12
891 7 September 2010 - Switzerland 1 England 3, Sankt-Jakob Park, Basel AW 12
892 12 October 2010 - England 0 Montenegro 0, The National Stadium, Wembley ECP HD unused sub 12
5 893 17 November 2010 - England 1 France 2
The National Stadium, Wembley		 Fr HL   1
894 9 February 2011 - Denmark 1 England 2, Parken Stadion, København Fr AW withdrawn
squad member
  

 Club: West Bromwich Albion F.C. - three full appearances (225 min)

manager: Roy Hodgson - three full appearances (225 min)x


Age 29
917 22 March 2013 - San Marino 0 England 8, Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle
WCP		 AW
unused sub		 13
918 26 March 2013 - Montenegro 1 England 1, Stadion Pod Goricom, Podgorica AD 13

Age 30
6 919 29 May 2013 - England 1 Republic of Ireland 1
The National Stadium, Wembley
tour		 HD ▲(1-1) ht 13
920 2 June 2013 - Brazil 2 England 2, Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, Rio de Janeiro AD unused sub 13
921 14 August 2013 - England 3 Scotland 2, The National Stadium, Wembley Fr HW unused sub 13
  
928 5 March 2014 - England 1 Denmark 0, The National Stadium, Wembley Fr HW unused sub 13

Age 31
929 30 May 2014 - England 3 Peru 0, The National Stadium, Wembley Fr HW unused sub
13
7 930 4 June 2014 - Ecuador 2 England 2
Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens		 Fr ND  
931 7 June 2014 - Honduras 0 England 0, Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens Fr ND unused sub
932 14 June 2014 - England 1 Italy 2, Arena da Amazônia, Manaus
WCF		 NL unused sub
13
933 19 June 2014 - Uruguay 2 England 1, Arena de São Paulo, São Paulo NL
8 934 24 June 2014 - Costa Rica 0 England 0
Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto, Belo Horizonte		 ND  
935 3 September 2014 - England 1 Norway 0, The National Stadium, Wembley Fr HW withdrawn
squad member
936 8 September 2014 - Switzerland 0 England 2, Sankt-Jakob Park, Basel ECP AW
937 9 October 2014 - England 5 San Marino 0, The National Stadium, Wembley ECP HW unused sub 13
938 12 October 2014 - Estonia 0 England 1, A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn AW 13
939 15 November 2014 - England 3 Slovenia 1, The National Stadium, Wembley ECP HW unused sub 13
940 18 November 2014 - Scotland 1 England 3, Celtic Park, Glasgow Fr AW 13
  

    

 
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