Irish international forward Andy Keogh has been outlined by Vital QPR as the One to Watch ahead of Rangers clash with Wolves this weekend.
The young forward has been deputising in recent weeks owing to injuries to Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Chris Iwelumo – with the latter out for the rest of the season after picking up an injury against promotion rivals Wolves.
A Dublin born striker, Keogh started out his professional career with Leeds United signing forms at the age of 16 at Elland Road. With limited opportunity in the first team squad he was loaned out to Scunthorpe United and he scored goals in wins over Cheltenham Town and Northampton Town, both ending in 2-0 victories for the Iron.
He made 12 appearances overall for Scunthorpe before returning to Leeds, making his one and only appearance for the whites against Portsmouth in the League Cup replacing defender Sean Gregan with less than five minutes remaining as Leeds decided to gamble.
He was then loaned out to Bury and scored on his debut against former side Scunthorpe United, it was scant consolation as Steve Torpey his a match winning brace for the Iron. He scored one more goal in his loan spell with the shakers – the solitary goal in another victory over Northampton.
During his loan spell at Gigg Lane Scunthorpe boss Brian Laws expressed his intention to sign the highly-rated forward and tabled a bid reported to be in the region of £50,000. It was duly accepted and Keogh made the permanent switch to Glanford Park.
He notched only one further goal for the Iron but was part of the side that won promotion to League One, finishing runners up to eventual winners Yeovil Town.
In the summer Brian Laws signed a strike partner for Keogh in the shape of Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp. Sharp was out of favour under Neil Warnock and made the move to Glanford Park in a deal worth £100,000.
He and Keogh struck up and excellent understanding in a partnership worth 38 goals – Sharp getting the lions share, but an excellent contribution of 15 goals from Keogh really kick started the young forward`s career and saw the Iron to a 12th placed finish in League One.
Keogh also scored at the City of Manchester Stadium bagging the shock opening goal in an FA Cup tie against Manchester City. However a more cultured striker – Robbie Fowler – put the game to bed with an excellently taken hatrick.
A decent opening to the 2006-07 campaign for Keogh and Scunthorpe saw him bag seven goals in the first part of the season. News emerged that he was reluctant to sign a new deal at Glanford Park – alerting the attention of Championship sides Wolverhampton Wanderers and Queens Park Rangers.
Keogh opted for the former and signed for the Wolves for a fee believed to be in the region of £600,000 rising by a further £200,000 depending on certain criteria. John Gregory hailed the forward as “one of the signings of the season” for Mick McCarthy and Wolves as they reached the playoff place with the help of five goals from the Irishman.
Wolves underachieved the following season to miss out on the playoffs on goal difference to Watford. Keogh`s 11 goals were a plus point in the season as they failed to emulate their heroics from the previous season.
A brace against Queens Park Rangers was undoubtedly the highlight of the campaign scoring a dramatic late equaliser in a 3-3 draw which came five minutes into four minutes added on time – such was the officiating of referee Clive Oliver who dished out a penalty a piece for virtually nothing.
Rumours concerning Keogh`s future at Molineux were beginning to surface having fallen behind Iwelumo and Ebanks-Blake in the pecking order. The 6ft forward dispelled these rumours to sign a new contract lasting until 2012.
Andy also has 11 caps for the Republic of Ireland to his name scoring a solitary goal against Serbia in a 1-1 draw – this was Italian boss Giovanni Trapattoni`s first game in charge.
So far this campaign Keogh has made the majority of his appearances from the bench, but has chipped in five goals for the cause as Wolves sit proudly a top of the Championship table.
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Career Stats |
| Years | Club | Appearances (Goals) |
|---|---|---|
| 2007-Present | Wolves | 108(22) |
| 2005-07 | Scunthorpe United | 96(22) |
| 2005 | Bury (L) | 4(2) |
| 2004 | Scunthorpe United (L) | 11(3) |
| 2003-05 | Leeds United | 1(0) |
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