Peter Enckelman
Enckelman playing for Cardiff City in 2009
Personal information
Full name Peter Mikael Enckelman[1]
Date of birth (1977-03-10) 10 March 1977[2]
Place of birth Turku, Finland
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1999 TPS Turku 72 (0)
1999–2004 Aston Villa 52 (0)
2003 → Blackburn Rovers (loan) 0 (0)
2004–2008 Blackburn Rovers 2 (0)
2008 → Cardiff City (loan) 16 (0)
2008–2010 Cardiff City 16 (0)
2010–2012 St Johnstone 54 (0)
2012–2013 Heart of Midlothian 1 (0)
2013–2014 IFK Mariehamn 9 (0)
Total 222 (0)
International career
Finland U21 15 (0)
2000–2010 Finland 12 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Peter Mikael Enckelman (born 10 March 1977) is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Enckelman represented Finland and previously played for TPS Turku, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Cardiff City, St Johnstone and Heart of Midlothian.

Club career

Aston Villa

Born in Turku, Varsinais-Suomi,[2] Enckelman signed for his first English club, Aston Villa, from his hometown team, TPS Turku, in February 1999 for a fee of around €1 million (1,7m + 4,3m Finnish markka).[3] He made his debut during a 3–1 defeat against Arsenal on 11 September 1999 as a second-half substitute, his first start coming three days later against Chester City in the League Cup.

After David James left the team, Enckelman was pleased when he was called upon in some of the later fixtures, as he expected to be seeing some more first-team action. However, the signing of former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel put a considerable damper on things, as, apart from the matches in Aston Villa's Intertoto Cup campaign of that season, he was left with virtually no playing time. It was only when Graham Taylor took over as manager that Enckelman was installed as first choice keeper, as Schmeichel was sold to Manchester City.

Enckelman was the culprit for a defensive error in a hotly contested local derby (Birmingham City v Aston Villa (3–0) on 16 September 2002); as Olof Mellberg took a quick defensive throw-in to the keeper, Enckelman took his eye off the ball and as he was unable to control it, it slid under his foot and rolled in to the goal.[4] There is some debate over whether the goal should have stood, as the laws state that a goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in. The ball was adjudged to, yet did not appear, to scrape against the studs of his boot. Enckelman has stated on numerous occasions that he did not touch the ball prior to it entering the net.[5] The incident led to further controversy when a rival fan charged onto the pitch and approached Enckelman, before making an offensive gesture directly to his face. The fan was later arrested and jailed,[6] and Enckelman was praised for his refusal to retaliate.[7]

Blackburn Rovers

Enckelman was sold to Blackburn Rovers in 2004 for £150,000.[8] At Blackburn, he was considered second choice behind Brad Friedel, and on 19 May 2008 after making just three appearances in four years, he was told that his contract with the club would not be renewed.[9]

Cardiff City

Enckelman taking a free-kick during a league match

On 10 January 2008, he joined Football League Championship side Cardiff City on loan until the end of the 2007–08 season[10] becoming Cardiff's third loan goalkeeper of the year after Ross Turnbull and Kasper Schmeichel. He made his debut for Cardiff on 29 January as a substitute in a 3–1 victory over Queens Park Rangers after Michael Oakes was forced to be taken off after taking a blow to the face. He remained the club's first choice goalkeeper for the rest of the season, playing in four of the club's FA Cup matches, including the 2008 FA Cup Final, but a mistake from Enckelman resulted in the only goal of the game for opponents Portsmouth.[11]

2008–09 season

Enckelman in 2008.

Enckelman was released on his return to Blackburn at the end of the season and signed a two-year deal with Cardiff.[12] Despite spending his loan spell as first choice goalkeeper, he started the 2008–09 season as second choice goalkeeper to loanee Tom Heaton. On 23 September, he made his first appearance of the season in a 1–0 loss to Swansea City in the League Cup, the first South Wales derby to take place in seven years. His first league appearance of the season came on 22 November when he replaced Tom Heaton during a 2–1 defeat against Plymouth Argyle after Heaton sustained a calf injury. In the following match, Enckelman was handed a start in place of Heaton and went on to remain unbeaten for over ten matches, including keeping a clean sheet during a 0–0 draw in the fourth round of the FA Cup against Arsenal[13] when forced to undergo a knee operation.[14] It was originally thought that the injury would keep him out for two months but Enckelman's knee failed to respond to the surgery meaning he would miss the remainder of the season.[15]

2009–10 season

The following season, Enckelman faced another challenge to be the number one goalkeeper at Cardiff with the signing of Scottish international David Marshall from Norwich City. After sharing goalkeeping duties during pre-season, he started the season on the bench behind Marshall before making his first appearance of the season in a 3–1 win over Dagenham & Redbridge in the first round of the League Cup.[16] On 28 November 2009, Enckelman was involved in car crash but made a "lucky escape", he made his first league appearance the following day, playing 45 minutes coming on as a second-half substitute for David Marshall.[17] At the end of the season, he was one of five players released by the club.

St Johnstone

On 7 August 2010, Enckelman appeared as a trialist for St Johnstone in their friendly match against Real Valladolid, keeping a clean sheet in the process. Two days later, Enckelman agreed to join the club, signing a two-year deal.[18] He made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against Hearts on 14 August 2010. At St Johnstone, he immediately became a first choice goalkeeper. At the beginning of the season, Enckelman made a bad start and was relegated to the substitution bench after two matches. In his first season, Enckelman faced competition from Graeme Smith to take the first choice. In the end, Enckelman managed to win the spot. Despite the following season when Smith left and Alan Mannus arrived, Enckelman managed to retain his first choice throughout the season. Enckelman made an impressive penalty save from Kris Commons and won 1–0 against Celtic, keeping a clean sheet on 22 August 2011. After the match, Enckelman said the game was his best match.[19] He saved another penalty from Jamie Hamill in a 2–1 win at Hearts on 3 December 2011.[20] After the 2011–12 season, Enckelman was released by the club after his contract expired. After his release, Enckelman went on a trial at Preston[21] and played in a friendly match in a 2–0 win over Southport on 14 July 2012.[22]

Heart of Midlothian

On 17 August 2012, Enckelman signed a short-term deal with Hearts, until January 2013.[23] Hearts signed Enckelman as cover after Mark Ridgers suffered an injury playing for the Scotland under-21 team.[23] After being on the bench as cover for first choice Jamie MacDonald, Enckelman made his debut, coming on in the 14th minute for McDonald after he collided with Charlie Mulgrew. However, he lost his debut when Georgios Samaras scored through Enckelman's legs to give Celtic the lead 1–0 and the game stayed that way until the final whistle.[24] After the match, Enckelman expressed 'disappointment' that he could have saved the shot from Samaras.[25] Enckelman did not make another appearance for Hearts and he was released at the end of his contract in January 2013.[26]

Return to Finland

On 13 June 2013, it was announced that Enckelman had signed a short-term contract with Veikkausliiga side IFK Mariehamn, returning to his native Finland after spending 14 years abroad.[27]

International career

Enckelman was capped 15 times by the Finland national under-21 team, before being capped on 12 occasions by the Finland national team from 2000 to 2010.[2][28]

Personal life

He is the son of Göran Enckelman, also a former Finland international goalkeeper. He has a keen interest in motorsport, and in January 2007 the Encke Sport team was announced with plans to contest the British Touring Car Championship.[29] This never happened, but the team has competed in smaller racing classes.

Career statistics

Club

As of 1 September 2014[30][31]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Aston Villa 1999–00 100103000140
2000–01 0000000000
2001–02 90000050140
2002–03 330003040400
2003–04 0000000000
Total 520106090680
Blackburn Rovers (loan) 2003–04 0000000000
Blackburn Rovers 2003–04 2000000020
2004–05 0000100010
2005–06 0000000000
2006–07 0000000000
2007–08 0000000000
Total 2000100030
Cardiff City (loan) 2007–08 160400000200
Cardiff City 2008–09 120201000150
2009–10 4000300070
Total 320604000420
St Johnstone 2010–11 290501000350
2011–12 250202000290
Total 540703000640
Heart of Midlothian 2012–13 1000000010
IFK Mariehamn 2013 9000000090
Career total 1500140130901860

International

As of 18 August 2011[28]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Finland 200010
200120
200200
200320
200400
200510
200610
200700
200840
200900
201010
Total120

Honours

Aston Villa

Cardiff City

References

  1. ↑ "Peter Enckelman". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  3. ↑ Nostalgia: TPS sai Enckelmanista heti 1,7 mmk 30.1.1999, Turun Sanomat, 30 January 1999
  4. ↑ "Blues humiliate Villa". BBC Sport. 16 September 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  5. ↑ "Enckelman denies crucial touch". BBC Sport. 17 September 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  6. ↑ "Fan jailed over pitch invasion". BBC Sport. 18 November 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  7. ↑ Aston Villa vs Birmingham City: Peter Enckelman discusses his infamous blunder, Birmingham Mail, 16 November 2018
  8. ↑ Blackburn sign Enckelman, bbc, 6 January 2004
  9. ↑ "Enckelman released by Blackburn". BBC Sport. 19 May 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2008.
  10. ↑ "Cardiff snap up keeper Enckelman". BBC Sport. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
  11. ↑ "McPhail laments cruel cup defeat". BBC Sport. 18 May 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2008.
  12. ↑ "Come in number 44, it's City new boy McCormack". South Wales Echo. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  13. ↑ "Cardiff 0–0 Arsenal". BBC Sport. 25 January 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  14. ↑ "Cardiff snap up Konstantopoulos". BBC Sport. 9 February 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
  15. ↑ "Cardiff goalkeeper Enckelman suffers further injury blow". Western Mail. 8 April 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2009.
  16. ↑ "Cardiff 3–1 Dag & Red". BBC Sport. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  17. ↑ "Encks in crash scare". Cardiff City F.C. 28 November 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  18. ↑ "Goalkeeper Peter Enckelman agrees St Johnstone deal". BBC Sport. 9 August 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  19. ↑ "St Johnstone hero Peter Enckelman: Parkhead show was my best ever". Daily Record. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  20. ↑ "Hearts 1–2 St Johnstone". BBC. 3 December 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  21. ↑ "Preston North End take goalkeeper Peter Enckelman on trial". BBC Sport. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  22. ↑ "North End enjoy friendly win". Eatsleepsport.com. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  23. 1 2 "Hearts sign Peter Enckelman on short-term contract". sport.scotsman.com. Johnston Press. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  24. ↑ "Celtic 1 – 0 Hearts". BBC Sport. 7 October 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  25. ↑ "Hearts' sub keeper Enckelman feels he could have done better to stop Celtic goal". Scotsman.com. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  26. ↑ "Goalkeeper Peter Enckelman leaves Hearts". BBC Sport. BBC. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  27. ↑ IFK Mariehamn pestasi entisen valioliigamaalivahdin! (IFK Mariehamn signs former Premier League goalkeeper!) Archived 16 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine (in Finnish); Ilta-Sanomat.fi
  28. 1 2 "Enckelman, Peter". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  29. ↑ "Encke Sport ready to 'kick off' BTCC challenge". Crash.net. 4 January 2007. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
  30. ↑ "P. ENCKELMAN". uk.soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  31. ↑ "Peter Enckelman". soccerbase.com. Soccerbase. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
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