Krystian Pearce

At 34 years old, Krystian Pearce has this physical status:

Krystian Mitchell Victor Pearce (born 5 January 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Mansfield Town, a League Two club. Pearce began his football career with Birmingham City, but he never played for their first team.

He spent time on loan at Notts County, with whom he made his English Football League debut, Port Vale, Scunthorpe United, and Peterborough United before moving to Huddersfield Town in 2010.

He returned to Notts County later this year and had a trial on loan at Barnet before signing for Torquay United in 2013.

He spent two seasons with Torquay before moving to Mansfield Town in 2015. He represented England at the 2007 FIFA European Under-17 Football Championship, where they advanced to the final, and the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

In September 2007, he made his England under-19 team debut, a year ahead of his actual age group, and competed in the 2008 European Under-19 Championship finals.

He went to represent Barbados' national football team at a senior level, but CONCACAF reported Pearce ineligible to represent Barbados in December 2018.

Source

Club career

Pearce was born in Birmingham and began his career with the Kingsdown Colts in Sunday league before joining Birmingham City's Academy when he was ten years old. He started as a striker but later switched to play in defense. He was first included in the FA Cup repeat at Newcastle United in January 2007, but did not make the final 16 teams because he was first called on to the squad but did not make the final 16. He signed his first professional deal two months later, two months after it was set to end in 2009. He made regular appearances for Birmingham City's reserve team, the Central League's champions of their division. He scored the winning goal for his team's passage to the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup, although he forfeited a penalty as Birmingham lost to Manchester United as captain of the under-18 side. Pearce was selected as Academy Player of the Season for 2006–07, judging him out in Academy boss Terry Westley's end-of-season review as "the one name that stands out in terms of what he has accomplished."

Pearce was given a squad number for the 2007–08 season and was included in Birmingham's squad for the League Cup match against Blackburn Rovers, but he was also an unoccupied replacement.

Pearce signed a one-month loan agreement with Notts County on November 8, 2007 in order to gain knowledge. He made his competitive debut two days later in Notts County's 3–0 FA Cup first round victory over Histon, and the following Saturday, the club made his Football League debut, defeating Macclesfield Town in the 1–0 loss. In a 2–1 victory over Shrewsbury Town on December 8, he scored his first senior goal, resulting in him being named in the League Two Team of the Week, after which his loan was extended for a further month. A sending-off for a clumsy challenge was unable to dampen County's desire to extend the loan again, but Birmingham recalled him at the end of the second month in the hopes that new manager Alex McLeish would evaluate him as a candidate against the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.

Pearce joined Port Vale of League One on loan for the first month to gain expertise at a higher level. Another red card, this time for two bookings, ended the loan spell, leaving the player with a two-game suspension and leaving the player in a two-game suspension, causing the player's eager to make amends. This loan was twice extended, up to the maximum permissible 93 days, but an ankle injury cut short his time with the club.

Pearce and Birmingham also agreed to a new two-year contract in May 2008 in recognition of his on-loanence and his potential to develop into a first-team player.

He joined Scunthorpe United on loan for a month before being extending the season to include the play-offs if necessary. Pearce scored twice for Scunthorpe, once in the league against Swindon Town and twice against Rotherham United in the Football League Trophy. Crosby partnered with David Mirfin for the bulk of the 2008–09 season, but he was sacked by Andy Crosby with four games remaining, owing to niggling injuries and a lack of fitness – Crosby continued to captain the team to victory in the play-off final.

On the 20th of July 2009, Pearce signed for Peterborough United on a season-long loan. In the starting eleven for the League Cup victory over Wycombe Wanderers in August, he had to wait until late September to make his first League appearance as a second-half replacement after Peterborough lost 2–0 away at Blackpool. Pearce remained as the substitutes as shifts were made in defence, and his 20-minute appearance at Peterborough's defeat 2–1 at home to Plymouth Argyle was his last League outing for the club. Pearce remained out of favour as Mark Cooper took over as boss, but the loan was shortened and the player returned to Birmingham in January 2010.

Pearce joined Huddersfield Town on an emergency loan agreement, which was made permanent the next day. In the 5–0 loss to Southampton at St Mary's Stadium on 2 March, he made his Terriers debut as a half-time substitute. Pearce's first appearance for Huddersfield was on loan, and Neal Trotman was the player's favorite, and the player left the club at the end of the 2009–10 season after struggling to reach an agreement on a new contract.

Pearce, a former footballer from Notts County, agreed to a one-year contract in August 2010. He was rewarded with a contract extension until 2013. He sustained serious injuries in March 2011 after a clash of heads with colleague Stephen Darby in preparation, just weeks after a similar collision with Mario Balotelli of Manchester City in an FA Cup match. He stayed unconscious for two to three minutes and was arrested in a hospital where he was discovered to have blood on the brain. As the team battled against relegation, manager Paul Ince said it was "a massive blow" to lose Pearce from the defense for an expected six weeks. He made a quick return to action against Brentford on April 25th; in his absence, County had lost nine games in a row. He received the Player of the Season award for the club's season after his success throughout the season.

In a 3–2 victory over Tranmere Rovers in August, Pearce scored his first goal of the 2011–12 season. For the game against Preston North End, where regular captain Neal Bishop was suspended, he was given the captaincy. In a 3–1 win, he scored his second goal of the season against AFC Bournemouth. Pearce suffered a groin injury in August that caused him discomfort in the first half of the season; in January 2012, he said he had "felt it in games, but you must play through it." Adrenalin is usually safe, so it's what I've been relying on." At the end of the season, he underwent a hernia surgery.

Keith Curle, the Nottingham Post, made what the Nottingham Post called a "shock decision" to place Pearce on the transfer list in May 2012, implying that the player had "not been able to replicate the level of results [he] was aiming for and expecting" when signing Pearce, suggesting that the player had "not been able to replicate the same level of results [he] was wishing for and expecting." Pearce will not be given a free transfer, according to Curle, and a £500,000 bid had been turned down during the season. On September 14th, he joined Barnet on a three-month loan and made his debut the next day against Bradford City in central defense alongside David Stephens. Barnet defeated Northampton Town 4–0 at Underhill on October 19, Pearce scored his first goal for the club with a glancing header from a John Oster corner. He continued as a first-team regular until returning to Notts County when his loan was terminated, match-fit, and hopeful of proving himself to Curle. In a 2–2 draw with Coventry City at Meadow Lane, he played the last two games of County's 2012–13 season, scoring the final goal of his campaign. Pearce was told that any new deal was subject to budgetary considerations, even though he was dismissed.

Pearce signed a two-year deal with Torquay United, a League Two team. In the 2013–14 season, he made 37 appearances in Torquay's relegated out of the Football League. He made 32 appearances in the league from 2014-2015 and was fired after manager Chris Hargreaves found that Pearce did not "reach the peak" of last season and that his salaries were insufficient for the club.

Following a trial period in July 2015, Pearce signed for Mansfield Town in League Two. Despite being sent off three times and committing to a new deal in the summer, he made 40 appearances in the 2015–16 campaign. He said he was able to sign again because he was part of the squad and was interested in what boss Adam Murray was aiming for. He scored four goals in 48 appearances from 2016 to 2017, and was named Team Player of the Season by the club.

After manager Steve Evans invested heavily in the playing squad over the summer, he said in September that the "Stags" aimed to finish in the top three at the end of the 2017–18 season. Pearce has signed a new one-year deal with the option of a further 12 months, in order to keep him at Field Mill until either 2019 or 2020. As Mansfield finished in eighth place under David Flitcroft's stewardship, he made 44 appearances in the 2017-18 campaign, scoring two goals and receiving one red card.

He was selected on League Two's PFA Team of the Year and EFL Team of the Season for the 2018–19 season, alongside teammate Tyler Walker, who has scored four goals in 54 league and cup appearances. He scored in a 3–1 home win over Macclesfield Town on February 2nd to guarantee himself a spot on the EFL Team of the Week. Despite keeping 18 clean sheets in the league, Mansfield missed out on automatic promotion by three points and went on to lose to Newport County on away goals in the play-off semi-finals. He was voted captain of the club.

He scored his only goal of the game at Grimsby Town on October 5th, earning himself a spot on the EFL team of the week. Graham Coughlan, the club's new manager, had him "ruffle a few feathers at the club" earlier this year, and "the best way into a dressing room is through the skipper." Pearce was released at the end of the 2019-20 season.

Pearce signed a short-term contract with Solihull Moors on October 30, 2020, and made his debut in the National League the following day against Maidenhead United. He was involved in the whole match, which ended in a 3–1 loss. He continued to play nine games in all sports and scored three goals before the club announced that his deal had come to an end on January 5th 2021.

Pearce signed Boreham Wood, a national League team, on an 18-month contract on January 18, 2021. He was cup-tied after playing for Solihull in the FA Trophy, but Boreham Wood played 21 league games in the second half of the 2020–21 season. At the end of the season, he was transferred to the United States for "location reasons."

Pearce joined National League North team Hereford on August 30, 2021. Josh Gowling, the team's boss, said he needed a "experienced manager." He made his first appearance in the FA Cup second qualifying round against Lymington Town on September 18th, but only 18 minutes before injury delayed his registration. After assisting his team win five league titles throughout the month without conceding a single point, Pearce received the league's Player of the Month award for November. He was released at the end of the 2021–22 season.

Pearce joined Kidderminster Harriers in National League North on a one-year contract on June 22, 2022. He started the season off by elbowing an opponent.

International career

Pearce was born in England and is of Barbadian descent through his father.

He was firstcapped for England under the age of 17 in a UEFA mini-tournament against Portugal on October 27, 2006, and he was part of the squad that qualified for the final stages of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship held in Belgium in May 2007. He started all of England's games and scored their first goal, his first at international level, helping the team advance to the final in which they lost 1–0 to Spain.

They were awarded qualification for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea due to England's success in the UEFA championships. Pearce was in the starting eleven for each of England's games and scored their second goal in their win over Syria U-17 in the round of 16, according to FIFA's match report: "Once again, another Porritt cross caused delays for Mohamad Aljomaa's side," says center half Krystian Pearce, who had all the composure of a striker before striking a low shot into the net."

Pearce's solid defensive partnership with West Ham United's team captain Jordan Spence was instrumental in both the European and World tournaments; the Football Association's Director of Football Development, Sir Trevor Brooking, tipped the two for future success. "Unfortunately England's top player at the World Cup," Pearce said in an article on the FA's website.

Despite being a year older than most of the squad, Pearce was called up to the England under-19 squad for the 2008 European Under-19 Football Championship. He appeared in both of England's first two games and was suspended for the third, finally arriving at halftime and scoring the third goal in a 3–1 victory. Pearce was banned from playing for his loan team Port Vale in March 2008 after being deemed "beneficial to his growth" by England under-19 coach Brian Eastick and Birmingham City. He was part of the under-19 squad that dominated their group at the elite qualifying tournament stage, starting in their second match and ending as a late replacement in the third. England's first group match in the finals was marred by a lack of contact between Pearce and his goalkeeper, who cost England a goal against their Czech counterparts. He retained his starting position for the remaining group games, keeping clean sheets in a goalless draw with Italy, where he made a crucial late call and a 3–0 loss of Greece. Despite England's inability to progress to the semifinals of the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, their results were still good enough to qualify for the final stages of the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Pearce played in two of the three group matches in the 2009 European Under-19 Championships as a half-time substitute in a 3–1 victory over their Northern Irish counterparts, who secured qualification for the elite qualification round, and was playing the complete game in Serbia.

Pearce began to represent Barbados and made his debut in a 2–2 draw with Guyana in a 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League qualifying match on September 6, 2018. However, CONCACAF ineligible Hallam Hope, and Barbados' match result was turned into a 3–0 loss. By FIFA in December 2020, his Barbados nationality was officially recognized, making him eligible to represent the country once more.

Source