Glen Little

Glen Matthew Little (born 15 October 1975) is an English former footballer who played as a winger.

Born in Wimbledon, London, he began his career in Northern Ireland with Derry City and Glentoran, before returning to England to play for Burnley, Reading, Bolton Wanderers, Portsmouth, Sheffield United and Aldershot Town.

He finished his career in non-league football with Wrexham, Wealdstone, Grays Athletic and Heybridge Swifts.

One of the top footballers to play in the Irish League in the 1990s, Little scored a memorable goal to win the 1996 Irish Cup.

Little made his Derry City debut on 20 November 1994 on loan from Palace.

While at Irish Premier League club Glentoran.

Little moved from Glentoran to Burnley in November 1996 for a £100,000 fee.

After Stan Ternent's arrival at Turf Moor in summer 1998, he became a fixture in the right-wing slot, linking up especially well with full-back Dean West.

In Burnley's 1999–2000 Second Division promotion season, Little scored a memorable goal at home to Bristol Rovers.

He also helped Burnley beat Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup in 2002 after a game-turning performance when brought on as a substitute.

Little attracted attention during this time, and his club was reported to have turned down big money offers for his signature.

In early 2003, Little joined Reading on loan.

In September 2003 he moved to Premier League club Bolton Wanderers on loan in a deal which involved Delroy Facey and Gareth Farrelly moving to Burnley.

Little made his Premiership debut for the Trotters against Wolverhampton Wanderers and set up the equalising goal for Kevin Davies but his time with Sam Allardyce's team was brief.

After eight years at Burnley, Little left on a Bosman transfer to sign for Reading in the summer of 2004.

Little's talents were widely regarded as one of the main reasons behind Reading's record breaking 106-point Championship lifting 2005–06 season, with Little scoring five goals and setting up fourteen, more than any other player in the league.

Little started the 2006–07 season on the sidelines due to an injury sustained during the close season.

Seol Ki-hyeon took Little's place in the Reading team while he was out injured, but due to an injury to Dave Kitson, Seol was pushed up front, freeing the right wing for Little to return to the starting line-up.

In November 2006, Little signed a one-year extension to his contract with Reading, keeping him at the Madejski Stadium until the summer of 2008.

He went on to make 24 top flight appearances in the season.

Following Reading's narrow relegation in 2008, and Little's injuries leading to a lack of first team action during the 2007–08 season, he opted to sign for Portsmouth on a one-year contract, on 20 June 2008.

Little played in some big European games for Portsmouth in their only European season when he played against Milan, he played a part in the first Pompey goal, passing the ball to Nwankwo Kanu who crossed the ball for Younès Kaboul to put Pompey 1–0 up.

The game finished 2–2 at Fratton Park.

Reading, however, failed to gain promotion so Little returned to Portsmouth, where he was released at the end of the 2008–09 season playing in just one game for the FA Cup holders.

However, he found opportunities limited at Pompey, so in March 2009 he rejoined Reading on loan until the end of the 2008–09 season.

In July 2009, Little had a trial with Sheffield United and subsequently signed a one-year contract at Bramall Lane.

Despite this, he struggled to make an impact and made only 16 appearances for the Blades, many as a late substitute and was released by the South Yorkshire club when his contract expired.

In July 2010, Little signed for Aldershot Town on a one-year deal.

He struggled with injury during his short stay, meaning he never secured a place in the side, despite his obvious potential.

He was released by new manager Dean Holdsworth on 26 January 2011.

In March 2011, Little joined Conference National side Wrexham on trial in the hope of earning a contract.

However, due to the club's financial position and having been placed under a transfer embargo, nothing came of the initial trial.

In June, Little rejoined the Welsh club for pre season training, where he impressed in games against Aberystwyth, Rochdale and Wolves, and earned a short-term contract with the club just before the beginning of the new season.

Unfortunately, he pulled a hamstring on the same day, so his debut for the club was delayed.

Little eventually made his debut for Wrexham on 10 September 2011, in a 3–1 loss at Barrow; he appeared sporadically over the first half of the 2011–12 season, usually coming on as a late substitute.

Little scored his first goal for Wrexham in December 2011 in a 2–1 loss to Hinckley United in the FA Trophy.

In February 2012, Little committed himself to Wrexham signing a deal keeping him with the club until the end of the season.

In the 2012–13 season, Little started well in pre-season scoring a penalty against Scottish Premier League side Kilmarnock in July 2012.

Little was well prepared for the new season and scored his first league goal for the Dragons during a 2–0 win over Hyde when he tucked away a penalty after coming on as a substitute.

His goal put the Reds 1–0 up before Jay Harris scored in injury time to seal the three points.