Jon Otsemobor

Jon Otsemobor (born 23 March 1983) is an English former professional footballer who played as a right back.

Born in Liverpool, he began his career with hometown club Liverpool.

He also played for Hull City, Bolton Wanderers, Crewe Alexandra, Rotherham United, Norwich City, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday, Milton Keynes Dons and Tranmere Rovers.

He made headlines at the age of 20 when as an innocent bystander he was shot in the buttocks by an armed gang-member gunman in a Liverpool nightclub.

As a footballer, he gained cult-hero status at the MK Dons for his "Heel of God" goal and upon leaving the club he described it as "one of the only clubs I've thoroughly enjoyed being at".

Born in Liverpool, Merseyside, Otsemobor progressed through Liverpool's youth system and signed a professional contract with the club on 23 March 2000.

After impressing in the reserve side, he made his debut in Liverpool's 3–1 win over Southampton in the League Cup.

He was loaned out to Hull City for the rest of the season to gain some first team experience.

Otsemobor scored his first career goal for Hull in their 4–2 defeat to Rushden & Diamonds.

Otsemobor also scored a further two goals in Hull's 2–0 win over Shrewsbury Town and the 2–1 defeat at Wrexham.

In the 2003–04 season, Otsemobor played five more games for Liverpool, making appearances in the 1–1 draw with Newcastle United and the 3–1 win over Bolton Wanderers.

He also appeared in the newspapers in October 2003, when he was shot in the buttocks during a gun incident in a bar.

He was then loaned out again, this time to Bolton Wanderers where he only played one game, which was their 3–1 defeat to Manchester City.

However, before the end of the season, Otsemobor's loan spell with Bolton Wanderers came to an end, though he wasn't allowed to play for Liverpool throughout the 2003–04 season.

Otsemobor was then loaned out to Crewe Alexandra on a month loan.

Six days later after signing for them, He made his debut for Crewe in the 3–0 win over Watford.

He scored one goal during his loan at Crewe, which was in the 2–2 draw with Leicester City.

Ostsemobor's loan spell with Crewe extended on a season long deal.

This came after he turned down a contract with Liverpool, which was due to expire at the end of the 2004–05 season.

Otsemobor said he was keen to stay at the club on a permanent basis; ironically, he said his loan spells would help him earn a first team at Liverpool.

By the end of December, Otsemobor's loan spell with Crewe ended, with fourteen appearances and scoring once.

Otsemobor was released by the club at the end of the 2004–05 season.

Following his loan spell at Hull City came to an end, Otsemobor signed a new contract with Liverpool, keeping him until 2005.

Despite interests from Crewe and Hearts, Otsemobor signed for Rotherham United on 5 July 2005, on a free transfer from Liverpool.

After appearing on the first four as an unused substitute, Otsemobor finally made his debut for Rotherham United, coming on as a substitute for Lee Williamson in the 71st minute, in a 4–0 win over Blackpool on 27 August 2005.

At Rotherham United, Otsemobor made eight appearances and scored one goal for the club against Port Vale in the League Cup before being sold again, this time on a free transfer back to Crewe Alexandra.

Otsemobor, along with Steve Foster, Madjid Bougherra and Billy Jones were considered the main reason for Crewe's late attempt for safety in the final few months of the 2005–06 season, which eventually failed.

Otsemobor also appeared in all of the games during Crewe's five game undefeated run.

Otsemobor signed permanently for Crewe on 19 January 2006, keeping him until at the end of the 2006–07 season.

He made his second debut for the club in a 2–1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle.

During pre-season, in June 2006, Otsemobor failed to return to training on an agreed date.

From 9 to 14 June 2006, club manager Dario Gradi failed to make contact with Otsemobor and reasons for his absence were unknown.

On 14 June 2006, Otsemobor returned to Crewe citing a long holiday and misunderstanding as the reason he missed training.

After apologising for his actions, Manager Dario Gradi accepted Otsemobor's apology.

In the 2006–07 season, Ostemobor continued to be in the first team and played a vital role during a match against Cheltenham Town on 12 September 2006 when he provided a double assist, in a 3–1 win for Crewe.

However, Ostemobor's playing time was reduced after suffering injuries, which saw make twenty-seven appearances in his first full season.

Despite this, Ostemobor was named in the PFA League One Team of the Year for 2006–07, along with teammate Luke Varney.

With his contract expiring at the end of the 2006–07 season, Ostemobor was linked with a move to Norwich City and Preston North End.

In December 2006, Ostemobor turned down a contract, which prompted criticism from Crewe supporters.

After leaving Crewe Alexandra, Otsemobor joined Norwich City on a three-year contract with the club in June 2007.