David Forde

David Forde (born 20 December 1979) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Forde started his career with his hometown club Galway United in 1999.

After two seasons with Galway, he moved to Welsh League Champions Barry Town and from there to West Ham United.

Forde failed to make a first team appearance for West Ham, and after loan spells with Derry City and Barnet he returned to Ireland on a permanent basis, playing with Galway United and then Derry City.

Forde made his League of Ireland debut for his hometown side Galway United at Terryland Park on 3 September 1999.

His form led to a move to Welsh side Barry Town.

Here, he continued to show his potential as an excellent shot stopper, playing in sixteen league matches for the club, and in February 2002, he joined West Ham United for a fee of £75,000.

Forde initially had a trial at Upton Park before earning a professional contract.

He was recommended to the 'Hammers' by Barry Town boss Kenny Brown, a former West Ham player.

Initially, Forde had ambitions of "looking to make the first team" at a time when David James was firmly established as England's World Cup number one, however, the signing of Raimond van der Gouw in the summer of 2002 pushed him further down the pecking order.

At the start of the 2002/2003 season, manager Glenn Roeder made Forde available for loan and it was then when Forde first joined Derry City.

After spending the season on loan at The Brandywell, Forde moved back to his hometown and signed for League of Ireland First Division side Galway United.

It was at Galway that Forde built a fine reputation in Irish football circles and his form earned him a permanent move back to Derry City for the 2005 season.

During this season and the next, he was ever present for 'City', consistently producing excellent performances and helping them to a second-place finish in the League of Ireland Premier Division on both occasions.

Forde also played in all six games (and registered three clean sheets) during the Candystripes' run to the First Round proper of the UEFA Cup, and helped the club win the FAI Cup in 2006.

On 5 December 2006, it was announced that Forde had signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Football League Championship side Cardiff City following the expiry of his contract with Derry City.

He stated that the move back to Wales, where he began his cross-channel career, was "a dream come true".

He joined the club and hoped to challenge Neil Alexander for the number one spot immediately, with an international spot surely not too far away.

Even after he left Derry City for Cardiff City his contributions during the 2006 season were recognised by eircom and the Soccer Writers Association of Ireland who, together, nominated him for their 'Goalkeeper of the Year' award on 13 December.

Forde made several appearances for Cardiff at the end of the 2006/07 season after first choice Neil Alexander was dropped due to a contract dispute with the club.

With Alexander leaving the club he was expected to battle for the number 1 shirt with Michael Oakes and Ross Turnbull.

In 2007 Forde returned to the English leagues, joining Championship side Cardiff City.

During his time with Cardiff, Forde made loan moves to Luton Town and AFC Bournemouth.

In August 2007 Forde signed a one-month loan deal at Luton Town and returned to Cardiff having made six first team appearances, five in the league and one in the League Cup, for the club.

He found himself to be third choice goalkeeper at Cardiff during the 2007/08 season behind Michael Oakes and loanees Ross Turnbull, Kasper Schmeichel and Peter Enckelman.

On 22 January he was due to sign on an emergency loan deal at AFC Bournemouth but was told on his way to his first match that Bournemouth had been placed under a transfer block after attempting to enter administration and the deal had been cancelled.

He drove back to Cardiff and instead played in their 1–0 win over Welshpool Town in the FAW Premier Cup.

On 31 January he was set to join Scottish Premier League side Dundee United on loan but the move was blocked by the Scottish Football Association because players are not allowed to play in three countries in one season, Forde having played for Luton and in the FAW Premier Cup, but the decision was appealed by Dundee United but was eventually denied by FIFA.

He eventually signed for Bournemouth on a one-week emergency loan after the club were granted permission to sign him, making his debut on 8 March against Leeds United and playing against Oldham Athletic three days later, both matches ending in a 2–0 defeat.

His loan spell was extended by another week before the clubs eventually agreed for it to run until the end of the season on 27 March.

He made a total of 11 appearances for the club before returning to Cardiff, where he was released on his return.

In 2008, he moved to Millwall, for whom he has made more professional appearances than all his previous clubs together.

Internationally, Forde played for the Republic of Ireland between 2011 and 2016 and was part of the team's 23-man squad for the 2012 European Championships.

In 2013, he became the oldest player to make their competitive debut for the Republic of Ireland, when he played against Sweden at the age of 33.

In 2016, after eight seasons with Millwall, Forde went out on loan to Portsmouth in League Two.

In 2017 Forde joined Cambridge United and retired after being released by them two years later.

Born in Galway, Forde grew up in the west side of the city.

He received his primary education at St. Patrick's Boys' School in the city and his secondary education from St. Joseph's Patrician College.

Forde played football for local underage sides in Galway in his youth, representing Newcastle United and Galway Hibernians.

He was scouted by Dublin-based club, Belvedere and played for their youth teams.