Karleigh Osborne

Karleigh Anthony Jonathan Osborne (born 19 March 1988) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who is the head coach of Brentford Women.

Osborne embarked on a scholarship at the beginning of the 2004–05 season and progressed sufficiently to be named as a substitute in a youthful squad for a Football League Trophy first round match versus Milton Keynes Dons on 28 September 2004.

Osborne remained unused during the 3–0 defeat and was named on the bench on two further occasions, before making his debut on the final day of the 2004–05 regular season versus Hull City.

As a player, Osborne was a central defender and made over 160 Football League appearances for Brentford between 2005 and 2012.

In his subsequent nomadic Football League career, he played for Millwall, Bristol City, Colchester United, AFC Wimbledon, Plymouth Argyle and Grimsby Town.

Osborne also played in the Scottish Premiership for Kilmarnock and in non-League football for Hayes, Oxford United, Eastbourne Borough, Aldershot Town and Braintree Town.

A central defender, Osborne began his career with amateur club South Ruislip Rangers and spent a period with Queens Park Rangers, before trialling with youth system at Brentford at the age of 15, on the recommendation of Bobby Ross.

He played the full 90 minutes of the 2–1 comeback victory, but did not appear during the Bees' 2005 League One play-off campaign.

Osborne signed a professional contract and made three appearances during the 2005–06 season.

He spent the final two months of the season on loan at Conference South club Hayes.

An injury crisis early in 2006–07 season under new manager Leroy Rosenior saw Osborne make regular substitute appearances in youthful matchday squads through the first six weeks of the season, before he broke into the starting lineup at right back in late September 2006.

He made 24 appearances during a disastrous season, which ended with Brentford's relegation to League Two.

Osborne signed a new two-year contract in June 2007 and he made semi-regular appearances during the 2007–08 and 2008–09 League Two seasons.

Though Osborne captained the team on occasion during the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons, a lack of confidence meant that he spent periods out of favour with manager Andy Scott, which necessitated spells away on loan at Conference Premier clubs Oxford United and Eastbourne Borough.

Osborne scored the first senior goal of his career in a 1–0 win over Shrewsbury Town on 5 January 2008, when he converted a header from a Ryan Dickson corner.

He followed up with four further goals during the 2008–09 season, which included a header in a 2–0 victory over Luton Town on the final day, which crowned Brentford's League Two title-winning season and gave Osborne the first silverware of his career.

Back in League One, Osborne began the 2009–10 season out of favour and made sporadic appearances from the bench as cover in central defence and full back.

He spurned opportunities to move away on loan and finally broke into the starting lineup in March 2010.

After being challenged by manager Andy Scott to hold onto his starting spot, Osborne started in 11 of Brentford's 13 remaining matches of the season and signed a new two-year contract in May 2010.

Osborne fully established himself in the team and made a career-high 51 appearances during the 2010–11 season, which featured a run to the 2011 Football League Trophy Final.

Talks over a new three-year contract began in January 2011, which went unresolved after the sacking of manager Andy Scott and the appointment of interim manager Nicky Forster a matter of weeks later.

Injury problems meant that Osborne was in and out of the team under new manager Uwe Rösler during the 2011–12 season and he made just 27 appearances.

In a U-turn, he rejected a new contract and was released in June 2012.

During eight seasons at Griffin Park, Osborne made 185 appearances and scored six goals.

On 13 July 2012, Osborne signed a two-year contract with Championship club Millwall on a two-year contract.

He suffered with injury during his first season at The Den and finished 2012–13 with 16 appearances and one goal, which came in a 2–1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on 23 April 2013.

Osborne was surplus to requirements during the early months of the 2013–14 season and made just one appearance before departing the club on loan on 31 October 2013, which was later extended and turned into a permanent deal on 7 January 2014.

He made 17 appearances and scored one goal during 18 months with Millwall.

On 31 October 2013, Osborne joined League One club Bristol City on a one-month loan, which was later extended to 5 January 2014.

He was signed as cover for injured loanee Lewis Dunk and immediately went into the starting lineup.

Osborne remained a regular starter through to the end of the 2013–14 season and finished the campaign with 29 appearances and one goal.

Despite missing almost a month after incurring a suspension for a red card received at the end of November, Osborne regained his place upon his return and joined the club on a two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee on 7 January 2014.

He scored his first goal for the Robins against his former club Brentford, in a 3–1 defeat at Griffin Park on 28 January.

After suffering a "horrific injury" to his shin during the 2014–15 pre-season, Osborne returned to fitness in mid-August 2014, but thereafter was entirely out of favour with manager Steve Cotterill and made just three appearances during the club's League One title-winning season, though he did receive a promotion medal.

He did not feature at all in the club's Football League Trophy-winning campaign.

On 26 February 2015, Osborne joined League One club Colchester United on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season.

He made four appearances before suffering an injury, which led to his recall to Ashton Gate on 4 April 2015.

On 2 July 2015, Osborne joined League Two club AFC Wimbledon on a season-long loan.

He was a regular pick until his season was ended by a medial ligament injury suffered in training in February 2016.

The injury meant that Osborne sat out the Dons' 2016 victorious League Two play-off campaign, though he received a winners' medal.