Adam Barton (footballer)
Adam James Barton (born 7 January 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Curzon Ashton. Born in England, he has played internationally for both Northern Ireland, in a senior friendly, and Republic of Ireland at under-21 level. Club career Preston North End Born in Clitheroe, Barton started in the youth ranks at Blackburn Rovers before being released at the age of sixteen due to a serious back injury. Although originally seen as a gamble due to his injury, Preston North End gave Barton a youth scholarship and his performances at youth and reserve team level earned him a two-and-a-half-year contract in December 2008. In the 2009–10 season, Barton moved to Conference National side Crawley Town on a one-month loan. After making two appearances for the club he returned to Preston, where he made an appearance in the club's reserve side. Due to manager Darren Ferguson starting to use youngsters in the first team, Barton made his full debut in a home 3–2 win over Scunthorpe United on 10 April 2010, being replaced at half-time due to a head injury. At the start of the 2010–11 season, Barton signed a two-year contract to keep him at Preston until 2013. He scored his first goal in the 4–3 defeat to Burnley in September 2010. After scoring his first goal, Barton established himself in the first team, where he made thirty-five appearances in all competitions, scoring once. However, Barton was unable to help the club avoid relegation to League One. Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Barton was linked with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. Despite this, newly appointed manager Phil Brown said he believed Barton could be a key figure to the club this season, quoting: "That is the position for him, sitting in front of the back four and making us play, like an orchestra leader. He has got that ability but he has to demand the ball and get on it more times." However, Barton's season didn't go as planned, as he mostly spent time on the bench at the start of the season. He scored his first goal of the season, in the League Cup third round, in a 2–1 loss against Southampton. On 25 February 2012, Barton suffered a suspected triple leg break and a dislocated ankle in a 0–0 draw against Walsall after making a challenge with Walsall's Richard Taundry. As a result of his injury, new Preston manager Graham Westley said he believed Barton would come back stronger once he had recovered, while Taundry said he believed the tackle was innocuous, though he wished Barton a speedy recovery. Following surgery Barton was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Coventry City On 6 August 2012, Barton signed a three-year contract with Coventry City. He made his league debut for the club, in the opening game of the season as Coventry drew 1–1 with Yeovil Town. Three weeks after signing for the club, he scored his first goal, in a 2–2 draw