Warren Joyce

Warren Joyce b. 10 January 1965 in Oldham, Greater Manchester is a footballer who played in the English football league.The son of Walter Joyce the former Burnley F.C., Blackburn Rovers and Oldham Athletic A.F.C. player, Warren began his career as a trainee with Bolton Wanderers in 1981.Working his way up into the first team Warren became known for being a tigerish midfielder who never gave less than 100%.This made him a firm favourite with the Burnden Park fans and in six years with the club made a total of 216+5 appearances for the trotters scoring 21 goals.

In October 1987 however Preston North End manager John McGrath (football manager) came in for him offering £35,000 for his services.With Warrens father Walter now a coach at Deepdale (he had previously coached at Oldham Athletic) Warren decided to make the move.Preston at the time we struggling but the additions of Warren along with Brian Mooney and Tony Ellis not only added flair to the team but also some much needed bite.

Over the next five years Warren became a muched loved figure at Preston earning him the nickname Psycho due to his never say die commitment to the cause.In all Warren played 203+5 matches for the lilywhites scoring 44 goals, not only picking up the clubs player of the year award along the way but also being being made club captain.However when Plymouth Argyle F.C. made a £160,000 offer for him cash-strapped Preston were forced to accept and Warren was on his way to Home Park

His stay in Devon however was short lived with Warren playing only 38+2 games scoring 4 goals in his year there.Plymouth had deceide to cash in and when Burnley F.C. offered £140,000 for him he was on his way back to Lancashire. In three years at Turf Moor Warren became something of a cult hero with the fans playing 85+5 games and scoring 12 goals, a loan stay though at Hull City F.C. in January 1995 paved the way for a permanent deal 18 months later, so in July 1996 Warren signed on the dotted line for Hull.

Warren soon became club captain at Boothferry Park putting in some talisman type performances over the next two years.Indeed his influence at the club was so apparent that in November 1998 he was asked to stand in as caretaker manager following the departure of Mark Hateley.City soon made the appointment permanent with Warren taking on the duel role of player-manager.Warren went on to play a total of 168+2 games for Hull scoring 19 goals The task though of juggling playing duties with his management commitments proved to much and in April 2005, with Hull struggling financially and hovering at the wrong end of the Football League Third Division (now Football League Two) Warren was relieved of his duties.

In all Warren's playing career spanned nineteen years scoring 100 goals in 710=21 appearences for his various clubs all of which still hold him in high regard.