Might-Have-Been-QPR Sylvan Ebanks-Blake....Ex-QPR Matt Pickens Trialing

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Daily Mail/Neil Moxley - Goals come at a gallop for Wolves hitman Sylvan -Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
There is, and only ever will be, one Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.
‘My dad Maurice chose my name,’ said the Wolves striker.
‘I think he backed a horse that won close to when I was born.
'He named me after that.
‘Look, Sylvan’s not bad. It could have been a lot worse!’
It is not a label that anyone could forget in a hurry.
And yes, the leading scorer in the Championship last season is certainly making a name for himself at Molineux.
His prolific form saw him called up by England Under 21s for the forthcoming European Championship qualifying play-off against Wales.
‘It’s his goal record that attracts you,’ said Stuart Pearce, the England Under 21 boss.
‘He has the knack of always being in the box and getting a shot away, even with his back to goal.
‘I always thought he was about 28 — just because of the way he played.
'Every time I watched him, he played well, more often than not scoring.
'We needed to have a look at him.’
There are a select group of players who have quit Manchester United and gone on to scale the heights.
Despite anger from Plymouth fans after his £1.5million move to Wolves in January, there are not many players who credit Home Park with being the making of them.
Ebanks-Blake does.
‘United are the best club in the world,’ he said.
‘To play at that club at any level you have to be doing something very good.
'The facilities are top class, you’re around the best of the best.
'Everyone is focused on it. When you’re a young player, all you want to do is come through the system like Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, who you are around every day, and become a part of that.
Pearce
England Under 21 boss Stuart Pearce has been impressed with Ebanks-Blake
‘Sir Alex Ferguson said to me: “In three years you’ll be a very good player.
'Unfortunately, I haven’t got time here but Plymouth is a great opportunity for you to play football'.
The biggest compliment was that he put a buy-back clause in the deal.
‘I never felt I failed at United. People will say you are taking a step down, but the move was on a par because I was playing at a very good level and in games that mattered after coming from reserve team football.’
Certainly one Argyle fan did well out of his move.
‘Yeah,’ added Ebanks-Blake.
‘I used to see him all the time and he told me he had a tenner on me finishing top scorer in the Championship.
'He didn’t do badly, did he? He got odds of 75-1.’
And how does Mick McCarthy compare to Ian Holloway and the managerial legend at Old Trafford?
‘I’ve got loads of time for Ian Holloway,’ said the 22-year- old.
‘He wanted me when he was at QPR and always followed my career.
'It’s not an act, he’s a character.‘As for Mick, he didn’t tell me any great stories or talk about his big plans.
'He simply said that if I signed, I’d play on Saturday. And I did.’
After a spell at the world’s biggest club, stints in Belgium with Antwerp, the West Country and the Black Country, Ebanks-Blake has earned his moment in the sun.
‘My career has gone the right way,’ he said.
‘I wouldn’t change it. As long as I stay fit, I can’t ask for much more.’
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Goal.com - Pickens Gets Trial With Brighton
Matt Pickens, the Chicago Fire's regular goalkeeper in 2007 is currently on trial with Brighton of England's League One, according to sources close to Goal.com
Former Chicago Fire goalkeeper Matt Pickens decided to leave the MLS with hopes of playing abroad, and after a short setback, he might get his chance with Brighton and Hove Albion FC of England’s League One.
Pickens left the MLS at the end of last season to go on trial with Championship side Queens Park Rangers, and was able to sign a deal for the last half of the season. He wasn’t able to crack the first team line-up, and his contract wasn’t renewed. The player has been looking for work ever since.
A source told Goal.com that following his disappointing trial with QPR, Pickens has turned his attentions to Brighton and is currently on trial in the south of England with the Seagulls.
The 26-year-old Missouri native made 40 appearances for the Fire from 2004 to 2008 after being drafted 19th overall out of Southwest Missouri State. Goal.com