Joe_Mbu_(footballer)
Joe Mbu (footballer)
Cameroonian footballer
Joe Mbu (born 14 February 1982) is a Cameroonian retired semi-professional footballer who played as a defender. During his career, which started as a youth player at Hibernian, he played for Whitburn Junior, Cowdenbeath, Stenhousemuir on loan, East Fife and finally, Edinburgh City.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1982-02-14) 14 February 1982 (age 42) | ||
| Place of birth | Cameroon | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Hibernian | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2008 | Whitburn Junior | ||
| 2008–2013 | Cowdenbeath | 104 | (3) |
| 2013 | → Stenhousemuir (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | East Fife | 25 | (0) |
| 2014–2017 | Edinburgh City | 30 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:06, 1 June 2017 (UTC) | |||
Born in Cameroon, Mbu moved to London at the age of one, and then to Scotland six years later.[1] As well as playing football, Mbu has also worked as a banker.[2]
Mbu spent six years playing football at youth level at Hibernian before being released by the club due to being deemed "too small".[3][4] He then joined Whitburn Junior who play in the East Region of Scottish junior football and was voted their Player of the Year twice.[4][5] During his time there he played for the Scottish junior national team several times and won the Quadrangular Tournament with Scotland.[4][5]
Mbu was ready to join Arthurlie,[4] but instead joined Cowdenbeath on a one-year deal in 2008.[4][5] He enjoyed successive promotions with the club in 2008–09 and 2009–10 to the reach Scottish First Division,[4] but was regularly injured as the team were relegated in their first season as a First Division club.[4] Mbu won the Scottish Second Division in 2011–12 with the club and was voted in Team of the Year.[6][7]
He signed on loan for Stenhousemuir in March 2013.[8] He signed for East Fife on 1 July 2013.[9] In July 2014, Mbu signed for Edinburgh City who were at the time in the Scottish Lowland League.[10] Mbu won the Lowland League title twice with City in 2014–15 and 2015–16. He also helped City become the first non-league team to earn promotion to Scottish League Two of the SPFL in 2015–16 via the new pyramid system.[11][12]
Mbu played in City's first ever SPFL league match on 6 August 2016 against Forfar Athletic, in which he was sent-off in the 93rd minute for an altercation with Forfar forward David Cox.[13][14] Mbu announced his retirement from football at the end of the 2016–17 season due to injury,[15] with his final appearance for Edinburgh City coming in a 3–2 defeat against Berwick Rangers on 6 May 2017.[16]
- "Joe's dreaming of a Cameroon cap". Daily Record. Glasgow. 3 February 2006.
- "Joe out to bank big win". Daily Record. Glasgow. 22 April 2009.
- "Mbu has grown into his role in Cowdenbeath defence". SFL. 10 February 2012.
- Eric MacKinnon (17 July 2008). "Mbu takes step up and signs a one year deal at Cowdenbeath". West Lothian Courier.
- "Steady Big Joe wins Times Trophy for a second time". Central Fife Times. 3 May 2012.
- "PFA SCOTLAND DIVISION TWO TEAM OF THE YEAR". PFA Scotland. 3 May 2012.
- "East Fife FC". East Fife F.C.
- "Lowland League: City boss Jardine rates Spartans favourites". Edinburgh Evening News. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- "East Stirlingshire 0:1 Edinburgh City". BBC. 14 May 2016.
- "Scottish League Two: Edinburgh City begin life in senior league with loss". BBC Sport. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- "Edinburgh City 2 – 3 Forfar Athletic". Scottish Professional Football League. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- "Berwick Rangers 3 – 2 Edinburgh City". BBC Sport. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- Joe Mbu at Soccerbase