Marvin Newton Morgan (13 April 1983 – 6 December 2021) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

. He played in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

for

Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...

Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club (), often known simply as Dagenham and abbreviated when written to Dag & Red, is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England that play in the , the sixth level of the En ...

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...

and

Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They were founded in 190 ...

. He was also the founder of the fashion brand Fresh Ego Kid.

Career

Non-League

Born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, Morgan started his career in the youth team at

Wealdstone Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow, London, Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont, Harrow, Belmont and Kenton, London, Kenton, ...

before signing a contract in March 2000, and becoming the club's youngest ever goalscorer against

Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, about south of Central London. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the River Mole, from which its name is thought to derive. During the late Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon ...

a month later. Morgan also had two loan spells at Berkhamsted Town, making a total of eight appearances. Morgan started Wealdstone's 2004 playoff final victory against

Dulwich Hamlet Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in East Dulwich in south-east London, England. They are currently members of and play at Champion Hill. History The club was formed in 1893, by Lorraine 'Pa' Wilson. The ...

and made a total of 187 appearances in his first spell at the club, scoring 56 times. He joined

Yeading Yeading ( ) is a settlement in west London, forming part of the London Borough of Hillingdon, having been developed after the Second World War. Etymology Yeading is very early Saxon and was originally ''Geddingas'' or ''Geddinges'', meaning " ...

in November 2004 for a fee of £3,000 and scored eight league goals that season as Yeading won the

Isthmian League Premier Division The Isthmian League () is a regional football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 88 teams in fo ...

. In the 2006–07 season, Morgan scored 25 goals for Yeading and was the club's top scorer. Whilst at Yeading, he was nicknamed "The Sticks". Morgan played in 94 league games during three seasons with the club and scored 39 goals. In May 2007, he joined the

Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...

side

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...

Football League

In May 2008, Morgan signed for the

champions and newly promoted League Two side

for an undisclosed fee. This fee although undisclosed, was a record fee paid by Aldershot Town for any player. Morgan made his Football League debut in Aldershot Town's first-ever Football League match, away to

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...

on 9 August 2008. He scored Aldershot Town's first-ever League Cup goal in the 3–1 defeat at

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...

in the first round of the 2008–09 competition. He scored his first Football League goal at home to

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

on 30 August 2008. Morgan finished season 2008–09 at the Shots having scored seven goals in all competitions. He played in all but seven games in season 2009–10 and finished the campaign having top-scored with 16 goals in all competitions.

Controversy

After the 2–1 defeat to

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...

on 3 January 2011, Morgan posted the following message on Twitter: "Like to thank the fans who booed me off the pitch. Where's that going to get you! I hope you all die." Following that, he was transfer-listed, being eventually signed by

League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...

club

on loan until the end of the season. At the end of the season, he was one of seven players to be released by Aldershot Town.

Shrewsbury Town

Morgan joined Shrewsbury Town following his release from Aldershot and started the opening game of the League Two season against

on 6 August 2011. He was replaced by

Terry Gornell Terence Michael Gornell (born 16 December 1989) is an English former footballer who played as a striker. Club career Tranmere Rovers Born in Liverpool, Gornell joined Tranmere Rovers at a young age and after coming through the club's academy, ...

in the 88th minute following a knock to the head. Three days later, in Shrewsbury's

Football League Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

encounter with

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...

, Morgan scored two goals to help his side to a 3–2 away win. At the end of the 2011–12 season Morgan had scored 11 goals to help in Shrewsbury Town's promotion to League One. He was released at the end of the 2012–13 season having only scored seven goals.

Plymouth Argyle

Morgan signed a two-year contract with

in July 2013, and made his debut in the club's first game of the new season at

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...

. On 17 August 2013, Morgan scored his first goal for Argyle heading home ''The Pilgrims first in 3–1 win away at Cheltenham Town. This however was to be Morgan's only goal of the 2013–14 season as shoulder surgery forced him to sit out four months of the campaign, and a 'mini-seizure' brought his season to a premature end. Morgan scored his first goal of the 2014–15 season in a 2–0 win over

on 20 September 2014 and celebrated the goal in the style of

Bebeto José Roberto Gama de Oliveira (born 16 February 1964), known as Bebeto (), is a Brazilian former professional football player who played as a forward. He entered politics in the 2010 Brazilian general elections and was elected to the Legis ...

as a tribute to his son who was born earlier in the week. Morgan doubled his tally for the whole of the previous season on 8 November 2014, scoring Argyle's second in the 2–0 win over

AFC Fylde AFC Fylde is a professional football club based in Wesham in the Borough of Fylde, Lancashire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Mill Farm. Originally known as Kirkham & Wesham following a merger of Kirkham Town and Wes ...

in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

first round. On 2 February 2015, Morgan signed for Hartlepool on loan until the end of the season. He played 5 times for the Pools, with his only goal coming in a 1–0 home win over

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...

on 10 February. He was released by Plymouth at the end of the season.

Return to non-League

Following his release from Plymouth, Morgan returned to

non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

, joining Havant & Waterlooville of the

National League South The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National League (English football), National Leagues and step ...

in June 2015. He re-joined former club

on loan in February 2016, and then secured a full season loan to

Bath City Bath City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset FA and currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. Nicknamed the "R ...

ahead of the following season. He re-signed with Bath City in July 2017. On 20 June 2018, Morgan signed for

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...

. Morgan was released by the club on 25 October 2018, following an incident involving fellow player Laste Dombaxe and a machete. Later that season Morgan played for Beaconsfield Town and Potters Bar Town. The following season, he played for Wingate & Finchley and

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London in the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed a large ancient par ...

before returning to Potters Bar.

Personal life

Morgan was in a 14 year relationship with Jerri Fletcher prior to his death. Their son was seven years old when Morgan died. Morgan collapsed twice in April 2014, while a Plymouth player. He was diagnosed with

cavernoma Cavernous hemangioma, also called cavernous angioma, venous malformation, or cavernoma, is a type of venous malformation due to endothelial dysmorphogenesis from a lesion which is present at birth. A cavernoma in the brain is called a cerebral ca ...

, an abnormality of blood vessels in the brain. He required medication for the rest of his life. Morgan set up Fresh Ego Kid, a streetwear fashion brand, whilst at Shrewsbury Town. Which he regularly promoted on his social channels. The brand has become a favourite of footballers and celebrities including

Romelu Lukaku Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli (; born 13 May 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for club SSC Napoli, Napoli and the Belgium national football team, Belgium national team. Lukaku began h ...

, Kieran Trippier,

Harry Maguire Jacob Harry Maguire (born 5 March 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Manchester United and the England national team. Maguire came through the youth system at Sheffield United before graduating t ...

Cruz Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...

Marvin Humes Marvin Richard James Humes (born 18 March 1985) is an English singer-songwriter, disc jockey, radio host, television presenter, and former actor. Before rising to prominence as a member of the British boy band JLS, he had an acting role in Hol ...

and

Aston Merrygold Aston Iain Merrygold (born 13 February 1988) is a British singer, songwriter, actor, dancer and television presenter. He is known for being a member of the British boy band JLS, who were the runners-up to Alexandra Burke in the fifth series ...

. Fresh Ego Kid is stocked in Footlocker,

House of Fraser House of Fraser (rebranding to Frasers) is a British department store chain with 23 locations across the United Kingdom and 2 in Ireland, part of Frasers Group. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891, it ...

and

Sports Direct Sportsdirect.com Retail Limited, trading as Sports Direct, is a British retail company owned by Frasers Group. The company was founded in 1982 by Mike Ashley (businessman), Mike Ashley and was originally based in Maidenhead, England. It specialises ...

. The flagship store is on Fairfax Road in London. Morgan also set up Fresh Ego FC, the official football team of Fresh Ego Kid, to raise awareness of issues surrounding mental health and racism, engaging local communities and young people to inspire change and raising money for charities to continue their great work.

Death

Morgan died on 6 December 2021, aged 38, due to complications from his cavernoma. Tributes were paid by a number of Morgan's former clubs and fellow footballers. According to his partner, he was on a business trip abroad for his fashion brand.

Career statistics

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Marvin 1983 births 2021 deaths Footballers from Manchester English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Wealdstone F.C. players Berkhamsted Town F.C. players Yeading F.C. players Woking F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. players Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Hartlepool United F.C. players Havant & Waterlooville F.C. players Bath City F.C. players Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. players Hendon F.C. players Beaconsfield Town F.C. players Potters Bar Town F.C. players Wingate & Finchley F.C. players Hornchurch F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Isthmian League players Southern Football League players Black British sportsmen 21st-century Black British people Businesspeople from Manchester English fashion designers People with cavernous hemangioma 21st-century English sportsmen