Nathan Pond

Nathan Pond

Pond playing for Fleetwood Town in April 2012
Personal information
Full name	Nathan Louis Pond [1]
Date of birth	(1985-01-05) 5 January 1985 (age 38)
Place of birth	Preston, England
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) [2]
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Fleetwood Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2003	Lancaster City
2003–2018	Fleetwood Town	460	(52)
2010	→ Kendal Town (loan)	2	(0)
2012–2013	→ Grimsby Town (loan)	26	(5)
2018–2020	Salford City	65	(2)
2020–2021	AFC Fylde	9	(0)
2021	Telford United	3	(0)
2021–2023	Bamber Bridge	59	(6)
2023–	Fleetwood Town	0	(0)
International career‡
2019–	Montserrat	13	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:56, 5 June 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 08:15, 30 March 2023 (UTC)

Nathan Louis Pond (born 5 January 1985) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender or defensive midfielder for Fleetwood Town, where he is also a coach.

He has previously played for Fleetwood Town over a fifteen-year period, whilst also having spells with Lancaster City, Kendal Town, Grimsby Town, Salford City, AFC Fylde and AFC Telford United. Internationally, he represents Montserrat, earning his first caps in 2019.

Having played in seven divisions for Fleetwood through the course of six promotions, Pond was recognised by Guinness as holding the world record for appearing in the most different divisions with a single football club. ^[3]

Club career

Early career and Fleetwood Town

Pond began his career with Northern Premier League side Lancaster City in 2003. Later that year he transferred to Fleetwood Town. ^[4]

Pond was the club's current longest-serving player, having played a club record of 498 matches since 2003, ^[5] including six promotions, most notably the club's promotion to the Football League in 2012.

He joined Kendal Town on a month's loan in December 2010, ^[6] making two appearances for the club. The loan was part of an agreement, due to the sale of Danny Rowe to Fleetwood. ^[7]

On 10 August 2012, Pond joined Grimsby Town on an initial one-month loan. ^[8] Having made his first appearance on 11 August against Southport at centre back, ^[9] during the following game on 14 August he scored the opening goal in the 69th minute in the 2–1 home defeat against Stockport, a right-footed overhead kick in off the crossbar. ^[10] After playing three times for Grimsby, Pond extended his loan stay until January 2013. ^[11] On 8 September, he scored his second goal for Grimsby in a 1–0 victory against Forest Green Rovers, a glancing header from a Frankie Artus free-kick. ^[12]

Following a successful loan spell, Grimsby looked into extending Pond's loan beyond January or possibly securing him on a permanent deal but on 1 January 2013 they admitted it was unlikely because Fleetwood were interested in taking the player back to look at him. ^[13] Pond's final appearance for Grimsby in his loan spell brought his fifth goal of the season against Hereford United, two minutes into the game. Pond commented before his final game that the loan spell had been successful for both himself and the club and that he would relish the prospect of returning to Grimsby on a permanent deal in the January transfer window if he was unable to win back his place in the Fleetwood team. ^[14]

After signing a new contract in May 2015, ^[15] Pond was named captain of Fleetwood. ^[16] He signed new one year contracts in both June 2016, ^[17] and January 2017, the latter with the option for an additional year. ^[18]

He passed Jack Ainscough's record of 421 appearances for Fleetwood in the penultimate game of the 2015–16 season, ending the season on 423 appearances. ^[5]

Fleetwood exercised a one-year contract extension for him at the end of the 2017–18 season. ^[19]

Later career

In May 2018 he joined National League team Salford City, ^[20] where he was reunited with Graham Alexander. ^[21]

He was released on 16 May 2020. ^[22]

On 7 August 2020 he joined AFC Fylde following his release from Salford. ^[23] Having been made club captain, ^[24] he made his debut on the opening day of the season, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win over Darlington on 6 October. ^[25] He was released from his contract in May 2021, ^[26] with manager Jim Bentley saying it was his toughest decision as Fylde manager. ^[27] Pond joined AFC Telford United in July 2021, ^[28] Telford manager Gavin Cowan described the initial offer to Pond as "tongue-in-cheek", believing he would not sign, ^[29] but said Pond had ambitions of another promotion in his career. ^[30]

Pond became a coach at his former club Fleetwood Town in September 2021, joining on the PFA Player to Coach scheme. ^[31]

Pond was released by Telford on 30 September, following a 'wild challenge' that saw him earn a red card in an FA Cup tie with Stamford, with Cowan describing it as 'completely unacceptable' and that he 'couldn't stand by Pond'. ^[32]

On 6 October, he signed for Bamber Bridge. ^[33] He spent two seasons with the club, leaving at the end of the 2022-23 season.

For the 2023-24 season, Pond registered as a player at Fleetwood, where he would compete in development squad games as an over-age player alongside coaching. Following the departure of Scott Brown as manager, Pond assisted caretaker manager Matt Lawlor before the appointment of Lee Johnson as the club's new manager. ^[34]

International career

Pond was called up for Montserrat in October 2019 and made his debut on 13 October, playing 90 minutes against El Salvador. He scored his first goal in a 1–0 victory against St Lucia to ensure Montserrat progress to 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification.

Career statistics

Club

As of 5 June 2023

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Fleetwood Town	2006–07 [35]	NPL Premier Division			1	0	---				1	0
	2007–08 [36]				0	0	---				0	0
	2008–09 [37]	Conference North			2	0	---				2	0
	2009–10 [38]				1	0	---				1	0
	2010–11 [39]	Conference Premier	23	2	1	0	---		0	0	24	2
	2011–12 [40]		34	1	4	0	---		0	0	34	1
	2012–13 [41]	League Two	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
	2013–14 [42]		41	1	2	0	0	0	8 [lower-alpha 1]	1	51	2
	2014–15 [43]	League One	27	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	29	1
	2015–16 [44]		21	0	1	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 2]	0	29	0
	2016–17 [45]		32	0	5	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	39	0
	2017–18 [46]		30	0	4	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	36	0
	Fleetwood total		220	5	22	0	2	0	15	1	259	6
Grimsby Town (loan)	2012–13 [41]	Conference Premier	26	0	5	0	0	0	---		31	0
Salford City	2018–19	National League	43	2	2	0	0	0	---		45	2
	2019–20	League Two	22	0	1	0	1	0	3	0	27	0
	Salford total		65	2	3	0	1	0	3	0	72	2
Telford United	2021–22	National League North	3	0	---		---		---		3	0
Bamber Bridge	2021–22	Northern Premier League	24	3	---		---		---		24	3
	2022–23		33	3	---		---		---		33	3
Career total			371	13	25	0	3	0	18	1	417	14

1. Five appearances in the Football League Trophy and three in the League Two play-offs
2. Appearances in the Football League Trophy
3. Appearance in the League One play-offs

International

As of match played 28 March 2023 ^[47]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Montserrat	2019	4	1
	2021	4	1
	2022	3	0
	2023	2	0
Total		13	2

Scores and results list Montserrat's goal tally first. ^[47]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	19 November 2019	Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia	Saint Lucia	1–0	1–0	2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League B
2.	2 June 2021	Estadio Panamericano, San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic	U.S. Virgin Islands	1–0	4–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Fleetwood Town

• North West Counties Football League Division One: 2004–05 ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Northern Premier League Division One runner-up: 2005–06 ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Northern Premier League Premier Division: 2007–08 ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Conference North play-offs: 2010 ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Conference Premier: 2011–12 ^[48]
• Football League Two play-offs: 2014 ^[49]

Salford City

• National League play-offs: 2019 ^[50]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Salford City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 62. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
2. "Profile of N. Pond". footballcritic.com. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
3. "Pondy the world record breaker!". Fleetwood Town F.C. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
4. "Football statistics and history". 11v11. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
5. "Captain will beat Jack Ainscough's record of 421 appearances". Fleetwood Town F.C. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
6. "Introducing Kendal Town's Latest Loan Signing". Kendal Town F.C. 9 December 2010. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
7. "Danny Rowe Signs for Fleetwood Town". Kendal Town F.C. 9 December 2010. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
8. "Pond Joins Town". Grimsby Town F.C. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
9. "Southport 1–1 Grimsby". BBC Sport. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
10. "Grimsby 1–2 Stockport". BBC Sport. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
11. "Nathan Pond's satisfaction at another Grimsby Town shut-out". Grimsby Telegraph. 3 September 2012. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
12. "Grimsby 1–0 Forest Green". BBC Sport. 8 September 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
13. "Paul Hurst shares the latest Grimsby Town transfer news". This is Grimsby. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
14. "Nathan Pond wants to leave Grimsby Town on a high after 'brilliant' loan spell". Grimsby Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 January 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
15. "Nathan Pond: Fleetwood defender agrees to stay for 12th season". BBC Sport. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
16. "Nathan Pond: Fleetwood Town appoint new captain". BBC Sport. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
17. "Nathan Pond: Fleetwood Town defender signs new contract". BBC Sport. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
18. "Nathan Pond: Fleetwood Town captain signs new contract". BBC Sport. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
19. "Fleetwood: George Glendon, Chris Neal and Ricardo Kip released". BBC Sport. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
20. "Nathan Pond: Fleetwood Town captain leaves to join Salford City". BBC Sport. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
21. "Nathan Pond Salford City reunion great for Grezza". Blackpool Gazette . 23 May 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
22. "Salford City Released and Retained List, 2019-2020". 16 May 2020.
23. Moore, Andy (8 August 2020). "AFC Fylde sign Fleetwood Town great Nathan Pond". Lytham St Annes Express . Retrieved 7 October 2021.
24. Browne, Gavin (27 September 2020). "AFC Fylde name Nathan Pond as club captain". Blackpool Gazette . Retrieved 7 October 2021.
25. Moore, Andy (6 October 2021). "AFC Fylde 1 Darlington 0: Hero Haughton secures winning start to league campaign". Blackpool Gazette . Retrieved 7 October 2021.
26. Moore, Andy (13 May 2021). "Captain Nathan Pond among six to leave AFC Fylde as retained list is confirmed". Blackpool Gazette . Retrieved 7 October 2021.
27. Moore, Andy (18 May 2021). "Jim Bentley: Releasing Nathan Pond was toughest decision for AFC Fylde". Blackpool Gazette . Retrieved 7 October 2021.
28. Cox, Lewis (24 July 2021). "AFC Telford United seal statement signing of legendary ex-Fleetwood stopper Nathan Pond". Shropshire Star . Retrieved 7 October 2021.
29. Cox, Lewis (26 July 2021). "Gavin Cowan: Cheeky offer was key to securing Nathan Pond at Telford". Shropshire Star . Retrieved 7 October 2021.
30. Keen, Liam (28 July 2021). "AFC Telford boss Gavin Cowan: Nathan Pond all business". Shropshire Star . Retrieved 7 October 2021.
31. "Nathan Pond is back in town and this time, he's a coach!". Fleetwood Town FC. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
32. Cox, Lewis (30 September 2021). "AFC Telford United cancel Nathan Pond contract after two months". Shropshire Star . Retrieved 7 October 2021.
33. Salmon, Craig (6 October 2021). "Bamber Bridge seal deal for former Fleetwood Town and Salford City defender Nathan Pond". Lancashire Evening Post . Retrieved 7 October 2021.
34. Salmon, Craig (4 September 2023). "Club statement: Staff update". Fleetwood Town FC. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
35. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
36. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
37. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
38. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
39. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
40. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
41. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
42. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
43. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
44. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
45. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
46. "Games played by Nathan Pond in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
47. "Nathan Pond". National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
48. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 626, 644–645. ISBN   978-0-7553-6356-8.
49. Maiden, Phil (26 May 2014). "Burton Albion 0–1 Fleetwood Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
50. Rindl, Josef (11 May 2019). "AFC Fylde 0–3 Salford City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2019.

External links

• Nathan Pond at Soccerbase
• Nathan Pond at Soccerway