Ten things: Owen Garvan

Your ten-point guide to Wanderers' latest transfer recruit

1.    Owen William Garvan was born in Dublin on January 26, 1988.

2.    Garvan comes from a notable footballing family. His maternal grandfather, ex-Aston Villa player Con Martin, captained Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s, while his uncle, Mick Martin, also played for the Republic of Ireland and Manchester United. Meanwhile his father, Gerry Garvan, played in the League of Ireland.

3.    Starting his career with Home Farm, the midfielder made the move to England in November 2004 when he signed for Ipswich Town.

4.    Quickly becoming a regular in the Tractor Boys’ youth team, Garvan was a member of the Ipswich side that won the FA Youth Cup in 2005.

5.    He made his senior debut for Town against Cardiff City on August 6 2005, while his first goal followed a month later in a 2-2 draw with Southampton.

6.    A Republic of Ireland U21s international, Garvan made 16 appearances for the Boys in Green, scoring five goals, in between 2007 and 2009.

7.    Although uncapped at senior international level, Garvan was called up to Giovanni Trapattoni’s first squad as Republic of Ireland manager in May 2008, ahead of friendlies against Serbia and Colombia.

8.    Joining Crystal Palace in August 2010, Garvan was a member of the Eagles side that won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2013, completing 84 minutes of the final against Watford at Wembley. 

9.    He started Palace’s opening Premier League fixture of the 2013/14 season against Tottenham Hotspur. 

10.  Garvan spent the second half of last season on loan at Millwall, making 13 appearances during his time in South London.
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