Sylvan Augustus Ebanks-Blake (born 29 March 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played youth team football for Cambridge United and Manchester United before making his professional debut in 2004. A spell on loan with Royal Antwerp followed before Ebanks-Blake was transferred to Plymouth Argyle in 2006. During his two seasons with Argyle, he scored 21 goals in the Championship and then joined Wolverhampton Wanderers for £1.5 million, where he won the Championship top scorer award in consecutive seasons to help the club gain promotion to the Premier League. Ebanks-Blake represented England at under-21 level, but was also eligible to play for Jamaica at senior international level through his parents. Career Early career Born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Ebanks-Blake attended the Netherhall School and his first clubs were Cherry Hinton Lions and Fulbourn Falcons in the Cambridge area. At the age of 15, having been on schoolboy terms with Cambridge United, he attended a two-week trial with Manchester United at their training centre. He was offered a contract at the end of the trial and turned down a scholarship with Cambridge to join Manchester United's Academy. He played his first match at senior level for the club on 26 October 2004 against Crewe Alexandra in the League Cup. One year later, he scored his first senior level goal for the club against Barnet in another League Cup tie. Towards the end of the 2004–05 season, he fractured his leg and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. He recovered and scored a hat-trick on his return for the Manchester United reserves. However, he was never called on for a first team league game again, although he was an unused substitute in several Champions League games. In January 2006, he moved on loan to Royal Antwerp in Belgium to gain first team experience. Plymouth Argyle Ebanks-Blake returned to England in the summer and signed a three-year deal with Championship club Plymouth Argyle on 14 July 2006. The fee paid to Manchester United was an initial £200,000, potentially rising to over £300,000 due to clauses. Ebanks-Blake was new manager Ian Holloway's first signing and became a first team regular. The striker notched up 10 goals in his first season at Argyle, many of which came at the end of the season. He cemented his status as a fan favourite and top prospect with 11 league