Former England (youth) goalkeeper snapped up at 17 by Harry Redknapp, but whose top-flight career has never really got going
A former Rochdale trainee, Bywater was snapped up as a junior by Harry Redknapp at West Ham and played alongside Joe Cole and Michael Carrick as the club won the FA Youth Cup in 1999.
He made his first-team debut the following year against Bradford, letting in four goals... but was a relieved man as his team-mates scored five. Loan spells at Wolves, Cardiff and Coventry followed for the tall, agile keeper – by now capped at England under-21 level, after having rotated for the U19s with Paul Robinson and Chris Kirkland – before he finally made the breakthrough during West Ham’s two seasons of Championship football.
He joined Derby for £225,000 in August 2006 and played a key role as the club won promotion to the top flight. Regular games saw his confidence grow – in summer 2007 he iterated his desire to challenge Robinson and Kirkland for a place in the full England squad – but the Rams’ poor start to life in the Premier League saw him replaced by Roy Carroll and he spent time on loan at Ipswich.