Luke Wilkinson

Luke Wilkinson

Wilkinson playing for Dagenham & Redbridge in 2014
Personal information
Full name Luke Alexander Wilkinson[1]
Date of birth (1990-09-29) 29 September 1990[2]
Place of birth Wells, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current team
Stevenage
Number 2
Youth career
2007–2009 Bristol City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2010 Portsmouth 0 (0)
2010Northampton Town (loan) 0 (0)
2010Eastleigh (loan) 6 (1)
2010–2014 Dagenham & Redbridge 65 (6)
2010–2011Boreham Wood (loan) 26 (1)
2011–2012Boreham Wood (loan) 23 (3)
2012Dartford (loan) 14 (4)
2014–2016 Luton Town 62 (7)
2016– Stevenage 18 (2)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:27, 30 April 2016 (UTC).

† Appearances (goals)

Luke Alexander Wilkinson (born 29 September 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for League Two club Stevenage.

Youth career

Wilkinson was born in Wells, Somerset.[1] He started his career in the youth system of Bristol City and was offered a two-year scholarship in June 2007.[4] He was part of the side that competed in the Premier Academy League.[4]

Club career

Portsmouth

In 2009, 17-year-old Wilkinson was released early from his contract at Bristol City and was offered a trial by Premier League club Portsmouth.[5] He played in a reserve game against Fulham, in which first-team manager Paul Hart described as the most impressive debut he had seen from any young player.[5] The reserves remained unbeaten with Wilkinson in defence until the end of the season.[5] His outstanding form for the reserves earned him a professional contract in July 2009.[5]

In January 2010, he joined League Two club Northampton Town on a one-month loan, however, he failed to make an appearance for the club.[6]

In February 2010, he joined Conference South club Eastleigh on an initial one-month loan, which was later extended until the end of the season.[7]

Dagenham & Redbridge

In the summer of 2010, Wilkinson was released by Portsmouth and joined newly promoted League One club Dagenham & Redbridge on a three-year contract.[8] In November 2010, he joined Conference South club Boreham Wood on an initial one-month loan, making his debut in a 3–2 defeat to Dover Athletic.[9] The loan was then extended until the end of the season, with Wilkinson making 28 appearances, scoring once in the final league game of the season, a 3–0 win over Lewes.[10] He rejoined Boreham Wood in August 2011 on a five-month loan.[11] He was a mainstay in the team, making 25 appearances, the last of which in a 2–1 defeat to Woking on 28 January 2012, before returning to the Daggers at the end of January.[12] In February 2012, he joined fellow Conference South club Dartford on loan.[13] In March 2012, his loan was extended until the end of the season after scoring two headers in consecutive wins over Havant & Waterlooville and Sutton United.[14] He claimed his first piece of silverware as Dartford were promoted to the Conference Premier via their play-off win over Welling United on 13 May 2012.[15]

Wilkinson started the 2012–13 season as a first team player at Dagenham and made his professional debut in September 2012, in a 2–2 draw with AFC Wimbledon.[16] He cemented his place in the first team by scoring four goals, which prompted Daggers manager John Still to offer him a new contract until 2015.[17] He went on to make 46 appearances in all competitions and won the club's Player of the Year award.[18] This led to reported interest from Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Norwich City.[18] However, no move materialised and Wilkinson admitted that he needed another few years to develop as a player before making the step up.[19]

Wilkinson's start to the 2013–14 season was delayed by a groin injury picked up in pre-season, before making his return at the end of August in a 3–0 defeat to Mansfield Town.[20] He went on to make 25 appearances but a combination of further injuries, the form of Scott Doe and Brian Saah, and the late emergence of Ian Gayle resigned Wilkinson to the bench for the majority of the season.[20] In May 2014, he was placed on the transfer list at his own request and his name was circulated to other clubs highlighting his availability.[20] In June 2014, he stated he was happy to fight for his place if a move away from the club didn't materialise.[21]

Luton Town

On 7 July 2014, Wilkinson signed for League Two club Luton Town on a one-year contract, managed by his former Dagenham manager John Still, for an undisclosed fee.[22] He made his debut for Luton in a 1–0 away win over Carlisle United on 9 August 2014, their first Football League game in five years.[23] Wilkinson scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 home win over Oxford United on 27 September 2014.[24] He converted Andy Drury's free-kick with a header in a 2–1 away win over Stevenage on 4 October 2014 to score in successive games.[25] These games were part of a seven game winning streak in the league which saw Luton advance from 18th[26] to the top of the League Two table.[27][24][25][28][29][30][31] During this period, Wilkinson was named Sky Bet League 2 Player of the Month for September when he was part of the Luton defence that did not concede a goal during the month of September.[32] Later in the season, Wilkinson received a red card on two occasions, the first of which was given in injury time during a 1–0 away defeat to Burton Albion, ending Luton's 11 game unbeaten run in League Two.[33] The second red card was given in a 1–0 home win over Carlisle United.[34] Wilkinson's red card, coupled with a four match suspension for fellow Luton defender Steve McNulty for a studs-up challenge in the previous game, a 2–2 draw against York City caused disruption to Luton's team selection in defence with their replacements failing to impress.[35][36] Wilkinson ended the 2014–15 season with 42 league appearances, scoring four goals, triggering a one-year contract extension to keep him at Luton until the summer of 2016.[37]

Wilkinson was in fine goal scoring form at the beginning of the 2015–16 season, scoring in a 2–2 draw against Oxford United on 15 August 2015 and 3–1 away wins over Cambridge United and Morecambe on 5 September and 29 September respectively.[38][39][40] However, an injury at the end of 2015 meant he last played for Luton in a 4–3 home defeat to Northampton Town on 12 December 2015.[41] This later turned out to be his final match for the club.

Stevenage

On 22 January 2016, Luton sold Wilkinson to fellow League Two club Stevenage on a contract until the end of the season to make way for his replacement Alan Sheehan, arriving at Luton on loan from Bradford City on the same day.[42][43] Wilkinson said he was shocked by the decision but was looking forward to helping Stevenage climb the table.[44] He made his debut for the club in a 0–0 draw against Barnet a day later.[45] Wilkinson scored his first two goals for Stevenage in a 3–2 defeat to League Two leaders Northampton on 19 March 2016.[46]

Career statistics

As of match played 30 April 2016.
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Portsmouth 2009–10 Premier League 00000000
Eastleigh (loan) 2009–10[47] Conference South 61000061
Dagenham & Redbridge 2010–11[48] League One 0000000000
2011–12[49] League Two 00000000
2012–13[50] League Two 43610002[lower-alpha 1]0466
2013–14[51] League Two 22010002[lower-alpha 1]0250
Total 656200040716
Boreham Wood (loan) 2010–11[10] Conference South 2612[lower-alpha 2]0281
2011–12[12] Conference South 233101[lower-alpha 2]0253
Total 4941030534
Dartford (loan) 2011–12[52] Conference South 1444[lower-alpha 3]0184
Luton Town 2014–15[53] League Two 42440101[lower-alpha 1]0484
2015–16[54] League Two 203202000243
Total 627603010727
Stevenage 2015–16[54] League Two 182182
Career total 21424903012023824
  1. 1 2 3 Appearances in Football League Trophy
  2. 1 2 Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  3. One appearance in Kent Senior Cup, three in Conference South play-offs

Honours

Club

Dartford

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 "Luke Wilkinson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  2. Brown, Tony; Joyce, Michael; Longbottom, David, eds. (2013). English National Football Archive Yearbook 2013. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 978-1-905891-62-7.
  3. "Luke Wilkinson". ESPN FC. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Eight Youngsters Handed Deals". Vital Football (Vital Network Ltd). 7 June 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Wilkinson goes south". Western Daily Press (Local World). 9 July 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  6. "Northampton sign Luke Wilkinson and Stephen O'Flynn". BBC Sport. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  7. Gee, Wendy (26 February 2010). "Sacrificial lambs – Tessem and Day depart. Goodhind to return?". Daily Echo. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  8. "Dagenham & Redbridge sign Luke Wilkinson". BBC Sport. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  9. "Freak Leaves It Bleak for Wood". Boreham Wood F.C. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Detailed Results – Boreham Wood Football Club Season 2010/11" (PDF). Boreham Wood F.C. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  11. "Luke Wilkinson Player Profile". Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  12. 1 2 "Detailed Results – Boreham Wood Football Club Season 2011/12" (PDF). Boreham Wood F.C. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  13. "Darts Borrow Daggers Defender". Pitch Hero. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  14. "Dartford extend the loan of defender Luke Wilkinson". BBC Sport. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  15. 1 2 Hoad, Alex (13 May 2012). "Dartford 1 Welling United 0". Kent Online (KM Group). Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  16. "AFC Wimbledon 2–2 Dag & Red". BBC Sport. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  17. "Luke Wilkinson Signs Contract Extension". Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  18. 1 2 3 "Villa, Norwich eyeing Dagenham & Redbridge defender Luke Wilkinson". Tribal Football. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  19. Munford, Colin (13 June 2013). "Wilkinson needs more experience but is aware of transfer rumours". Barking & Dagenham Post (Archant Community Media Ltd). Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 Munford, Colin (28 May 2014). "Daggers defender transfer listed – at his own request". Barking & Dagenham Post (Archant Community Media Ltd). Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  21. Munford, Colin (6 June 2014). "Daggers defender happy to stay if move away fails". Barking & Dagenham Post (Archant Community Media Ltd). Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  22. "Luke Wilkinson: Luton Town sign defender from Dagenham". BBC Sport. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  23. "Carlisle United 0–1 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  24. 1 2 "Luton Town 2–0 Oxford United". BBC Sport. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  25. 1 2 "Stevenage 1–2 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  26. "York City 0–0 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  27. "Cambridge United 0–1 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  28. "Luton Town 2–0 Southend United". BBC Sport. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  29. "Hartlepool United 1–2 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  30. "Luton Town 3–1 Dagenham & Redbridge". BBC Sport. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  31. "Luton Town 1–0 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  32. 1 2 "Luke Wilkinson named Sky Bet League 2 Player of the Month". The Football League. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  33. "Burton Albion 1–0 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  34. "Luton Town 1–0 Carlisle United". BBC Sport. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  35. "Luton Town 2–2 York City". BBC Sport. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  36. "Luton Town: Luke Wilkinson poised to return to Hatters defence after stand-ins miss chance to impress". Luton On Sunday (Local World). 25 February 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  37. "Luton Town: Twelve out of contract Hatters set to learn their fates". Luton On Sunday (Bedfordshire: Local World). 5 May 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  38. "Luton Town 2–2 Oxford United". BBC Sport. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  39. "Cambridge United 1–3 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  40. "Morecambe 1–3 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  41. "Luton Town 3–4 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  42. "Luke Wilkinson: Stevenage sign Luton Town defender". BBC Sport. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  43. "Alan Sheehan: Luton Town sign Bradford City defender". BBC Sport. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  44. "Stevenage LUKE WILKINSON INTERVIEW: Luton Town exit shock amid allegations of 'Dagenham clique'". Hertfordshire Mercury (Local World). 24 January 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  45. "Stevenage 0–0 Barnet". BBC Sport. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  46. "Stevenage 2–3 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  47. "Luke Wilkinson Profile". Aylesbury United F.C. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  48. "Games played by Luke Wilkinson in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  49. "Games played by Luke Wilkinson in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  50. "Games played by Luke Wilkinson in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  51. "Games played by Luke Wilkinson in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  52. "L. Wilkinson". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
    "Dartford 3–1 Charlton Athletic XI". Kent Sports News. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  53. "Games played by Luke Wilkinson in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  54. 1 2 "Games played by Luke Wilkinson in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 February 2016.

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