.jpg) Wickham playing forSunderland in 2014 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Connor Neil Ralph Wickham[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1993-03-31)31 March 1993 (age 32)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hereford, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward,winger | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | Reading | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Ipswich Town | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Ipswich Town | 65 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Sunderland | 79 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | →Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | →Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 11 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | →Leeds United (loan) | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2021 | Crystal Palace | 41 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020 | →Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 13 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Preston North End | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Milton Keynes Dons | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Forest Green Rovers | 16 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Cardiff City | 12 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Charlton Athletic | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | England U16 | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | England U17 | 13 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | England U19 | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2015 | England U21 | 17 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:10, 3 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:56, 9 April 2022 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Connor Neil Ralph Wickham (born 31 March 1993) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as aforward. He is currently afree agent.
He has previously representedIpswich Town,Sunderland,Sheffield Wednesday,Leeds United,Crystal Palace,Preston North End,Milton Keynes Dons andForest Green Rovers.
Wickham has also played at various levels of international football for the England national team, and scored the winning goal in the2010 UEFA European U17 Championship Final.
Wickham was born inHereford,[4] the son of an ArmyWarrant Officer.[5] He attendedPhilip Morant School inColchester, where he achieved eight A-C grade GCSEs – as well as being a prominent member of the school football team, where he was a prolific goalscorer from a young age.[5] He played youth football withReading for four years.[5] Wickham's father is Northern Irish.[6]
Wickham made his debut for theIpswich Townfirst team on 11 April 2009, aged 16 years and 11 days. He came on as a 66th-minutesubstitute forVeliče Šumulikoski in a 3–1 home defeat againstDoncaster Rovers[7] and in doing so he became Ipswich's youngest ever player, beating the previous record being held byJason Dozzell by 46 days.[8]
Wickham scored his first two senior goals in only his fourth appearance, when he scored in Ipswich's2009–10 League Cup tie againstShrewsbury Town. He also scored in thepenalty shootout, which saw Ipswich prevail 4–2.[9] He scored his first league goal in a 1–0 home victory overScunthorpe United in March 2010, his winning effort coming deep into injury time.[10] In April 2010, Wickham scored his second league goal, which came in the 90th minute in a 3–1 victory overDerby County. This came two days after he signed his first professional contract at Ipswich, a two-year deal following his 17th birthday.[11]
In April 2010, Wickham was named the Football Leagueyoung player of the month. He won the award after scoring three goals in four matches during that time.[12]
Wickham extended his contract with Ipswich to 2013 in January 2011.[13] It had an offer clause in it which stated that if any bid equalled or bettered the one written in the contract, Ipswich would have to allow him to speak to the bidding club. It was reported that the figure was around the £15 million mark.[14]
On 22 January 2011, Wickham scored Ipswich's his first goal of the season in a 3–2 win over Doncaster Rovers.[15] Two games later, Wickham scored in a 3–0 win overSheffield United atPortman Road. A clearance of a set piece saw Wickham collect the ball in his own half, and pass two opponents before wrong-footingRob Kozluk and goalkeeperSteve Simonsen to tap the ball into the net.[16] Former Ipswich player,Kevin Beattie witnessed the goal, and described it as one of the greatest goals ever scored at Portman Road.[17] Two weeks later Wickham recorded his first professionalhat-trick in a 6–0 win at Doncaster Rovers.[18] Wickham's superb scoring form continued when he scored late in the match against Reading on 8 March. With Ipswich already 3–0 down, his goal counted for little, although it was once again a superb finish, as he volleyed a ball that was coming over his shoulder into the top corner of the goal from a tight angle.[19]
On 4 March 2011, Wickham was named Championship player of the month for February after scoring four goals in the month, including his first professional hat-trick at Doncaster.[20] Two weeks later he was named the Football League Young Player of the Year as well as the Championship Apprentice of the Year at the2011 Football League Awards.[21]
On 2 April 2011,Tottenham Hotspur manager,Harry Redknapp admitted that his side had not made a bid for Wickham. This was despite several reports to the contrary suggesting a bid in the region of £10m had been made.[22] The same day, Wickham scored the second of Ipswich's two goals againstBurnley in the Championship, as they won 2–1.[23]
He signed a one-year extension to his contract on 8 April 2011, contracting him to the club until the summer of 2014.[24] Wickham admitted he was delighted to have signed the contract, and said he just wanted to concentrate on achieving his goals with Ipswich, rather than focusing on speculation about his future. He said:
I'm obviously delighted to have signed a new contract and feel that I'm at the right club to progress as a player. After having a look over the last two years I approached this season wanting to make a real impact. It didn't start well with me getting injured but I feel I have moved forward as a player since I got back in the side. I'm playing games every week, I'm enjoying my football and the club is moving in the right direction and that's all I want.
— Connor Wickham,[25]
On 29 June 2011, Wickham signed a four-year deal withPremier League clubSunderland for a fee of £8 million. The fee had the potential to rise to £12 million over the course of the contract.[26]Despite having recently signed a new contract with Ipswich, Wickham had been widely tipped to move to a Premier League club following a highly successful 2010–11 season. Although Ipswich managerPaul Jewell had said there was no pressure to sell the youngster, Sunderland's eventual offer proved too lucrative.[27] The fee broke Ipswich's record for transfer fees recouped, and broke the transfer record for a Football League player moving to a Premier League club. Ipswich's chief executive Simon Clegg summed it up:
As much as we would have liked to have kept Connor at Portman Road we have to be realistic and recognise that the offer from Sunderland was simply too good to turn down.
— Simon Clegg,[28]
He scored his first goal for Sunderland in a pre-season friendly againstKilmarnock. Wickham made his first competitive appearance for Sunderland when he came on as a substitute in the 1–0 defeat toNewcastle United in theTyne–Wear derby on 20 August 2011.[29] He made his first Premier League start for Sunderland on 22 October 2011 where he helped Sunderland secure their second win of the season againstBolton Wanderers.[30]
Wickham scored his first Premier League goal for theBlack Cats a week later in the 2–2 draw withAston Villa. The following week againstManchester United atOld Trafford, Wickham suffered a knee injury and had to be substituted just five minutes into the game.[31] The arrival of new managerMartin O'Neill saw Wickham fall out of favour as he spent the majority of the remainder of the season on the bench and playing for the reserves.[32] Wickham came off the bench atBolton Wanderers in the third round of theFA Cup to score his first goal of the season as Sunderland came from 2–0 down to earn a replay.[33]
On 8 February 2013, Wickham joinedSheffield Wednesday on loan, initially on a one-month deal.[34] He made his debut on 9 February, in a 2–2 draw against Derby County.[35] He scored his first goal for the club on 9 March, in a 1–0 win away against Leicester City in what was the last game of his loan spell, firing a first time volley into the roof of the net.[36] On 14 March 2013 it was confirmed that Wickham would not be re-joining Sheffield Wednesday on loan.[37]
On 27 August 2013, Wickham inspired Sunderland to a late comeback againstMilton Keynes Dons in theFootball League Cup, scoring twice and assistingJozy Altidore's goal as the Premier League side scored four times in the last 20 minutes to win 4–2.
On 1 November 2013, Wickham re-joined Sheffield Wednesday in another loan move until 1 January 2014.[38] Wickham scored on his return in the 5–2 win over Reading atHillsborough on 2 November. Wickham again appeared on the score sheet scoring a brace of goals in the 2–1 win over Leicester City on 3 December. Four goals in four games in December 2013 earned Wickham a nomination for the December Championship Player of the Month award[39] but he ultimately lost out to Leicester City's Danny Drinkwater.[40] On 31 December 2013, his loan spell at Wednesday was extended by a further month,[41] although his parent club prevented him from representing theOwls in theFA Cup.[42] On 11 January 2014, he scored in Wednesday's 6–0 win over Yorkshire rivalsLeeds United.[43] After the game, he described the win as a "fantastic team performance" while saying that he was "unhappy with my own personal performance."[44] He was recalled to his parent club on 27 January 2014.[45]
On 26 February 2014, Wickham joined Football League Championship side Leeds United on loan until the end of the2013–14 season.[46] Wickham was handed the number 9 shirt for Leeds.[47]He made his debut on 1 March 2014 in a 1–1 draw away toQueens Park Rangers atLoftus Road.[48]
On 24 March, Wickham was recalled from his loan after playing four games for Leeds to bolster Sunderland's goal scoring options, with Steven Fletcher injured andJozy Altidore badly out of form.
On 16 April, he scored two goals in a 2–2 draw with Manchester City at theCity of Manchester Stadium.[49] Three days later, he scored the club's first goal in Sunderland's 2–1 win againstChelsea atStamford Bridge.[50] On 27 April, he scored a brace to help Sunderland overcomeCardiff City 4–0, playing a pivotal role in Sunderland's late surge to try to avoid relegation.[51] He was namedPremier League Player of the Month for April.[52] On 3 May, hiscross assistedSebastian Larsson's goal in a 1–0 win atOld Trafford, making it Sunderland's first win away toManchester United since 1968.[53]
On 4 October 2014, he scored his first goal of the season and assisted aSteven Fletcher goal in a 3–1 win overStoke City.[54] In December 2014, Connor Wickham agreed a new four-and-a-half-year deal with Sunderland.[55]
On 3 August 2015, Wickham joinedCrystal Palace on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee,[56] although some sources reported it as an initial £7 million, rising to a potential £9 million depending upon his performance.[57] Wickham made his debut on 8 August 2015 as a second-half substitute in the 3–1 win atNorwich City.[58]
In November 2016, Wickham sustained a serious knee injury which kept him out of first-team action until October 2018. He did not make an appearance in the starting line-up until January 2019, scoring the opening goal in a 2–0 fourth-roundFA Cup win againstTottenham Hotspur.[59][60]
In May 2019, Wickham signed a one-year extension to his existing contract keeping him at Palace until June 2021.[61]
On 3 March 2021, he returned to the2020–21Crystal Palace match day squad, by being an unused substitute in a 0–0 draw againstManchester United in thePremier League.[62]
Wickham joinedSheffield Wednesday on a six-month loan deal on 31 January 2020.[63]
Wickham was released by Palace after his contract expired at the end of the 2020–21 season. He joinedChampionship clubPreston North End in September 2021 on a short-term deal until January 2022.[64] He impressed on his debut but suffered a serious hamstring injury after five minutes of an EFL Cup tie in his second appearance and did not play for the club again. Wickham was released by Preston North End on 13 January 2022.[65]
On 21 January 2022, Wickham joinedLeague One clubMilton Keynes Dons on a short-term deal.[66] He made his debut the following day, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute in a 1–0 home defeat toDoncaster Rovers.[67] On 19 February 2022, Wickham scored his first goal for the club, the winning goal in a 2–1 away win over former clubSunderland.[68] However, after limited opportunities, he was one of six players released by MK Dons at the end of the2021–22 season.[69]
On 3 August 2022, Wickham joined newly promoted League One clubForest Green Rovers on a short-term deal until January 2023.[70] He left the club in January 2023 at the expiry of his contract, scoring 9 times in 20 total appearances for the club.[71]
On 14 February 2023, Championship clubCardiff City signed Wickham until the end of the season.[72]
On 8 March 2024, following a two-week training period with the club, Wickham joined League One clubCharlton Athletic on a short-term contract until the end of the season.[73] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw at Cambridge United on 13th April 2024.[74]
On 3 May 2024, it was confirmed that Wickham would leave Charlton Athletic when his contract expired.[75]
Wickham has played age-group matches for England, but is also eligible for Northern Ireland, as his father was born there.[6] Until he receives a full cap fromEngland in a competitive game he remains eligible for other teams. His progress in the English Premier League was also monitored by former Republic of Ireland management duo ofMartin O'Neill andRoy Keane,[76] as his links to Northern Ireland mean that he also qualifies to play for the Republic of Ireland.
Wickham has represented theEngland under-16 team and was also on stand-by for theunder-17 squad during the 2008–09 season.[77] He won the 2008Victory Shield with England, scoring in the 2–0 final win over Scotland.
On 11 August 2009, Wickham received a call-up to theunder-17 squad, for their three-game FA International Tournament, which would take place later that month.[78]
In May 2010, Wickham was included in theEngland U17 squad for theUEFA European U17 Championship inLiechtenstein. He was involved in two of the goals in England's 3–1 win against theCzech Republic in the group stage, with a convincing performance.[79] He then played the full game in the second group match againstGreece, once again playing well.[80] Wickham was rested for the final group game of the tournament, but returned to faceFrance in the semi-final. He scored both goals for England in a 2–1 victory, both left-footed, and both in the first half.[81] Wickham scored the winner in a 2–1 victory overSpain in the final. He received the ball on the edge of the box before proceeding to beat two defenders and drill the ball low into the net.[82] He was given the Golden Player award by UEFA for the best player in the tournament.[83]
On 7 September 2010 England under-21 bossStuart Pearce admitted that he had been monitoring Wickham's progress, and that he would consider calling him up to the under-21 squad once he had recovered from injury.[84] On 15 November 2010 Pearce did name Wickham in theunder-21s friendly match against Germany on 16 November 2010.[85] In that game he came on as a 66th-minute substitute in a 2–0 defeat for England. Following that game, and the important experience Wickham gained, he returned to the England under-19 side. However, it would not be long before he was back in the fold for the under-21s.
On 14 March 2011 it was announced that Wickham had been included in the squad for England's games against Denmark and Iceland.[86] He came on as a substitute in the game against Denmark, which England went on to win 4–0.[87] The following Monday, Wickham started the game in a friendly against Iceland atDeepdale inPreston. It was his first start for the under-21s, and he played the full 90 minutes as England lost the game 2–1 to a very strong Iceland side that included a number of first team regulars. Wickham played as a lone striker in the game.
Prior to the Iceland game, Wickham admitted that he was hopeful of being included in the squad that would play in the summer's Euro 2011 under-21stournament due to take place in June. Having been an instrumental figure in the success of the under-17's the previous summer, he felt he could repeat the feat at a higher level. He said:
It would be another summer tournament, and I want to win another tournament. It'll be different, but if we play to the potential that is in our team we are capable of beating anyone on our day. All the boys have taken me as part of the team and have treated me no differently to anyone else. They are a great bunch of lads and I'd be happy to spend the summer with them. Even just to be selected would be brilliant but to win it would be better. I don't see why we can't go on and really push this summer to win the tournament.
— Connor Wickham,[88]"
He scored his first goal for the under-21s on 10 September 2012, scoring the only goal of the game in a win againstNorway inChesterfield, ensuring England won their European Under-21 Championship qualifying group.[89] He scored his second goal on 16 October, helping England to a 2–0 aggregate win in the play-off againstSerbia.[90]
In 2010, Wickham signed a sponsorship deal with British sportswear and equipment supplier,Umbro.[5] He appeared in an advert for the new England kit in September 2010[91] and is one of the flagship wearers of Umbro's GT range of football boots.[92]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ipswich Town | 2008–09 | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | Championship | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 29 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | Championship | 37 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 41 | 9 | ||
| Total | 65 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 15 | ||
| Sunderland | 2011–12 | Premier League | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | |
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 15 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 18 | 7 | ||
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 36 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 40 | 6 | ||
| Total | 79 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 91 | 15 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2012–13 | Championship | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | |
| 2013–14 | Championship | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 8 | ||
| Leeds United (loan) | 2013–14 | Championship | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |
| Crystal Palace | 2015–16 | Premier League | 21 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 6 | |
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 10 | 3 | ||
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 41 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 11 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2019–20 | Championship | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 2 | ||
| Preston North End | 2021–22 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2021–22 | League One | 13 | 1 | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
| Forest Green Rovers | 2022–23 | League One | 16 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 20 | 9 |
| Cardiff City | 2022–23 | Championship | 12 | 1 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 2023–24 | League One | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 266 | 52 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 301 | 64 | ||
Crystal Palace
England U16
England U17
Individual
