 Pilkington withRepublic of Ireland in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Neil James Pilkington[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1988-06-06)6 June 1988 (age 37) | ||
| Place of birth | Blackburn, England | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Preston North End | ||
| 2004–2005 | Manchester United | ||
| 2005 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005 | Blackburn Rovers | 0 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Atherton Collieries | 35 | (19) |
| 2006–2009 | Stockport County | 80 | (17) |
| 2009–2011 | Huddersfield Town | 92 | (19) |
| 2011–2014 | Norwich City | 75 | (14) |
| 2014–2019 | Cardiff City | 103 | (20) |
| 2019–2020 | Wigan Athletic | 24 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | East Bengal | 17 | (3) |
| 2021–2022 | Fleetwood Town | 25 | (4) |
| Total | 451 | (98) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2013–2016 | Republic of Ireland | 9 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:11, 23 March 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 29 March 2016 | |||
Anthony Neil James Pilkington (born 6 June 1988) is anIrish former professionalfootballer who played as awinger.
After playing non-league football briefly, he began his professional career with spells atStockport County andHuddersfield Town. In July 2011, he joinedPremier League sideNorwich City in a deal worth up to £3 million and went on to play 75 matches in the top tier for theCanaries before moving toCardiff City three years later. He also representedRepublic of Ireland at international level winning nine caps.
Born inBlackburn,Lancashire, Pilkington spent time with theyouth systems ofPreston North End,Manchester United and hometown clubBlackburn Rovers. He joinedStockport County on 15 December 2006, fromAtherton Collieries, where he made his name scoring ahat-trick againstF.C. United of Manchester and signed initially on a short-term contract at Edgeley Park,[2] and made an instant impact on the team, scoring three goals in his first four games for the club, including two againstShrewsbury Town atGay Meadow. Pilkington then played a big part in County's record breaking run of results during January and February 2007.
He continued to help Stockport's push for the playoffs by scoring a further two goals in a season which saw County miss out on the play-offs only on goal-difference.
The following season he scored the second goal for Stockport andassisted the third in their 3–2 win overRochdale atWembley Stadium. He also picked up the official man-of-the-match award as Stockport were promoted toLeague One.
In January 2008, his brotherDanny also signed for Stockport.
On 23 January 2009, he was signed by fellow League One sideHuddersfield Town on a three-and-a-half-year contract. He made his debut in the 1–0 defeat byYeovil Town atHuish Park on 27 January 2009. On 3 March, he scored his first league goal for Huddersfield againstColchester United at theGalpharm Stadium. The match ended 2–2. His first away goal for the Terriers came in the 2–1 win againstBristol Rovers at theMemorial Stadium on 31 March 2009.
Pilkington started the 2009–10 season well, scoring on the opening day of the season againstSouthend United when Huddersfield were two goals down to make it 2–1, they eventually drew the game 2–2. He then scored two more in the second round of theFootball League Trophy in a 3–3 draw withChesterfield, eventually losing on penalties. His second league goal came in a 2–1 away loss atCharlton Athletic with a 30-yard free kick just before half time.
Pilkington was a regular in the Huddersfield team throughout the 2009–10 season, only missing one league game all season. He made 45 league appearances with a further five coming in cup competitions, scoring seven league goals as Huddersfield made a play-off semi-final, with a further two goals coming in theFootball League Trophy.
In the 2–1 home win over Rochdale, on 8 March 2011, Pilkington suffered a dislocated left ankle as well as a break to thefibula bone above the ankle.[3] On 30 June, the club announced that Pilkington had declared his intention to leave following their failure to win promotion from League One.[4]
Pilkington joinedNorwich City on 6 July 2011 and signed a three-year deal with the option of a further 12 months.[5] The fee was reported to be around £2 million but rising to £3 million with add-ons.[6][7]
He made his first appearance since his injury in the 1–1 friendly draw versusReal Zaragoza on 3 August 2011, coming off the bench to replaceBradley Johnson. Pilkington made his competitive Norwich debut in the opening dayPremier League 1–1 draw atWigan Athletic, replacingSteve Morison.[8] Pilkington's first Norwich goal came on 17 September 2011, in a 2–1 win againstBolton Wanderers at theReebok Stadium.[9] Pilkington scored a double in the 3–1 win overSwansea City at Carrow Road on 15 October 2011.[10] He scored his eighth goal of hisfirst Premier League campaign in a 2–1 away win overTottenham Hotspur on 9 April 2012.
On 17 November 2012, Pilkington scored the winning goal against his former clubManchester United in a 1–0 win for Norwich.
On 14 August 2014, it was reported that Norwich had agreed a £1m fee withCardiff City for Pilkington.[11] The move was completed on 15 August with Pilkington signing a three-year deal.[12]His first goal for Cardiff City came during their 2–1 win againstSheffield Wednesday on 27 September 2014. He became a regular in the starting eleven until a hamstring injury put him out for several months on 29 November.[13] He made his return in April in a 3–1 loss atIpswich Town.[14]
Pilkington returned to the starting line up, the following season, eventually scoring his first goal againstHuddersfield Town in September.[15] Following with consecutive goals againstBolton Wanderers andSheffield Wednesday.[16][17] With the club short on forwards following departures in the January transfer window, Pilkington was moved into an unfamiliar more advanced role playing as a striker and finished the season with nine goals in total, including braces againstRotherham United andPreston North End,[18][19] finishing the season as the club's top scorer.
Pilkington opened his accounts for the new season, againstFulham in a 2–2 draw before scoring a brace against former club,Norwich City.[20][21] On 27 September, he was rewarded with a two-year contract extension, keeping him at Cardiff until 2019.[22] Despite finishing as one of the club's top goalscorer during the season, with 8 goals, he only managed 7 appearances followingNeil Warnock's arrival in October, leading to the manager claiming he didn't know whether Pilkington had a future at the club.[23]
Despite the uncertainty of his future, Pilkington stayed at the club during the summer of 2017, making appearances in theEFL Cup and scoring againstBurton Albion.[24] He made his first league appearance on 16 December, starting in a 1–0 win overHull City, due to the club being left without a recognised striker.[25] Pilkington managed to find the net in a 4–0 win overSunderland and in aFA Cup atMansfield Town. His return to the first team led to Warnock stating that there could still be a future for the striker, despite offers during the January transfer window.[26]
On 10 January 2019, Pilkington was signed byWigan Athletic on a free transfer after leaving Cardiff via mutual consent, signing an 18-month deal.[27] He started their next game, which was a 3–0 win againstAston Villa.[28] He played ten games. for Wigan, in2018–19. He did not score in that season. The next season, he became a rotation player for Wigan. He scored his first goal in a 1–0 win againstBirmingham City.[29] For the2019–20 season, he played 16 times and scored on three occasions, including his former club, Huddersfield.[30]
On 17 October 2020, Pilkington moved toIndian Super League and signed withSC East Bengal, managed byRobbie Fowler.[31] He scored first league goal againstOdisha FC in 3–1 win on 3 January 2021.[32] He appeared in seventeen matches with theRed and Gold brigade, scoring three times as they finished on ninth position.[33]
Pilkington left East Bengal at the end of the2020–21 season because he had agreed terms with League One side,Fleetwood Town.[34] He started the season in a 1–0 defeat toPortsmouth.[35] He played in ten league games forThe Cod Army as well as two other games. He scored his first goal for Fleetwood in a 1–0 win against Rotherham in January 2022.[36] Pilkington was released by the club at the end of the2021–22 season.[37]
On 19 October 2022, Pilkington announced his retirement from football having been without a club since his release from Fleetwood five months prior.[38]
Pilkington received a call-up to theRepublic of Ireland under-21 squad in October 2008; not knowing he was eligible to play for Republic of Ireland national sides until a scout enquired of his availability. He qualifies through his paternal grandmother fromDublin. He played in the 3–0 away victory overLithuania, where he impressed and even hit the woodwork.[39]Giovanni Trapattoni andMarco Tardelli were reported to have been keeping an eye on him ahead of Ireland's participation inUEFA Euro 2012.[40] In January 2013, Pilkington was called up for theRepublic of Ireland Senior Team to playPoland in a friendly in February.[41] The Norwich winger played almost 20 minutes during Ireland's 2–1 loss to Sweden in Dublin on 6 September 2013 as a replacement forJames McClean in a2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) game.[42]
On 18 November 2014, Pilkington scored his first goal for Ireland against theU.S.A with a sublime chip over the keeper.[43]
Pilkington has a younger brother,Danny,[44] who plays forStalybridge Celtic.[45]
| Club | Season | League | F.A. Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Atherton Collieries | 2005–06[47] | NWCFL Division One | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 9 |
| 2006–07 | NWCFL Division One | 19 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 12 | |
| Total | 35 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 19 | ||
| Stockport County | 2006–07[48] | League Two | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 |
| 2007–08[49] | League Two | 32 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 37 | 8 | |
| 2008–09[50] | League One | 24 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 8 | |
| Total | 80 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 107 | 21 | ||
| Huddersfield Town | 2008–09[50] | League One | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| 2009–10[51] | League One | 43 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 51 | 9 | |
| 2010–11[52] | League One | 31 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 40 | 14 | |
| Total | 90 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 108 | 25 | ||
| Norwich City | 2011–12[53] | Premier League | 30 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 8 |
| 2012–13[54] | Premier League | 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 5 | |
| 2013–14[55] | Premier League | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | |
| Total | 75 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 15 | ||
| Cardiff City | 2014–15[56] | Championship | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| 2015–16[57] | Championship | 41 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 9 | |
| 2016–17[58] | Championship | 34 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 8 | |
| 2017–18[59] | Championship | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | |
| Total | 103 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 23 | ||
| Wigan Athletic | 2018–19[60] | Championship | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 2019–20[61] | Championship | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | |
| Total | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 3 | ||
| East Bengal | 2020–21 | Indian Super League | 17 | 3 | – | – | – | 17 | 3 | |||
| Fleetwood Town | 2021–22[62] | League One | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 4 |
| Career total | 452 | 99 | 18 | 4 | 15 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 497 | 111 | ||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 November 2014 | Aviva Stadium,Dublin, Republic of Ireland |  United States | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
Individual
