 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Rhys Doidge[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1992-08-25)25 August 1992 (age 32)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Newport, Wales | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Forest Green Rovers | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2006 | Southampton | ||
| 2006–2008 | Bristol Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2010 | Cwmbran Celtic | ||
| 2010–2011 | Croesyceiliog | ||
| 2011–2013 | Barry Town | 30 | (26) |
| 2013–2014 | Carmarthen Town | 43 | (19) |
| 2014–2016 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 46 | (10) |
| 2015 | →Dartford (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2016–2019 | Forest Green Rovers | 108 | (59) |
| 2018–2019 | →Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 17 | (1) |
| 2019–2024 | Hibernian | 104 | (24) |
| 2022–2023 | →Kilmarnock (loan) | 27 | (3) |
| 2024– | Forest Green Rovers | 42 | (11) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:19, 2 January 2025 (UTC) | |||
Christian Rhys Doidge (born 25 August 1992) is a Welsh professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forNational League clubForest Green Rovers.
Doidge played in the youth systems ofSouthampton andBristol Rovers, but temporarily gave up football and playedbasketball for the Wales U18 national team. He resumed his football career in the Welsh leagues withCwmbran Celtic,Croesyceiliog,Barry Town andCarmarthen Town. He then moved into English league football withDagenham & Redbridge, and then played forForest Green Rovers andBolton Wanderers. He joined Scottish clubHibernian in 2019, and played on loan forKilmarnock during the 2022–23 season before returning to Forest Green in January 2024.
Doidge started his career in theyouth system atSouthampton where he spent three years before he was released after the club thought he would not be tall enough as a centre forward.[3] He then joinedBristol Rovers for two years, but failed to earn a youth scholarship and was released in 2008 at the age of fifteen.[3][4]
He then gave up football to play basketball with his friends and played county level for Gwent ABC. Shortly after he represented Wales in the European Championship in Malta.
Doidge signed withWelsh Football League Division Two sideCwmbran Celtic for the 2009–10 season, and then moved to divisional rivalsCroesyceiliog in 2010.[3] In November 2011 he joinedWelsh Football League First Division sideBarry Town, going on to score sixteen goals in sixteen games in his maiden season for the club.[5] In his second season for the club he netted ten times in fourteen appearances, including a hat-trick againstGoytre United which propelled Barry to the top of the table.[5] In November 2012, he hit the winner overPenrhyncoch which helped Town to their firstWelsh Cup semi-final appearance in a decade.[5]
In January 2013, he signed forWelsh Premier League sideCarmarthen Town.[6] In just his second game for the club he came on as a substitute to help Carmarthen win theWelsh League Cup, the side's first trophy in five years.[6] During his time with Carmarthen, he scored nineteen goals in forty-three appearances.[7] In April 2014, he joinedFootball League Two sideNewport County on a week trial, however no move materialised.[8]
In July 2014, he joined League Two sideDagenham & Redbridge on trial, scoring in pre-season friendlies againstTottenham Hotspur andBillericay Town.[7][9] Dagenham then pulled out of a deal to sign Doidge after discovering they would have to pay a fee to Carmarthen, having believed the striker would be available on a free transfer.[10] A deal was eventually agreed in August for a £20,000 fee, with Doidge signing a two-year contract, having also turned down an offer to sign forConference Premier side and former club Bristol Rovers.[11] Shortly after signing for the Daggers, he suffered an ankle injury during the warm-up againstHartlepool United, which kept him out of action for a month.[12] In September 2014, he made his professional debut in a 1–1 draw withCheltenham Town, replacingJamie Cureton as a late substitute.[13] His first professional goal came in a 3–1 defeat toLuton Town, scoring a consolation after coming on as a substitute.[14] He struggled to retain a place in the first team and in January 2015 he was sent on loan toConference Premier sideDartford on a one-month loan, to regain his fitness.[15] He made his debut in the 6–1 away defeat toDover Athletic.[16] In his second season at Dagenham & Redbridge he managed to play a lot more games and ended the season as top scorer. He also won the club's player of the year and their supporters' player of the year awards.
In June 2016, Doidge signed a two-year contract withNational League sideForest Green Rovers.[17] His first goal for Forest Green came in a 4–1 away win overMaidstone United on 27 August 2016.[18]
On 14 May 2017, he scored in a 3–1 win overTranmere Rovers atWembley Stadium in the2016–17 National League play-off final to help Forest Green claim a place in theFootball League for the first time in their history.[19]
On 31 August 2018, Doidge signed forChampionship sideBolton Wanderers on loan, with the deal due to be made permanent in January 2019.[20] He made his debut for Bolton in a 2–1 home defeat againstQueens Park Rangers on 15 September 2018.[21] Doidge scored his first goal for Bolton in a 1–1 draw againstRotherham United in October 2018.
On 6 January 2019, Forest Green Rovers chairmanDale Vince announced that Doidge's permanent transfer to Bolton would not be proceeding as planned, and that he would be returning to Forest Green.[22] This was due to Bolton being under transfer embargo.[23] Vince later accused Bolton of "contractual breaches" and claimed that Rovers had been paying the player's wages during the loan spell, commenting that he believed Bolton had "entered into a contract to loan and then buy Christian last August without the means to honour it, and perhaps the intention to do so as well."[24] In May 2019, following Bolton's administration, he said he was "glad" that the transfer had fallen through.[25] On 17 December 2019, Bolton and Forest Green came to an agreement over the transfer.[26]
On 25 June 2019, Doidge signed forScottish Premiership clubHibernian on a three-year contract.[27] On 9 November 2019, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 win away toSt Johnstone, his first league goals for the club and his first professional hat-trick.[28][29] Doidge scored his second hat-trick for Hibs in a 4–2 victory againstDundee United, in theScottish Cup 4th round, on 28 January, taking his tally for the season to 14.[30]
Doidge missed much of pre-season during July 2021 due to suffering from the effects ofCOVID-19.[31] He scored two goals in five games during the early part of the 2021–22 season, but then suffered anachilles tendon injury in August.[32] While recovering from that injury he signed a new contract with Hibs, that is due to keep him at the club to the end of the 2023–24 season.[33]
Doidge scored a hat-trick in the first match of the 2022–23 season, a 5–0 win againstClyde in theLeague Cup.[34] On 31 August 2022, Doidge joinedKilmarnock on loan for the2022–23 season.[35]
Doidge rejoinedForest Green Rovers on 31 January 2024.[36] Local newspaper the Stroud Times celebrated his return with the headline "Quorn Again Christian".[37]
Whilst playing semi-professional football forCarmarthen Town he worked forSouth Wales Police.[4]
Doidge has also represented the Wales U18 national basketball team and played in the 2009 U18 European Championship.[38]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barry Town | 2011–12[39] | Welsh League Division One | ||||||||||
| 2012–13[39] | Welsh League Division One | 11 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 10 | |
| Total | 11 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 10 | ||
| Carmarthen Town | 2012–13[40] | Welsh Premier League | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| 2013–14[41] | Welsh Premier League | 31 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1[c] | 0 | 36 | 18 | |
| Total | 43 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 20 | ||
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 2014–15[16] | League Two | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| 2015–16[42] | League Two | 35 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3[d] | 0 | 42 | 9 | |
| Total | 46 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 55 | 11 | ||
| Dartford (loan) | 2014–15[43] | Conference Premier | 7 | 0 | — | — | 2[e] | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Forest Green Rovers | 2016–17[43] | National League | 41 | 25 | 1 | 0 | — | 7[f] | 2 | 49 | 27 | |
| 2017–18[44] | League Two | 42 | 20 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3[g] | 1 | 49 | 25 | |
| 2018–19[45] | League Two | 25 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[h] | 0 | 29 | 14 | |
| Total | 108 | 59 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 127 | 66 | ||
| Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 2018–19[45] | Championship | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | |||
| Hibernian | 2019–20[46] | Scottish Premiership | 28 | 12 | 5[i] | 5 | 6 | 2 | — | 39 | 19 | |
| 2020–21[47] | Scottish Premiership | 36 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | — | 47 | 13 | ||
| 2021–22[48] | Scottish Premiership | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[j] | 0 | 25 | 2 | |
| 2022–23[49] | Scottish Premiership | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | 9 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24[50] | Scottish Premiership | 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6[j] | 1 | 28 | 5 | |
| Total | 104 | 24 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 148 | 42 | ||
| Kilmarnock (loan) | 2022–23[49] | Scottish Premiership | 27 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 3 | |
| Forest Green Rovers | 2023–24[50] | League Two | 18 | 3 | — | — | — | 18 | 3 | |||
| 2024–25[43] | National League | 24 | 8 | 2 | 2 | — | 4[k] | 1 | 30 | 11 | ||
| Total | 42 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 48 | 14 | ||
| Career total | 405 | 134 | 32 | 20 | 31 | 8 | 33 | 5 | 501 | 167 | ||
Carmarthen Town
Individual
