Aaron Wilbraham

Aaron Wilbraham
Personal information
Full name Aaron Thomas Wilbraham[1]
Date of birth (1979-10-21) 21 October 1979 (age 44)[2]
Place of birth Knutsford, England
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1995–1997 Stockport County
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2004 Stockport County 172 (35)
2000 → Moss FK (loan) 6 (0)
2004–2005 Hull City 19 (2)
2004 → Oldham Athletic (loan) 4 (2)
2005–2011 Milton Keynes Dons 176 (49)
2006 → Bradford City (loan) 5 (1)
2011 → Norwich City (loan) 1 (0)
2011–2012 Norwich City 22 (2)
2012–2014 Crystal Palace 25 (0)
2014–2017 Bristol City 111 (30)
2017–2018 Bolton Wanderers 23 (2)
2018–2020 Rochdale 44 (8)
Total 608 (131)
Managerial career
2020–2023 Shrewsbury Town (assistant)
2021 Shrewsbury Town (caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aaron Thomas Wilbraham (born 21 October 1979) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who played as a forward.

Playing career

Early career

Born in Knutsford, Cheshire, Wilbraham started his career at Stockport County,[3] scoring his first goal in a 4-1 loss to Manchester City in 1997.[4] Altogether, he made 172 league appearances for the club.[5] During that time he also went out on loan to Norwegian club Moss FK. He then signed for Hull City for £100,000 and played his part in winning promotion to the championship. During that time he also had a month on loan at Oldham Athletic in November 2004. In the summer of 2005 he was snapped up by MK Dons.

Milton Keynes Dons

In the 2005–06 season, he was loaned out to Bradford City for two months, scoring once against Oldham Athletic.[6] From the 2006–07 season, Wilbraham became a first team regular for the Dons. In January 2007 he was rewarded for his performances earlier in the season with a new contract until 2009. Wilbraham helped the MK Dons to win the 2007–08 Football League Two title by scoring seven goals in their last 11 matches.[7] He was also a member of the Dons team that won the 2007–08 Football League Trophy.[7] He scored a hat-trick in a 5–3 victory against Cheltenham Town, whose own striker Damian Spencer also scored three goals.[7] In the 2008–09 season under Roberto Di Matteo, he scored 17 goals.[8] He scored his 50th and 51st goal in the 3–3 draw against Brentford on 13 March 2010.[9]

Norwich City

On 30 December 2010, it was announced he was to join Norwich City on 1 January 2011 for an undisclosed fee on an 18-month deal. He would join the club on loan to enable him to play the match versus Queens Park Rangers before making the deal permanent later that day.[10] He made his debut in the 1–0 victory over QPR.[11] He opened his account against Leicester City in a 3–2 win on 8 March 2011.[11] The same season Norwich clinched promotion to the Premier League, meaning Wilbraham had won promotion from all three divisions of the Football League.

Wilbraham made his Premier League debut at Goodison Park, coming on as a substitute for Steve Morison in a 1–1 draw against Everton.[12] He had been an unused substitute for the majority of the season. He scored his 100th career goal as a substitute against Fulham – his first Premier League goal.[12] This goal meant Wilbraham had scored in all four levels of English league football. He made his first Premier League start on 9 April 2012 in a 2–1 win at Tottenham Hotspur.[13]

Crystal Palace

On 4 July 2012, Wilbraham signed a 2-year deal with Crystal Palace on a free transfer. On 28 August 2012, Wilbraham scored his first goal for Palace in a 4–1 defeat to Preston North End in the League Cup.[14]

Wilbraham was involved in the promotion of two teams in a three-year period – automatically with Norwich in the 2010–11 season and via the playoffs with Crystal Palace. He was involved for the full 120 minutes of Palace's playoff final appearance. Wilbraham scored his second goal for Crystal Palace in a 2–1 away loss against Wigan in the FA Cup.[14] He was released by Palace at the end of the 2013–14 season.[15]

Bristol City

It was announced on 2 July 2014 that Wilbraham had signed for Bristol City on a one-year contract.[16] Wilbraham scored one goal and set up another on his competitive debut for the club against Sheffield United in a 2–1 win on the opening day of the season at Bramall Lane.[17] On his home debut, he scored twice against Colchester United in another 2–1 victory, making it three goals from his first two games.[18] Wilbraham continued his impressive form with 2 goals in wins over Notts County and Doncaster, as well as a brace in a 3–0 win over Port Vale, taking his goal tally to 7 from 8 league games.[18] Wilbraham eventually registered the highest goalscoring season of his career, notching 21 goals in all competitions as his side clinched promotion to the Football League Championship.

Bolton Wanderers

On 3 August 2017 Bolton Wanderers confirmed that Wilbraham had joined them for an undisclosed fee, signing a one-year contract.[19] He scored his first goal for Bolton when coming on as a substitute for Jon Flanagan in a 1–1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on 10 March 2018.[20] His second goal for Bolton was the winner in a 3–2 victory over Nottingham Forest on 6 May 2018 – a result which helped to keep the Trotters in the EFL Championship.[21] He was released by Bolton at the end of the 2017–18 season.[22]

Rochdale

On 25 June 2018, Rochdale announced the signing of Wilbraham for the 2018–19 season.[23] He was offered a new contract by the club at the end of the 2018–19 season[24] and on 28 June 2019, Wilbraham signed a new one-year contract.[25][26]

Coaching career

On 2 December 2020, Wilbraham joined Steve Cotterill's coaching staff at League One side Shrewsbury Town, joining as assistant manager.[27]

On 19 January 2021, Wilbraham took charge as stand-in manager for an FA Cup third round tie away at Premier League side Southampton as Cotterill was suffering from COVID-19. Shrewsbury lost the tie 2–0.[28][29] Wilbraham also took charge on 23 January, a 1–0 league defeat away at Sunderland.[30]

Career statistics

As of match played 22 February 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Stockport County 1997–98[31] First Division 7 1 0 0 0 0 ― 7 1
1998–99[32] First Division 26 0 0 0 1 0 ― 27 0
1999–2000[33] First Division 26 4 0 0 4 1 ― 30 5
2000–01[34] First Division 36 12 3 0 0 0 ― 39 12
2001–02[35] First Division 21 3 0 0 1 0 ― 22 3
2002–03[36] Second Division 15 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 7
2003–04[37] Second Division 41 8 1 0 1 0 2[c] 0 45 8
Total 172 35 4 0 7 1 2 0 185 36
Moss FK (loan) 2000[38] Tippeligaen 6 0 0 0 ― ― 6 0
Hull City 2004–05[39] League One 19 2 1 0 0 0 ― 20 2
Oldham Athletic (loan) 2004–05[39] League One 4 2 0 0 ― 1[c] 0 5 2
Milton Keynes Dons 2005–06[40] League One 31 4 2 0 1 0 3[c] 2 38 6
2006–07[41] League Two 32 7 2 0 2 2 0 0 36 9
2007–08[7] League Two 35 10 1 0 2 0 2[c] 0 40 10
2008–09[8] League One 33 16 0 0 1 0 2[d] 1 36 17
2009–10[42] League One 35 10 3 0 0 0 5[c] 2 43 12
2010–11[11] League One 10 2 0 0 1 1 1[c] 0 12 3
Total 176 49 8 0 7 3 14 5 205 57
Bradford City (loan) 2005–06[40] League One 5 1 ― ― ― 5 1
Norwich City 2010–11[11] Championship 12 1 1 0 ― ― 13 1
2011–12[12] Premier League 11 1 3 0 1 0 ― 15 1
Total 23 2 4 0 1 0 ― 28 2
Crystal Palace 2012–13[14] Championship 21 0 1 0 1 1 3[e] 0 26 1
2013–14[43] Premier League 4 0 1 1 1 0 ― 6 1
Total 25 0 2 1 2 1 3 0 32 2
Bristol City 2014–15[18] League One 37 18 2 0 1 0 4[c] 3 44 21
2015–16[44] Championship 43 8 2 0 1 0 ― 46 8
2016–17[45] Championship 31 4 0 0 4 1 ― 35 5
Total 111 30 4 0 6 1 4 3 125 34
Bolton Wanderers 2017–18[20] Championship 23 2 1 0 3 0 ― 27 2
Rochdale 2018–19[46] League One 21 4 0 0 1 0 1[c] 0 23 4
2019–20[47] League One 23 4 0 0 1 0 1[c] 0 25 4
Total 44 !8 0 0 2 0 2 0 48 8
Career total 704 129 24 1 29 6 25 8 782 144
  1. ^ Includes FA Cup, Norwegian Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Appearances in EFL Trophy
  4. ^ Appearances in League One play-offs
  5. ^ Appearances in Championship play-offs

Honours

Bristol City

Crystal Palace

Hull City

Milton Keynes Dons

Norwich City

Individual

References

  1. ^ "EFL Released and Retained List 2017–18" (PDF). English Football League. p. 94. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Aaron Wilbraham". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  3. ^ "How Rochdale's veteran Aaron Wilbraham stays young: 'It used to be jam on toast, now it's poached eggs and avocado'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020.
  4. ^ Aaron Wilbraham: Rochdale's 'father figure' on his life in football sportinglife.com
  5. ^ Aaron Wilbraham at Soccerbase Edit this at Wikidata
  6. ^ "Bradford 1–4 Oldham". BBC Sport. 18 March 2006. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  8. ^ a b "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  9. ^ "Cheltenham 3–5 MK Dons". BBC Sport. 31 January 2009. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  10. ^ "WILBRAHAM JOINS CANARIES". canaries.co.uk. 30 December 2011. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  12. ^ a b c "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  13. ^ Aaron Wilbraham at Soccerway. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  14. ^ a b c d "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  15. ^ "Parr, Moxey and Gabbidon Among 12 Released". Crystal Palace. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  16. ^ "Aaron Wilbraham: Bristol City sign ex-Crystal Palace striker". BBC Sport. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  17. ^ "Sheffield United 1 Bristol City 2". BBC Sport. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  18. ^ a b c d e "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  19. ^ "Bolton Wanderers sign Aaron Wilbraham". Bolton Wanderers Official Site. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  20. ^ a b "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  21. ^ "Bolton Wanderers 3–2 Nottingham Forest". BBC Sport. 6 May 2018.
  22. ^ "Bolton Wanderers: Darren Pratley released as David Wheater has contract extended". BBC Sport. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  23. ^ "Aaron Wilbraham Joins Rochdale". Rochdale AFC. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  24. ^ "Aaron Wilbraham: Rochdale offer forward, 39, new deal". BBC Sport. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  25. ^ "Aaron Wilbraham Signs New Rochdale Deal". Rochdale AFC. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  26. ^ "Aaron Wilbraham: Rochdale forward, 39, signs new one-year deal". BBC Sport. 28 June 2019.
  27. ^ "Aaron Wilbraham joins Town". Shrewsbury Town FC. 2 December 2020.
  28. ^ "Steve Cotterill: Shrewsbury Town boss in hospital with Covid-19". BBC Sport. 18 January 2021.
  29. ^ Cox, Lewis (19 January 2021). "FA Cup: Southampton 2 Shrewsbury Town 0 - Report". Shropshire Star.
  30. ^ "Sunderland 1-0 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 23 January 2020.
  31. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  32. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  33. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  34. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  35. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  36. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  37. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  38. ^ "Aaron Wilbraham :: Aaron Thomas Wilbraham". www.playmakerstats.com. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  39. ^ a b c "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  40. ^ a b "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  41. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  42. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  43. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  44. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  45. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  46. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  47. ^ "Games played by Aaron Wilbraham in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  48. ^ "Gallery: Player of the Year winners". Milton Keynes Dons. 26 June 2020. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2020.

External links