Antoni Sarcevic

Antoni Sarcevic

Antoni Sarcevic, Stockport County FC
Personal information
Full name	Antoni Charles Sarcevic [1]
Date of birth	(1992-03-13) 13 March 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth	Manchester, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Bradford City
Number	10
Youth career
2000–2008	Manchester City
2008–2009	Woodley Sports
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2010	Woodley Sports	37	(7)
2010–2011	Crewe Alexandra	12	(1)
2010	→ Chester (loan)	4	(0)
2011–2013	Chester	60	(15)
2013–2016	Fleetwood Town	118	(18)
2016	Shrewsbury Town	12	(0)
2017–2020	Plymouth Argyle	116	(18)
2020–2021	Bolton Wanderers	46	(10)
2021–2024	Stockport County	72	(13)
2024–	Bradford City	2	(0)
International career
2013	England C	1	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:06, 17 February 2024 (UTC)

Antoni Charles Sarcevic (born 13 March 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two side Bradford City.

After being released by Manchester City, Sarcevic began his senior career with Woodley Sports, where he spent only one season before joining Crewe Alexandra, but struggled to break into the first team and went on loan to Chester in 2010, before making a permanent transfer to them in the next year, but moved to League Two side Fleetwood Town in June 2013 for an undisclosed fee. He scored 15 league goals for Fleetwood in 2013–14, he also topped the club's assist charts with nine, and was named in the League Two PFA Team of the Year after his performances for Fleetwood. In January 2017, Sarcevic joined Plymouth Argyle on a free transfer.

Club career

Born in Manchester, ^[2] Sarcevic was in the youth system of boyhood club Manchester City aged seven to 15, ^[3] before joining the youth system at Woodley Sports in 2008. ^[4] He made his first team debut for Woodley in August 2009 and was offered a trial with Premier League club Blackburn Rovers during the 2009–10 season. ^[4] Sarcevic was signed by League Two side Crewe Alexandra for an undisclosed fee in May 2010, on a one-year contract with an option to extend for a further year. ^[5]

Chester

He was loaned out to Northern Premier League Division One North club Chester in October 2010. ^[6] After two goals in seven appearances he was recalled to Crewe by Dario Gradi. ^[7] Impressive in his loan spell, ^[8] he scored on his Crewe debut on 1 February 2011, the last goal of a 6–2 defeat to Northampton Town. ^[9] On 23 November 2011 he returned to Chester as a permanent signing. ^[10] During his first two seasons with Chester, they were promoted twice to the Football Conference, in the process winning the Northern Premier League Premier Division, Peter Swales Shield, Conference North and Cheshire Senior Cup. After impressive performances for Chester Sarcevic reportedly attracted interest from football league clubs and won a call up to the England C. ^[11]

Fleetwood Town

On 26 June 2013 Fleetwood Town signed Antoni Sarcevic for an undisclosed fee. ^[12] He made his debut for the club as Fleetwood Town beat Dagenham & Redbridge 3–1. On 23 November Sarcevic scored his first Football League hat-trick in the 5–4 home victory against Mansfield Town 5–4. ^[13] His 15th goal of the season was a 75th-minute free-kick in the play-off final against Burton Albion on 26 May, which won promotion to League One. ^[14]

Shrewsbury Town

At the end of his contract at Fleetwood, Sarcevic joined fellow League One side Shrewsbury Town on a free transfer in May 2016, signing a two-year deal. ^[15] He left the club on 9 December 2016, by a mutual consent after agreeing to cancel his contract. ^[16]

Plymouth Argyle

On 26 January 2017, Sarcevic joined League 2 side Plymouth Argyle on a free transfer. ^[17] Sarcevic scored on his first start for Plymouth to earn them victory at Cambridge United on 4 February 2017. ^[18] Due to his passion and consistent performances in the side he has earned the nickname 'Manchester Messi' from the green army.

Bolton Wanderers

On 15 July 2020, Sarcevic joined League Two side Bolton Wanderers, signing a two-year deal. ^{[19] [20]} On 29 August, the club announced that Sarcevic has been named club captain for the forthcoming season. ^[21] He scored on his competitive debut on 5 September, scoring the equaliser in Bolton's first match of the season, a 1–2 home defeat against Bradford in the first round of the EFL Cup. ^[22] "Sarce" (as he has been called in Bolton) led the team to a 4–1 victory over Crawley Town on 8 May ^[23] which secured promotion to League One for the 2021–22 season. After Bolton had a poor run of form in October 2021, Sarcevic was dropped to the bench. It was reported that this caused an argument with Manager Ian Evatt with both considering their relationship to be irreparable as a result. This apparently caused Sarcevic to accept a move to Stockport County. ^[24] In May 2024, Sarcevic confirmed there was a falling out and that he felt he was treated unfairly by Evatt and thought there was no reason for why he was being treated as he was. ^[25]

Stockport County

On 22 October 2021, Sarcevic joined National League side Stockport County on a free transfer, with the midfielder signing a contract until 2024. ^[26] Sarcevic made his league debut for the club a day later on 23 October, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 loss against Notts County. ^[27] He was a member of the Stockport side that won the League Two title in 2023–24, making 37 appearances and scoring 8 times. ^[28] On 16 May 2024, Stockport County announced Sarcevic was leaving the club at the end of his deal. ^[29]

Bradford City

On 17 May 2024, Bradford announced Sarcevic joined them on a two-year deal, re-joining his former manager at Fleetwood Graham Alexander. ^{[30] [28]}

International career

Antoni was called up to England C for the first to face Bermuda in a friendly on 5 May 2013. He scored the first goal in the game. ^[31]

Personal life

He is of Italian and Serbian descent. ^[3]

Career statistics

As of match played 16 May 2023

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Woodley Sports	2009–10	NPL Division One North	37	7	?	?	—		?	?	37+	7+
Crewe Alexandra	2010–11 [32]	League Two	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	1
	2011–12 [33]	League Two	6	0	1	0	0	0	3 [a]	0	10	0
	Total		12	1	1	0	0	0	3	0	16	1
Chester (loan)	2010–11 [34]	NPL Division One North	4	0	0	0	—		3 [b]	2	7	2
Chester	2011–12 [35]	NPL Premier Division	23	3	0	0	—		3 [c]	1	26	4
	2012–13 [36]	Conference North	37	12	4	1	—		6 [d]	4	47	17
	Total		60	15	4	1	—		9	5	73	21
Fleetwood Town	2013–14 [37]	League Two	42	13	3	0	1	0	8 [e]	2	54	15
	2014–15 [38]	League One	37	2	1	0	1	0	1 [a]	0	40	2
	2015–16 [39]	League One	39	3	1	0	1	0	3 [a]	0	44	3
	Total		118	18	5	0	3	0	12	2	138	20
Shrewsbury Town	2016–17 [40]	League One	12	0	0	0	2	0	1 [f]	0	15	0
Plymouth Argyle	2016–17 [40]	League Two	17	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	2
	2017–18 [41]	League One	30	3	1	0	1	0	3 [f]	0	35	3
	2018–19 [42]	League One	37	3	2	1	1	0	2 [f]	0	42	4
	2019–20 [43]	League Two	32	10	3	1	0	0	3 [f]	0	38	11
	Total		116	18	6	2	2	0	8	0	132	21
Bolton Wanderers	2020–21 [44]	League Two	32	7	1	0	1	1	1 [f]	0	35	8
	2021–22 [45]	League One	14	3	0	0	2	0	1 [f]	0	17	3
	Total		46	10	1	0	3	1	2	0	52	11
Stockport County	2021–22 [45]	National League	25	4	2	0	—		0	0	27	4
	2022–23 [46]	League Two	28	4	2	2	1	0	1 [g]	0	32	6
	Total		53	8	4	2	1	0	1	0	59	10
Career total			458	76	21	5	11	1	39	9	506+	90+

1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
2. Two appearances and two goals in NPL President's Cup, one appearance in Cheshire Senior Cup
3. Appearances in FA Trophy
4. Two appearances in FA Trophy, four appearances and four goals in Cheshire Senior Cup
5. Five appearances and one goal in Football League Trophy, three appearances and one goal in League Two play-offs
6. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
7. One appearance in EFL League Two play-offs

Honours

Chester

• Conference North: 2012–13 ^{[47] [36]}
• Northern Premier League Premier Division: 2011–12 ^{[48] [35]}
• Peter Swales Shield: 2012 ^[49]
• Cheshire Senior Cup: 2012–13 ^[50]

Fleetwood Town

• Football League Two play-offs: 2014 ^[51]

Bolton Wanderers

• EFL League Two third-place promotion: 2020–21 ^{[ citation needed ]}

Stockport County

• EFL League Two: 2023–24 ^[52]
• National League: 2021–22 ^{[53] [54]}

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 2013–14 League Two, ^[55] 2019–20 League Two ^[56]
• Plymouth Argyle Player of the Year: 2019–20 ^[57]
• EFL League Two Team of the Season: 2020–21 ^[58]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Bolton Wanderers" (PDF). English Football League. p. 10. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
2. "Crewe Alex: Sarcevic aiming to prove to boss he's no long-shot selection". The Sentinel. Stoke. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
3. Badcock, Matt (11 June 2013). "Taste of the Caribbean? Paradise For Me Is Chester!". The Non-League Football Paper. London. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
4. "Alex snap up Sarcevic". Manchester Evening News. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
5. "Crewe Alexandra sign Woodley Sports' Antoni Sarcevic". BBC Sport. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
6. "Chester FC swoop for Antoni Sarcevic and Steve Beck". Liverpool Echo. 23 October 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
7. "Crewe recall Antoni Sarcevic from Chester loan". BBC Sport. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
8. "Antoni Sarcevic poised for Crewe Alexandra call-up". BBC Sport. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
9. "Northampton 6 – 2 Crewe". BBC Sport. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 8 February 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
10. "CCrewe Alex: Antoni Sarcevic happy to move on". Crewe Chronicle. 23 November 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
11. "England C news: squad selected for Bermuda Trip". The Football Association. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
12. "Fleetwood Town sign Chester midfielder". BBC Sport. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
13. "Fleetwood's Antoni Sarcevic scored a stoppage-time penalty after Mansfield had equalised in the 89th minute". BBC Sport. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
14. "Sky Bet League Two play-off final: Fleetwood beat Burton 1–0 to earn promotion". Sky Sports News . 26 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
15. "Antoni Sarcevic: Shrewsbury Town sign Fleetwood Town midfielder". BBC Sport. 28 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
16. "Antoni Sarcevic: Shrewsbury Town midfielder leaves club by mutual consent". BBC Sport. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
17. "Plymouth Argyle: Midfielder Antoni Sarcevic becomes third January signing". BBC Sport. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
18. "Cambridge United 0–1 Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
19. "Sarcevic: I'm proud to be associated with Bolton Wanderers". Bolton Wanderers FC official site. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
20. "Antoni Sarcevic: Bolton sign former Plymouth midfielder". BBC Sport. 15 July 2020.
21. Bolton Wanderers @OfficialBWFC "Your Bolton Wanderers captain for the 2020/21 season: @ASarcevic #BWFC" Twitter, 29 August 2020. 7:00AM.
22. BWFC.co.uk: "Report: Bolton Wanderers 1–2 Bradford City"
23. "Bolton promoted after win at Crawley". BBC Sport.
24. The Bolton News: "Bolton Wanderers fans left scratching heads after Antoni Sarcevic quits for Stockport"
25. The TRUTH about Bolton, Rivalry with Wrexham & Stockport promotion parties! | Antoni Sarcevic
26. "County complete move for Bolton Captain". stockportcounty.com. 22 October 2021.
27. "How Antoni Sarcevic fared on his Stockport County debut after Bolton Wanderers exit". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
28. "Bradford sign Stockport midfielder Sarcevic". BBC Sport. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
29. "Antoni Sarcevic to depart Edgeley Park". Stockport County. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
30. "Sarcevic Spells Start of Summer Recruitment". Bradford City AFC. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
31. Norris, Tom (6 June 2013). "Three Lions pride for Chester FC hero Sarcevic". The Leader. Wrexham. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
32. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
33. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
34. "Statistics 2010/11". Chester F.C. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
35. "Statistics 2011/12". Chester F.C. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
36. "Statistics 2012/13". Chester F.C. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
37. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
38. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
39. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
40. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
41. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
42. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
43. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
44. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
45. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
46. "Games played by Antoni Sarcevic in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
47. chester-city.co.uk "STATISTICS 2012/13 CONFERENCE NORTH"
48. chester-city.co.uk "STATISTICS 2011/12 EVO-STOCK LEAGUE NORTHERN PREMIER"
49. "Chester FC 3 North Ferriby United 0: Hat-trick hero Marc Williams fires Blues to Peter Swales Shield success". 4 August 2012.
50. https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/ "Cheshire Senior Cup final: Chester 2 Stalybridge Celtic 1"
51. Maiden, Phil (26 May 2014). "Burton Albion 0–1 Fleetwood Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
52. "Join us in League One next season". 7 May 2024.
53. "National League: 2021/22: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
54. "Stockport: Squad details: 2021/22". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
55. "Luis Suarez: Liverpool striker wins PFA Player of the Year award". BBC Sport. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
56. "Jordan Henderson among five Liverpool players in PFA team of the year". Yahoo! Sport. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
57. plymouthherald.co.uk "Plymouth Argyle player-of-the-year Antoni Sarcevic leaving newly-promoted Pilgrims"
58. EFL: "2021 EFL Awards winners announced"

External links

• Antoni Sarcevic at Soccerbase