Carl Winchester

Carl Winchester

Personal information
Full name	Carl Winchester [1]
Date of birth	(1993-04-12) 12 April 1993 (age 31) [2]
Place of birth	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [3]
Position(s)	Midfielder, right-back
Team information
Current team	Shrewsbury Town
Number	7
Youth career
0000–2009	Linfield
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2010	Linfield	1	(0)
2010–2017	Oldham Athletic	120	(8)
2017–2018	Cheltenham Town	64	(6)
2018–2021	Forest Green Rovers	98	(10)
2021–2023	Sunderland	60	(4)
2022–2023	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	39	(0)
2023–	Shrewsbury Town	52	(1)
International career‡
	Northern Ireland U16	3	(0)
2010	Northern Ireland U17	3	(0)
	Northern Ireland U18	2	(0)
	Northern Ireland U19	4	(1)
2011–2014	Northern Ireland U21	15	(0)
2011	Northern Ireland	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:10, 5 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:40, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Carl Winchester (born 12 April 1993) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Shrewsbury Town.

Career

Early years

Winchester came through the Linfield Academy 'Linfield Rangers', alongside his twin brother, Jude. He played for Linfield Rangers before making his first team debut for Linfield as a substitute on 1 May 2010 against Portadown. ^[4] He studied at Corpus Christi College, on the Falls Road in Belfast.

Oldham Athletic

After visiting Oldham Athletic on trial in April 2010, along with Ryan Burns, ^[5] he agreed to join the club in late April and then joined the club in May 2010 on a two-year scholarship. ^{[6] [7]}

He made his senior debut for the club on 6 November 2010, starting the FA Cup first round match against Accrington Stanley. ^[8] He followed this up on 20 November making his Football League debut for the club, playing the full match in a 1–0 victory at Dagenham & Redbridge. ^[9]

He scored his first goal for the club in the last match of the 2010–11 season on 7 May 2011. He has become a regular starter and also a fans favourite due to his energetic runs and versatility. He has played at right back, right midfield and even in a more central midfield role during his time at Oldham. ^[10] He was offered a two-year professional contract by the club in May 2011, ^[11] which it was announced he had signed at the end of June. ^[12]

The one – year option that the club had on Winchester's contract was exercised, extending his contract till the end of the 2014–15 season, with manager Lee Johnson stating that the club would be looking to loan him out next season to somewhere that could offer him a lot more game time than Oldham could currently offer him, as well as stating that he believed "there was a real player in there somewhere". ^[13]

However, after a string of excellent performances at the start of the 2014/15 season, Winchester established himself in the first team, making 23 appearances by Christmas. And on 17 January 2015, Winchester scored his third goal for the club against Fleetwood in a 2–0 win, with an excellent curling effort. ^[14]

Continuing his fine form throughout what was seen as his breakthrough season, playing primarily in midfield, On 2 March 2015, Winchester signed a new two-and-a-half-year deal until the end of the 2017 season with Oldham Athletic. ^[15]

Cheltenham Town

Winchester signed for Cheltenham Town on 12 January 2017 on a free transfer. ^[16] Winchester made his debut for Cheltenham Town on 14 January 2017 in a 3–0 home win against Accrington Stanley. He was substituted in the eighty-first minute for Kyle Storer. ^[17]

Forest Green Rovers

In May 2018, Winchester signed for Gloucestershire rivals Forest Green Rovers on a two-year contract. ^[18]

Sunderland

On 10 January 2021, Winchester signed for Sunderland on an initial two-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee. ^{[19] [20]} He was cup-tied for Sunderland's victory in the 2021 EFL Trophy final. ^[21]

Shrewsbury Town

On 27 June 2023, Winchester completed a transfer to Shrewsbury Town after a loan spell the previous season. ^[22] At the end of the 2023–24 season, Winchester was named as Shrewsbury's Player of the Season. ^[23]

International career

Already a Northern Irish under-16s international, he made his under-17s international debut on 17 March 2010 in the UEFA Under-17s Championship elite round match against Spain, followed up by matches against Poland and Belgium later that week. ^[24] In August 2010 he was called up to the under-18s team ^[25] and played all three matches for them in an international tournament in Poland. ^[26]

In February 2011, Winchester was called up to the Northern Ireland under-21s team ^[27] Winchester earned his first cap for the Northern Ireland U-21s against Wales U-21 on 9 February 2011 aged just 17. ^[28] In March 2011 he was called up for the Northern Ireland under-19s team for the first time. ^[29] He made his debut at under-19s level on 11 April in a friendly against Slovakia, scoring one of the three Northern Irish goals in the match, ^[30] his first goal for his country. ^[31]

On 13 May 2011 he was again called up to the Northern Ireland under-21s as a squad member against Faroe Islands in a Euro qualifier on 31 May. ^[32] Seven days later he received his first call up to the senior Northern Ireland national football team for the Celtic Cup matches against Republic of Ireland and Wales on 24 and 27 May. ^[33] In the Republic of Ireland match he was an unused substitute as Northern Ireland lost 5–0 ^[34] before making his debut as a substitute for the full international team on 27 May against Wales. ^[35]

In June 2011 he received his first call-up to the Northern Ireland under-20s team, alongside teammate Kirk Millar for July's Milk Cup tournament. ^[36]

In September 2011, Winchester was called up to the Northern Ireland under-21s for the European Championship qualifiers against Serbia U-21s and Denmark U-21s, Winchester was an unused substitute against Serbia U-21s in a 1–0 defeat. ^[37] Winchester started and played the full game in a 3–0 defeat to the Denmark U-21s team in the Euros Qualifier. ^[38]

Career statistics

As of match played 2 November 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Linfield	2009–10 [4]	IFA Premiership	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Oldham Athletic	2010–11 [39]	League One	6	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	7	1
	2011–12 [40]	League One	12	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	13	0
	2012–13 [41]	League One	9	0	1	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	11	0
	2013–14 [42]	League One	12	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	13	1
	2014–15 [43]	League One	41	4	2	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	47	4
	2015–16 [44]	League One	31	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	34	1
	2016–17 [45]	League One	9	1	2	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 2]	0	15	1
	Total		120	8	9	0	3	0	8	0	140	8
Cheltenham Town	2016–17 [45]	League Two	20	1	—		—		—		20	1
	2017–18 [46]	League Two	44	5	1	0	2	0	3 [lower-alpha 2]	0	50	5
	Total		64	6	1	0	2	0	3	0	70	6
Forest Green Rovers	2018–19 [47]	League Two	45	3	2	0	2	1	3 [lower-alpha 3]	0	52	4
	2019–20 [48]	League Two	35	5	3	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	39	5
	2020–21 [49]	League Two	18	2	1	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	21	2
	Total		98	10	6	0	3	1	5	0	112	11
Sunderland	2020–21 [49]	League One	20	1	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	21	1
	2021–22 [50]	League One	40	3	1	0	3	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	45	3
	2022–23 [51]	Championship	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	Total		60	4	1	0	4	0	2	0	67	4
Shrewsbury Town (loan)	2022–23 [51]	League One	39	0	2	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	42	0
Shrewsbury Town	2023–24 [52]	League One	44	0	2	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	48	0
	2024–25 [53]	League One	8	1	1	0	2	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	13	1
	Total		91	1	5	0	3	0	4	0	103	1
Career total			434	29	22	0	15	1	22	0	493	30

1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
2. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
3. One appearance in EFL Trophy, two appearances in League Two play-offs
4. Appearance in League One play-offs

Honours

Sunderland

• EFL League One play-offs: 2022 ^[54]

Individual

• Shrewsbury Town Player of the Season: 2023–24 ^[23]

References

1. "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 18 May 2013. p. 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
2. "Carl Winchester". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
3. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline. p. 509. ISBN   978-0-7553-6356-8.
4. "Profile: Carl Winchester". Linfield Football Club. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
5. "Centenary Shield affected by flight chaos". Ulster TV. 16 April 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
6. "Versatile Carl's move cements Linfield link". Oldham Chronicle. 29 April 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
7. "Nine new boys aim to make their mark". Oldham Chronicle. 6 May 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
8. "Accrington 3–2 Oldham". BBC Sport. 6 November 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
9. "Dag & Red 0–1 Oldham". BBC Sport. 20 November 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
10. "Oldham 1 – 2 MK Dons". BBC Sport. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
11. "Pro Deal For Winchester". Oldham Athletic AFC. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
12. "Carl Winchester signs new Oldham Athletic contract". BBC Sport. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
13. "Oldham Athletic retained list". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
14. "Fleetwood Town 0–2 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
15. "Latics Boost as Winchester Signs". Oldham Chronicle. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
16. "Cheltenham Town bring in Carl Winchester from Oldham and Alex Pike of West Ham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
17. "Cheltenham Town 3–0 Accrington Stanley". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
18. "Carl Winchester: Forest Green Rovers sign Cheltenham Town captain". BBC Sport. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
19. "Winchester signs for Sunderland". 10 January 2021.
20. "Forest Green's Winchester joins Sunderland". BBC Sport.
21. "These four youngsters are part of Sunderland's squad for the Papa John's Trophy Final against Tranmere Rovers". shieldsgazette.com. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
22. "Carl Winchester completes permanent move to Salop!". Shrewsbury Town. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
23. "Carl Winchester wins Shrewsbury Town Player of the Season!". Shrewsbury Town FC. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
24. "Profile: Carl Winchester". UEFA. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
25. "Winchester's international call". Oldham Athletic AFC. 16 August 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
26. "Globetrotter Winchester". Oldham Athletic AFC. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
27. "Latics pair win international calls". Oldham Athletic AFC. 6 February 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
28. "New Feeney Injury Blow". Oldham Athletic AFC. 10 February 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
29. "Winchester Wins International Call". Oldham Athletic AFC. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
30. "Under 19 Squad Fixtures". Irish Football Association. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
31. "Winchester First Goal For Country". Oldham Athletic AFC. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
32. "Northern Ireland Call For Carl". Oldham Athletic AFC. 13 May 2011. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
33. "Full International Call For Carl". Oldham Athletic AFC. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
34. "Rep of Ireland 5–0 N Ireland". BBC Sport. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
35. "Wales 2–0 N Ireland". BBC Sport. 27 May 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
36. "Millar, Winchester Win Milk Cup Call Ups calls". Oldham Athletic AFC. 10 June 2011. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
37. "Winchester on Bench". Oldham Athletic AFC. 7 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
38. "Winchester Wins Caps". Oldham Athletic AFC. 7 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
39. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
40. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
41. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
42. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
43. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
44. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
45. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
46. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
47. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
48. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
49. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
50. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
51. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
52. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
53. "Games played by Carl Winchester in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
54. Paddy, Chris (21 May 2022). "Sunderland 2–0 Wycombe". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 June 2022.

External links

• Carl Winchester at Soccerbase