Donovan Wilson (footballer)

Not to be confused with Donovan Wilson (American football).

Donovan Wilson

Personal information
Full name	Donovan Junior Wilson [1]
Date of birth	(1997-03-14) 14 March 1997 (age 27) [2]
Place of birth	Yate, England [3]
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [4]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Grimsby Town
Number	25
Youth career
200?–2004	Bradley Stoke United
2004–2014	Bristol Rovers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2015	Bristol Rovers	0	(0)
2014–2015	→ Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)	0	(0)
2015–2019	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1	(0)
2018	→ Port Vale (loan)	8	(1)
2018–2019	→ Jumilla (loan)	16	(6)
2019	→ Exeter City (loan)	10	(0)
2019–2020	Burgos	19	(1)
2020	Macclesfield Town	5	(0)
2020–2021	Bath City	9	(6)
2021	→ Sutton United (loan)	16	(7)
2021–2023	Sutton United	74	(8)
2023–	Grimsby Town	37	(9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:09, 28 October 2024 (UTC)

Donovan Junior Wilson (born 14 March 1997) is an English footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League Two club Grimsby Town.

He joined Wolverhampton Wanderers from Bristol Rovers in January 2015 following a brief loan spell. He made his first-team debut for Wolves in February 2017. He spent the second half of the 2017–18 season on loan at Port Vale. He spent the first half of the 2018–19 season on loan at Spanish club Jumilla and joined Exeter City on loan for the second half of the season. He returned to Spain to sign with Burgos in July 2019 before joining the English side Macclesfield Town in February 2020. He signed with Bath City in September 2020 and was loaned out to Sutton United in March 2021, and joined the club permanently after helping Sutton to win the National League title at the end of the 2020–21 season. He played on the losing side in the 2022 EFL Trophy final. He signed with Grimsby Town in June 2023.

Career

Bristol Rovers

Wilson began his career at Bristol Rovers, signing a one-year deal at 17 in May 2014; he had spent ten years at the club's academy after signing from Bradley Stoke United at the age of seven. ^[3] He made the bench at the Memorial Stadium during the 2014–15 Conference Premier promotion winning season, but did not make it onto the pitch for the "Pirates". ^[5] Manager Darrell Clarke reportedly had planned to give him his debut in one match before realising he had already made his three allotted substitutions. ^[6]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wilson initially joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in a loan deal in November 2014, before a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee was finalised once the January transfer window opened. ^[7] He played three EFL Trophy matches for the under-23 team in the 2016–17 season, and scored in the 4–0 win over Accrington Stanley at the Crown Ground on 8 November. ^[8] He signed a new 18-month contract in December 2016. ^[9] He made his first-team debut for Wolves in the FA Cup on 18 February 2017, coming on as a 76th-minute substitute for Andreas Weimann in a 2–0 defeat to Chelsea at Molineux. ^[10] Manager Paul Lambert said that he had put Wilson on the bench because of his pace, though he remained behind fellow youngsters Bright Enobakhare, Connor Ronan and Morgan Gibbs-White in the first-team pecking order. ^[11] Wilson made his EFL Championship debut on 14 April, coming on as a 76th-minute substitute for Jón Daði Böðvarsson in a 2–0 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. ^[12]

He scored his first senior goal on 23 August 2017, in a 2–0 victory over Premier League club Southampton at St Mary's in the Second Round of the EFL Cup. ^[13] He signed a new three-year contract two months later. ^[14] On 11 January 2018, he joined EFL League Two side Port Vale on loan until the end of the 2017–18 season. ^[15] The "Valiants" had previously attempted to sign Wilson on loan the previous summer. ^[16] Manager Neil Aspin said there had been competition from others clubs to sign the youngster. ^[17] On 17 March, Wilson scored his first goal in the English Football League in a 2–2 draw with Stevenage at Vale Park. ^[18]

On 31 August 2018, Wilson joined Segunda División B club Jumilla on loan, along with eight Wolves teammates. ^[19] He scored six goals in 16 league games for the club and was praised by manager Leonel Pontes. ^[20] Wilson said that "over here I've been playing game after game, and I'm pleased that I'm getting more minutes into my legs, getting me fitter, stronger, so it's been a really good experience." ^[21] On 31 January 2019, he returned to England and joined League Two side Exeter City on loan until the end of the 2018–19 season, replacing departing loanee striker Tristan Abrahams. ^[22] He made three starts and seven substitute appearances for Matt Taylor's "Grecians", failing to score a goal. ^[23] He did however, enjoy the passing style of play and close proximity to his home in Bristol. ^[24]

Burgos

On 22 July 2019, Wilson returned to Spain to sign a permanent deal with Segunda División B side Burgos. ^[25] He scored one goal in seven starts and 12 substitute appearances in the first half of the 2019–20 season. ^[5]

Macclesfield Town

Wilson returned to England to sign for League Two side Macclesfield Town on 7 February 2020. ^[26] He made five appearances for the "Silkmen", before the 2019–20 season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England; he was not retained by Mark Kennedy and departed Moss Rose in the summer. ^[27]

Bath City

On 12 September 2020, Wilson joined National League South side Bath City. ^[28] He scored on his league debut for the "Romans", in a 2–1 defeat at Slough Town on 31 October. ^[29] The National League South was declared null and void on 18 February. ^[30]

Sutton United

On 3 March 2021, Wilson joined National League side Sutton United on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. ^[31] He made his debut three days later, coming on as a substitute in the 80' minute of a 0–0 draw with Wrexham as Sutton missed the opportunity to move to the top of the league. ^[32] A week later, Wilson opened his account for the club when he scored the only goal of the game as Sutton moved four points clear of second place with a 1–0 win over King's Lynn Town. ^[33] He scored seven goals from 16 appearances, helping Sutton to secure promotion into the Football League as champions of the National League. ^[34] On 11 June 2021, he made his move to Sutton a permanent deal. ^[35] He ended the 2021–22 season with seven goals in 48 appearances for Matt Gray's "U's. ^[36] This tally included goals in wins over AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United at Gander Green Lane that helped Sutton reach the final at Wembley Stadium. ^{[37] [38]} He opened the scoring in the final, however, Rotherham United came from behind to win the match 4–2 after extra-time. ^[39] On 24 September 2022, Wilson was sent off following an off the ball incident involving Theo Vassell during a 2–1 home defeat to Salford City. ^[40] He scored four goals in forty games in the 2022–23 campaign, ^[41] before being released upon the expiry of his contract. ^[42]

Grimsby Town

On 9 June 2023, Wilson signed a two-year deal with League Two side Grimsby Town after having been tracked by manager Paul Hurst since his time at Wolves. ^[43] He picked up an injury in pre-season and was protected by Hurst in the first half of the 2023–24 season. ^[44] He ended the campaign with eight goals in 30 appearances. ^[45]

Personal life

Wilson was born in England and is of Jamaican descent. ^[46]

Style of play

Wilson is a pacey forward. ^[11]

Career statistics

As of match played 26 October 2024

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
Bristol Rovers	2014–15 [47]	Conference Premier	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	0	0
Wolverhampton Wanderers	2014–15 [47]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2015–16 [48]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2016–17 [49]	Championship	1	0	1	0	0	0	—		2	0
	2017–18 [50]	Championship	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	2	1
	2018–19 [51]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2019–20 [52]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		1	0	1	0	2	1	0	0	4	1
Wolverhampton Wanderers U23	2016–17 [49]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3 [lower-alpha 1]	1	3	1
Port Vale (loan)	2017–18 [50]	League Two	8	1	—		—		—		8	1
Jumilla (loan)	2018–19 [5]	Segunda División B – Group 4	16	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	6
Exeter City (loan)	2018–19 [51]	League Two	10	0	—		—		—		10	0
Burgos (loan)	2019–20 [5]	Segunda División B	19	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	19	1
Macclesfield Town	2019–20 [52]	League Two	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Bath City	2020–21 [5]	National League South	9	6	1	0	—		0	0	10	6
Sutton United (loan)	2020–21 [34]	National League	16	7	—		—		0	0	16	7
Sutton United	2021–22 [36]	League Two	38	4	2	0	1	1	7	3	48	7
	2022–23 [41]	League Two	36	4	1	0	1	0	2	0	40	4
	Total		90	15	3	0	2	1	9	3	103	18
Grimsby Town	2023–24 [45]	League Two	27	8	3	0	0	0	0	0	30	8
	2024–25 [53]	League Two	10	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	12	2
	Total		37	9	3	0	2	1	0	0	42	10
Career total			191	37	8	0	6	3	12	4	218	43

1. Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy

Honours

Sutton United

• National League: 2020–21 ^[34]
• EFL Trophy runner-up: 2021–22 ^[39]

References

1. "Retained List 2016-17" (PDF). English Premier League. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
2. "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2017/2018". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
3. "Donovan Wilson signs a pro-contract with Rovers". Bristol Rovers F.C. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
4. "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2017/2018". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
5. Donovan Wilson at Soccerway
6. "Striker delighted to extend Wolves stay". wolves.co.uk. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
7. "Wolves land Donovan Wilson permanently". Express & Star. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
8. "Checkatrade Trophy (Sky Sports)". SkySports. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
9. "New contracts for Wolves trio". Express and Star. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
10. "Wolves 0–2 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
11. "Donovan Wilson backed by Paul Lambert to succeed at Wolves". Express and Star. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
12. "Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
13. "Southampton 0–2 Wolves". BBC Sport. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
14. Judah, Nathan (31 October 2017). "Wolves duo Donovan Wilson and Christian Herc sign new deals". Express and Star. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
15. Baggaley, Michael (11 January 2018). "Port Vale sign striker Donovan Wilson on loan from Wolves". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
16. Spiers, Tim (31 August 2017). "Wolves winger Jordan Graham joins Fulham on loan". Express and Star. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
17. Baggaley, Michael (11 January 2018). "Port Vale boss delighted to see off rivals for Wolves striker Donovan Wilson". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
18. Baggaley, Michael (18 March 2018). "Comment as Port Vale edge towards safety and fans vent frustration at owner". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
19. "Wolves send nine player on loan to FC Jumilla". wolves.co.uk. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
20. Dicken, Alex (15 October 2018). "Donovan Wilson scouting report: Wolves ace continues to excite in Spain". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
21. Spiers, Tim (23 November 2018). "Donovan Wilson learning worldwide language of football". Express and Star. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
22. Pilnick, Brent (31 January 2019). "Donovan Wilson: Exeter City loan forward from Wolverhampton Wanderers" . Retrieved 31 January 2019.
23. James, Stuart (6 May 2019). "City's lack of killer instinct shows what Taylor needs to address". devonlive. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
24. Owen, Danny (18 February 2019). "Wolves loanee Donovan Wilson is loving life at Exeter City". Here Is The City. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
25. "El Burgos incorpora al delantero Wilson" (in Spanish). Burgos CF. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
26. "Donovan Wilson Signs For The Silkmen". www.mtfc.co.uk. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
27. "Silkmen Announce Retained And Released Lists". Macclesfield Town F.C. 9 June 2020. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
28. "Player News – Donovan Wilson". www.bathcityfc.com. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
29. "Slough Town vs. Bath City - 31 October 2020 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
30. Osborn, Oliver (18 February 2021). "National League Statement Outcome of Written Resolutions". www.thenationalleague.org.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
31. "Player News - Donovan Wilson loan move to Sutton United". Bath City FC. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
32. "Sutton United 0–0 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
33. "King's Lynn Town 0–1 Sutton United". BBC Sport. 13 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
34. "Games played by Donovan Wilson in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
35. "Donovan Wilson: Sutton United sign forward on permanent deal". BBC. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
36. "Games played by Donovan Wilson in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
37. "Papa John's Trophy (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
38. "%competition_name% (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
39. "Rotherham United crowned the Papa Johns Trophy 2022 champions!". www.efl.com. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
40. "Sutton United 1-2 Salford City | Results 2022-23". Salford City Football Club. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
41. "Games played by Donovan Wilson in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
42. "Squad Update". www.suttonunited.net. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
43. "Wilson becomes our third summer signing! - Grimsby Town Football Club". gtfc.co.uk. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
44. Allen, Sam (23 October 2023). "Grimsby Town's Donovan Wilson 'not ready to play full 90 minutes' - Hurst". Grimsby Live. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
45. "Games played by Donovan Wilson in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
46. "Donovan Wilson :: Donovan Wilson :: Port Vale". www.zerozero.pt.
47. "Games played by Donovan Wilson in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
48. "Games played by Donovan Wilson in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
49. "Games played by Donovan Wilson in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
50. "Games played by Donovan Wilson in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
51. "Games played by Donovan Wilson in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
52. "Games played by Donovan Wilson in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
53. "Games played by Donovan Wilson in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2024.

External links

• Donovan Wilson at Soccerbase