Harry Pell

Harry Pell

Pell playing for AFC Wimbledon in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Harry David Balraj Pell [1]
Date of birth	(1991-10-21) 21 October 1991 (age 32) [2]
Place of birth	Tilbury, England
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) [2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Cheltenham Town
Number	7
Youth career
1998–2009	Charlton Athletic
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2010	Charlton Athletic	0	(0)
2010	→ Hastings United (loan)	16	(4)
2010–2011	Bristol Rovers	10	(0)
2011	→ Hereford United (loan)	7	(0)
2011–2013	Hereford United	53	(4)
2012	→ Cambridge United (loan)	7	(2)
2013–2015	AFC Wimbledon	59	(6)
2014	→ Grimsby Town (loan)	5	(0)
2015	Eastleigh	13	(0)
2015–2018	Cheltenham Town	118	(19)
2018–2021	Colchester United	78	(11)
2021–2022	Accrington Stanley	38	(6)
2022–2024	AFC Wimbledon	54	(4)
2024-	Cheltenham Town	0	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 08:00, 29 April 2024 (UTC)

Harry David Balraj Pell (born 21 October 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two club Cheltenham Town.

Pell came through the youth system at Charlton Athletic where he spent 12 years. He spent time on loan at Hastings United in 2010, before moving to Bristol Rovers. He joined Hereford United in 2011, initially on loan, later signing permanently. He then had a loan spell at Cambridge United and then moved to AFC Wimbledon in 2013. He had another loan spell, this time at Grimsby Town in 2014, moving to Eastleigh in 2015. He spent three years with Cheltenham Town between 2015 and 2018, and then signed for Colchester United in May 2018.

Career

Early years

Pell was born in Tilbury, Essex. ^[2] He joined the youth set-up at Charlton Athletic at the age of seven and for the next 11 years he progressed through "The Addicks'" youth system. In the 2008–09 season, his first as a professional, he made 22 appearances for the under-18 squad. The following season, Pell scored for Charlton Athletic in a 3–0 win over Gillingham in the First Round of the 2009–10 FA Youth Cup on 4 November 2009. ^[3] In spite of this, the 18-year-old midfielder failed to break into the first team and was sent out on loan to Isthmian League Premier Division side Hastings United on 18 January 2010. He stayed with "The Arrows" for the remainder of the season, scoring four goals in 16 appearances. ^[4] Despite his promising performances, however, the 18-year-old midfielder was released by Charlton Athletic at the end of the 2009–10 season. ^[5] After trials at Gillingham, Bristol Rovers and Wycombe Wanderers, he signed for League One side Bristol Rovers on a one-year contract on 28 May 2010. ^[6]

Bristol Rovers

Pell featured as an unused substitute ten times for Bristol Rovers before finally making his debut on 13 November 2010, coming on as a 74th minute substitute for Stuart Campbell in a 3–0 defeat by Leyton Orient. ^[7] In January 2011, having still made just one appearance for Bristol Rovers, he was loaned out to Hereford United on an initial one-month deal on 31 January 2011 so that he might gain more match time. ^[8] His loan was extended by a further month on 1 March 2011, with the 20-year-old having helped Hereford United to five wins in his six appearances for the club. ^[9] Having produced a string of impressive performances for "The Bulls", Pell's extended loan was cut short and he was recalled by Bristol Rovers on 7 March 2011. ^[10] On his return to "The Pirates" the midfielder was rewarded with nine more games in the first team as well as winning the club's Young Player of the Year award at the end of the season. He was offered a new contract at the end of the 2010–11 season after his initial one-year deal had expired, however Pell left the club on 30 June 2011 and opted to re-join Hereford United on a permanent deal. ^[11]

Hereford United

Pell signed a two-year contract with "The Bulls" on 8 July 2011. ^[12] He scored his first goal for Hereford United on 8 October 2011 in a 3–3 draw against Swindon Town, clinching the winner in the 90th minute of play. ^[13] The midfielder scored his second three games later on 25 October 2011 in a 3–1 win over Northampton Town. ^[14] On 22 March 2012, it was announced that Pell had joined Cambridge United on a one-month emergency loan. ^[15] He made his debut for Cambridge United on 3 April 2012 in a 1–0 victory over Lincoln City. ^[16] Pell scored his first goal for Cambridge United on 9 April 2012 in a 2–0 win over Kettering Town. ^[17] His second followed the next game in a 3–1 win over Barrow on 14 April 2012. ^[18] On 19 April 2012, Pell was recalled by Hereford United in a bid to help save the club from relegation from the Football League. ^[19] Pell scored a penalty in a 3–2 win over Torquay United in the last game of the 2011–12 season, on 5 May 2012. ^[20] However, the win came too late to save "The Bulls" from relegation to the Conference National for the 2012–13 season. ^[21] In the second league game of the 2012–13 season, on 14 August 2012, he scored what would be his last goal for Hereford United in a 2–2 draw with Tamworth. ^[22]

AFC Wimbledon

On 28 January 2013, it was announced that Pell had signed for League Two side AFC Wimbledon on a two-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £30,000. ^[23] He made his debut for AFC Wimbledon on 2 February 2013 in a 1–1 draw against Burton Albion. ^[24] On 26 February 2013, Pell scored his first goal for AFC Wimbledon in a 1–1 draw against Plymouth Argyle. ^[25] On 9 March 2013, he scored the winning goal for the Dons in a 3–2 victory over York City. ^[26] Pell scored "The Dons" first goal of the 2013–14 season, and the third of his AFC Wimbledon career, in a 1–1 draw against Torquay United at Plainmoor on 3 August 2013. ^[27]

In the 2014–15 season, Pell struggled for first team place and spent most of the first half of the season on the bench. Struggling for the first team place at Wimbledon frustrated him. ^[28] On 29 October 2014, Pell joined Grimsby Town on an initial one-month loan. ^[29] Pell struggled being away from his young family. He was also caught hanging outside Tollbar school where the not so famous chant "she said no" came from. Pell decided to sign for Eastleigh on 29 January for the rest of the season, which the team reached the playoffs of the national league.

Cheltenham Town

Pell signed for Cheltenham town at the start of the 2015–16 campaign, of which Gary Johnson labelled him one of his key signings. Pell became a national league title winner, His efforts over the season earned him a place in the 2015–16 National League team of the year, alongside the league's outstanding players. ^[30]

Colchester United

On 10 May 2018, Pell completed a transfer to Colchester United for an undisclosed six-figure fee on a three-year contract. ^{[31] [32] [33]} He made his competitive debut on 4 August, playing the full 90-minutes of a 0–0 draw with Notts County. ^[34] On 1 September, he scored his first goal for Colchester against his former club Cheltenham from the penalty spot in a 3–1 win for the U's. ^[35]

Pell was named club captain on 4 September 2020 ahead of the 2020–21 season, following Luke Prosser's summer departure. ^[36]

After three years with Colchester, Pell left the Essex club at the end of his contract in May 2021. ^[37] He made 89 appearances and scored 13 goals for the U's. ^[38]

Accrington Stanley

League One side Accrington Stanley announced the signing of Pell on a three-year contract on 14 May 2021, the same day as his release from Colchester was announced. ^{[39] [40]}

AFC Wimbledon return

On 24 August 2022, Pell returned to former club AFC Wimbledon for an undisclosed fee on a two-year contract. ^[41]

The club announced Pell's departure at the end of the 2023–24 season. ^[42]

Career statistics

As of end of 2023–24 season

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other [A]		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Charlton Athletic	2009–10	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hastings United (loan)	2009–10 [43]	Isthmian League	16	4	0	0	–		3	0	19	4
Bristol Rovers	2010–11 [44]	League One	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
Hereford United (loan)	2010–11 [44]	League Two	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
Hereford United	2011–12 [45]	League Two	30	3	1	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	34	3
	2012–13 [46]	Conference Premier	23	1	4	0	–		2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	29	1
	Total		53	4	5	0	2	0	3	0	63	4
Cambridge United (loan)	2011–12 [45]	Conference Premier	7	2	0	0	–		0	0	7	2
AFC Wimbledon	2012–13 [46]	League Two	17	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	2
	2013–14 [47]	League Two	33	4	1	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	36	4
	2014–15 [48]	League Two	9	0	2	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	12	0
	Total		59	6	3	0	1	0	2	0	65	6
Grimsby Town (loan)	2014–15 [48]	Conference Premier	5	0	–		–		0	0	5	0
Eastleigh	2014–15 [48]	Conference Premier	13	0	–		–		1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	14	0
Cheltenham Town	2015–16 [49]	National League	39	7	3	0	–		0	0	42	7
	2016–17 [50]	League Two	42	7	3	1	2	1	5 [lower-alpha 4]	0	52	9
	2017–18 [51]	League Two	37	5	1	0	2	0	2 [lower-alpha 4]	1	42	6
	Total		118	19	7	1	4	1	7	1	136	22
Colchester United	2018–19 [52]	League Two	31	6	1	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	1	34	7
	2019–20 [53]	League Two	22	3	0	0	1	0	4 [lower-alpha 5]	0	27	3
	2020–21 [54]	League Two	25	2	1	1	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	28	3
	Total		78	11	2	1	3	0	6	1	89	13
Accrington Stanley	2021–22 [55]	League One	37	6	1	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 4]	2	41	8
	2022–23 [56]	League One	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
	Total		38	6	1	0	2	0	2	2	43	8
AFC Wimbledon	2022–23 [56]	League Two	28	3	3	0	–		2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	33	3
	2023–24 [57]	League Two	26	1	1	0	2	0	4 [lower-alpha 4]	1	33	2
	AFC Wimbledon Total		113	10	7	0	3	0	8	1	131	5
Career Total			458	56	22	2	15	1	30	5	526	64

1. Appearances in Football League Trophy
2. Appearances in FA Trophy
3. Appearance in Conference play-offs
4. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
5. Two appearances in EFL Trophy, two appearances in EFL League Two play-offs

114A.  ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances (including substitutions) and goals in the Football League Trophy, FA Trophy, Isthmian League Cup and Sussex Senior Cup.

Honours

Cheltenham Town

• National League: 2015–16 ^[58]

Individual

• National League Team of the Year: 2015–16 ^[59]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Colchester United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 21. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
2. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline Publishing Group. p. 476. ISBN   978-0-7553-6356-8.
3. "Gillingham beaten in FA Youth Cup by Charlton Athletic". Kent Online. 4 November 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
4. "Harry's drive to succeed". AFC Wimbledon. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
5. "Rovers sign Charlton younster Pell". thisisbristol.co.uk. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2013.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
6. "Harry Pell joins Rovers". Bristol Rovers. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
7. "Bristol Rovers 0–3 Leyton Orient". BBC Sport. 13 November 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
8. "Hereford United swoop for Harry Pell & Rob Purdie". BBC Sport. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
9. "Hereford United extend Pell's loan from Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
10. "Bristol Rovers end Harry Pell's loan deal at Hereford". BBC Sport. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
11. "Pell To Leave Rovers". vitalfootball.co.uk. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
12. "Hereford United snap up midfielder Harry Pell". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
13. "Swindon Town 3–3 Hereford United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
14. "Northampton Town 1–3 Hereford United". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
15. "Cambridge United sign Ashley Corker and Harry Pell". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
16. "Lincoln City 0–1 Cambridge United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
17. "Cambridge United 2–0 Kettering Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
18. "Barrow 1–3 Cambridge United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
19. "Bulls call Pell back". Cambridge News. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
20. "Hereford United 3–2 Torquay United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
21. Doyle, Paul (5 May 2012). "Hereford United relegated despite home victory over Torquay United". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
22. "Tamworth 2–2 Hereford United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
23. "Harry Pell: AFC Wimbledon sign Hereford midfielder". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
24. "AFC Wimbledon 1 – 1 Burton Albion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
25. "AFC Wimbledon 1–1 Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
26. "AFC Wimbledon 3–2 York City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
27. "Torquay 1–1 AFC Wimbledon". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
28. "EXCLUSIVE: Frustration and ambition force AFC Wimbledon midfielder's move to Grimsby Town". Your Local Guardian. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
29. "Town Swoop For Don". Grimsby Town Football Club. 29 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
30. "Robins' honoured at National League Awards evening". Cheltenham Town F.C. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
31. "U's Flash: Harry Signs On". Colchester United F.C. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
32. "Robins confirm Harry Pell departure". Cheltenham Town F.C. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
33. "Harry Pell: Colchester United sign Cheltenham Town midfielder". BBC Sport. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
34. "Notts County 0–0 Colchester United". BBC Sport. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
35. "Cheltenham Town 1–3 Colchester United". BBC Sport. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
36. Gregory, David (4 September 2020). "Pell Named U's Captain". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
37. "Hayden Mullins: Colchester United boss rings the changes as 11 players leave the U's". BBC Sport. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
38. Harry Pell at Soccerbase
39. "Harry Pell: Accrington Stanley sign Colchester United midfielder on three-year deal". BBC Sport. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
40. "SIGNING: Pell becomes first summer arrival".
41. "He's back! Harry completes Dons return". afcwimbledon.co.uk. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
42. "Retained List 2023/24". www.afcwimbledon.co.uk. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
43. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2009/2010". hastingsunitedfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
44. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
45. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
46. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
47. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
48. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
49. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
50. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
51. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
52. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
53. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
54. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
55. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
56. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
57. "Games played by Harry Pell in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
58. "Cheltenham players mobbed by fans". BBC Sport.
59. "Robins' honoured at National League Awards evening". Cheltenham Town. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2023.

External links

• Harry Pell at Soccerbase

Sporting positions
Preceded by Luke Prosser	Colchester United captain 2020–2021	Succeeded by Tommy Smith