Jack Stobbs

Jack Stobbs

Stobbs pictured in July 2017.
Personal information
Full name	Jack Thomas Stobbs [1]
Date of birth	(1997-02-27) 27 February 1997 (age 27) [2]
Place of birth	Leeds, England [3]
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [2]
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Torquay United
Number	27
Youth career
2005–2014	Sheffield Wednesday
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2020	Sheffield Wednesday	5	(0)
2017–2018	→ Port Vale (loan)	5	(0)
2019–2020	→ Livingston (loan)	4	(1)
2020–2021	Grantham Town	4	(0)
2021–2023	Oldham Athletic	40	(2)
2023	→ Torquay United (loan)	10	(0)
2023–	Torquay United	33	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:24, 25 April 2024 (UTC)

Jack Thomas Stobbs (born 27 February 1997) is an English footballer who plays as a winger for National League South club Torquay United. He will become a free agent on 30 June 2024.

He turned professional at Sheffield Wednesday in March 2014 and made his first-team debut the following month. He joined Port Vale on loan for the first half of the 2017–18 season and started the 2019–20 season on loan at Scottish club Livingston. After being released by Wednesday, he signed with Grantham Town in October 2020 before returning to the English Football League with Oldham Athletic in August 2021, though Oldham were relegated into non-League at the end of the 2021–22 season. He joined Torquay United on loan in March 2023, in a move made permanent in the summer.

Career

Sheffield Wednesday

Stobbs joined the Academy at Sheffield Wednesday at the age of eight and signed his first professional contract with the club in March 2014. ^[4] He made his senior team debut on 26 April, coming on for Joe Mattock 60 minutes into a 3–1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers at Hillsborough, in what was the final home game of the 2013–14 season. ^[5] However, he suffered ankle ligament damage in a friendly at Matlock Town in the 2014–15 pre-season, which left him having to regain his fitness to try and force his way into manager Stuart Gray's first-team plans. ^[6] He had to wait until the last day of the 2015–16 season to make his second appearance for the "Owls", when he came on as a 79th-minute substitute for Atdhe Nuhiu in a 2–1 loss at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 7 May 2016. ^[7] He signed a new one-year contract in June 2017 after captaining the U23 team to the Professional Development League 2 North title and National Championship in 2016–17. ^[8]

On 17 August 2017, Stobbs joined newly-relegated EFL League Two club Port Vale on loan for the 2017–18 season; manager Michael Brown said that "[chief scout] Darren Wrack has worked very hard on it and he is a good, exciting, young player". ^[9] However, he struggled to even appear on the first-team bench, and speaking in October, new manager Neil Aspin blamed league rules that prevented him from naming more than five loanees in a matchday squad. ^[10] He was recalled by Wednesday on 2 January 2018. ^[11] New Wednesday manager Jos Luhukay put him into the first-team and gave him a new 2+1⁄2-year contract. ^[12] He featured in one EFL Cup game in the 2018–19 season.

On 20 August 2019, he joined Scottish Premiership side Livingston on loan until 1 January. ^[13] He scored on his "Lions" debut, his first in professional football, in a 4–1 victory at Ross County on 24 August. ^[14] The strike was later named as the best goal in Scottish football of the 2019–20 season by the Glasgow Times . ^[15] However, injury restricted him to just further three appearances in the remainder of his spell at the Almondvale Stadium and he was released by Wednesday at the end of the 2019–20 campaign; he was informed of his release via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England. ^[16] Stobbs said that he was upset at being released after 17 years in such circumstances but understood it was necessary due to the government's pandemic regulations; he went on to comment that "He (Garry Monk) had not seen me play and I had not trained with them due to being up there (Livingston), so he didn't really know anything about me. I had hoped to come back and be involved more than I was but it didn't work out like that. ^[17]

Grantham Town

On 15 October 2020, Stobbs joined Northern Premier League Premier Division club Grantham Town. ^[18] He played six games before the 2020–21 season was curtailed early due to the ongoing pandemic. ^{[19] [20]}

Oldham Athletic

On 4 August 2021, Stobbs joined League Two side Oldham Athletic on a one-year contract following a lengthy trial period; "Latics" boss Keith Curle said that "he is one of the most committed players I have ever come across". ^[21] He played 33 times during the 2021–22 campaign that saw the club relegated out of the English Football League after 115 years and was one of only two players to be offered a new contract by manager John Sheridan. ^{[22] [23]} This new deal was accepted by Stobbs and signed in June 2022. ^[24]

Torquay United

On 14 March 2023, Stobbs joined fellow National League side Torquay United on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season; he had impressed manager Gary Johnson in a game against Torquay earlier in the season. ^[25] At the end of the season Torquay were relegated into the National League South, and he returned to Oldham where he was released. ^{[26] [27]} On 11 May 2023, it was announced that he would be returning to Torquay United on a one-year deal upon the expiration of his contract with Oldham Athletic. ^[28] Supporters voted him as the club's Player of the Month for September 2023 after he scored two goals in FA Cup qualification matches. ^[29] He ended the 2023–24 season with three goals in 36 games before being released. ^{[30] [31]}

Style of play

Speaking in August 2014, Sheffield Wednesday manager Stuart Gray said that Stobbs is "one of those who runs at defenders in one-versus-one situations, and he's got a great habit of putting the ball between the posts for someone to score". ^[6] Stobbs himself stated that "I've got a bit of pace and I like to take people on, I like to get to the byline, get crosses into the box and, where I can, I try to get a few goals". ^[6]

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		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sheffield Wednesday	2013–14 [32]	Championship	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2014–15 [33]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2015–16 [34]	Championship	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2016–17 [35]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2017–18 [36]	Championship	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	2018–19 [37]	Championship	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
	2019–20 [38]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		5	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
Port Vale (loan)	2017–18 [36]	League Two	5	0	1	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	8	0
Livingston (loan)	2019–20 [38]	Scottish Premiership	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
Grantham Town	2020–21 [19]	Northern Premier League Premier Division	4	0	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	6	0
Oldham Athletic	2021–22 [22]	League Two	30	2	0	0	2	0	1	0	33	2
	2022–23 [39]	National League	10	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	11	0
	Total		40	2	1	0	2	0	1	0	44	2
Torquay United (loan)	2022–23 [39]	National League	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
Torquay United	2023–24 [30]	National League South	33	2	3	2	0	0	0	0	36	4
	Total		43	2	3	2	0	0	0	0	46	4
Career total			101	5	5	2	2	0	5	0	113	7

1. Appearances in the EFL Trophy
2. Appearances in the FA Trophy

References

1. "Retained List 2016-17" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
2. "Jack Stobbs". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
3. "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2017/2018". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
4. "Rising star". swfc.co.uk. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
5. "Report: Sheffield Wednesday 1-3 Bolton Wanderers". www.swfc.co.uk. 26 April 2014.
6. Howson, Dom (4 August 2014). "Sheffield Wednesday: Jack sets sights on first-team place". Sheffield Star. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
7. "Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday". BBC Sport. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
8. Howson, Dom (28 June 2017). "Sheffield Wednesday: Jack Stobbs extends his Owls stay". Sheffield Star. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
9. Baggaley, Mike (17 August 2017). "Port Vale sign Sheffield Wednesday winger Jack Stobbs". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
10. Baggaley, Michael (12 October 2017). "Neil Aspin sympathises with Port Vale's loan players". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
11. Baggaley, Michael (2 January 2018). "Port Vale loan pair Stobbs and Pyke recalled by Sheffield Weds and Huddersfield". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
12. Holt, Chris (16 February 2018). "Two more young stars sign new Sheffield Wednesday contracts". Sheffield Star. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
13. "Jack Stobbs: Livingston land winger on loan from Sheffield Wednesday". BBC Sport. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
14. Southwick, Andrew (24 August 2019). "Ross County 1-4 Livingston: Jack Stobbs scores debut goal in thumping win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
15. "Player of the Year awards: Herald and Times Sports writers pick winners for top gongs". Glasgow Times. 18 April 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
16. "Sheffield Wednesday exit confirmed, 'waiting game' begins for young attacker". www.thestar.co.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
17. Howson, Dom (13 May 2020). "Sheffield Wednesday winger lifts the lid on his Hillsborough exit". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
18. "Jack in the Box!". www.granthamtownfc.com. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
19. "StackPath". www.granthamtownfc.com. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
20. "FA Update On Steps 3-6". 24 February 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
21. "Stobbs Signs For Latics". Oldham Athletic F.C. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
22. "Games played by Jack Stobbs in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
23. Colman, Jon (23 May 2022). "Ex-Blues: Relegated club in talks with former Carlisle United star". News and Star. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
24. "Stobbs Agrees New Deal". www.oldhamathletic.co.uk. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
25. "Winger Stobbs Joins United On Loan". torquayunited.com. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
26. "Torquay United relegated in Wrexham draw". BBC Sport. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
27. "2023 Retained & Released List". www.oldhamathletic.co.uk. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
28. "BREAKING NEWS: Stobbs Agrees Deal". torquayunited.com. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
29. "Stobbs Named BVEC Player Of The Month For September! - Torquay United". Torquay United F.C. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
30. "Jack Stobbs | Player Profile · Aylesbury United Archive". www.aylesburyunitedarchive.com. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
31. Coates, Tom (4 June 2024). "Former Sheffield Wednesday, Port Vale and Oldham Athletic winger looking for new club after release". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
32. "Games played by Jack Stobbs in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
33. "Games played by Jack Stobbs in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
34. "Games played by Jack Stobbs in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
35. "Games played by Jack Stobbs in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
36. "Games played by Jack Stobbs in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
37. "Games played by Jack Stobbs in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
38. "Games played by Jack Stobbs in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
39. Jack Stobbs at Soccerway

External links

• Jack Stobbs at Soccerbase