Jak McCourt

Jak McCourt

McCourt playing for Chesterfield in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Jak McCourt [1]
Date of birth	(1995-07-06) 6 July 1995 (age 29) [2]
Place of birth	Liverpool, England [3]
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [3]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Buxton
Youth career
	Leicester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–2016	Leicester City	0	(0)
2013–2014	→ Torquay United (loan)	11	(0)
2015	→ Port Vale (loan)	2	(0)
2016	Barnsley	1	(0)
2016–2017	Northampton Town	26	(1)
2017–2018	Chesterfield	34	(5)
2018–2019	Swindon Town	27	(1)
2019–2020	Macclesfield Town	21	(2)
2020–2022	Chesterfield	41	(2)
2022–2023	Warrington Rylands 1906	20	(1)
2023–	Buxton	19	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:52, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

Jak McCourt (born 6 July 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for National League North club Buxton.

He began his career with Leicester City. McCourt spent part of the 2013–14 season on loan at Torquay United and then September 2015 on loan at Port Vale, before being sold to Barnsley in January 2016. An unused substitute in the club's victorious 2016 League One play-off final, he was released by Barnsley in June 2016 and subsequently joined Northampton Town. Northampton released him in July 2017 by mutual agreement and subsequently joined Chesterfield. He signed with Swindon Town in July 2018 and then moved on to Macclesfield Town in June 2019. Macclesfield Town were liquidated at the end of the 2019–20 season. He rejoined Chesterfield in December 2020 and signed with Warrington Rylands 1906 in June 2022. He joined Buxton in January 2023.

Career

Leicester City

McCourt began his career with Leicester City and signed a professional contract with the "Foxes" in May 2013. ^[4] On 11 October 2013, he joined League Two side Torquay United on loan for a month. ^[5] He made his professional debut the next day in a 3–2 to Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park. ^[6] On 9 December, McCourt's loan was extended by Torquay United until 4 January 2014. ^[7] He returned to the King Power Stadium after making 12 appearances in all competitions for Alan Knill's "Gulls". The player signed a new one-year contract with Leicester City in June 2014. ^[8]

McCourt joined League One side Port Vale on a one-month loan deal on 28 August 2015. ^[9] Manager Rob Page said he made the signing as cover for the injured Michael Brown, who was the "Valiants" central midfield option on the bench. ^[10] He started one Football League Trophy game and made two substitute appearances in the league. ^[11]

Barnsley

McCourt was sold to League One club Barnsley for an undisclosed fee in January 2016; he signed a contract running until the end of the 2015–16 season. ^[12] He played two games for Barnsley, both as substitute appearances from the bench, and was an unused substitute for the play-off final victory over Millwall at Wembley Stadium on 29 May. ^[13] The club then released him upon the expiry of his contract in June. ^[14]

Northampton Town

In June 2016, McCourt signed a two-year contract with League One club Northampton Town, in a move that reunited him with his former Port Vale boss Rob Page. ^[15] However, he picked up a shoulder injury in pre-season training, which required surgery and an enforced two-month absence. ^[16] He scored his first senior goal in a 1–1 draw with Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park on 8 October. ^[17] He received his first sending off seven days later after picking up two yellow cards in a 3–1 defeat to Millwall at Sixfields Stadium. ^[18] He was transfer-listed by new manager Justin Edinburgh in May 2017 after falling out of the first-team in the second half of the 2016–17 season. ^{[19] [20]}

Chesterfield

McCourt negotiated his release from Northampton and joined newly-relegated League Two side Chesterfield on a two-year deal in July 2017. ^[21] He scored six goals in 39 appearances across the 2017–18 season as the "Spireites" were relegated out of the English Football League into the National League. He was made available for a free transfer by new manager Martin Allen in May 2018. ^[22]

Swindon Town

On 17 July 2018, McCourt joined League Two side Swindon Town on a one-year contract. ^[23] He was utilised as a holding midfielder by manager Phil Brown, before being moved further forward after Brown was replaced by Richie Wellens in November. ^[24] He was released by Swindon at the end of the 2018–19 season. ^[25]

Macclesfield Town

On 5 June 2019, McCourt joined League Two side Macclesfield Town on a one-year contract, becoming Sol Campbell's first summer signing as manager. ^[26] He featured 21 times for the "Silkmen" during the 2019–20 season and was offered a new contract by new manager Mark Kennedy in the summer. ^[27] Macclesfield were relegated at the end of the season after having a total of 17 points deducted and were liquidated in September 2020. ^{[28] [29]}

Return to Chesterfield

On 1 December 2020, McCourt rejoined Chesterfield, now in the National League, on a short-term contract. ^[30] He said that he had unfinished business at the club after being at the Proact Stadium when the club lost its Football League status. ^[31] He quickly impressed manager James Rowe and signed a new 18-month contract later in the month. ^[32] Chesterfield qualified for the play-offs at the end of the 2020–21 season, though were beaten by Notts County at the quarter-final stage. ^[33] Rowe was sacked in February 2022 and McCourt was returned to the first-team by caretaker manager Daniel Webb following a period of three months without an appearance. ^[34] However, he picked up an ankle injury after being on the wrong end of a "horrific" tackle later that month. ^[35] He recovered and was named on the substitute's bench by manager Paul Cook for the play-off semi-final defeat at Solihull Moors. ^[36]

Warrington Rylands 1906

On 27 June 2022, McCourt signed for newly-promoted Northern Premier League Premier Division side Warrington Rylands 1906. ^{[37] [38]}

Buxton

In January 2023, McCourt joined National League North club Buxton. ^[39] He made nineteen appearances in the second half of the 2022–23 season, scoring two goals. ^[40] He scored five goals in 29 games throughout the 2023–24 campaign. ^[40]

Style of play

McCourt is an athletic central midfielder with good passing skills. ^[41] He has been described as a "larger than life character in the dressing room". ^[42]

Career statistics

As of match played 20 April 2024

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Leicester City	2013–14 [43]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2014–15 [44]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2015–16 [45]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Torquay United (loan)	2013–14 [43]	League Two	11	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
Port Vale (loan)	2015–16 [45]	League One	2	0	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	3	0
Barnsley	2015–16 [45]	League One	1	0	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	2	0
Northampton Town	2016–17 [46]	League One	26	1	2	0	2	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	32	1
Chesterfield	2017–18 [47]	League Two	34	5	1	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]	1	39	6
Swindon Town	2018–19 [48]	League Two	27	1	1	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	30	1
Macclesfield Town	2019–20 [49]	League Two	21	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	2
Chesterfield	2020–21 [40]	National League	19	2	0	0	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 2]	0	22	2
	2021–22 [40]	National League	22	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	24	0
	Total		41	2	2	0	0	0	3	2	46	2
Warrington Rylands 1906	2022–23 [50]	Northern Premier League Premier Division	20	1	0	0	—		2 [lower-alpha 3]	0	22	1
Buxton	2022–23 [40]	National League North	19	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	19	2
	2023–24 [40]	National League North	28	5	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	29	5
	2024–25 [40]	National League North	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		47	7	2	0	0	0	1	0	48	7
Career total			230	19	7	0	3	0	15	1	245	20

1. Appearance/s in the EFL Trophy.
2. 2 appearances in the FA Trophy and 1 appearance in the play-offs.
3. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy

Honours

Barnsley

• Football League One play-offs: 2016 ^[13]

References

1. "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 18 May 2013. p. 43. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
2. "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2015/2016". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
3. Jak McCourt at Soccerway
4. "Leicester youngsters agree professional contracts at the club". Sky Sports. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
5. "Jak McCourt: Torquay United sign Leicester City midfielder". BBC Sport. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
6. "Wycombe 3–2 Torquay". BBC Sport. 12 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
7. "McCourt Extended". Torquay United Official Website. 9 December 2013. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
8. "Youngster McCourt Extends Leicester City Contract". lcfc.com. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
9. "Jak McCourt: Port Vale sign Leicester City midfielder". BBC Sport . 28 August 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
10. "Port Vale: Manager Rob Page wants his players to be more clinical in front of goal". The Sentinel . 31 August 2015. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
11. Baggaley, Mike (28 September 2015). "Jak McCourt returns to Leicester City". The Sentinel . Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
12. "Jak McCourt: Barnsley sign Leicester City midfielder". BBC Sport . 29 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
13. Stevens, Rob (29 May 2016). "Barnsley 3–1 Millwall". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
14. "Barnsley FC Retained List". Barnsley F.C. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
15. "Northampton Town: Gabriel Zakuani and Jak McCourt arrive at Sixfields". BBC Sport. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
16. "Jak McCourt: Northampton Town midfielder needs shoulder surgery". BBC Sport. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
17. "Scunthorpe United 1–1 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
18. "Northampton Town 1–3 Millwall". BBC Sport. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
19. Casey, Jeremy (4 May 2017). "Edinburgh explains decision to transfer-list Cobblers quartet". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
20. Heneghan, James (21 March 2017). "Midfielder McCourt determined to keep his Cobblers place after Bolton outing". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Retrieved 13 May 2017.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
21. "Chesterfield sign midfielder Jak McCourt on two-year deal". BBC Sport. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
22. Baggaley, Michael (18 May 2018). "Former Port Vale forward Louis Dodds made available by Chesterfield". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
23. "Swindon Town: Jak McCourt joins League Two club on free transfer". BBC Sport. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
24. Reynolds, Shaun (20 February 2019). "McCourt buoyed by Wellens' January recruitment". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
25. "Swindon Town release 10 players including Vigouroux & Dunne". BBC Sport. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
26. "Macclesfield Town: Jak McCourt joins League Two club on free transfer". MTFC.
27. "Silkmen Announce Retained And Released Lists". www.mtfc.co.uk. 9 June 2020. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
28. Smith, Peter (11 August 2020). "Stevenage stay up, Macclesfield Town relegated after EFL points appeal". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
29. "Macclesfield Town FC wound up in court". BBC Sport. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
30. "Midfielder returns". www.Chesterfield-fc.co.uk. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
31. Norcliffe, Liam (2 December 2020). "Breaking: Chesterfield re-sign midfielder Jak McCourt on short-term deal". Derbyshire Times. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
32. Norcliffe, Liam (18 December 2020). "Breaking: 'The team is good enough for promotion' - McCourt signs new Town contract". Derbyshire Times. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
33. Norcliffe, Liam (5 June 2021). "Recap: Chesterfied suffer late heartbreak against Notts County in play-offs". Derbyshire Times. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
34. Norcliffe, Liam (9 February 2022). "Jak McCourt praises 'outstanding' Danny Webb and reveals he was close to leaving on loan". Derbyshire Times. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
35. Norcliffe, Liam (28 February 2022). "Injury update on Jak McCourt after 'horrific' tackle against Solihull Moors". Derbyshire Times. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
36. O'Neill, George (29 May 2022). "Solihull Moors end Chesterfield promotion hopes". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
37. @RylandsFC (27 June 2022). "McCourt Monday!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
38. Turner, Matt (27 June 2022). "Warrington Rylands pull off major coup with new signing". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
39. @Buxton_FC (27 January 2023). "✍🏼⚽️ We are delighted to confirm the signing of midfielder Jak McCourt from Warrington Rylands. Jak joined the NPL side in June, having spent two years at Chesterfield and, prior to that, several years in the EFL. Welcome to Buxton, Jak. #UpTheBucks #WelcomeJak" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 January 2023– via Twitter.
40. Jak McCourt at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
41. Baggaley, Mike (28 August 2015). "New signing Jak McCourt keen for first-team football at Vale". The Sentinel . Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
42. Reynolds, Shaun (7 May 2019). "RELEASE OR RETAIN? Adver Sport delivers its verdict on Town's out-of-contract players". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
43. "Games played by Jak McCourt in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
44. "Games played by Jak McCourt in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
45. "Games played by Jak McCourt in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
46. "Games played by Jak McCourt in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
47. "Games played by Jak McCourt in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
48. "Games played by Jak McCourt in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
49. "Games played by Jak McCourt in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
50. "Warrington Rylands – Appearances – Jak McCourt". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 30 January 2023.