James Wallace (English footballer)

James Wallace

Personal information
Full name	James Robert Wallace
Date of birth	(1991-12-19) 19 December 1991 (age 32) [1]
Place of birth	Liverpool, England [1]
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) [2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
2005–2009	Everton
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2012	Everton	0	(0)
2010	→ Bury (loan)	0	(0)
2011	→ Stockport County (loan)	14	(1)
2011–2012	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	3	(0)
2012	→ Stevenage (loan)	0	(0)
2012	→ Tranmere Rovers (loan)	18	(2)
2012–2014	Tranmere Rovers	36	(4)
2014–2017	Sheffield United	14	(0)
2016	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	7	(0)
2016−2017	→ Tranmere Rovers (loan)	2	(0)
2017–2018	Tranmere Rovers	11	(0)
2018–2019	Fleetwood Town	18	(1)
Total		123	(8)
International career
2009	England U19	2	(0)
2011	England U20	4	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

James Robert Wallace (born 19 December 1991) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the current chief scout at Preston North End. He started his career at Everton's youth academy aged 13, and progressed through the club's youth system before playing regularly for the reserve side. Following a string of loans to Bury, Stockport County, Shrewsbury Town, Stevenage and Tranmere Rovers, he eventually left Everton without playing a league game, joining Tranmere on a permanent basis in 2012 and then Sheffield United in 2014. Born in Liverpool, Wallace has represented England at under-19 and under-20 level, despite having represented the Republic of Ireland at under-16 level.

Club career

Everton

Wallace joined Everton's youth academy at 13, before joining the reserves and ultimately progressing to the senior squad. ^[3] He made his competitive debut for Everton against Sigma Olomouc in the UEFA Europa League in August 2009, coming on as a 66th-minute substitute in a 1–1 draw in Olomouc. ^{[4] [5]} It was to be Wallace's only first-team appearance of the 2009–10 campaign, ^[6] as he was sidelined later that year with a double hernia problem that subsequently kept him out of action until 2010. ^{[7] [8]}

After making no first-team appearance at the start of Everton's 2010–11 season, Wallace joined Bury on a one-month loan deal in November 2010. ^[8] He made his debut for the club two days later, in an FA Cup Second Round match against Peterborough United, playing the whole game in a 2–1 defeat. ^[9] Wallace made no further appearances for Bury during his one-month loan spell due to the adverse weather conditions that resulted in a spate of postponements throughout December 2010, and the player returned to his parent club shortly before the start of 2011. ^[10]

In February 2011, Wallace was loaned out, this time joining relegation threatened League Two side Stockport County, with the deal running for a month. ^[11] He made a scoring debut for Stockport in a game against Macclesfield Town, scoring the opening goal of the game with a "superb 25-yard strike", although the club went on to lose the match 4–1. ^[12] Wallace played in five games during his loan spell as Stockport had a brief up-turn in form, and the loan deal was later extended to the end of the 2010–11 season. ^[13] Towards the latter stages of the campaign, Wallace was made Stockport captain, ^[14] and made a total of 14 appearances during his three-month spell with the club, scoring one goal. ^[11] On returning to Everton, Wallace was handed a new one-year contract with the club. ^[15]

Wallace did not feature in any of Everton's pre-season fixtures ahead of the 2011–12 campaign, and was again a regular for the club's reserve side at the start of the season. ^[16] After making no first-team appearances, Wallace signed for League Two side Shrewsbury Town on 3 November 2011, joining the club on a month's loan. ^[10] Shrewsbury manager Graham Turner stated that he had previously tried to sign Wallace on a number of occasions, but was unable to bring the player to the club as a result of Wallace's international commitmentsand injury problems. ^[10] Wallace made his debut for Shrewsbury in a 2–0 victory at Dagenham & Redbridge two days after joining the club, although was sent off after just 25 minutes for a "lunge" on Dagenham's Jon Nurse. ^[17] As a result of the red card, Wallace missed Shrewsbury's three next games. ^[18] Wallaces loan spell was extended for a further month on at the end of November, with Turner stating – "We want to see more of him. He wants to see more of us". ^{[19] [20]} Wallace only made one further appearance for Shrewsbury, but despite only playing three times for the club in the space of two months due to the three-match suspension and injury problems, ^[21] Turner stated a desire to renew the loan deal for a third time – "Wallace hasn't had the best time here – he's only played about 40 minutes in his two months with us due to not being able to play in the FA Cup, suspension and injuries. I want him to get back to Everton get his injury cleared up, and we'll take it on from there". ^[19]

After just four days back at Everton, Wallace joined League One club Stevenage on a one-month loan deal in January 2012. ^{[7] [22]} Following Stevenage manager Graham Westley's departure to Preston North End, Wallace's loan spell at Stevenage was cancelled by mutual consent on two weeks later, with the player having made no first-team appearances for the club. ^[23]

Three days after leaving Stevenage, Wallace signed a one-month loan deal with Tranmere Rovers, ^[24] making his debut two days later in a 2–1 away defeat to Bournemouth. ^[25] In February 2012, Tranmere extended Wallace's loan deal a further month, ^[26] before Wallace scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win over Rochdale in March. ^[27]

Tranmere Rovers

At the end of the season, Wallace was linked with clubs in the Championship and League One, but joined Tranmere Rovers on a permanent basis. ^[28] His move delighted manager Ronnie Moore, who said, "I'm delighted that James will be returning to the club as we were really keen to sign him. He was fantastic for us last season and played a big part in our climb up the table; he's got bags of energy, tackles well, can pick out a pass and has goals in him too. He's turned down some big clubs to come to us, which shows how much he enjoyed it here last season. It's a big signing for the club, and I think we've got a very good player on our hands. He's a leader, a talker and he'll make an excellent captain for the club." ^[28]

Sheffield United

After Wallace's contract with Tranmere expired after two seasons, he went on to sign a two-year deal with Sheffield United on 13 June 2014. ^[29] Wallace's time at the Blades was blighted by injuries which hampered his spell at the club. ^[30]

Shrewsbury Town (loan)

Wallace joined Shrewsbury Town on loan until the end of the season in January 2016, linking up once again with the club he had a brief spell with in 2011. ^[31] He was sidelined for a lengthy period after picking up a knee injury in a league match against Southend United the following month, ^[32] making a total of eight appearances in all competitions before his loan expired in May. ^[33]

Return to Tranmere Rovers

Wallace re-joined Tranmere Rovers on an initial short-term loan deal on 28 November 2016. ^[34] He rejoined the club on a permanent basis in January 2017, signing an 18-month contract. ^[35]

Fleetwood Town

When Wallace did not agree a new contract with Tranmere, he was snapped up by League One side Fleetwood Town. ^[36] At the end of the season, Wallace became the club's chief scout. ^[37]

International career

Republic of Ireland

Wallace previously played for Republic of Ireland at under-16 level, ^[38] and participated in the 2007 Montaigu Tournament for the Republic of Ireland. ^[39] However, it was later found that he was not eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland national team. ^[40]

England

Wallace was subsequently called up to represent the England U19 side in March 2009, ^[41] although he was an unused substitute in a 0–0 draw with Czech Republic at the Bescot Stadium. ^[42] Wallace made his debut for the England U19s in September 2009, coming on as a second-half substitute, replacing Andros Townsend, in a 2–1 victory against Russia, ^[43] and made his first U19 start for England the following month, playing the whole game as England beat Finland 3–1. ^[44]

Wallace was called up to represent the England U20 squad in February 2011, playing in a 2–1 defeat to France, ^[45] and was later named in Brian Eastick's 21-man squad to represent the England U20s at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which took place in Colombia throughout July and August 2011. ^[46] Wallace was an unused substitute in England's first group match, a 0–0 draw with North Korea, ^[47] Wallace made his first appearance in the next match against Argentina, which also ended goalless. ^[48] Wallace made two further appearances for England under-20s, both as a substitute, ^{[49] [50]} as England were eventually knocked out 1–0 by Nigeria. ^[51]

Career statistics

As of match played 14 January 2017.

Club

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Everton	2009–10 [6]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	1 [a]	0	1	0
	2010–11 [52]		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2011–12 [53]		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Bury (loan)	2010–11 [52]	League Two	0	0	1	0	−		−		1	0
Stockport County (loan)	2010–11 [52]		14	1	−		−		−		14	1
Shrewsbury Town (loan)	2011–12 [53]		3	0	−		−		−		3	0
Stevenage (loan)	2011–12 [53]	League One	0	0	−		−		−		0	0
Tranmere Rovers (loan)	2011–12 [53]		18	2	−		−		−		18	2
Tranmere Rovers	2012–13 [54]		19	2	2	0	2	0	0	0	23	2
	2013–14 [55]		16	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	17	2
	Total		53	6	3	0	2	0	0	0	58	6
Sheffield United	2014–15 [56]	League One	10	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	13	0
	2015–16 [33]		4	0	0	0	2	0	1 [b]	0	7	0
	2016–17 [57]		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		14	0	1	0	4	0	1	0	20	0
Shrewsbury Town (loan)	2015–16 [33]	League One	7	0	1	0	−		−		8	0
Tranmere Rovers (loan)	2016–17 [57]	National League	2	0	−		−		1 [c]	0	3	0
Tranmere Rovers	2016–17 [57]		0	0	−		−		0	0	0	0
Career totals			95	7	6	0	6	0	3	0	110	7

a.  ^ Appearance in the UEFA Europa League

b.  ^ Appearance in the Football League Trophy

c.  ^ Appearance in the FA Trophy.

International

National team	Season	Apps	Goals
England U19	2008–09 [42]	0	0
	2009–10 [58]	3	0
Total		3	0
England U20	2011–12 [58]	4	0
Total		4	0

Personal life

Born in Fazakerley, Liverpool, Wallace is the nephew of former Doncaster Rovers footballer Gregg Blundell. ^[59]

References

1. "Everton FC – James Wallace". Everton F.C. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
2. "James Wallace – ESPN Soccernet". ESPN Soccernet. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
3. "James Wallace". Everton F.C. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
4. "Sigma Olomouc Match Report". evertonfc.com. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
5. "Sigma Olomouc 1–1 Everton (agg 1–5)". BBC Sport. 27 August 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
6. "Games played by James Wallace in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
7. "Stevenage recruit Everton midfielder". Stevenage F.C. 9 January 2012. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
8. "Bury snap up Everton midfielder James Wallace". BBC Sport. 25 November 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
9. "Bury 1–2 Peterborough". BBC Sport. 27 November 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
10. "Everton loan James Wallace to Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
11. "Games played by James Wallace in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
12. "Stockport 1–4 Macclesfield". BBC Sport. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
13. "James Wallace extends stay at Stockport County". BBC Sport. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
14. "Shrewsbury Town v Stockport County". Stockport County F.C. 16 April 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
15. "New Deals For Young Pair". Everton F.C. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
16. "Reserves – Fixtures". Everton F.C. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
17. "Dag & Red 0–2 Shrewsbury". BBC Sport. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
18. "Games played by James Wallace in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
19. "Shrewsbury Town aim to keep best players – Graham Turner". BBC Sport. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
20. "Shrewsbury extend James Wallace loan deal from Everton". BBC Sport. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
21. "Shrewsbury Town seek Hurst, Wallace, Wildig loan extensions". BBC Sport. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
22. "Wallace loaned to Stevenage". Everton F.C. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
23. "Wallace loan deal cancelled". Everton F.C. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
24. "Tranmere Rovers sign Everton midfielder James Wallace". BBC Sport. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
25. "Bournemouth 2–1 Tranmere". BBC Sport. 21 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
26. "James Wallace extends Tranmere Rovers loan deal". BBC Sport. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
27. "Rochdale 0–2 Tranmere". BBC Sport. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
28. "Moore wins race for Wallace". Sky Sports. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
29. "Sheffield United sign Tranmere Rovers midfielder James Wallace". BBC Sport. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
30. "Sheffield United: Midfielder's anguish after another injury blow". thestar.co.uk.
31. "Sheffield United Midfielder James Wallace Joins Shrewsbury Town on Loan". shrewsburytown.com. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
32. "Shrewsbury-Man United: Injured James Wallace to miss FA Cup tie". BBC Sport. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
33. "Games played by James Wallace in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
34. "James Wallace: Tranmere Rovers sign Sheffield United midfielder until January". BBC Sport. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
35. "Wallace signs permanent move to Rovers". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
36. "Midfielder James Wallace becomes Joey Barton's sixth Fleetwood Town signing". Blackpool Gazette. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
37. "Club Officials and Staff". Fleetwood Town F.C. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
38. "Irish Under 16's Defeat Czech Republic in Ballymena". FAI.ie. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
39. "Irish Under 16's Set to Face England in Montaigu Tournament Opener". FAi.ie. 3 April 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
40. "Everton Player Profiles – James Wallace". ToffeeWeb. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
41. "Henri's England honour". TheFA.com. 24 March 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
42. "Lions held in Walsall". The FA. 26 March 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
43. "England U19 2 Russia U19 1". Shrewsbury Town F.C. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
44. "Delfouneso strike sets up victory". The FA. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
45. "James Wallace". The FA. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
46. "World Cup squad announced". The FA. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
47. "England U20 0–0 North Korea U20". Soccerway. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
48. "Argentina U20 0–0 England U20". Soccerway. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
49. "Mexico U20 0–0 England U20". Soccerway. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
50. "Nigeria U20 1–0 England U20". Soccerway. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
51. "Nigeria beat England to advance at Under-20 World Cup". BBC Sport. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
52. "Games played by James Wallace in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
53. "Games played by James Wallace in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
54. "Games played by James Wallace in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
55. "Games played by James Wallace in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
56. "Games played by James Wallace in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
57. "Games played by James Wallace in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
58. "Matches played by James Wallace". Soccerway. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
59. "Ronnie says Wallace will be worth the wait". The Sheffield Star. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.

External links

• James Wallace at Soccerbase
• James Wallace – UEFA competition record ( archive )