Jesse Debrah

Jesse Debrah

Debrah with Port Vale in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Jesse John Kodjo Debrah [1]
Date of birth	(2001-05-01) 1 May 2001 (age 23) [2]
Place of birth	Croydon, England [2]
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) [2]
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Port Vale
Number	22
Youth career
2010–2011	Charlton Athletic
2011–2019	Millwall
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2020	Millwall	0	(0)
2019	→ Billericay Town (loan)	2	(0)
2019	→ Eastbourne Borough (loan)	5	(0)
2020	→ Dulwich Hamlet (loan)	11	(0)
2020–2021	Dulwich Hamlet	10	(0)
2021–2023	FC Halifax Town	57	(3)
2023–	Port Vale	45	(1)
International career
2018	Barawa	1	(0)
2023	England C	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:14, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Jesse John Kodjo Debrah (born 1 May 2001) is an English footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League Two club Port Vale.

Debrah joined Millwall at the age of ten, though he would leave the club without playing a first-team game following loan spells with Billericay Town, Eastbourne Borough and Dulwich Hamlet. He spent the first half of the 2020–21 season with Dulwich Hamlet before he joined FC Halifax Town in August 2021 and helped the club to win the FA Trophy in 2023. He signed with Port Vale in September 2023.

Early life

Jesse Debrah was born in Croydon on 1 May 2001. ^[2] He grew up supporting Crystal Palace, though his parents, brother and two sisters all support different clubs. ^[3]

Club career

Early career

Debrah started his career with a one-season trial at Charlton Athletic before joining Millwall at the age of ten after he had scored two goals against the club playing as a right-back. ^{[4] [3]} He went on to captain the under-23 team. ^[3] On 13 September 2019, he joined National League South side Billericay Town on a 28-day youth loan. ^[5] He was named as captain of the under-23 team by coach Kevin Nugent. ^[6] Manager Neil Harris named him on the first-team substitute bench on the last home game of the 2018–19 season, a 2–1 defeat to Bristol City at The Den on 30 April. ^[7]

On 13 September 2019, Debrah joined Eastbourne Borough on a 28-day youth loan after manager Lee Bradbury found himself short of defensive options. ^[8] On 1 January 2020, Debrah joined Dulwich Hamlet on an initial one-month loan, which was later extended until the end of the 2019–20 season. ^{[9] [10]} On 29 June 2020, Millwall announced that Debrah had not been offered a new contract by manager Gary Rowett and would therefore leave the club the following day upon the expiry of his contract. ^[11]

On 23 August 2020, he rejoined Dulwich Hamlet permanently. ^[12] He featured in 14 games in the first half of the 2020–21 campaign. ^[13] Debrah had a trial at Motherwell and played a pre-season game against Celtic, though was not offered a contract by manager Graham Alexander. ^[3] He then trained with Bromely due to his friendship with manager Andy Woodman. ^[3]

FC Halifax Town

On 19 August 2021, Debrah joined National League club FC Halifax Town on a short-term deal after impressing on trial. ^[14] He scored on his club debut on 28 August, hitting the net from 25 yards (23 m) yards in a 3–2 win at Woking; after the game, he credited coach Chris Millington and manager Pete Wild for their faith in him, as well as his faith in God. ^[4] However, he found himself mainly on the substitute bench as Tom Bradbury and Niall Maher maintained a strong centre-back partnership throughout most of the 2021–22 campaign. ^[15] He managed to break into the first XI as Halifax reached the play-offs on the back of a strong defence. ^[16] They were, however, beaten by Chesterfield in the play-off quarter-finals. ^[17] He was linked with a move to Huddersfield Town in June 2022. ^[18]

He established himself as a key member of the defence in the 2022–23 season, playing 33 league games, occasionally as captain. ^[19] Halifax reached the 2023 FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium, and won the competition with a 1–0 victory over Gateshead, with Debrah playing the first 62 minutes. ^[20] After the season ended he suffered a grade three hamstring injury. ^[21] He rejected Halifax's offer of a new contract and was linked with a move to Barnsley, but the deal broke down. ^[22]

Port Vale

On 18 September 2023, Debrah signed a two-year contract with EFL League One club Port Vale, with a compensation fee to Halifax due to be set by a tribunal after the two clubs failed to reach an agreement. ^[23] He had already spent some weeks rehabilitating his hamstring injury at the club. ^[3] Manager Andy Crosby said that "he will offer excellent competition in the back line", whilst both Crosby and director of football David Flitcroft praised Debrah's "infectious personality" and "drive and determination". ^[24] Debrah was sent off 38 minutes into his first league start following a second yellow card in a 3–0 defeat at Bristol Rovers on 3 October. ^[25] He scored his first goal for the club seven days later in a 1–1 draw with Newcastle United U21 in an EFL Trophy group stage game at Vale Park. ^[26] His form dipped as the club headed towards relegation at the end of the 2023–24 season. ^[27]

Speaking in August 2024, Debrah said that manager Darren Moore had helped him to work on his game over the summer to get him into a better physical and mental place. ^[28] He started the 2024–25 campaign in good form, keeping experienced players Nathan Smith and Ben Heneghan out of the first XI. ^[29] He scored his first EFL goal on 1 October in a 1–1 draw with Colchester United. ^[30]

International career

Debrah represented Barawa, a team representing the Somali diaspora in the United Kingdom, after being called up to the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup. ^{[31] [32]} He is also of Ghanaian descent. ^[33] He went on to be capped for the England C team. ^[34]

Style of play

Debrah was a forward throughout his youth career before being converted to centre-back as he transitioned to senior football. ^[4] He was described on the Millwall website as "commanding, physical and composed". ^[8]

Career statistics

As of match played 12 November 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Millwall	2018–19 [35]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2019–20 [36]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Billericay Town (loan)	2018–19 [13]	National League South	2	0	0	0	0	0	1 [a]	0	3	0
Eastbourne Borough (loan)	2019–20 [13]	National League South	5	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
Dulwich Hamlet (loan)	2019–20 [2]	National League South	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	0
Dulwich Hamlet	2020–21 [13]	National League South	10	0	2	0	0	0	2 [b]	0	14	0
	Total		21	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	25	0
FC Halifax Town	2021–22 [2]	National League	24	1	2	0	0	0	2 [c]	0	28	1
	2022–23 [2]	National League	33	2	1	0	0	0	5 [b]	0	39	2
	Total		57	3	3	0	0	0	7	0	67	3
Port Vale	2023–24 [37]	League One	31	0	3	0	3	0	3 [d]	1	40	1
	2024–25 [38]	League Two	14	1	1	0	1	0	3 [d]	0	19	1
	Total		45	1	4	0	4	0	6	1	59	2
Career total			130	4	11	0	4	0	16	1	161	5

1. Appearance(s) in the Essex Senior Cup
2. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
3. 1 appearance in the FA Trophy and 1 appearance in the play-offs
4. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

Honours

FC Halifax Town

• FA Trophy: 2022–23 ^[2]

References

1. Squad Lists 2024/25 & U21 Unregistered Contract Players (PDF). EFL. September 2024. p. 79. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
2. Jesse Debrah at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
3. Baggaley, Mike (30 June 2024). "Coming back stronger with Vale". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
4. Scargill, Tom (1 September 2021). "FC Halifax Town: "They took a chance on me and I'm grateful" - Debrah on motivation, belief and his dream debut". Halifax Courier. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
5. "Jesse Debrah joins Eastbourne Borough on loan". Millwall FC. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
6. "Jesse Debrah joins Dulwich Hamlet on loan". Millwall FC. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
7. "Bristol City keep play-off hopes alive". BBC Sport. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
8. "Young defender links up with East Sussex side on youth loan deal". Millwall FC. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
9. Verri, Matt (17 January 2020). "Millwall defender Jesse Debrah on loan switch to Dulwich Hamlet – and discusses his contract situation". London News Online. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
10. Greenhalgh, Hugo. "Jesse Debrah to stay for the rest of the season". Dulwich Hamlet. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
11. "Millwall Football Club Retained List 2019/20". Millwall FC. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
12. "Dulwich Hamlet boss Gavin Rose signs ex Millwall defender Jesse Debrah". Kentish Football. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
13. "Jesse Debrah | Player Profile · Aylesbury United Archive". www.aylesburyunitedarchive.com. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
14. Scargill, Tom (19 August 2021). "FC Halifax Town: Ex-Millwall defender Debrah joins Shaymen". Halifax Courier. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
15. Scargill, Tom (3 March 2022). "FC Halifax Town: "I'm just enjoying this run of games," says in-form Shaymen defender Debrah". Halifax Courier. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
16. Scargill, Tom (24 May 2022). ""I love playing at home, I feed off the crowd" - Town defender Debrah on the play-offs, his season and home advantage". Halifax Courier. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
17. Chicken, Steven (12 June 2022). "Truth on Huddersfield Town transfer update over highly-rated non-league defender". Halifax Courier. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
18. Gregory, Charlie (6 June 2022). "Jesse Debrah from Halifax to Huddersfield: What do we know so far? Is it likely to happen?". footballleagueworld.co.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
19. Wignall, Ben (23 July 2023). "Notts County and Northampton looking to hijack Barnsley's transfer swoop for defender". FootballLeagueWorld. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
20. De Costa, Luke (21 May 2023). "FC Halifax Town 1 Gateshead". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
21. Baggaley, Mike (12 October 2023). "Jesse Debrah, repaying trust and how Dave Flitcroft clinched the deal". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
22. O'Kane, Doug (21 July 2023). "Debrah deal breaks down but several new signings close". Barnsley Chronicle. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
23. "Port Vale sign defender Debrah on two-year deal". BBC Sport. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
24. "Jesse Debrah is a Valiant". Port Vale F.C. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
25. Swindells, Adam (3 October 2023). "Match Report | Bristol Rovers 3-0 Port Vale". Port Vale F.C. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
26. Baggaley, Mike (11 October 2023). "Port Vale Trophy progress marred by injury concerns". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
27. Baggaley, Mike (29 April 2024). "Rating the squad, the retained list and looking ahead". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
28. Baggaley, Mike (19 August 2024). "Making progress and demanding more". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
29. Baggaley, Mike (15 September 2024). "Vale's statement victory". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
30. "Port Vale 1-1 Colchester United". BBC Sport. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
31. Matthews, Chris; Errington, Chris (8 April 2019). "International football coming to Cornwall next month". CornwallLive. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
32. "Kernow FA to face CONIFA World Football Cup hosts in first international fixture". Falmouth Packet. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
33. Gyimah, Edmund Okai (13 November 2022). "Ghanaian defender Jesse Debrah to return next week". Sports World Ghana. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
34. "Walsall Linked with Former FC Halifax Town defender Jesse Debrah". www.bescotbanter.net. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
35. "Games played by Jesse Debrah in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
36. "Games played by Jesse Debrah in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
37. "Games played by Jesse Debrah in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
38. "Games played by Jesse Debrah in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2023.