Joe Ironside

Joe Ironside

Personal information
Full name	Joe Samuel Ironside [1]
Date of birth	(1993-10-16) 16 October 1993 (age 31) [2]
Place of birth	Middlesbrough, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) [3]
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Doncaster Rovers
Number	20
Youth career
0000–2012	Sheffield United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2015	Sheffield United	16	(0)
2013–2014	→ FC Halifax Town (loan)	10	(2)
2014	→ Harrogate Town (loan)	8	(0)
2014	→ Alfreton Town (loan)	16	(4)
2014	→ Hartlepool United (loan)	4	(1)
2015–2016	Alfreton Town	30	(2)
2016–2017	Nuneaton Town	44	(16)
2017–2019	Kidderminster Harriers	82	(42)
2018–2019	→ York City (loan)	9	(0)
2019–2020	Macclesfield Town	33	(6)
2020–2023	Cambridge United	125	(34)
2023–	Doncaster Rovers	73	(22)
International career
2017	England C	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:30, 18 January 2025 (UTC)

Joe Samuel Ironside (born 16 October 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL League Two club Doncaster Rovers.

Ironside started his career at Sheffield United after progressing through their academy. He spent time on loan at FC Halifax Town, Harrogate Town, Alfreton Town and Hartlepool United before signing for Alfreton in 2015.

Career

Sheffield United

Ironside came through the academy at Sheffield United. ^[4] He was in the team that lost the 2011 FA Youth Final against Manchester United, although he scored United's only goal at Old Trafford a 4–1 defeat in the second leg, following a 2–2 draw at Bramall Lane. ^[5] Ironside made his first-team debut for United on 17 October 2012, appearing as an 89th-minute substitute in a 4–1 away win against Notts County in the Football League Trophy. ^[6] His first league appearance came on 8 December as an 81st-minute substitute in a 3–1 away win over Carlisle United. ^[6] After a string of appearances for United, Ironside signed a professional contract of 2+1⁄2 years with the club in March 2013. ^[7]

After making six appearances for United at the start of the 2013–14 season, Ironside joined Conference Premier club FC Halifax Town on 12 November 2013 on loan until 5 January 2014. ^[8] Ironside made his debut for his new club against Hyde the same day, being named in the starting eleven and scoring a goal which was disallowed as offside, before being substituted after 61 minutes. ^[9] Ironside returned to United after making 11 appearances for FC Halifax, ^[10] only to be loaned out once more in February 2014, this time to Conference North club Harrogate Town on a one-month loan. ^[11] Ironside's loan was extended until the end of the season after a successful initial spell, ^[12] but struggled with injuries during the remainder of his loan, ^[13] and returned to United in May having played eight matches. ^[10]

Ironside went on trial with Grimsby Town ^[14] before joining Conference Premier club Alfreton Town on 16 August 2014 on a one-month loan, ^[15] making his debut the same day, starting in a 2–0 loss away to Forest Green Rovers. ^{[10] [16]} Ironside joined League Two club Hartlepool United on 22 November 2014 on a one-month loan. ^[17] Hartlepool decided not to extend Ironside's loan on 31 December 2014 and he returned to United having scored once in four appearances for Hartlepool. ^[18]

Non-League

Ironside signed for Conference Premier club Alfreton Town permanently on 15 January 2015 on a one-and-a-half-year contract after being released by Sheffield United. ^[19] He left Alfreton by mutual consent on 5 February 2016 ^[20] before signing for their National League North rivals Nuneaton Town three days later. ^[21]

Ironside signed for National League North club Kidderminster Harriers on 21 March 2017 on a contract until June 2019 for a five-figure fee. ^[22] He joined Kidderminster's National League North rivals York City on 12 November 2018 on loan until 11 January 2019. ^[23] He was recalled by Kidderminster on 7 January 2019 having made 10 appearances for York without scoring. ^[24]

Macclesfield Town

Ironside turned down the offer of a new long-term contract with Kidderminster to sign for League Two club Macclesfield Town on 5 June 2019 on a one-year contract. ^[25]

Cambridge United

On 1 August 2020, Ironside joined League Two club Cambridge United signing a two-year deal. He made his debut for the U's in 1–0 win over Birmingham City in the first round of the EFL Cup. A week later he opened his account in the League Two opener against Carlisle United picking up the ball on the edge of the area before sweeping in a shot into the bottom right hand corner.

During the 2020-21 season, Ironside made 44 league appearances, scoring 14 goals, as United gained promotion to League One. ^[26]

In the 2021–22 FA Cup, Ironside scored the decisive goal in his team's third-round upset of Premier League side Newcastle United. ^[27]

At the end of the 2022–23 season, Ironside departed Cambridge following the expiration of his contract, after helping the U’s dramatically stay up in League One on the final day, following a 2-0 win over Forest Green. ^[28]

Doncaster Rovers

On 9 June 2023, Ironside signed for Doncaster Rovers on a three-year contract, having scored 35 goals in 145 games for Cambridge between 2020 and 2023. ^[29]

Personal life

Ironside was born in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire. ^[30] He is the son of Ian Ironside, a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. ^[31]

Career statistics

As of match played 18 January 2025

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 United	2012–13 [6]	League One	12	0	1	0	0	0	4 [a]	0	17	0
	2013–14 [32]	League One	4	0	0	0	0	0	2 [b]	0	6	0
	2014–15 [33]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		16	0	1	0	0	0	6	0	23	0
FC Halifax Town (loan)	2013–14 [10]	Conference Premier	10	2	—		—		1 [c]	0	11	2
Harrogate Town (loan)	2013–14 [10]	Conference North	8	0	—		—		—		8	0
Alfreton Town (loan)	2014–15 [10]	Conference Premier	16	4	0	0	—		—		16	4
Hartlepool United (loan)	2014–15 [33]	League Two	4	1	0	0	—		—		4	1
Alfreton Town	2014–15 [10]	Conference Premier	13	0	—		—		—		13	0
	2015–16 [10] [34]	National League North	17	2	2	0	—		1 [c]	0	20	2
	Total		30	2	2	0	—		1	0	33	2
Nuneaton Town	2015–16 [10]	National League North	13	2	—		—		—		13	2
	2016–17 [10] [35]	National League North	31	14	1	1	—		4 [c]	3	36	18
	Total		44	16	1	1	—		4	3	49	20
Kidderminster Harriers	2016–17 [10]	National League North	9	6	—		—		2 [d]	0	11	6
	2017–18 [10] [36]	National League North	38	19	4	2	—		6 [e]	2	48	23
	2018–19 [10] [37]	National League North	35	17	2	2	—		—		37	19
	Total		82	42	6	4	—		8	2	96	48
York City (loan)	2018–19 [10] [38]	National League North	9	0	—		—		1 [c]	0	10	0
Macclesfield Town	2019–20 [39]	League Two	33	6	0	0	1	0	2 [f]	1	36	7
Cambridge United	2020–21 [40]	League Two	44	14	0	0	2	0	3 [f]	0	49	14
	2021–22 [41]	League One	38	14	4	1	2	0	2 [f]	0	46	15
	2022–23 [42]		43	6	3	0	2	0	2 [f]	0	50	6
	Total		125	34	7	1	6	0	7	0	145	35
Doncaster Rovers	2023-24 [43]	League Two	47	20	2	1	2	1	4	2	55	24
	2024-25 [44]	League Two	26	2	3	0	2	0	4 [f]	2	35	4
	Total		73	22	5	1	4	1	7	4	90	28
Career total			450	126	22	7	11	1	37	10	521	144

1. Two appearances in Football League Trophy, two in League One play-offs
2. Appearances in Football League Trophy
3. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
4. Appearances in National League North play-offs
5. Five appearances and two goals in FA Trophy, one appearance in National League North play-offs
6. Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Sheffield United

• FA Youth Cup runner-up: 2010–11 ^[5]

Cambridge United

• EFL League Two runner-up: 2020–21 ^[10]

References

England C statistics

• "Darren McQueen double earns non-League Three Lions victory". The Football Association. 29 May 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
• Badcock, Matthew (2 June 2017). "An FA XI shared a 1–1 draw with Jersey FA before losing a penalty shoot-out by 4–3". The Football Association. Retrieved 14 November 2018.

Specific

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Cambridge United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
2. "Joe Ironside". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
3. "Joe Ironside". Macclesfield Town F.C. Archived from the original on 9 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
4. Shield, James (6 July 2013). "Sheffield United: Blades academy ranked among England's best". The Star. Sheffield. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
5. Brereton, Chris (17 May 2011). "Sheffield United 2 Manchester United 2: Match report". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
   "Manchester United Youth 4 Sheffield United Youth 1; agg 6–3: Match report". The Daily Telegraph. London. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
6. "Games played by Joe Ironside in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
7. "New deal for Joe". Sheffield United F.C. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
8. "FC Halifax sign Sheffield United striker Joe Ironside". BBC Sport. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
9. "FC Halifax Town 4–0 Hyde". Halifax Courier. 12 November 2013. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
10. "J. Ironside: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
11. White, Ed (11 February 2014). "Sheffield United youngster Joe Ironside joins Harrogate Town". Harrogate Advertiser. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016.
12. "Joe Ironside's loan extended". Harrogate Town A.F.C. 19 March 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
13. "Town's injury update". Harrogate Town A.F.C. 14 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
14. "Full-time: Scarborough 0 Grimsby Town 3". Grimsby Telegraph. 12 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
15. "Joe Ironside: Alfreton sign Sheffield United striker on loan". BBC Sport. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
16. "Forest Green Rovers vs. Alfreton Town 2–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
17. "Joe Ironside: Hartlepool sign Sheffield United striker". BBC Sport. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
18. "Hartlepool boss Ronnie Moore lets Schmeltz, Ironside & Lanzoni go". BBC Sport. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
19. "Joe Ironside: Alfreton Town sign striker after Sheffield United exit". BBC Sport. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
20. "Alfreton Town release Joe Ironside". Alfreton Town F.C. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
21. "Ironside signs for Nuneaton". Pitchero Non-League. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
22. "Harriers snap up striker Joe Ironside". The Shuttle. Kidderminster. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
23. Paddock, Matty (12 November 2018). "Pair to make York switch". Kidderminster Harriers F.C. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
24. Appleyard, Ian (7 January 2019). "Striker Ironside recalled by Harriers". York City F.C. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
25. "Sol Campbell signs Jak McCourt and Joe Ironside for Macclesfield on free transfers". BBC Sport. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
26. "Cambridge United Promoted to League One | Cambridge United F.C." www.cambridgeunited.com. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
27. De Cosemo, Harry (8 January 2022). "Newcastle 0-1 Cambridge: Joe Ironside scores winner as League One side cause upset". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
28. "2023 Retained List published | Cambridge United F.C." www.cambridgeunited.com. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
29. "Doncaster Rovers sign striker Joe Ironside and defender Jack Senior". BBC. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
30. "Joe Ironside". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
31. "Joe Ironside". Sheffield United F.C. 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013.
32. "Games played by Joe Ironside in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
33. "Games played by Joe Ironside in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
34. For FA Cup second qualifying round: "Reds through after late, late show". Alfreton Town F.C. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2018.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
    For FA Cup third qualifying round: "Robertson hat-trick sinks Pitmen". Alfreton Town F.C. 10 October 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
    For FA Trophy third qualifying round: "Trophy hopes ended at first hurdle". Alfreton Town F.C. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
35. For FA Cup second qualifying round: "Nuneaton Town FC 1–2 Lincoln United". Nuneaton Borough F.C. Retrieved 14 November 2018– via Pitchero.
    For FA Trophy third qualifying round: "FC United of Manchester 1–5 Nuneaton Town". F.C. United of Manchester. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
36. For FA Cup second qualifying round: "Deeping Rangers 2 Harriers 4 report". The Shuttle. Kidderminster. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
    For FA Cup third qualifying round: "Newcastle Benfield 0 Harriers 1 report". The Shuttle. Kidderminster. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
    For FA Trophy third qualifying round: "Boston 2 Harriers 2 report". The Shuttle. Kidderminster. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
    For FA Trophy third qualifying round replay: "Report: Harriers make FA Trophy progress with victory over Boston". The Shuttle. Kidderminster. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
37. For FA Cup second qualifying round: "Report: Dan Bradley hat-trick sees Harriers ease past Atherstone Town in FA Cup". The Shuttle. Kidderminster. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
    For FA Cup third qualifying round: "Report: Stourbridge stage comeback to knock Harriers out of FA Cup". The Shuttle. Kidderminster. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
38. For FA Trophy third qualifying round: Flett, Dave (25 November 2018). "Kidderminster 1 York City 3 report, match stats and ratings". The Press. York. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
39. "Games played by Joe Ironside in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
40. "Games played by Joe Ironside in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
41. "Games played by Joe Ironside in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
42. "Games played by Joe Ironside in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
43. "Joe Ironside Career Stats -". ESPN. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
44. "England - J. Ironside - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 23 September 2024.

External links

• Profile at the Macclesfield Town F.C. website