Joe Jacobson

Joe Jacobson

Jacobson playing for Accrington Stanley in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Joseph Mark Jacobson [1]
Date of birth	(1986-11-17) 17 November 1986 (age 37) [2]
Place of birth	Cardiff, Wales
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) [2]
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
000?–2005	Cardiff City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2007	Cardiff City	1	(0)
2006	→ Accrington Stanley (loan )	6	(1)
2007	→ Bristol Rovers (loan)	11	(0)
2007–2009	Bristol Rovers	62	(1)
2009–2011	Oldham Athletic	16	(0)
2010–2011	→ Accrington Stanley (loan)	6	(1)
2011	Accrington Stanley	20	(1)
2011–2014	Shrewsbury Town	110	(7)
2014–2024	Wycombe Wanderers	344	(37)
International career
2005–2008	Wales U21	14	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:43, 5 May 2024 (UTC)

Joseph Mark Jacobson (born 17 November 1986) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a left back and centre back.

He is the former captain of the Wales U21 team, and is also a former captain of the Cardiff City reserve team. ^[3] He was selected in League Two's PFA Team of the Year in 2016 and League One's in 2020.

Early and personal life

Jacobson was born and grew up in Llanishen, Cardiff, Wales, ^{[4] [2] [5] [6]} and is Jewish. ^{[5] [7] [8] [9]} He has a brother, Sam. ^{[10] [11]} His family attends the Cardiff United Synagogue. ^[12]

In 2024, Jacobson said he had needed a security escort due to abuse since the start of the Israel–Hamas war. ^[13]

Club career

Cardiff City

Jacobson signed professional terms with his hometown club in July 2006. ^[14] He made his league debut as a substitute for Chris Barker in Cardiff's Championship defeat at home to Norwich City on 22 April 2006. He made his first start on 22 August in Cardiff's surprise defeat at home to League Two side Barnet in the Football League Cup, and was voted Man of The Match by the local press. ^[15]

In November 2006 the Torquay-based newspaper the Herald Express reported that Jacobson was likely to sign for Torquay United on loan, a story backed up by the team's official website. However, the move fell through when Torquay failed to loan Martin Phillips to Exeter City and Torquay chairman Chris Roberts refused to sanction the deal. ^[16] He joined Accrington Stanley on loan and started their Football League Two match away at Grimsby on 25 November, followed by a Football League Trophy quarter-final tie away at League One club Doncaster Rovers on the following Tuesday. ^[17]

Bristol Rovers

In February 2007, Jacobson joined Bristol Rovers on loan until the end of the season, ^[18] and then signed on a permanent basis in the summer of 2007. ^[5]

Jacobson was the subject of controversy after executing a tackle on Kieron Dyer during a second round League Cup match against West Ham United on 28 August 2007. The tackle broke Dyer's tibia and fibula bones in his right leg, rendering him unavailable for both domestic and international selection. West Ham's manager Alan Curbishley, was furious initially accusing Jacobson of conducting himself maliciously, however this was dismissed with a written apology to Jacobson when Curbishley saw the tackle again. ^[19] Awarded Bristol Rovers Supporters Club Young Player of the Year Award 2007–08. ^[20] During his spell at Rovers, he was voted Young Player of the Year and helped the team to promotion to League 1 and to the quarter final of the FA Cup, scoring in a penalty shoot out win against Premiership Fulham. In 2008, he won the Maccabi GB Senior Sports Award. ^[21]

On 8 May 2009, it was announced that Jacobson was to be released by Bristol Rovers at the end of his contract. ^[22]

Oldham Athletic

On 18 June 2009, Jacobson signed a two-year contract with Oldham Athletic after passing a medical. ^[23] Jacobson made his long-awaited debut for Oldham on 24 November 2009, playing 45 minutes as a substitute in a 3:nil defeat to Walsall. ^[24]

In July 2010 he was transfer-listed by the club, along with five other first team players. ^[25]

Accrington Stanley

Jacobson playing for Accrington Stanley in 2011

On 23 November, he joined Accrington Stanley on loan. ^[26] On 7 January Stanley announced the loan had been extended until 29 January with an option to extend until the end of the season. ^[27] The following day he scored his first goal for the club as they beat Bury 1–0. ^[28] On 31 January 2011 he signed for Stanley on a permanent basis, helping them to achieve a playoff place.

Shrewsbury Town

Following the expiration of his Accrington contract, on 28 June 2011 it was announced that he would join Shrewsbury Town on a two-year deal. In an interview he told reporters: "it's the place I wanted to be." Joe made his first appearance for Shrewsbury Town in a 2–0 home win against Crewe Alexandra ^[29] and scored his first goal as a Shrewsbury player in a 7–2 away win against Northampton Town. ^[30] In the 2011–12 season he made 45 appearances for Shrewsbury Town in all competitions establishing himself as first-choice left-back with manager Graham Turner and securing promotion to League One. ^{[31] [32]} In the 2012–13 season, he was selected as captain in the absence of Matt Richards as Shrewsbury confirmed their League One status in a 0–0 draw away at Colchester United on 20 April 2013. ^[33] He retained this role for the final two matches of the season, also scoring in both, against Oldham Athletic and Portsmouth. ^{[34] [35]}

By playing an undisclosed number of matches for Shrewsbury Town, Jacobson triggered a clause in his contract to earn another year, extending his stay to the end of the 2013–14 season. ^[36] Following Shrewsbury's relegation, Jacobson was released at the end of his contract. ^[37]

Wycombe Wanderers

On 1 July 2014, Jacobson signed a two-year contract with Wycombe Wanderers following his release from Shrewsbury Town. ^[38] In the 2015 League Two play-off final, Jacobson's free kick was deflected into his own net by Southend United's goalkeeper Daniel Bentley to open the scoring. ^[39] He later scored a penalty in the shootout, but Wycombe lost on penalties. ^[39] He scored his first career hat-trick with a free kick and two direct corners in a 3–1 win over Lincoln City. ^[40] In 2016 he was selected in League Two's PFA Team of the Year. ^[41] In November 2019 he received the League One Player of the Month Award. ^[42] In the 2020 League One play-off final, Jacobson scored the winning goal from the penalty spot as the club reached the Championship for the first time. ^[43] In July 2020 Jacobson was in discussions about extending his contract with Wycombe. ^[44] Jacobson was awarded the 'Players' Player' award in May 2021, voted for by the playing squad. ^[45] During the 2022 season, Jacobson has been the captain for the Wanderers. Having been defeated 2–0 by Sunderland in the 2022 EFL League One play-off final, ^[46] Jacobson was offered a new contract at the end of the 2021–22 season. ^[47] Near the end of the 2023–24 season, it was confirmed that he would leave Wycombe at the end of his contract. ^[48] He made his 400th and final appearance for Wycombe in a 1–0 victory against Charlton Athletic. ^[49]

International career

Jacobson represented Great Britain at the 2001 Maccabiah Games in Israel at the age of 14. ^[50]

Jacobson captained the Wales Under-21 side that beat France and Romania until narrowly losing over two legs to England U21 in the 2009 European Championship play-offs in October 2008. ^[5] John Toshack named him in the senior squad for several friendlies but he did not make his debut for the senior team. ^[51]

Career statistics

As of end of 2023–24 season

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Cardiff City	2005–06 [52]	Championship	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
	2006–07 [53]	Championship	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	Total		1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
Accrington Stanley (loan)	2006–07 [53]	League Two	6	1	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	7	1
Bristol Rovers (loan)	2006–07 [53]	League Two	11	0	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	13	0
Bristol Rovers	2007–08 [54]	League One	40	1	7	0	2	0	0	0	49	1
	2008–09 [55]	League One	22	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	22	0
	Total		62	1	7	0	2	0	0	0	71	1
Oldham Athletic	2009–10 [56]	League One	15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	0
	2010–11 [57]	League One	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	0
Accrington Stanley (loan)	2010–11 [57]	League Two	26	2	1	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	29	2
Shrewsbury Town	2011–12 [32]	League Two	39	1	3	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	45	1
	2012–13 [58]	League One	30	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	31	2
	2013–14 [59]	League One	41	4	0	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	43	4
	Total		110	7	3	0	4	0	2	0	119	7
Wycombe Wanderers	2014–15 [60]	League Two	42	3	2	0	1	0	4 [lower-alpha 3]	0	49	3
	2015–16 [61]	League Two	34	1	3	1	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	39	2
	2016–17 [62]	League Two	39	3	4	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 4]	0	47	3
	2017–18 [63]	League Two	46	6	3	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	51	6
	2018–19 [64]	League One	36	7	1	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	40	7
	2019–20 [65]	League One	30	9	1	1	0	0	5 [lower-alpha 5]	2	36	12
	2020–21 [66]	Championship	37	4	2	1	1	0	0	0	40	5
	2021–22 [67]	League One	40	3	2	1	3	0	4 [lower-alpha 6]	0	49	4
	2022–23 [68]	League One	34	1	0	0	2	1	2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	38	2
	2023–24 [69]	League One	6	0	1	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 4]	0	11	0
	Total		344	37	19	4	12	1	25	2	400	44
Career total			576	48	30	4	19	1	32	2	657	55

1. Appearances in the Football League Trophy
2. Appearances in the EFL League Two play-offs
3. One appearance in the Football League Trophy and three in the EFL League Two play-offs
4. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
5. Two appearances in EFL Trophy and three appearances and two goals in EFL League One play-offs
6. One appearance in EFL Trophy and two appearances in League One play-offs

Honours

Shrewsbury Town

• Football League Two second-place promotion: 2011–12 ^[70]

Wycombe Wanderers

• EFL League One play-offs: 2020 ^[43]
• EFL League Two promotion: 2017–18 ^{[ citation needed ]}

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 2015–16 League Two, ^[71] 2019–20 League One ^[72]
• Wycombe Wanderers Player of the Season: 2019–20 ^[72]
• PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2019–20 League One ^[73]
• Wycombe Wanderers Player's Player of the Season: 2020–21 ^[45]

See also

• List of select Jewish football (association; soccer) players

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Wycombe Wanderers" (PDF). English Football League. p. 76. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
2. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 216. ISBN   978-1-84596-601-0.
3. "Jacobson ready for England challenge", ITV.com, 10 October 2008
4. "The kids are alright for boss Jones". WalesOnline. 16 April 2006.
5. "Joe Jacobson: 'I don't think about religion, I just get on with the football'; Bristol Rovers' Joe Jacobson is the first British Jew to play professional football for 25 years. James Corrigan asked him to explain that baffling statistic", The Independent, 8 March 2008
6. "English Soccer: Bristol Rovers' Joe Jacobson is one-of-a-kind". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
7. Clavane, Anthony (19 August 2014). Does Your Rabbi Know You're Here?: The Story of English Football's Forgotten Tribe. Quercus. ISBN   9781623655396 – via Google Books.
8. "Wycombe Wanderers defender Joe Jacobson joins Kick It Out". jewishnews.timesofisrael.com.
9. Writer, Henry Winter, Chief Football. "The player's view on football's battle with antisemitism". The Times. London.
10. Ellis, Adam (8 February 2016). "Football Firsts: Wycombe Wanderers defender Joe Jacobson".
11. "Bring on the Villa, says Joe the giant-killer," The Jewish Chronicle.
12. "Bluebird Joe makes a piece of football history". WalesOnline. 9 April 2007.
13. Harris, Rob (4 March 2024). "Wycombe Wanderers captain Joe Jacobson reveals he needed security escort as data shows spike in antisemitism". Sky Sports. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
14. "Bluebirds' transfers".
15. "The Bristol Rovers' Joe Jacobson is one-of-a-kind", The Jerusalem Post
16. "Jacobson's loan switch collapses". BBC News. 16 November 2006.
17. "Stanley's new signings".
18. "Pirates recruit Cardiff defender". BBC News. 15 February 2007.
19. BBC (2007) Curbishley fury at Dyer leg break, 29 August. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
20. "Team | First Team | Joe Jacobson". Bristol Rovers F.C. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
21. "The Maccabi Awards: In full," The Jewish Chronicle.
22. "Jacobson completes Oldham switch", BBC
23. "Jacobson joins Latics". Sky Sports. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
24. News, Manchester Evening (24 November 2009). "Walsall 3 Oldham 0". Manchester Evening News.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
25. "Transfer-listed Players". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Archived from the original on 28 July 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
26. "Joe aims to kick start his career". Manchester Evening News. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
27. "Jacobson loan spell extended". Accrington Stanley F.C. 7 January 2011. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
28. "Accrington 1–0 Bury". BBC Sport. 8 January 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
29. "Joe Jacobson – Football Stats – Shrewsbury Town – Soccerbase". Soccerbase. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
30. "Northampton 2–7 Shrewsbury". BBC Sport. 19 November 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
31. "Shrewsbury Town promoted from League Two". Shropshire Star. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
32. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
33. "It Was a Great Honour". Shrewsbury Town F.C. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
34. "Shrewsbury 1-0 Oldham". BBC.
35. "Shrewsbury 3-2 Portsmouth". BBC.
36. "Shrewsbury let skipper Richards go". BBC.
37. "The Retained and Released List". Shrewsbury Town F.C. 13 May 2014.
38. "Joe Jacobson: Wycombe Wanderers seal move for full-back". BBC Sport. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
39. Shepka, Phil (23 May 2015). "Southend United 1–1 Wycombe Wanderers (7–6 on pens)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
40. "Wycombe Wanderers 3-1 Lincoln City". BBC Sport. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
41. "Jacobson named in PFA Team of the Year," The Jewish Chronicle.
42. "Wycombe's Gareth Ainsworth, Joe Jacobson take League One awards for November". Sports Mole.
43. Williams, Adam (13 July 2020). "Oxford United 1–2 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
44. "'Proud moment' for Joe Jacobson as he nets Wycombe winner in Wembley final; Star of fairytale play-off victory is the first Jewish player to score at Wembley in 53 years," The Jewish Chronicle.
45. "Josh scoops two awards at Adams Park ceremony". wycombewanderers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
46. "Sunderland back in Championship after play-off win". BBC Sport. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
47. "Contract offers made to Chairboys stars". wwfc.com. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
48. Richings (24 April 2024). "Wycombe captain Joe Jacobson to leave after 10 years". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
49. "Wycombe Wanderers 1–0 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
50. Craig Silver (20 April 2007). "Who said there are no Jewish pro footballers?". The Jewish Chronicle– via PressReader.
51. "Sport". The Daily Telegraph. London. 4 February 2016.^{[ dead link ]}
52. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
53. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
54. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
55. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
56. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
57. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
58. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
59. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
60. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
61. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
62. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
63. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
64. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
65. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
66. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
67. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
68. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
69. "Games played by Joe Jacobson in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
70. "J.Jacobson". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
71. "PFA awards: Leicester and Spurs dominate Premier League team". BBC Sport. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
72. "Jacobson win's Wycombe's Supporters' Player of the Year award". Bucks Free Press. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
73. "Wycombe's Joe Jacobson Wins PFA Bristol Street Motors Fans' Player Award". Bristol Street Motors. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2023.

External links

• Joe Jacobson at Soccerbase