Joe Wright (footballer, born 1995)

Last updated

Joe Wright
Joe Wright 2025.jpg
Wright in 2025
Personal information
Full name Joseph Harris Wright [1]
Date of birth (1995-02-26) 26 February 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth Monk Fryston, England
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) [2]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Bradford City
Number 4
Youth career
2010–2013 Huddersfield Town
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2013–2016 Huddersfield Town 0 (0)
2015–2016 → Accrington Stanley (loan) 20 (0)
2016–2021 Doncaster Rovers 129 (4)
2022–2025 Kilmarnock 93 (10)
2025– Bradford City 0 (0)
International career
2015 Wales U21 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 30 April 2025

Joseph Harris Wright (born 26 February 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Bradford City. He is a former Wales under-21 international.

Contents

He was originally a professional with Huddersfield Town in England and has played for English clubs Accrington Stanley (on loan) and Doncaster Rovers.

Born in England, Wright has represented Wales at Under 21 level.

Club career

Huddersfield Town

Wright joined Huddersfield Town at under-16 level in September 2010, and signed his first professional contract with the club in 2013. [3] Wright featured on the bench for the Terriers in February 2015, before securing a further one-year contract to keep him at the club until June 2016. [4]

Accrington Stanley (loan)

In the summer of 2015, Wright signed for Accrington Stanley on loan until January 2016 and made his professional debut against Luton Town in August as a substitute for Adam Buxton. [5] [6]

On 5 January 2016, Wright's loan deal was extended until the end of the season.

Doncaster Rovers

Following the conclusion of the 2015–16 season, Wright joined recently relegated Football League Two side Doncaster Rovers.

On the final day of the 2020–21 season, Wright damaged both his knee and ankle after falling awkwardly, the injury expected to rule him out for a period of up to nine months. [7] Following the injury, it was confirmed that the club had been unable to reach an agreement with Wright with regards to a new contract and he would be departing the club, although Rovers would continue to offer him recovery and rehabilitation. [8]

Kilmarnock

On 13 July 2022, after a year without a club, Wright joined Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock on a one-year deal, [9] having also had a trial with Heart of Midlothian. [10]

In his debut season, Wright made 44 appearances across all competitions, scoring 5 goals. Notably, he scored twice in a 2–3 home defeat to Livingston on 4 November 2022 and added goals against Aberdeen and Rangers later in the season. His performances contributed to Kilmarnock's 10th-place finish in the Scottish Premiership, he extended his stay with the club by signing a two-year contract, keeping him at Rugby Park until June 2025.

Wright continued to be a key figure in the 2023–24 season, making 32 appearances and scoring 3 goals. He found the net in league matches against Hibernian on 16 September 2023, Dundee on 30 December 2023, and St Johnstone on 13 April 2024. His contributions helped Kilmarnock secure a 4th-place finish, earning qualification for the UEFA Europa League.

In the 2024–25 season, Wright has made 36 appearances across all competitions, scoring 2 goals. A highlight of the season was his decisive goal in the UEFA Europa Conference League on 15 August 2024, where he scored the only goal in a 1–0 away victory against Tromsø IL, securing a 3–2 aggregate win and advancing Kilmarnock to the play-off round against FC Copenhagen. [11]

Bradford City

On 6 June 2025, Wright agreed to join newly promoted League One side Bradford City on a two-year deal. [12] [13]

International career

Wright has represented the Wales national under-21 football team. [14]

Career statistics

As of match played 2 April 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup League Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Huddersfield Town 2014–15 [15] Championship 000000—00
Accrington Stanley (loan) 2015–16 [16] League Two 200200000220
Doncaster Rovers 2016–17 [17] League Two 22010103 [a] 0270
2017–18 [18] League One 33010301 [a] 0380
2018–19 [19] League One 14210201 [b] 0182
2019–20 [20] League One 20030003 [a] 1261
2020–21 [21] League One 31240103 [a] 0392
Total1204100701111355
Career total1404120701111575
  1. 1 2 3 4 Appearances in the EFL Trophy
  2. ↑ Appearances in the EFL League One Play-offs

References

  1. ↑ "Notification of shirt numbers: Doncaster Rovers" (PDF). English Football League. p. 27. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  2. ↑ "Joe Wright". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. Doncaster Rovers F.C. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  3. ↑ "FOUR 2ND YEAR SCHOLARS OFFERED DEALS". htafc.com. Huddersfield Town. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "CONTRACT UPDATE". htafc.com. Huddersfield Town. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  5. ↑ "Joe has the Wright stuff". accringtonstanley.co.uk. Accrington Stanley. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Accrington 1 Luton 1". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  7. ↑ Hoden, Liam (14 May 2021). "Bitter blow for Joe Wright as severity of Doncaster Rovers defender's injury is revealed". Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "Rovers submit retain and release list to EFL". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  9. ↑ "Joe Wright joins Killie". 13 July 2022.
  10. ↑ "Hearts set to offer Joe Wright a contract after trialist completes 90 minutes in 5-0 win over Bonnyrigg Rose". 9 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "Tromso 0-1 Kilmarnock (2-3 agg): Joe Wright header sends Killie to Europa Conference League play-offs against FC Copenhagen". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  12. ↑ "BANTAMS SNAP UP WRIGHT". www.bradfordcityafc.com. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  13. ↑ "Joe Wright: Bradford City sign Kilmarnock defender on two-year deal". BBC Sport. 6 June 2025.
  14. ↑ "Wales U21 3 Bulgaria U21 1". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Games played by Joe Wright in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Games played by Joe Wright in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  17. ↑ "Games played by Joe Wright in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  18. ↑ "Games played by Joe Wright in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  19. ↑ "Games played by Joe Wright in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  20. ↑ "Games played by Joe Wright in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  21. ↑ "Games played by Joe Wright in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
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