Josh Umerah

Joshua Umerah

Umerah warming up for Hartlepool United in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Joshua Chukwudinma Umerah [1]
Date of birth	(1997-03-08) 8 March 1997 (age 27) [2]
Place of birth	Catford, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.86 m) [2]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Dagenham & Redbridge
Youth career
2008–2015	Charlton Athletic
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2019	Charlton Athletic	2	(0)
2017	→ Kilmarnock (loan)	4	(0)
2017–2018	→ Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	6	(2)
2018–2019	→ Boreham Wood (loan)	20	(6)
2019–2020	Ebbsfleet United	30	(4)
2020–2021	Torquay United	27	(1)
2021–2022	Wealdstone	43	(17)
2022–2024	Hartlepool United	61	(14)
2024–	Dagenham & Redbridge	0	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:21, 30 December 2023 (UTC)

Joshua Chukwudinma Umerah (born 8 March 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for National League club Dagenham & Redbridge.

Umerah began his career with Charlton Athletic, making his debut in 2016, and spent time on loan at Scottish club Kilmarnock, Wycombe Wanderers, Boreham Wood. He left Charlton in 2019, spending a season each at National League clubs Ebbsfleet United, Torquay United, and Wealdstone, before returning to the Football League with Hartlepool United in 2022. After two seasons with Hartlepool, he joined Dagenham & Redbridge.

Career

Charlton Athletic

Umerah came through the Charlton Athletic academy, and helped the under-18 side to win the Professional Development League 2 after finishing as top-scorer during the 2014–15 season. ^[3] He made his first team debut as a 66th-minute substitute for Igor Vetokele in a 6–0 defeat to Hull City in a Championship match at the KCOM Stadium on 16 January 2016. ^[4] He signed an extended contract with the club in April 2016, to keep him at the club until June 2018. ^[5]

Kilmarnock, Wycombe Wanderers, and Boreham Wood loans

Umerah moved on loan to Kilmarnock in January 2017. ^[6] Umerah joined Wycombe Wanderers on 29 August 2017, for an initial loan running until January 2018, wearing the number 26 shirt for his time at Adams Park.

On 8 August 2018, Umerah signed on loan for Boreham Wood for the entire 2018–19 season. ^[7]

Ebbsfleet and Torquay

On 23 July 2019, Umerah signed for Ebbsfleet United. ^[8]

On 9 September 2020, Umerah signed for Torquay United. ^[8] On 23 June 2021, he was released by the club.

Wealdstone

On 6 July 2021 Umerah signed for Wealdstone. On 21 August 2021, Umerah scored on his Wealdstone debut in a 2–1 defeat to Woking. He would go on to score 5 times in his first 7 appearances for the Stones, including a brace away at Notts County. On 12 February 2022, Umerah scored Wealdstone's second in an eventual 3–1 win against local rivals Barnet, taking his tally up to 10 for the season. ^[9] He scored a total of 17 goals for Wealdstone.

Hartlepool United

On 14 July 2022 League Two side Hartlepool United announced the signing of Umerah from Wealdstone for an undisclosed fee. He was reported to have signed a two-year deal with the League Two club. ^[10] In his fourth game, Umerah scored his first Hartlepool goal in a 2–1 defeat to Northampton Town. ^[11] On 26 November, Umerah reached double digits for the season with a brace in a 3–1 win against Harrogate Town in a second round FA Cup fixture. ^[12] Umerah won the League Two PFA fans' Player of the Month for January 2023. ^[13] Umerah scored 15 goals in 47 matches in his first Hartlepool season although the club were relegated to the National League. ^{[11] [14]} In 2023–24, Umerah struggled for form in his second season with the club, scoring twice in 21 games, and lost his place in the starting line-up to Emmanuel Dieseruvwe. ^{[15] [16]} In March 2024, it was announced that he would be ruled out for the remainder of the season in order to undergo surgery. ^[15] He was released by Hartlepool United at the end of the 2023–24 season. ^[17] In his two seasons in the North East, he scored 17 goals in 68 appearances. ^[16]

Dagenham & Redbridge

On 30 May 2024, it was confirmed that Umerah would sign for National League club Dagenham & Redbridge on a one-year deal with a one-year extension clause. ^[18]

Career statistics

As of end of 2023–24 season

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Charlton Athletic	2015–16 [19]	Championship	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
	2016–17 [20]	League One	1	0	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	2	0
	2017–18 [21]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	0
Kilmarnock (loan)	2016–17 [20]	Scottish Premiership	4	0	—		—		—		4	0
Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	2017–18 [21]	League Two	6	2	—		—		1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	7	2
Boreham Wood (loan)	2018–19 [16]	National League	20	6	3	1	—		1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	24	7
Ebbsfleet United	2019–20 [16]	National League	30	4	3	0	—		3 [lower-alpha 3]	0	36	4
Torquay United	2020–21 [16]	National League	27	1	2	2	—		3 [lower-alpha 3]	2	32	5
Wealdstone	2021–22 [16]	National League	43	17	1	0	—		1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	45	17
Hartlepool United	2022–23 [11]	League Two	41	12	4	3	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	47	15
	2023–24 [16]	National League	20	2	1	0	—		0	0	21	2
	Total		61	14	5	3	1	0	1	0	68	17
Career total			193	44	14	6	1	0	11	2	219	52

1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
2. Appearance in Scottish Challenge Cup
3. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy

References

1. "Retained List 2016-17" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
2. "Josh Umerah". 11v11. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
3. Adamson, Steve (13 May 2015). "Top scorer Josh Umerah and defender Aaron Barnes spoke of their pride". www.cafc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
4. "Hull City 6–0 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
5. Jones, George (29 April 2016). "NEWS | Prolific academy graduate extends his contract until 2018". cafc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
6. "Kilmarnock secure deals for Conor Sammon, Scott Boyd and Joshua Umerah". BBC Sport. BBC. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
7. "Charlton youngster joins Boreham Wood on loan until the end of the season". Charlton Athletic. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
8. "Umerah brings Fleet nearer to a full squad". Ebbsfleet United F.C. Official Website. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
9. "MATCH REPORT | Barnet 1–3 Wealdstone". 12 February 2022.
10. "Pools sign Josh Umerah". Hartlepool United FC. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
11. "Games played by Josh Umerah in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
12. "Pools see off Harrogate after Mattock's red card". BBC Sport. 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
13. "Josh Umerah wins PFA fans player of the month". Hartlepool United FC. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
14. "Hartlepool United 3–1 Barrow: Pools relegated to National League despite win". BBC Sport. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
15. Stelling, Robbie (21 March 2024). "Josh Umerah's season is over as Hartlepool United striker set for surgery". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
16. "J. Umerah: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
17. "Retained List 2023/24". Hartlepool United FC. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
18. "Daggers sign Josh Umerah". Dagenham & Redbridge. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
19. "Games played by Josh Umerah in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
20. "Games played by Josh Umerah in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
21. "Games played by Josh Umerah in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.