Kane Wilson

Kane Wilson

Personal information
Full name	Kane Leo Wilson [1]
Date of birth	(2000-03-11) 11 March 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth	Birmingham, England [2]
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [3]
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	Derby County
Number	2
Youth career
2007–2016	West Bromwich Albion
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2020	West Bromwich Albion	0	(0)
2017–2018	→ Exeter City (loan)	19	(1)
2018–2019	→ Walsall (loan)	14	(0)
2019	→ Exeter City (loan)	17	(0)
2019–2020	→ Tranmere Rovers (loan)	13	(0)
2020–2022	Forest Green Rovers	70	(4)
2022–2023	Bristol City	5	(0)
2023–	Derby County	57	(5)
International career‡
2015–2016	England U16	5	(1)
2016	England U17	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:37, 14 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:41, 23 August 2016 (UTC)

Kane Leo Wilson (born 11 March 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for EFL Championship club Derby County.

Wilson joined the West Bromwich Albion aged 7, and would make his first and only appearance for the first team in 2016, he would have loan spells at Exeter City (twice), Walsall and Tranmere Rovers.

In 2020, Wilson signed with Forest Green Rovers and in the 2021–22 season, Wilson would be named League Two player of the season in the 2022 EFL Awards, as Forest Green won the League Two title. In June 2022, Wilson signed with Bristol City, an injury hit season would limit his appearances and in 2023, Wilson left to join Derby County, where in his first season he helped the side win automatic promotion to the Championship.

Club career

West Bromwich Albion

Wilson came to West Bromwich Albion at the age of 7, alongside Sam Field, and they were joined by Jonathan Leko three years later: all made their professional debuts in 2016. ^[4] Wilson spent most of the 2015–16 season in their under-18 team, making only three appearances in the under-21 team, all as a substitute. However, he was fast-tracked into the first team for their summer tour to Austria. He played his first senior game against Paris Saint-Germain and his first start against Torquay United. ^[4]

Wilson made his competitive debut in the EFL Cup first round away to Northampton Town on 23 August 2016, coming on in the 70th minute for fellow debutant Brendan Galloway. The game ended as a 2–2 draw which his team lost 4–3 on penalties. ^[5]

Five days after his debut, Wilson was named in West Brom's squad for their Premier League game against Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns. Had he come onto the pitch, he would have been the league's first player born in the 2000s. ^[4]

Exeter City loan

Wilson joined Exeter City on loan for five months on the summer transfer deadline day. ^[6] He did not make his league debut until 28 October, in a 1–1 draw at Mansfield Town. He was sent off on his debut for accumulating two yellow cards, being given his marching orders in the 93rd minute. ^[7]

Tranmere Rovers loan

On 9 August 2019, Wilson joined Tranmere Rovers on loan until January 2020, ^[8] making his debut the next day in a 2–0 loss to Portsmouth ^[9]

Forest Green Rovers

Wilson signed permanently with Forest Green Rovers on a two-year deal on 8 July 2020. ^[10]

The 2021–22 season brought success for Wilson on both a club and individual level. With promotion to League One secured for the first time in the club's history after a 0–0 draw with Bristol Rovers, ^[11] Wilson was awarded the League Two Player of the Season award the following day at the 2022 EFL Awards ^[12] as well as being named in the 2021–22 League Two Team of the Season. ^[13]

Bristol City

On 10 June 2022, Wilson signed a three-year contract for Championship team Bristol City. In a season hampered by injury, the full-back made seven appearances, providing one goal and one assist for the Robins.

Derby County

On 10 July 2023, Wilson signed a two-year deal with Derby County for a undisclosed fee. ^[14] Wilson picked up a minor knee injury in the match at home to Oxford United on 15 August which ruled him out of action for four weeks. ^[15] Upon his return, Wilson became a fans favourite with his skills and his desire to take opposition on as he showed in a substitute appearance in 3–0 victory against Barnsley on 11 November 2023. ^[16] In a November 2023 interview to the Derby Telegraph, Wilson appreciated the support he got from Derby fans since he joined ^[16] and after difficult period at Bristol City under Nigel Pearson due to injuries and not being in favour, Wilson was keen to follow the example of teammate Craig Forsyth and develop his game at Derby under head coach Paul Warne long term. ^[16] Wilson scored his first goal for Derby in a 3–1 League One win against Lincoln City on 21 December 2023, scoring to make the game 2–1 after he came on as a half-time substitute, he also assisted the third Derby goal scored by James Collins. ^[17] On 16 March 2024, Wilson scored his second goal for Derby in a 1–0 win over promotion rivals Bolton Wanderers. ^[18] Wison made 49 appearances, scoring three times during his first season as Derby as they finished runners-up in the division and earn promotion to the Championship automatically. ^[19]

On 9 August 2024, Wilson scored in Derby's first game of the 2024–25 season in a 4–2 defeat at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship. ^[20] On 17 August 2024, Wilson picked up a hamstring injury in the match against Middlesbrough. ^[21]

International career

Wilson has represented England at U16 and U17 level. In October 2016, Wilson represented England U17 in a 5–0 win over Croatia and an 8–1 win over Germany. ^[22]

Personal life

Wilson received his GCSE results in the week before his professional debut. His grades were two A's, four B's and five C's. ^[4] He is of Jamaican descent. ^[23]

Career statistics

As of match played 13 December 2024

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
West Bromwich Albion	2016–17 [24]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	2017–18 [25]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2018–19 [26]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2019–20 [27]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
West Bromwich Albion U23	2016–17 [24]	—			—		—		2 [a]	0	2	0
Exeter City (loan)	2017–18 [25]	League Two	19	1	1	0	—		2 [a]	0	22	1
Walsall (loan)	2018–19 [26]	League One	14	0	0	0	2	0	4 [a]	0	20	0
Exeter City (loan)	2018–19 [26]	League Two	17	0	—		—		—		17	0
Tranmere Rovers (loan)	2019–20 [27]	League One	13	0	2	0	1	0	1 [a]	0	17	0
Forest Green Rovers	2020–21 [28]	League Two	27	1	1	0	1	0	4 [b]	0	33	1
	2021–22 [29]	League Two	45	3	1	0	2	0	0	0	48	3
	Total		72	4	2	0	3	0	4	0	81	4
Bristol City	2022–23 [30]	Championship	5	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	7	1
Derby County	2023–24 [31]	League One	41	3	2	0	1	0	5 [a]	0	49	3
	2024–25 [32]	Championship	16	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	17	2
	Total		57	5	2	0	2	0	5	0	66	5
Career total			197	10	7	0	11	1	18	0	233	11

1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
2. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy and League Two play-offs

Honours

Forest Green Rovers

• EFL League Two: 2021–22 ^[33]

Derby County

• EFL League One second-place promotion: 2023–24 ^[19]

Individual

• EFL League Two Player of the Season: 2021–22 ^[12]
• EFL League Two Team of the Season: 2021–22 ^[13]
• PFA Team of the Year: 2021–22 League Two ^[34]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Tranmere Rovers" (PDF). English Football League. p. 73. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
2. Kane Wilson at Soccerway. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
3. "Kane Wilson". West Bromwich Albion F.C. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
4. Kendrick, Mat (28 August 2016). "Who is Kane Wilson? Introducing West Brom's 16-year-old wonder boy". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
5. "Northampton Town vs West Bromwich Albion". BBC Sport. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
6. "Kane Wilson signs on loan". www.exetercityfc.co.uk. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
7. "Mansfield Town 1-1 Exeter City". BBC Sport. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
8. "Kane Wilson: Tranmere Rovers sign West Bromwich Albion defender on loan". www.bbc.co.uk. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
9. "Portsmouth 2-0 Tranmere Rovers". 10 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
10. "Forest Green Rovers: Kane Wilson joins League Two club on two-year contract". 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
11. "Forest Green promoted to League One for first time". BBC Sport. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
12. "Aleksandar Mitrovic named Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season". www.efl.com. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
13. "Football Manager EFL Team of the Season line-ups announced". www.efl.com. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
14. "Derby County sign Kane Wilson from Bristol City". Derbyshirelive. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
15. "Derby County defender tells team mates what they need to do in EFL Trophy clash". Yahoo! News UK. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
16. "Kane Wilson on 'beautiful' Derby County, leaving West Brom and why he can be a bit 'sulky'". Derbyshirelive. 18 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
17. "Derby County 3–1 Lincoln City". BBC Sport. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
18. "Derby County 1–0 Bolton Wanderers". BBC Sport. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
19. "Breaking: Derby County promoted as duo seal it for Paul Warne's side". Derby Telegraph. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
20. "Derby County fell to a 4-2 defeat in their first game of the 2024/25 Sky Bet Championship season". Derby County. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
21. "Paul Warne confirms double Derby County injury blow as duo to miss Watford clash". Derby Telegraph. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
22. "West Brom youngster on the battering of Germany - and his desire for more of the same - Birmingham Live". 6 October 2016.
23. "Black History Month Profile: Kane Wilson". 20 October 2022.
24. "Games played by Kane Wilson in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
25. "Games played by Kane Wilson in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
26. "Games played by Kane Wilson in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
27. "Games played by Kane Wilson in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
28. "Games played by Kane Wilson in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
29. "Games played by Kane Wilson in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
30. "Games played by Kane Wilson in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
31. "Games played by Kane Wilson in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
32. "Games played by Kane Wilson in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
33. "Mansfield Town 2–2 Forest Green Rovers: Draw seals title for Rovers". BBC Sport. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
34. "Salah and Kerr win PFA player of year awards". BBC Sport. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.

External links

• England profile at The FA
• Kane Wilson at Soccerbase