| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luke James Molyneux [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 29 March 1998 [2] | ||
| Place of birth | Bishop Auckland, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) [2] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2018 | Sunderland | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | Sunderland | 3 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Gateshead (loan) | 15 | (2) |
| 2019 | → Hartlepool United (loan) | 16 | (2) |
| 2019–2022 | Hartlepool United | 78 | (11) |
| 2022– | Doncaster Rovers | 149 | (32) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 December 2025 (UTC) | |||
Luke Molyneux (born 29 March 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League One club Doncaster Rovers.
Molyneux came through the ranks with Sunderland and played his first professional games for the under-23 squad in the 2016–17 EFL Trophy. He later went on to make his first-team debut in a 3–0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on 6 May 2018. [3]
After a handful of substitute appearances early in the 2018–19 season, Molyneux went on a half-season loan to National League side Gateshead. [4] Molyneux scored his first career goal in a 4–0 victory over Dunston UTS on 20 October 2018 in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup. [5] He later went on to score his first league goals against Maidstone United on 22 December 2018, netting two goals in a 3–2 win. [6] Molyneux made 18 appearances for Gateshead during his loan spell, scoring three goals. [7]
Following his return to Sunderland, Molyneux went on a further loan to another local National League side Hartlepool United on 18 January 2019. [8] Molyneux made 16 appearances for Hartlepool during his loan spell, scoring the winning goals in victories over Dover Athletic and FC Halifax Town. [9] [10] [11]
Following his release by Sunderland, Molyneux signed permanently for Hartlepool permanently on 12 June 2019. [12] Unfortunately for Molyneux, his first full season with the club was cut short after suffering an ankle injury during a pre-season friendly at York City. [13] On 1 January 2020, Molyneux made his return from injury as a late substitute in a 1–0 defeat against Harrogate Town. [14] On 8 February 2020, Molyneux made his first start of 2019–20 season as he scored and assisted in Hartlepool's 2–0 victory over Aldershot Town. [15]
In October 2020, Molyneux contracted COVID-19, forcing him to miss the opening fixtures of the 2020–21 season. [16] In the 2021 National League play-off final, Molyneux was a late substitute in extra time against Torquay United. In the resulting penalty shoot-out, he scored Hartlepool's fifth penalty as Hartlepool were promoted back to League Two. [17]
On 20 July 2021, Molyneux signed a contract extension with Hartlepool. [18] On 25 September 2021, Molyneux scored his first Football League goal in a 1–1 draw with Exeter City. [19] On 25 January 2022, Molyneux scored the equaliser against Charlton Athletic three minutes after coming off the bench as Hartlepool progressed to the semi-finals of the EFL Trophy. [20] He also scored in the resulting penalty shoot-out. This performance earned him player of the round for the quarter-finals. [21]
Molyneux picked up three awards at Hartlepool's 2021–22 Awards ceremony. He won the Players' and Fans' Player of the Year Award, along with the Goal of the Season Award for his long range strike in a 2–1 win against Harrogate Town. [22] On 21 June 2022, it was announced that Molyneux had turned down the offer of a new contract and would be leaving the club. He left for Doncaster Rovers. [23]
On 21 June 2022, the same day as his impending departure from Hartlepool was announced, Molyneux agreed to join recently relegated League Two club Doncaster Rovers on a two-year deal. [24] Molyneux later revealed that he had been in talks with League One sides Milton Keynes Dons and Bristol Rovers in the weeks prior to him joining Doncaster. [25] In February 2023, Molyneux scored a brace in a 2–0 victory at Swindon Town, his first goals for the club. [26]
In the 2023–24 season, following his first year at the club. Doncaster finished fifth in League Two, securing a play-off place but ultimately falling short of promotion. The team scored 73 goals across the league campaign, with Molyneux scoring 11 goals in all competitions. [27] On 28 May 2024, the club announced he had signed a new three-year deal, extending his stay at the club until the summer of 2027. The deal followed interest from other clubs but Molyneux opted to commit his future to the Rovers, emphasising his desire to help the club achieve promotion [28]
Molyneux started the 2024-2025 season with a brace in a 4–1 league victory over Accrington Stanley on the opening day of the League Two campaign. His two goals helped Doncaster secure a convincing win. [29] Following a strong start to the 2024–25 season, Molyneux was named EFL League Two Player of the Month for August 2024 having scored four goals and contributed two assists. [30]
On 28 September 2024, Molyneux picked up the second red card of his career after he received two yellow cards in Doncaster's 3–0 defeat to Chesterfield. [31] However he quickly made amends as on his return from his one-game suspension, Molyneux scored and picked up an assist in his side's 3–0 away win at Grimsby Town. [32]
On 12 January 2025 during the FA Cup third round tie against Hull City at the MKM Stadium , Molyneux scored shortly after half-time to give Doncaster the lead against Championship club. The match finished 1–1 after extra time, and Doncaster progressed to the fourth round by winning 5–4 on penalties, with Molyneux also converting in the shoot-out. [33]
On 29 January 2025, Molyneux scored another brace in a 3–1 away win against Barrow, finishing both before and after half-time. This performance also took his tally to 12 goals in all competitions for the season at that point. [34]
On 1 April 2025, Molyneux made his 150th appearance for Doncaster Rovers and scored his 50th goal for the club. [35] On 18 April 2025, he scored a first career hat-trick as his side defeated Tranmere Rovers 3–0 to move into second position with just three matches remaining. [36] Following their title win, Molyneux was named as the side's Player of the Season, also winning the Players' Player of the Year, Supporters' Player of the Year and Goal of the Season awards, in addition to the Golden Boot after scoring 16 times in 45 league appearances. [37] [38] He was included in the League Two Team of the Season and was nominated for the League Two Player of the Season award. [39] [40]
On 6 September 2025, Doncaster beat Bradford City 3-0 in an EFL League One fixture at the Eco-Power Stadium. At the time of the match, Bradford City sat first in the league table, while Doncaster began the day in third place. Molyneux opened the scoring in the sixth minute, heading in a cross from Jordan Gibson to give the home side an early advantage. Bradford equalised through Will Swan on 12 minutes, but Doncaster regained the lead when Gibson scored in the 22nd minute. Shortly before half-time, Billy Sharp added a third goal to extend the advantage. The result handed Bradford their first league defeat of the season. [41]
Molyneux has been described as a versatile performer who is comfortable on either flank or even in a more central position, and is known for his direct style, pace and trickery. [2] In September 2024, Doncaster manager Grant McCann said of Luke: "He has all the attributes we like in his play – his ability to beat people, get at them, create and score, as well as being a great person who wants to learn and get better." [30]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sunderland | 2016–17 [43] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 [a] | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2017–18 [44] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 [a] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 [45] | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 [a] | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Gateshead (loan) | 2018–19 [42] | National League | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 [b] | 0 | 18 | 3 |
| Hartlepool United | 2018–19 [42] | National League | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| 2019–20 [42] | National League | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2020–21 [42] | National League | 25 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 [c] | 0 | 29 | 3 | |
| 2021–22 [46] | League Two | 43 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 [a] | 3 | 55 | 12 | |
| Total | 94 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 111 | 18 | ||
| Doncaster Rovers | 2022–23 [47] | League Two | 40 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 [a] | 0 | 44 | 3 |
| 2023–24 [48] | League Two | 45 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 58 | 11 | |
| 2024–25 [38] | League Two | 45 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 [a] | 0 | 55 | 18 | |
| 2025–26 [49] | League One | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | |
| Total | 136 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 165 | 34 | ||
| Career total | 248 | 45 | 18 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 33 | 5 | 307 | 55 | ||
Hartlepool United
Doncaster Rovers
Individual
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