Luke Prosser

Luke Prosser

Personal information
Full name	Luke Barrie Prosser [1]
Date of birth	(1988-05-28) 28 May 1988 (age 36) [2]
Place of birth	Enfield, London, England
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) [2]
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
1998–2004	Tottenham Hotspur
2004–2006	Port Vale
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2010	Port Vale	33	(1)
2008	→ Leigh RMI (loan)	7	(0)
2009	→ Salisbury City (loan)	10	(0)
2010	→ Kidderminster Harriers (loan)	9	(0)
2010–2016	Southend United	131	(7)
2011	→ Rushden & Diamonds (loan)	6	(1)
2016	→ Northampton Town (loan)	8	(0)
2016–2020	Colchester United	103	(6)
2020–2022	Stevenage	57	(2)
Total		365	(17)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Luke Barrie Prosser (born 28 May 1988) is an English former professional footballer last played as a defender. He scored 17 goals in 423 league and cup appearances in a 15-year career.

A product of the Tottenham Hotspur youth academy, Prosser joined Port Vale in 2005. He spent five years at the club, also spending time on loan at Leigh RMI, Salisbury City, and Kidderminster Harriers. He moved on to Southend United in 2010, and was initially loaned out to Rushden & Diamonds. He played for Southend in the 2013 Football League Trophy final and was an unused substitute in the 2015 League Two play-off final victory. He was loaned out to Northampton Town in January 2016, and helped the club to win promotion as League Two champions in 2015–16. After being released by Southend, he joined Essex rivals Colchester United for a four-year stay starting in June 2016. He signed for Stevenage in August 2020 and stayed with the club for two seasons.

Career

Port Vale

Prosser joined Tottenham Hotspur at the age of ten after being scouted playing in a soccer school run by Micky Hazard. ^[3] He was signed by Port Vale after he was not offered a Youth Training Scheme contract at White Hart Lane in 2004. ^[3] He played in the Vale youth setup as a trainee before signing a professional contract on 1 July 2006. ^[4] Vale offered him a new six-month contract in May 2007. ^[5] Prosser was loaned to Leigh RMI of the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2008 to gain first-team experience, where he made seven league appearances. ^[6] After returning from this loan spell, he made his debut for Port Vale in a 3–2 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on 5 April 2008. ^[7] He finished the 2007–08 season with five appearances for the club, ^[8] after which he was offered a new contract. ^[9]

Following an injury to Gareth Owen in March 2009, Prosser was allowed to affirm his place in the team and hoped to earn a new contract at the end of the 2008–09 season. ^[10] He succeeded in this aim, signing a 12-month deal in June 2009. ^[11] However, two months later he was transfer listed by new manager Micky Adams in August 2009 along with five other young players, having failed to impress in pre-season. ^[12] He swiftly joined Conference Premier club Salisbury City on a one-month loan deal along with teammate Danny Glover. ^[13] The pair made their debuts as substitutes in a 1–0 defeat to Mansfield Town at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium on 15 August 2009. ^[14] After playing six games for Salisbury, Prosser's loan was extended for a further month on 8 September 2009. ^[15] Adams recalled him in October 2009, ^[16] though he had to settle for a place on the bench, behind the first choice centre-halves. ^[17] Another injury to Gareth Owen allowed Prosser to return to the first XI for a league clash with Rotherham United on 14 November 2009. ^[18] In an eventful first half, Prosser scored his first professional goal with a close ranger header, before being sent off for two bookable offences. ^[19] In March 2010, he was informed that he would not be offered a new contract by Port Vale at the end of the season. ^[20] He immediately joined Conference Premier club Kidderminster Harriers on loan until the end of the season, ^[21] where he made nine appearances. ^[22]

Southend United

In search of a new club, Prosser spent time on trial with Barnet and Lincoln City ahead of the 2010–11 season. ^[6] With a transfer embargo in situ, he signed a pre-contract with Southend United following a trial in August 2010. ^[23] Having played only 13 matches for Southend, Prosser was loaned to Rushden & Diamonds for three months on 7 January 2011. ^[24] He was recalled from his loan on 18 February 2011, ^[25] after playing six league games for the Conference club and scoring his second career goal. ^[26] Back at Southend, Prosser earned a recall against his former club Port Vale on 9 April 2011, where his last-minute goal earned Southend a point. ^[27] He signed a new one-year deal with the club the following month. ^[25] Prosser made 27 appearances for Southend in all competitions during the 2011–12 season, ^[28] as the club narrowly missed out on automatic promotion and failing in the play-offs. With his contract expiring, Southend activated a 12-month extension clause in Prosser's contract in June 2012. ^[29] The following season, Prosser captained Southend in Chris Barker's absence during a 1–1 draw with Accrington Stanley on 9 February 2013. ^[30] He featured for the club in the 2–0 Football League Trophy final defeat to Crewe Alexandra at Wembley Stadium on 7 April 2013. ^[31] In June 2013, Prosser rejected an initial offer of a new contract from Southend. ^[32] However, a week later, he agreed a new two-year deal with the club. ^[33]

Prosser made 31 and 33 appearances, respectively, in the two following seasons as Southend twice reached the play-offs, faltering at the semi-final stage during the 2013–14 season but reaching the final in the 2014–15 campaign. ^{[34] [35]} During the season, he was knocked unconscious by a free kick from Cambridge United's Ryan Donaldson on 21 March 2015. ^[36] He was an unused substitute in the play-off final as Southend beat Wycombe Wanderers to earn promotion to League One on 23 May 2015. ^[37] Northampton Town were keen to sign Prosser ahead of the 2015–16 season, but had a transfer bid rejected in June 2015. ^[38] Prosser was named in the Football League Team of the Week for his performance in a 1–0 win over former club Port Vale at Roots Hall on 10 October 2015. ^[39] However, he found himself out of favour at Southend, ^[40] and on 28 January 2016, he joined Northampton on loan until the end of the season. ^[41] He helped Northampton to the League Two title as he made eight league appearances. ^[42] He was not offered a new contract to remain with his parent club, and Southend released him in May 2016. ^[43]

Colchester United

Prosser signed a two-year contract with League Two club Colchester United on 21 June 2016. ^[44] He was named as captain by manager John McGreal ahead of the 2016–17 season. ^[45] He made his competitive debut for the club in Colchester's 1–1 draw with Hartlepool United at Victoria Park on the opening day of the season. ^[46] After making 17 appearances for the Colchester United first-team, Prosser was ruled out for the remainder of the 2016–17 season in November 2016 following surgery on his knee. ^[47]

In July 2017, Prosser underwent a second operation on his knee that would leave him out of action for a further two months. ^[48] He said that having a baby daughter to focus on helped during his injury layoff. ^[49] Prosser made his first appearance since 5 November 2016 as a substitute in Colchester's 3–1 defeat at Wycombe Wanderers on 13 January 2018. ^[50] He was named of the EFL Team of the Week after he helped the "U's" to keep a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory at Stevenage. ^[51] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 victory over Luton Town on 30 March 2018. ^[52] McGreal credited him with the team's upturn in form following his return to fitness. ^[53] After making 16 appearances during the 2017–18 season for Colchester, he signed a new two-year contract with the club. ^[54] He made 41 appearances during the 2018–19 campaign and was named on the EFL Team of the Week for his performance in a 1–0 win over champions-elect Lincoln City on 27 October 2018. ^[55]

He played in United's 0–0 draw with, and subsequent penalty shoot-out victory over, Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup on 24 September 2019. ^[56] They went on to advance to the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 3–0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford. ^[57] Speaking in January, Prosser said that the club were aiming for automatic promotion. ^[58] However, Colchester were in sixth-place when the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, which led Prosser to comment that "there's so much to play for and we're desperate to get back out there with the boys". ^[59] Chairman Robbie Cowling went on to confirm that Prosser would be offered a new contract by the end of June, admitting that he was one of a number of players that "under normal circumstances I would have been determined to re-sign". ^[60] He went on to play in both of the club's play-off semi-final games before leaving the club, a 3–2 aggregate defeat to Exeter City. ^[61]

Stevenage

Prosser signed with Stevenage on 10 August 2020, who had just been relegated into the National League out of the English Football League, citing the club's proximity to his family home as a major factor in making the move. ^[62] The next day, Stevenage were reinstated into League Two due to a points deduction for Macclesfield Town. ^[63] Manager Alex Revell said that Prosser would have "a huge responsibility every day to not only lead the squad with his experience but show the younger players what it takes to be a top professional". ^[64] He scored on his home league debut at Broadhall Way, a 3–0 win over Oldham Athletic on 19 September 2020. ^[65] Prosser was sent off in a 4–0 defeat at Carlisle United on 12 December 2020. ^[66] He made 34 appearances throughout the 2020–21 season as Stevenage finished the campaign in 14th-place in League Two. ^{[67] [68]} He featured 32 times in the 2021–22 season and was released in the summer by new manager Steve Evans. ^{[69] [70]}

Personal life

Born in Enfield, London, ^[4] Prosser came from a Tottenham Hotspur supporting family. ^[3] He has a younger sister, Abbie, who is also a footballer. She has represented England at under-20 level and had been capped 18 times at under-19 level. She played at club level for Arsenal, Barnet, and Doncaster Rovers Belles. ^[71] He later joked that "It's funny when the chauffeur pulls up and your sister gets in and goes off with England and I'm sitting there thinking: 'Bloody hell, I'm at Port Vale here, where's my life going?'" ^[72]

Career statistics

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
Port Vale	2007–08 [8]	League One	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
	2008–09 [73]	League Two	26	0	1	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	28	0
	2009–10 [22]	League Two	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	1
	Total		33	1	2	0	0	0	1	0	36	1
Leigh RMI (loan)	2007–08 [6]	NPL Premier Division	7	0	0	0	–		0	0	7	0
Salisbury City (loan)	2009–10 [22]	Conference Premier	10	0	0	0	–		0	0	10	0
Kidderminster Harriers (loan)	2009–10 [22]	Conference Premier	9	0	–		–		0	0	9	0
Southend United	2010–11 [26]	League Two	17	1	2	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	21	1
	2011–12 [28]	League Two	21	1	1	0	1	0	4 [lower-alpha 2]	0	27	1
	2012–13 [74]	League Two	25	0	4	0	1	0	6 [lower-alpha 1]	0	36	0
	2013–14 [34]	League Two	25	3	4	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	31	3
	2014–15 [35]	League Two	30	0	1	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	33	0
	2015–16 [42]	League One	13	2	1	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	16	2
	Total		131	7	13	0	6	0	14	0	164	7
Rushden & Diamonds (loan)	2010–11 [75]	Conference Premier	6	1	–		–		1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	7	1
Northampton Town (loan)	2015–16 [42]	League Two	8	0	–		–		–		8	0
Colchester United	2016–17 [76]	League Two	14	0	1	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	17	0
	2017–18 [77]	League Two	16	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	1
	2018–19 [78]	League Two	38	2	1	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	41	2
	2019–20 [79]	League Two	35	3	1	0	5	0	4 [lower-alpha 5]	0	45	3
	Total		103	6	3	0	6	0	7	0	119	6
Stevenage	2020–21 [67] [80]	League Two	30	1	2	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	34	1
	2021–22 [69] [80]	League Two	27	1	2	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	32	1
	Total		57	2	4	0	2	0	3	0	66	2
Career total			365	17	21	0	14	0	26	0	424	17

1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
2. Two appearances in Football League Trophy, two appearances in EFL League Two play-offs
3. Appearance(s) in Northamptonshire Senior Cup
4. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
5. Two appearances in EFL Trophy, two appearances in EFL League Two play-offs

Honours

Southend United

• Football League Trophy: 2012–13 ^[81]
• Football League Two play-offs: 2015 ^[81]

Northampton Town

• Football League Two: 2015–16 ^[81]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Colchester United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 23. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
2. Luke Prosser at Soccerbase
3. Hytner, David (23 September 2019). "Colchester's Luke Prosser: 'My family are Spurs and they were going mad'". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
4. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 340. ISBN   978-1-84596-474-0.
5. "Vale boss Foyle clears the decks". BBC Sport. 9 May 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
6. "luke prosser — fact file". mehstg.com. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
7. "Brighton 2–3 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 5 April 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
8. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
9. "First summer signings for Sinnott". BBC Sport. 29 April 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
10. "Prosser targets new Vale contract". BBC Sport. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2009.
11. "Prosser 'over the moon' with deal". BBC Sport. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
12. Shaw, Steve (6 August 2009). "Port Vale: Valiants transfer list six players". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
13. "Salisbury sign Vale pair on loan". BBC Sport. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
14. "Salisbury 0–1 Mansfield". BBC Sport. 15 August 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
15. "Salisbury extend loan of Prosser". BBC Sport. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
16. Turner, Mike (1 October 2009). "Vale recall Whites loanee Luke". Sport4Salisbury. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
17. "Vale's Prosser vows to fight on". BBC Sport. 26 October 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
18. "Port Vale 1–2 Rotherham". BBC Sport. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
19. "Adams shows sympathy for Prosser". BBC Sport. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
20. Shaw, Steve (25 March 2010). "Breaking News: Vale to release quartet". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
21. "Port Vale will not offer new deals to quartet". BBC Sport. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
22. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
23. "Mark Phillips and Luke Prosser join Southend United". BBC Sport. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
24. "Rushden & Diamonds sign defender Luke Prosser on loan". BBC Sport. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
25. "Luke Prosser signs new deal with Southend United". BBC Sport. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
26. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
27. "Port Vale 1–1 Southend". BBC Sport. 9 April 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
28. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
29. "Prosser to stay at Shrimpers". Sky Sports. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
30. Phillips, Chris (10 February 2013). "Southend United's Luke Prosser happy with draw against Accrington Stanley". Echo. Basildon. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
31. Osborne, Chris (7 April 2013). "Crewe 2–0 Southend". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
32. Phillips, Chris (17 June 2013). "Luke Prosser rejects contract at Southend United". Echo. Basildon. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
33. "Luke Prosser signs new contract". Southend United F.C. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
34. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
35. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
36. "Luke Prosser: Southend United defender leaves hospital". BBC Sport. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
37. Shepka, Phil (23 May 2015). "Southend United 1–1 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
38. Phillips, Chris (25 June 2015). "Southend United turn down bid from Northampton Town for Luke Prosser". Echo. Basildon. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
39. Butcher, Alex (12 October 2015). "Sky Bet Football League Team of the Week". EFL. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
40. Phillips, Chris (25 September 2015). "Southend United centre-back Luke Prosser determined to make his mark back in starting line-up". Echo. Basildon. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
41. "Luke Prosser: Northampton Town sign Southend United defender". BBC Sport. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
42. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
43. Phillips, Chris (13 May 2016). "Six players leave Southend United". Echo. Basildon. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
44. "Luke Prosser: Colchester United sign former Southend United defender". BBC Sport. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
45. Plummer, Matt (4 August 2016). "Prosser is appointed as new Colchester United captain". Daily Gazette. Colchester. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
46. "Hartlepool United 1–1 Colchester United". BBC Sport. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
47. "Luke Prosser: Colchester United captain out for season". BBC Sport. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
48. Marston, Carl (24 July 2017). "Colchester United captain Luke Prosser undergoes another knee operation". Green'Un. Ipswich. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
49. "Luke Prosser: Colchester United captain says having baby helped injury layoff". BBC Sport. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
50. "Wycombe Wanderers 3–1 Colchester United". BBC Sport. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
51. "EFL Official Website Team of the Week: Matchday 39". EFL. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
52. "Colchester United 2–1 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
53. Waldron, Jonathan (4 April 2018). "Prosser has been 'pivotal' for in-form U's". Gazette. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
54. "Luke Prosser: Colchester United captain signs new two-year contract". BBC Sport. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
55. "Matchday 16: Team of the Week". www.efl.com. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
56. "Colchester 0–0 Tottenham (4–3 pens): Premier League side stunned by League Two club". BBC Sport. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
57. Hafez, Shamoon (18 December 2019). "Manchester United 3–0 Colchester United: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side reach semi-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
58. Jonathan, Jonathan (4 January 2020). "Prosser's aim is automatic promotion". Gazette. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
59. Waldron, Jonathan (24 March 2020). "'It's extremely disappointing not to be playing but health is the most important thing'". Gazette. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
60. Aarons, Ed (27 April 2020). "Colchester release four first-team players due to financial pressure". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
61. Pilnick, Brent (22 June 2020). "Exeter City 3–1 Colchester United (agg: 3–2): Ryan Bowman earns League Two play-off semi-final win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
62. "Luke Prosser: Stevenage sign free-agent former Colchester United defender". BBC Sport. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
63. Smith, Peter (11 August 2020). "Stevenage stay up, Macclesfield Town relegated after EFL points appeal". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
64. Metcalfe, Neil (11 August 2020). "Luke Prosser to lead the youngsters as Stevenage sign expereienced defender". The Comet. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
65. "Stevenage 3-0 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
66. "Carlisle United 4-0 Stevenage". BBC Sport. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
67. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
68. "League Two – 2020–21 – League Table". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
69. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
70. Waldron, Jonathan (10 May 2022). "LEAGUE TWO: former U's defensive duo two of 19 players to be released by Boro". Gazette. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
71. "Belles Secure Prosser Signing". Doncaster Rovers Belles L.F.C. 11 May 2011. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
72. Hytner, David (23 September 2019). "Colchester's Luke Prosser: 'My family are Spurs and they were going mad'". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
73. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
74. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
75. "Luke Prosser". rdfc1992. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
76. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
77. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
78. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
79. "Games played by Luke Prosser in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
80. Luke Prosser at Soccerway
81. "Luke Prosser - Players - Colchester United". www.coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2019.

External links

• Luke Prosser at Soccerbase

Sporting positions
Preceded by Owen Garvan	Colchester United captain 2016–2020	Succeeded by Harry Pell