Luke Waterfall

Luke Waterfall

Waterfall warming up for Hartlepool United in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Luke Mathew Waterfall [1]
Date of birth	(1990-07-30) 30 July 1990 (age 34) [2]
Place of birth	Sheffield, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [3]
Position(s)	Centre-back [4]
Team information
Current team	Hartlepool United
Number	5
Youth career
0000–2008	Barnsley
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008–2009	Tranmere Rovers	0	(0)
2008	→ Altrincham (loan)	1	(0)
2009–2010	Ilkeston Town	35	(2)
2010–2013	Gainsborough Trinity	104	(8)
2013–2015	Scunthorpe United	9	(1)
2014	→ Macclesfield Town (loan)	17	(2)
2014–2015	→ Mansfield Town (loan)	5	(0)
2015	Wrexham	9	(1)
2015–2018	Lincoln City	111	(15)
2018–2019	Shrewsbury Town	44	(5)
2019–2024	Grimsby Town	156	(12)
2024–	Hartlepool United	26	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:36, 26 November 2024 (UTC)

Luke Mathew Waterfall (born 30 July 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for National League club Hartlepool United.

He has previously played in the English Football League for Scunthorpe United, Mansfield Town, Lincoln City and Shrewsbury Town and at non-league level for Altrincham, Ilkeston Town, Gainsborough Trinity, Macclesfield Town and Wrexham. He was part of the Lincoln team that won the National League and FA Trophy and the Grimsby Town team that was promoted to the EFL via the play-offs in 2022. He joined Hartlepool United in 2024.

Career

Early career

Born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, ^[5] Waterfall started his career with Barnsley and was a regular for their youth and reserve teams in the 2007–08 season. ^[6] After being released, he signed for League One club Tranmere Rovers on 18 July 2008 after a successful trial. ^[7] He made his debut on 12 August after coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute in a 2–0 defeat away to Grimsby Town in the League Cup. ^[8] He made his first start on 2 September in a 1–0 victory over Accrington Stanley in the Football League Trophy. ^[8]

He joined Conference Premier club Altrincham on 14 October 2008 on loan, ^[9] and made one appearance in the league as a substitute and three cup starts. ^{[10] [11]} He was released by Tranmere at the end of 2008–09. ^[12]

Waterfall warming up for York City in 2009

He had unsuccessful trials with Conference Premier clubs Oxford United and York City ^{[13] [14]} before signing for Conference North club Ilkeston Town in August 2009 after a successful trial. ^{[15] [16]} He finished 2009–10 with 43 appearances and two goals. ^[17] He signed for Ilkeston's divisional rivals Gainsborough Trinity in May 2010. ^[18]

Scunthorpe United

Waterfall signed for newly relegated League Two club Scunthorpe United on 4 June 2013 on a one-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^[19] On 5 August 2014, he moved to League Two Macclesfield Town on a one-month loan, ^[20] with manager John Askey requiring him to cover during the search for a new defender, with several trialists failing to be up to his standard. ^[21] On 7 November, he moved to Mansfield Town on loan until January 2015. ^[22] He made seven appearances for The Stags before his loan expired. ^[23]

Wrexham

Waterfall signed for Conference Premier club Wrexham on 15 January 2015 on a one-and-a-half-year contract. ^[24] Wrexham approached him late into negotiations with two unnamed clubs, causing Waterfall to "make an easy decision" by signing for The Dragons. ^[25]

Lincoln City

He spent only half a season with Wrexham before signing for their National League rivals Lincoln City on 2 June on a two-year contract. ^[26] He was appointed club captain. ^[27] Waterfall made 55 appearances and scored seven goals in 2016–17 ^[28] as Lincoln were promoted to EFL League Two as National League champions, ^[29] as well as leading Lincoln to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup by defeating Guiseley, Altrincham, Oldham Athletic, Ipswich Town and Brighton & Hove Albion before defeating Premier League side Burnley. The Imps were eventually beaten 5–0 by Arsenal. ^[30]

On 5 April 2018, Waterfall as captain lifted the EFL Trophy as the Imps defeated Shrewsbury Town at Wembley Stadium. ^[31] Several months later Shrewsbury would meet Waterfall's release clause and convince him to sign for the Shropshire side. Waterfall thanked Lincoln fans and called the decision to leave the "toughest decision" of his career, saying a three-year contract and League One football was too good to turn down. ^[32]

Shrewsbury Town

Waterfall signed for League One club Shrewsbury Town by on 7 August 2018 on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^[33] After only one season with The Shrews His contract with the club was terminated by mutual consent on 15 August 2019. ^[34]

Grimsby Town

The same day, Waterfall signed for League Two club Grimsby Town on a two-year contract. ^[35]

Ian Holloway was replaced as manager by Paul Hurst, but neither could prevent Grimsby from being relegated back to the National League at the end of the 2020–21 season. ^[36]

On 28 May 2022, Waterfall scored twice including a 119th minute winner in extra-time of the semi-final play-off against Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground, helping Grimsby win 5–4 to reach the final. ^[37] Waterfall captained the Mariners in the 2022 National League play-off final as Grimsby beat Solihull Moors 2–1 at the London Stadium to return to the Football League. ^[38]

Waterfall was voted into the National League Team of the Season for the 2021–22 season, alongside teammate John McAtee. ^[39] On 17 June 2022, Waterfall signed a new two-year contract to keep him at Blundell Park until the summer of 2024. ^[40]

Waterfall was part of the Grimsby team that reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1939, mirroring the progress he made with Lincoln in 2016. He played the full 90 minutes of the 2–1 win away at Premier League side Southampton that secured that achievement. ^{[41] [42]}

Hartlepool United

On 25 January 2024, it was announced that Waterfall had signed for Hartlepool United. ^[43] Early in his Hartlepool career, he formed a strong centre-back partnership with Tom Parkes. ^[44]

He was named as Hartlepool's club captain at the start of the 2023–24 season. ^[45] In August 2024, he received red cards in successive home matches. ^[46]

Career statistics

As of match played 26 November 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
Tranmere Rovers	2008–09 [8]	League One	0	0	0	0	1	0	1 [a]	0	2	0
Altrincham (loan)	2008–09 [11]	Conference Premier	1	0	—		—		2 [b]	0	3	0
Ilkeston Town	2009–10 [17]	Conference North	35	2	5	0	—		3 [c]	0	43	2
Gainsborough Trinity	2010–11 [47]	Conference North	36	1	1	0	—		1 [c]	0	38	1
	2011–12 [48]	Conference North	27	3	0	0	—		4 [d]	0	31	3
	2012–13 [28] [49]	Conference North	41	4	2	0	—		8 [c]	1	51	5
	Total		104	8	3	0	—		13	1	120	9
Scunthorpe United	2013–14 [50]	League Two	9	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	10	1
	2014–15 [51]	League One	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	Total		9	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	10	1
Macclesfield Town (loan)	2014–15 [28]	Conference Premier	17	2	—		—		—		17	2
Mansfield Town (loan)	2014–15 [51]	League Two	5	0	2	0	—		—		7	0
Wrexham	2014–15 [28]	Conference Premier	9	1	—		—		5 [c]	0	14	1
Lincoln City	2015–16 [28]	National League	36	6	3	0	—		1 [c]	0	40	6
	2016–17 [28]	National League	44	7	9	0	—		2 [c]	0	55	7
	2017–18 [52]	League Two	30	2	1	0	0	0	10 [e]	1	41	3
	2018–19 [53]	League Two	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
	Total		111	15	13	0	0	0	13	1	137	16
Shrewsbury Town	2018–19 [53]	League One	44	5	7	1	1	0	1 [f]	0	53	6
	2019–20 [54]	League One	0	0	—		1	0	—		1	0
	Total		44	5	7	1	2	0	1	0	54	6
Grimsby Town	2019–20 [54]	League Two	30	2	2	1	0	0	1 [f]	0	33	3
	2020–21 [55]	League Two	33	1	1	0	1	0	1 [f]	0	36	1
	2021–22 [28]	National League	42	7	1	0	—		3 [g]	2	46	9
	2022–23 [56]	League Two	40	2	6	0	2	1	0	0	48	3
	2023–24 [57]	League Two	11	0	1	0	1	0	1 [f]	0	14	0
	Total		156	12	11	1	4	1	6	2	177	16
Hartlepool United	2023–24 [28]	National League	15	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	1
	2024–25 [28]	National League	11	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
	Total		26	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	27	1
Career total			517	47	43	2	7	1	44	4	611	54

1. Appearance in Football League Trophy
2. Appearances in Conference League Cup
3. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
4. One appearance in FA Trophy, three in Conference North play-offs
5. Eight appearances and one goal in EFL Trophy, two appearances in League Two play-offs
6. Appearance in EFL Trophy
7. Appearances in National League play-offs

Honours

Wrexham

• FA Trophy runner-up: 2014–15 ^[58]

Lincoln City

• National League: 2016–17 ^[59]
• EFL Trophy: 2017–18 ^[60]

Grimsby Town

• National League play-offs: 2022 ^[38]

Individual

• National League Team of the Season: 2021–22 ^[39]

References

1. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Lincoln City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 82. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
2. "Luke Waterfall: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
3. "Luke Waterfall". Grimsby Town F.C. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
4. "Luke Waterfall". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
5. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 430. ISBN   978-1-84596-474-0.
6. "Waterfall drops into Rovers". Sky Sports. 18 July 2008. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012.
7. "Tranmere sign defender Waterfall". BBC Sport. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
8. "Games played by Luke Waterfall in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
9. "Altrincham sign Waterfall on loan". BBC Sport. 14 October 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
10. "Altrincham FC".
11. Williams, Tony; Wright, James, eds. (2009). Non-League Club Directory 2010. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 34–35. ISBN   978-1-869833-66-4.
12. "Four players released by Tranmere". BBC Sport. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
13. Farrant, Nick (14 July 2009). "Oxford United new boys out to impress". Witney Gazette. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
14. Carroll, Steve (24 July 2009). "York City manager Martin Foyle jettisons trialists Luke Waterfall and Andy Taylor". The Press. York. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
15. "Luke Waterfall". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
16. "Wilson wheels and deals as squad keeps growing". Ilkeston Advertiser. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
17. Williams, Tony; Wright, James, eds. (2010). Non-League Club Directory 2011. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 224–225. ISBN   978-1-869833-68-8.
18. "Gainsborough Trinity trio sign new contracts". BBC Sport. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
19. "Scunthorpe United: Michael Collins signs one-year extension". BBC Sport. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
20. "Luke Waterfall: Macclesfield Town sign Scunthorpe United defender". BBC Sport . 5 August 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
21. Glendinning, Mike (6 August 2014). "Macc manager Askey takes the plunge on Waterfall". Macclesfield Express . Retrieved 28 May 2022.
22. "Macc manager Askey takes the plunge on Waterfall". BBC Sport . 7 November 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
23. "Stags defensive loanee pair return to parent clubs". Mansfield Chad. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
24. "Wrexham sign Scunthorpe centre-back Luke Waterfall". BBC Sport. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
25. Griffiths, Rob (16 January 2015). "Luke Waterfall: Once Wrexham FC came in for me, my mind was made up". North Wales Daily Post . Retrieved 28 May 2022.
26. "Luke Waterfall: Lincoln City sign Wrexham defender". BBC Sport. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
27. Edwards, Joe (13 August 2018). "Wounded Shrewsbury Town will hit back, says Luke Waterfall". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
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29. "National League: 2016/17: Latest table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
30. "The journey we'll never forget - recalling City's history-making FA Cup run". 2 November 2017.
31. "Lincoln City's Luke Waterfall on the club's rise and their Wembley dream".
32. "Waterfall thanks fans after the toughest decision of his career". 8 August 2018.
33. "Luke Waterfall: Shrewsbury Town sign Lincoln City skipper for undisclosed fee". BBC Sport. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
34. Cox, Lewis (15 August 2019). "Luke Waterfall leaves Shrewsbury Town by mutual consent". Shropshire Star. Telford. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
35. "Luke Waterfall: Grimsby Town sign centre-back following Shrewsbury Town release". BBC Sport. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
36. "Grimsby Town have been relegated from the EFL". Grimsbylive. 27 April 2021.
37. Williams, Aled (28 May 2022). "Wrexham 4–5 Grimsby Town: Luke Waterfall's winner late in extra time seals thrilling win". BBC Sport . Retrieved 28 May 2022.
38. "Grimsby Town player ratings as McAtee and four others star in Solihull comeback". Grimsbylive. 5 June 2022.
39. "Two Grimsby players are named as National League Team of the Season is announced". Grimsbylive. 10 June 2022.
40. "Waterfall Pens New Deal! - Grimsby Town Football Club". 17 June 2022.
41. "Grimsby stun Southampton to reach FA Cup last eight". BBC Sport.
42. "Brighton end Grimsby's run to reach FA Cup semis". BBC Sport.
43. "Luke Waterfall joins Pools". Hartlepool United FC. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
44. Stelling, Robbie (26 April 2024). "Hartlepool United's 2023/24 National League season end of term grades". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
45. "Luke Waterfall appointed Club Captain". Hartlepool United. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
46. Stelling, Robbie (31 August 2024). "Hartlepool United 0–0 Braintree Town: Pools battle to a point despite another reckless red card for skipper Luke Waterfall". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
47. Williams, Mike; Williams, Tony, eds. (2011). Non-League Club Directory 2012. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 204–205. ISBN   978-1-869833-70-1.
48. Williams, Mike; Williams, Tony, eds. (2012). Non-League Club Directory 2013. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 206–207. ISBN   978-1-869833-77-0.
49. For FA Cup second qualifying round: Wheelock, Paul (22 September 2012). "Gainsborough Trinity 1 Chester FC 1: Replay needed as Nathan Jarman earns Blues draw on FA Cup debut". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
    For FA Cup second qualifying round replay: Wheelock, Paul (2 October 2012). "Chester FC 2 Gainsborough Trinity 1: Super-sub Levi Mackin sends Blues through in FA Cup". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
    For FA Trophy third qualifying round: Marshall, David (10 November 2012). "Full time: Gainsborough Trinity 1 Hinkley United 1". Lincolnshire Echo. Lincoln. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017.
    For FA Trophy third qualifying round replay: "Home comfort for Blues after 4–1 Trophy win". Gainsborough Standard. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
50. "Games played by Luke Waterfall in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
51. "Games played by Luke Waterfall in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
52. "Games played by Luke Waterfall in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
53. "Games played by Luke Waterfall in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
54. "Games played by Luke Waterfall in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
55. "Games played by Luke Waterfall in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
56. "Games played by Luke Waterfall in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
57. "Games played by Luke Waterfall in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
58. Aled Williams (29 March 2015). "North Ferriby United 3–3 Wrexham (5–4 on pens)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
59. Anderson, John, ed. (2017). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2017–2018. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 640–641. ISBN   978-1-4722-3397-4.
60. Scott, Ged (8 April 2018). "Lincoln City 1–0 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 May 2018.

External links

• Profile at the Hartlepool United F.C. website