Owen Bailey

Last updated

Owen Bailey
Personal information
Full name Owen John Edward Bailey [1]
Date of birth (1999-01-22) 22 January 1999 (age 27)
Place of birth Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) [1]
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Doncaster Rovers
Number 4
Youth career
–2021 Newcastle United
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2021–2023 Gateshead 74 (9)
2023– Doncaster Rovers 132 (19)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:50, 3 April 2026 (UTC)

Owen John Edward Bailey (born 22 January 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Doncaster Rovers.

Contents

Career

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, [1] Bailey began his career at Newcastle United, captaining the under-23 team. [2] Bailey suffered from injuries which saw him out-of-action for 538 days. [2] [3] After being released by Newcastle, he played in non-league with Gateshead, [4] before signing for Doncaster Rovers in June 2023, having trialled with the club in 2021. [5] [6] [7]

On 13 May 2023, Bailey signed for Doncaster Rovers on a two-year contract. [8]

Bailey was a regular starter throughout the 2023–24 League Two season, making 59 first‑team appearances and featuring in all league matches as Doncaster finished 5th in the League Two table. [9]

Bailey scored his first English Football League goal for Doncaster in a 1–0 victory against Wrexham on 2 April 2024, heading home from a James Maxwell cross just before half-time. [10]

Ahead of the 2025–26 season, Bailey was named club captain having led the club through the majority of the title-winning 2024–25 season. [11]

On 9 August 2025, he scored both goals in a 2–1 away win against Mansfield Town, equalising in the 76th minute and then scoring the stoppage-time winner. [12]

Bailey was named the EFL League One Player of the Month for August 2025 following a series of strong performances at the start of the 2025–26 season. The Doncaster Rovers captain scored four goals during the month and played a key role as the club made a positive return to League One following promotion. He was selected ahead of fellow nominees Jamie Reid, Matty Stevens and Nathan Trott . Upon receiving the award, Bailey credited his teammates and coaching staff, stating that individual recognition was a reflection of the collective effort of the squad. [13]

Career statistics

As of match played 3 April 2026 [1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup EFL Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Newcastle United U21 2017–18———1 [a] 010
2018–19———5 [a] 050
2019–20———1 [a] 010
Total———7070
Gateshead 2021–22 National League North 42450—00474
2022–23 National League 32530—4 [b] 2397
Total7498000428611
Doncaster Rovers 2023–24 [14] League Two 46230208 [c] 1593
2024–25 [15] League Two46540202 [a] 0545
2025–26 [16] League One 401232313 [a] 04915
Total132191027113116223
Career total206281827124325434
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  2. ↑ Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  3. ↑ Six appearances, one goal in EFL Trophy, Two appearances in English Football League play-offs

Honours

Doncaster Rovers

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Owen Bailey at Soccerway
  2. 1 2 Hewitt, Matty (10 January 2022). "Owen Bailey on rebuilding his career after freak injury ended Newcastle dream". ChronicleLive.
  3. ↑ "Sidelined for 538 days and back with a bang - Owen Bailey's story". Newcastle United Football Club. 25 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "Owen Bailey hails 'unbelievable' feat ahead of Gateshead's first FA Trophy final". uk.style.yahoo.com. 19 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "Rovers sign midfielder Owen Bailey". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk.
  6. ↑ "Doncaster sign ex-Gateshead midfielder Bailey". BBC Sport. 13 June 2023.
  7. ↑ "'Aggressive' and 'flexible' former Newcastle United midfielder Owen Bailey signs for Doncaster Rovers - second time around | Yorkshire Post". 13 June 2023.
  8. ↑ www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2023/june/bailey-signs/ . Retrieved 7 January 2026.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ "Owen Bailey interview – Sky Sports". Sky Sports. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  10. ↑ "Doncaster win against Wrexham". FotMob. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  11. ↑ "Bailey named captain ahead of new season". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  12. ↑ "Mansfield 1–2 Doncaster Rovers". BBC Sport. 9 August 2025.
  13. ↑ "'Outstanding' Owen Bailey lands EFL award as he prepares to bring up Doncaster Rovers landmark". Doncaster Free Press. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  14. ↑ "Games played by Owen Bailey in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  15. ↑ "Games played by Owen Bailey in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  16. ↑ "Games played by Owen Bailey in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  17. ↑ "League Two: 2024/25: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
    "Doncaster: Squad details: 2024/25". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  18. ↑ "Sky Bet League One: Manager and Player of the Month August winners". www.efl.com. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.