Shandon Baptiste

Last updated

Shandon Baptiste
Personal information
Full name Shandon Harkeem Baptiste [1]
Date of birth (1998-04-08) 8 April 1998 (age 25)
Place of birth Grenada [2]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) [3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Brentford
Number 26
Youth career
2005–2013 Reading
2014–2015 JMA Reading
2015–2017 Oxford United
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2017–2020 Oxford United 26 (1)
2017–2018Hampton & Richmond Borough (loan) 18 (0)
2020– Brentford 67 (2)
International career
2017–2018 Grenada 3 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:49, 14 March 2024 (UTC)

Shandon Harkeem Baptiste (born 8 April 1998) is a Grenadian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Brentford.

Contents

Baptiste is a product of the Reading and Oxford United academies and began his senior career with the latter club in 2017. He transferred to Brentford in 2020. Baptiste was capped by Grenada at international level.

Club career

Oxford United

Early years

A midfielder, Baptiste began his youth career with Reading at the age of seven and deemed "too small" by the club, he was released at age 15. [4] After a spell in park football and the John Madejski Academy, [5] [6] [7] Baptiste undertook a scholarship with Oxford United in September 2015. [8] Despite suffering two successive dislocated shoulder injuries during the 2016–17 season, [9] he signed a six-month professional contract in May 2017, which commenced in August 2017. [10]

Baptiste made two EFL Trophy appearances during the first half of the 2017–18 season and he signed a new 18-month contract, with the option of a further year, [11] in December 2017. [12] On 22 December 2017, Baptiste joined National League South club Hampton & Richmond Borough on a one-month loan, [12] which was later extended until the end of the 2017–18 season. [13] He made 23 appearances in a season which ended in defeat on penalties to Braintree Town in the National League South play-off Final. [14] [15]

2018–19

Baptiste began the 2018–19 League One season as a regular in the team and scored his first senior goal in a 3–0 EFL Cup second-round victory over Newport County on 28 August 2018. [16] After his sixth appearance of the season, he signed a four-year contract extension. [17] Baptiste missed two months with a third shoulder dislocation and upon his return in January 2019, [18] he suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury during an FA Cup third round match versus Brentford. [19] He made 14 appearances and scored one goal during the 2018–19 season. [16]

2019–20

Baptiste returned to full training in early August 2019 and was a virtual ever-present for the club through the first half of the 2019–20 season. [20] [21] He was heavily involved in the Us' run to the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, scoring in a 4–0 victory over Premier League club West Ham United in the third round and captaining the team versus Manchester City in the quarter-finals. [22] Baptiste made 27 appearances and scored four goals during the 2019–20 season, [21] before departing the club on 31 January 2020. [22] During 2+12 seasons as a professional at the Kassam Stadium, Baptiste made 43 appearances and scored five goals. [3]

Brentford

2020–2021

On 31 January 2020, Baptiste transferred to Championship club Brentford for an undisclosed fee (reported to be £2.25 million, plus add-ons) and signed a 4+12-year contract, with the option of a further year. [23] [24] [25] He made 13 appearances during what remained of the 2019–20 season, [21] which ended with defeat in the 2020 Championship play-off final. [26] Baptiste began the 2020–21 season principally involved in Brentford's EFL Cup campaign, [27] before suffering a tear to his lateral meniscus in a match versus West Bromwich Albion on 22 September 2020, [28] which ultimately required surgery. [29] In his absence, Brentford secured promotion to the Premier League with victory in the 2021 Championship play-off final. [30]

2021–22

Baptiste entered the 2021–22 pre-season fully fit and made his return to match play as a second half substitute in a 1–0 friendly win over AFC Wimbledon on 17 July 2021, [31] though an ankle injury ruled him out of the beginning of the regular season. [32] Baptiste made his first competitive appearance in 11 months as a late substitute in a 1–1 Premier League draw with Aston Villa on 28 August 2021. [33] 29 minutes into his fifth appearance of the season (a 2–1 victory over West Ham United on 3 October), [33] Baptiste suffered a dislocated left shoulder, which kept him out for seven weeks. [34] He played much of the remainder of the season in a substitute role and scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw with Leeds United on 5 December. [35] Baptiste finished the 2021–22 season with 25 appearances and one goal. [33]

2022–present

Either side of missing the middle third of the season with a groin injury, [36] [37] [38] Baptiste was predominantly deployed as a substitute during the 2022–23 season. [35] He made 24 appearances, without scoring. [39] Following a substitute appearance in Brentford's 2023–24 season opener, [40] Baptiste missed three months after suffering the fourth shoulder dislocation of his career in training. [41] [42] On his second first team appearance after returning to fitness, Baptiste scored his first Brentford goal three days shy of two years since his last, in a 3–1 victory over Luton Town on 2 December 2023. [43]

International career

In November 2014, Baptiste was included in the English Schools' U18 squad for a development weekend at Lilleshall. [44] Three years later and having graduated to professional football, he made three friendly appearances for Grenada during the 2017–18 season and scored one goal. [45] Baptiste was named in the squad for four 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League qualifying matches in September 2019, [46] but later declined the call up, in order to maintain his potential eligibility for England. [47]

Style of play

Baptiste is a box-to-box midfielder and has been described as "energetic, great on the ball and works very hard pressing". [22] [48]

Personal life

Baptiste was born in Grenada and moved to England at the age of three. [2]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 9 March 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup EFL Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Oxford United 2017–18 [11] League One 0000002 [lower-alpha 1] 020
2018–19 [16] League One9010311 [lower-alpha 1] 0141
2019–20 [21] League One17131413 [lower-alpha 1] 1274
Total261417261435
Hampton & Richmond Borough (loan) 2017–18 [14] National League South 1805 [lower-alpha 2] 0230
Brentford 2019–20 [21] Championship 1201 [lower-alpha 3] 0130
2020–21 [27] Championship1000300040
2021–22 [33] Premier League 2212010251
2022–23 [39] Premier League2300010240
2023–24 [40] Premier League912000111
Total672405010772
Career total1113811221211437
  1. 1 2 3 Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  2. Three appearances in National League South play-offs, two appearances in Middlesex Senior Cup
  3. Appearance in Championship play-offs

International

As of match played 23 March 2018 [45]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Grenada 201721
201810
Total31
Scores and results list Grenada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Baptiste goal.
List of international goals scored by Shandon Baptiste
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef.
1.12 November 2017 Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, Trinidad and Tobago Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 1–02–2 Friendly [45]

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References

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  3. 1 2 Shandon Baptiste at Soccerbase OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
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