Will Norris

Will Norris

Norris playing for Cambridge United in 2016
Personal information
Full name	William James Norris [1]
Date of birth	(1993-08-12) 12 August 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth	Watford, England
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.95 m) [2]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Portsmouth
Number	1
Youth career
2006–2011	Northwood
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011	Hatfield Town	16	(0)
2011–2012	Royston Town	28	(0)
2012–2017	Cambridge United	84	(0)
2012–2013	→ Royston Town (loan)	28	(0)
2013	→ Royston Town (loan)	6	(0)
2015–2016	→ Braintree Town (loan)	24	(0)
2017–2020	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2	(0)
2019–2020	→ Ipswich Town (loan)	15	(0)
2020–2023	Burnley	2	(0)
2023	→ Peterborough United (loan)	24	(0)
2023–	Portsmouth	54	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:00, 2 October 2024 (UTC)

William James Norris (born 12 August 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL Championship club Portsmouth.

Club career

Royston Town

Without a club at the start of the 2011–12 season, Norris made an approach to join Hertfordshire side Royston Town who in the previous season had narrowly missed out on promotion after finishing 3rd in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division. He played a number of games for the reserve team where his performances caught the attention of then first team manager, Paul Attfield, who pulled him into the first team. ^[3] On 20 September 2011, he made his debut for Royston in a 4–1 home win against Haringey Borough in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division Cup. ^[4] Norris went on to make 41 appearances in all competitions in 2011–12 helping the club to secure the Spartan South Midlands Premier Division title and a cup double which included the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division Cup and the South Midlands Floodlit Cup. In the quarter-final of the Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup against Cambridge City on 25 January 2012, the game was decided by a penalty shoot-out in which Norris pulled off a number of saves in sudden death before scoring the winning penalty to send Royston into the semi-final. ^{[5] [6]}

Cambridge United

On 16 July 2012, Norris signed for Cambridge United on a two-year deal and was loaned back to Royston Town for the duration of the 2012–13 season, helping the club to a 7th-place finish in the Southern Football League Division One Central. ^[7]

Norris spent the first half of the season 2013–14 with Cambridge as second choice to Chris Maxwell, before re-joining Royston in December 2013 on a short-term loan spell. ^[8] He was recalled to make his first team debut for Cambridge in a 1–0 away win at Tamworth in the Conference Premier on 21 January 2014. ^[9] On 30 January 2014, he signed a new contract with the club which extended his previous deal by two and a half years to 2016. ^[10] He went on to make a total of 15 league appearances helping Cambridge make a return to The Football League, after a nine-year absence, via the Conference play-offs. Norris kept a clean sheet in Cambridge's 4–0 victory over Gosport Borough in the 2014 FA Trophy final. ^[11]

Norris made his Football League debut for Cambridge in a 2–2 draw at home to Accrington Stanley on 11 April 2015. ^[12] He went on to make a total of 3 appearances in the league in 2014–15 as Cambridge finished 19th in their first season back in the Football League. ^[13] At the end of the season his contract was extended to 2018, and was loaned to Braintree Town for the beginning of 2015–16. ^[14] On 8 August 2015, he made his debut for Braintree in a 1–0 away defeat to Chester City in the National League. ^[15] After a run of impressive performances, keeping four clean sheets in six games, he was named the National League's Player of the Month for October. ^[16] At the time of collecting the award Norris had amassed 9 clean sheets in the league; the most of any goalkeeper in the top 5 English divisions. On 9 January 2016, Norris was recalled from his loan with Braintree. ^[17] He went on to make a total of 21 league appearances for Cambridge, keeping 9 clean sheets, as the club finished 9th in League Two. His contract was extended by a further year, to 2019. ^[18]

In the 2016–17 season Norris saved a club record of five penalties in one season, including two in second half stoppage time against Accrington Stanley. ^[19] The gloves he used in the double penalty save against Accrington raised £1,000 at a charity auction, with the proceeds being donated to injured footballers Shaun Whiter and Joey Abbs, who were victims of a hit-and-run incident. ^[19]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 11 July 2017, Norris signed a three-year deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee, a day after the then Championship club had signed a fellow former Cambridge goalkeeper, John Ruddy. ^[20] He made his debut for the club on 8 August 2017 in a 1–0 win against Yeovil Town in the second round of the EFL Cup. ^[21] Norris made his league debut for Wolves on 6 May 2018 against Sunderland. ^[22] Wolves were promoted to the Premier League as Champions at the end of the 2017–18 season. ^{[23] [24]} Norris made his Premier League debut for Wolves as a second-half injury time substitute in the 1–0 home win against Fulham on 4 May 2019. ^[25]

Ipswich Town (loan)

On 30 July 2019, Norris joined Ipswich Town on loan for the 2019–20 season. ^[26] He made his debut for the club in a 3–1 loss to Luton Town in the EFL Cup, on 13 August 2019. ^[27] On 9 November, Norris saved a penalty during a 1–1 draw with Lincoln City in an FA Cup first-round tie at Portman Road. ^[28] Norris made a total of 20 appearances for the club during his loan spell prior to the League One season being ended early. ^[29]

Burnley

On 14 August 2020, Norris signed a three-year deal for Burnley for an undisclosed fee. ^[30] He made his debut for the club in a 4–3 penalty shootout win against MK Dons in the FA Cup on 9 January 2021, saving two penalties in the shootout. ^[31] On 19 May 2021, Norris made his league debut for Burnley in a 0–3 home defeat to Liverpool. ^[32]

Peterborough United (loan)

On 6 January 2023, Norris joined League One club Peterborough United on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season. ^[33] On 16 January 2023, Norris made his league debut for Peterborough in a 2–0 away win against Port Vale. ^[34] Norris kept 11 clean sheets in his 24 appearances for Peterborough. ^[35]

Portsmouth

On 14 June 2023, Norris agreed to sign for League One club Portsmouth on a three-year deal. ^[35] On 5 August 2023, Norris made his league debut for Portsmouth in a 1-1 home draw against Bristol Rovers. ^[36] Norris was named in the League One Team of the Season at the EFL Awards along with teammates Marlon Pack and Conor Shaughnessy. ^[37] Norris was an ever-present as Portsmouth were promoted to the Championship as league winners, having spent the previous six seasons in League One. He captained the side on the final day of the season in a 2-0 away win against Lincoln City in which he saved a second half penalty from Daniel Mândroiu. ^[38] Norris kept 19 clean sheets in the league.

Career statistics

As of match played 2 October 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
Hatfield Town	2010–11	Spartan South Midlands League Premier	16	0	—		—		1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	17	0
Royston Town	2011–12 [39]	Spartan South Midlands League Premier	27	0	—		—		13 [lower-alpha 2]	0	40	0
Cambridge United	2012–13 [40]	Conference Premier	—
	2013–14 [41]	Conference Premier	15	0	0	0	—		4 [lower-alpha 3]	0	19	0
	2014–15 [42]	League Two	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	2015–16 [43]	League Two	21	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	0
	2016–17 [44]	League Two	45	0	4	0	1	0	4 [lower-alpha 4]	0	54	0
	Total		84	0	4	0	1	0	8	0	97	0
Royston Town (loan)	2012–13 [39]	Southern League Division One Central	27	0	2	0	—		11 [lower-alpha 5]	0	38	0
	2013–14 [39]	Southern League Division One Central	6	0	—		—		0	0	6	0
	Total		33	0	—		—		11	0	44	0
Braintree Town (loan)	2015–16 [43]	National League	24	0	3	0	—		2 [lower-alpha 3]	0	28	0
Wolverhampton Wanderers	2017–18 [45]	Championship	1	0	2	0	4	0	—		7	0
	2018–19 [46]	Premier League	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
	Total		2	0	2	0	4	0	—		8	0
Ipswich Town (loan)	2019–20 [47]	League One	15	0	2	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	20	0
Burnley	2020–21 [48]	Premier League	2	0	1	0	0	0	—		3	0
	2021–22 [49]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2022–23 [50]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		2	0	1	0	0	0	—		3	0
Peterborough United (loan)	2022–23 [50]	League One	24	0	0	0	0	0	—		24	0
Portsmouth	2023–24 [51]	League One	46	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	47	0
	2024–25 [51]	Championship	8	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	9	0
	Total		54	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	56	0
Career total			281	0	15	0	7	0	37	0	340	0

1. Appearance in South Midlands Senior Floodlit Cup
2. Four appearances in FA Vase, three appearances in Spartan South Midlands Premier Division Cup, three appearances in Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup, two appearances in South Midlands Senior Floodlit Cup, one appearance in Herts Senior Cup
3. Appearances in FA Trophy
4. Appearances in EFL Trophy
5. Three appearances in FA Trophy, two appearances in Herts Senior Cup, one appearance in Herts Charity Cup, one appearance in Hinchingbrooke Cup, one appearance in South Midlands Floodlit Cup, one appearance in Red Insure Cup

Honours

Royston Town

• Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division: 2011–12 ^[52]
• Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division Cup: 2011–12 ^[52]
• South Midlands Floodlit Cup: 2011–12 ^[52]
• Hinchingbrooke Cup: 2012–13 ^[53]

Cambridge United

• Conference Premier play-offs: 2014 ^[54]
• FA Trophy: 2013–14 ^[55]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

• EFL Championship: 2017–18 ^[56]

Portsmouth

• EFL League One: 2023–24 ^[57]

Individual

• National League Player of the Month: October 2015 ^[58]
• EFL League One Team of the Season: 2023–24 ^[59]
• PFA Team of the Year: 2023–24 League One ^[60]

References

1. "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 retained lists". Premier League. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
2. "Player Profile: Will Norris". Burnley FC. 24 May 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
3. "Will Norris: How an approach to Royston led to Cambridge United chance". Cambridge News. 27 January 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
4. "Match Report:Royston Town v Haringey Borough". roystontownfc.co.uk. 20 September 2011.
5. "Norris heroics send Crows into semis". Royston Crow. 27 January 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
6. "Norris the hero for Royston". Hertfordshire Mercury. 26 January 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
7. "Cambridge United sign teenage goalkeeper Will Norris". bbc.co.uk. 16 July 2012.
8. "Cambridge United goalkeeper Will Norris loaned to Royston". Cambridge News. 6 December 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
9. "Will Norris produced a 'mature' performance in Cambridge United's win over Tamworth". Cambridge News. 22 January 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
10. "Duo Sign New Deals". Cambridge United F.C. 30 January 2014.
11. "Will can't wait for Wembley return in FA Trophy Final". thefa.com. 21 March 2014.
12. "Cambridge United 2–2 Accrington Stanley". bbc.co.uk. 11 April 2015.
13. "Will Norris taking the positives from Cambridge United's Sky Bet League Two campaign". Cambridge News. 6 May 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
14. "Cambridge United keeper Will Norris moves to Braintree Town on loan after signing new deal". Cambridge News. 7 July 2015. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
15. "Chester 1–0 Braintree". bbc.co.uk. 8 August 2015.
16. "Braintree Keeper Takes October Player Award". thenationalleague.org.uk. 6 November 2015. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
17. "Cambridge United boss Shaun Derry urges Will Norris to play for keeps". Cambridge News. 11 January 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
18. "Will Norris signs new three-year Cambridge United deal". Cambridge News. 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
19. "Cambridge United view from the pressbox: Will Norris is a grand keeper". Cambridge News. 11 October 2016.
20. "Will Norris: Wolves sign Cambridge United goalkeeper for undisclosed fee". BBC Sport. 11 July 2017.
21. "Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 Yeovil Town". BBC Sport. 8 August 2017.
22. "Sunderland 3-0 Wolves". BBC Sport. 6 May 2018.
23. "Wolves promoted to the Premier League". Premier League. 14 April 2018.
24. "Wolves seal Championship title as Sunderland are relegated". Eurosport. 21 April 2018.
25. "Wolves 1–0 Fulham". BBC Sport. 4 May 2019.
26. "Will Norris Joins On Loan". Ipswich Town. 30 July 2019.
27. "Luton Town 3–1 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 13 August 2019.
28. "Ipswich Town 1-1 Lincoln City". BBC Sport. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
29. "League One & League Two clubs vote to end seasons early". BBC Sport. 9 June 2020.
30. "Where There's A Will..." Burnley F.C. 14 August 2020. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
31. "FA Cup: Burnley avoid shock MK Dons defeat". BBC Sport. 9 January 2021.
32. "Burnley v Liverpool". BBC Sport. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
33. "Posh Complete Loan Signing Of Clarets Goalkeeper". www.theposh.com. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
34. "Port Vale 0-2 Peterborough United". BBC Sport. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
35. "Norris Becomes First Summer Signing". www.portsmouthfc.co.uk. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
36. "Portsmouth 1-1 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
37. "See who made the EFL Team of the Season line-ups". EFL. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
38. "Lincoln City 0-2 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
39. "Royston Town – Appearances/Scorers". Royston Town. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
40. "Games played by Will Norris in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
41. "Games played by Will Norris in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
42. "Games played by Will Norris in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
43. "Games played by Will Norris in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
44. "Games played by Will Norris in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
45. "Games played by Will Norris in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
46. "Games played by Will Norris in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
47. "Games played by Will Norris in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
48. "Games played by Will Norris in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
49. "Games played by Will Norris in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
50. "Games played by Will Norris in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
51. "Games played by Will Norris in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
52. "Attfield looks back on treble-winning campaign". Royston Crow. 9 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
53. "No go Crows in Hinchingbrooke Cup". Cambridge News. 24 June 2013.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
54. "Cambridge United 2–1 Gateshead". BBC Sport. 18 May 2014.
55. "Cambridge United 4–0 Gosport Borough". BBC Sport. 23 March 2014.
56. "Bolton Wanderers 0-4 Wolves". BBC Sport. 21 April 2018.
57. "Portsmouth 3-2 Barnsley". BBC Sport. 17 April 2024.
58. "Braintree's superb defensive record helps earn Norris the Vanarama National League's top player award for October". Braintree & Witham Times. 5 November 2015.
59. "See who made the EFL Team of the Season line-ups". EFL. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
60. "PFA League One Team of the Year". PFA. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.

External links

• Will Norris at Soccerbase