Will Wright (footballer)

Will Wright

Wright in 2023
Personal information
Full name	William Robert Wright [1]
Date of birth	(1997-06-12) 12 June 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth	Luton, England
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.90 m) [2]
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Swindon Town
Number	5
Youth career
	Luton Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2015	Biggleswade United	21	(1)
2015–2017	Hitchin Town	58	(7)
2015	→ Bedford Town (loan)	5	(0)
2016	→ Barton Rovers (loan)	5	(0)
2017–2019	Colchester United	0	(0)
2018–2019	→ Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)	34	(1)
2019–2022	Dagenham & Redbridge	101	(6)
2022–2023	Gillingham	34	(1)
2023–2024	Crawley Town	45	(4)
2024–	Swindon Town	28	(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:41, 24 January 2025 (UTC)

William Robert Wright (born 12 June 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League Two club Swindon Town.

Career

Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, ^[2] Wright played youth football for Luton Town, before playing in non-league football for Biggleswade United and Hitchin Town. ^[3] He spent time on loan at Bedford Town and Barton Rovers, and went on trial with Norwich City. ^[4]

He then signed for Colchester United where he failed to make an appearance, before moving to Dagenham & Redbridge, initially on loan. ^{[3] [5]} He was made club captain in his final season with the club, and made just under 150 appearances in his four seasons at Victoria Road. ^[6]

He moved to League Two side Gillingham on a free transfer in June 2022. ^{[7] [8]} He made his debut for the Kent side in a 2–0 away loss to AFC Wimbledon on 30 July 2022. ^[9]

He signed for Crawley Town on 1 August 2023, for an undisclosed fee. ^[10] Following promotion at the end of the 2023–24 season, Wright was offered a new contract by Crawley Town. ^[11]

On 25 June 2024, Wright agreed to join League Two side Swindon Town from 1 July. ^{[12] [13]}

Style of play

Wright can play at either right-back or centre-back. ^[6] He describes himself as possessing a "good range of passing" and "hardworking, composed, I like to think I'm a leader and I like to take care of the ball in possession". ^[14] He regularly takes on set-ball duties and has become known for his ability to score from free kicks and to deliver dangerous crosses. ^[15]

Career statistics

As of match played 24 January 2025

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Hitchin Town	2015–16 [16]	SL Premier Division	14	0	3	0	—		10 [a]	0	27	0
	2016–17 [16]	SL Premier Division	42	7	1	0	—		15 [b]	4	58	11
	2017–18 [16]	SL Premier Division	2	0	—		—		0	0	2	0
	Total		58	7	4	0	—		25	4	87	11
Colchester United	2018–19 [2]	League Two	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)	2018–19 [2]	National League	34	1	2	0	—		2 [c]	0	38	1
Dagenham & Redbridge	2019–20 [2]	National League	27	2	1	0	—		2 [c]	0	30	2
	2020–21 [2]	National League	31	1	3	0	—		1 [c]	0	35	1
	2021–22 [2]	National League	43	3	2	0	—		4 [c]	0	49	3
	Total		135	7	8	0	—		9	0	152	7
Gillingham	2022–23 [17]	League Two	34	1	5	0	4	0	3 [d]	1	46	2
Crawley Town	2023–24 [18]	League Two	45	4	1	0	0	0	8 [e]	0	54	4
Swindon Town	2024–25 [19]	League Two	28	3	2	0	1	0	3 [d]	0	34	3
Career total			300	22	20	0	5	0	48	5	373	27

1. One appearance in Southern League Premier Division play-offs, five in Southern Football League Cup, three in Herts Senior Cup, one in Hertfordshire County Cup
2. Two appearances in Southern League Premier Division play-offs, five appearances and one goal in FA Trophy, one in Southern Football League Cup, four appearances and three goals in Herts Senior Cup, three in Hertfordshire County Cup
3. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
4. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
5. 5 appearances in EFL Trophy, 3 appearances in play-offs

Honours

Crawley Town

• EFL League Two play-offs: 2024 ^[20]

References

1. "EFL – Squad List 2023/24: Crawley Town – In Squad Players" (PDF). English Football League. p. 108. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
2. "England - W. Wright - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
3. "Dagenham & Redbridge FC | Will Wright Joins the Daggers!". Dagenham & Redbridge FC.
4. "Flown From the Nest - Will Wright". ex-canaries.co.uk.
5. Ranson, Jacob (5 May 2021). "Dagenham boss McMahon sees Will Wright as a future captain". Barking and Dagenham Post.
6. "Wright | "The Gaffer became a big pull for me"". Gillingham F.C. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
7. "Gillingham bring in Dagenham defender Wright". BBC . 1 June 2022.
8. Power, Lee (2 June 2022). "Departing Wright thanks Dagenham & Redbridge after Gillingham move". Barking and Dagenham Post.
9. "AFC Wimbledon 2-0 Gillingham: Dons off the mark under Johnnie Jackson". Sky Sports . 30 July 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
10. "Crawley Town sign defender Wright from Gillingham" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
11. "2023/24 RELEASED & RETAINED LIST". www.crawleytownfc.com. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
12. "Town sign Will Wright". www.swindontownfc.co.uk. 25 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
13. "Will Wright: Swindon Town sign former Crawley Town defender". BBC Sport. 25 June 2024.
14. "Gills capture the signing of Will Wright". Gillingham F.C. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
15. Cawdell, Luke (21 October 2022). "Gillingham defender Will Wright on set-piece duties and winning the respect of his team-mates". Kent Online . Retrieved 17 December 2022.
16. "Player Profile". www.aylesburyunitedarchive.com.
17. "Games played by Will Wright in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
18. "Games played by Will Wright in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
19. "Games played by Will Wright in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
20. "Crawley Town 2–0 Crewe Alexandra: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.