Alex Nicholas Gilliead (born 11 February 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or winger for club Shrewsbury Town. He has represented England at under-16, under-17, under-18, and under-20 levels.

Alex Gilliead
Gilliead playing for Carlisle United in 2015
Personal information
Full name Alex Nicholas Gilliead[1]
Date of birth (1996-02-11) 11 February 1996 (age 28)[2]
Place of birth Shotley Bridge, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Shrewsbury Town
Number 17
Youth career
2012–2014 Newcastle United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2018 Newcastle United 0 (0)
2015–2016Carlisle United (loan) 35 (5)
2016–2017Luton Town (loan) 18 (1)
2017Bradford City (loan) 9 (0)
2017–2018Bradford City (loan) 42 (1)
2018–2019 Shrewsbury Town 27 (1)
2019–2021 Scunthorpe United 79 (7)
2021–2024 Bradford City 123 (5)
2024– Shrewsbury Town 1 (0)
International career
2011–2012 England U16 4 (0)
2012–2013 England U17 8 (0)
2014 England U18 2 (0)
2015–2016 England U20 7 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:20, 29 October 2023 (UTC)

Club career

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Newcastle United

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Born in Shotley Bridge, County Durham,[2] Gilliead was offered a trial by Newcastle United in 2011, after he was first noticed playing for Swalwell Juniors.[3] He signed scholarship terms in the summer of 2012,[3] before signing a three-year professional contract with the club on 4 July 2013.[4] Gilliead signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract on 28 January 2016 to keep him at the club until 30 June 2018, with the option of a further year.[5]

Loan to Carlisle United

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On 14 September 2015, Gilliead joined League Two club Carlisle United on a one-month youth loan.[6] He made his professional debut five days later in a 2–2 draw with York City, assisting both of Carlisle's goals.[7][8] Gilliead's loan was extended until the end of 2015–16, having made five appearances during his initial loan spell.[9] He followed up his loan extension by scoring his first professional goal two days later in a 1–0 win at home to Exeter City.[10][11] Gilliead completed the loan spell with 41 appearances and five goals.[12]

Loan to Luton Town

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On 31 August 2016, Gilliead joined League Two club Luton Town on loan until 7 January 2017.[13] He debuted as an 85th-minute substitute in a 2–1 defeat at home to Grimsby Town on 10 September.[14] Gilliead scored his first goal for Luton in a 2–0 win at home to West Bromwich Albion U21 in the EFL Trophy on 4 October.[15] He later scored his first league goal for the club in a 3–1 win at home to Barnet on 31 December.[16] Gilliead scored two goals in 21 appearances and returned to Newcastle following the expiration of his loan spell.[17][18]

Loan to Bradford City

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On 12 January 2017, Gilliead signed for League One club Bradford City on loan until the end of 2016–17.[19] He made his debut two days later as a 76th-minute substitute in a 1–0 defeat away to Shrewsbury Town and completed the loan spell with 10 appearances.[17]

Gilliead returned to Bradford City on a six-month loan on 7 July 2017.[20] On 4 January 2018, Gilliead's loan at Bradford was extended until the end of the season.[21] He scored two goals from 48 appearances,[22] as Bradford finished in 11th place in the table.[23]

Shrewsbury Town

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Gilliead signed for League One club Shrewsbury Town on 10 July 2018 on a two-year contract, following his release by Newcastle.[24]

Scunthorpe United

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Gilliead signed for Scunthorpe United, who were newly relegated to League Two, on 9 July 2019 on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[25] He was one of 17 players released by Scunthorpe at the end of the 2020–21 season.[26]

Return to Bradford City

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Gilliead rejoined Bradford City, this time on a permanent basis, in the summer of 2021.[27] His first Bradford goal since 2018 came in a 2-0 home win over Rochdale on 2 October 2021.

Gilliead signed a 2-year contract extension with Bradford in June 2023.

International career

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Gilliead has represented England at under-16, under-17, under-18, and under-20 levels.[28]

Career statistics

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As of match played 15 December 2020
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
Newcastle United 2014–15[29] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2015–16[12] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016–17[17] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Carlisle United (loan) 2015–16[12] League Two 35 5 5 0 1 0 41 5
Luton Town (loan) 2016–17[17] League Two 18 1 2 0 1[a] 1 21 2
Bradford City (loan) 2016–17[17] League One 9 0 1[b] 0 10 0
2017–18[22] League One 42 1 3 1 1 0 2[a] 0 48 2
Total 51 1 3 1 1 0 3 0 58 2
Shrewsbury Town 2018–19[30] League One 27 1 4 0 1 0 3[a] 2 35 3
Scunthorpe United 2019–20[31] League Two 35 6 1 0 1 0 5[a] 0 42 6
2020–21[32] League Two 16 0 1 0 1 0 1[a] 0 19 0
Total 51 6 2 0 2 0 6 0 61 6
Career total 182 14 16 1 5 0 13 3 216 18
  1. ^ a b c d e Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Appearance in League One play-offs

References

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  1. ^ "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Alex Gilliead". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Alex Gilliead". Newcastle United F.C. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  4. ^ Marshall, Anthony (4 July 2013). "New deals for young stars". Newcastle United F.C. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  5. ^ Mennear, Richard (28 January 2016). "Newcastle winger signs new contract". The Shields Gazette. South Shields. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  6. ^ Mennear, Richard (14 September 2015). "Newcastle duo join Carlisle on loan and are told to fight for a place". The Shields Gazette. South Shields. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  7. ^ "York City 2–2 Carlisle United". BBC Sport. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  8. ^ Waugh, Chris (21 September 2015). "Newcastle United's Alex Gilliead 'buzzing' after providing two assists on Carlisle debut". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  9. ^ Ryder, Lee (15 October 2015). "Newcastle United extend loan deals for Macaulay Gillesphey and Alex Gilliead". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  10. ^ "Carlisle United 1–0 Exeter City". BBC Sport. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  11. ^ Ryder, Lee (18 October 2015). "Newcastle United youngster proving to be a hit with Carlisle United fans after scoring first senior goal". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  12. ^ a b c "Games played by Alex Gilliead in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Newcastle midfielder Gilliead signs loan deal at Luton". Luton Today. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  14. ^ Easterby, Tom (12 September 2016). "Loan watch: Armstrong's dream debut". Newcastle United F.C. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  15. ^ Simmonds, Mike (4 October 2016). "Hatters through in EFL Trophy after dominant display against Baggies". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  16. ^ Cunliffe, James (31 December 2016). "Luton Town round off 2016 with home win over Barnet". Bedfordshire on Sunday. Bedford. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017.
  17. ^ a b c d e "Games played by Alex Gilliead in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  18. ^ Simmonds, Mike (7 January 2017). "Gilliead returns to Newcastle United". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  19. ^ "Alex Gilliead: Newcastle United midfielder joins Bradford City on loan". BBC Sport. 12 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  20. ^ Parker, Simon (7 July 2017). "Newcastle winger returns to Valley Parade until January". Telegraph & Argus. Bradford. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  21. ^ Parker, Simon (4 January 2018). "Bradford City: Gilliead extends loan for rest of the season". Telegraph & Argus. Bradford. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  22. ^ a b "Games played by Alex Gilliead in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  23. ^ "League One: 2017/18: Latest table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  24. ^ "Alex Gilliead: Shrewsbury Town sign winger after Newcastle departure". BBC Sport. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  25. ^ "Alex Gilliead: Scunthorpe United sign winger from Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  26. ^ "Scunthorpe United release 17 players including several key men". Grimsbylive. 13 May 2021 – via www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk.
  27. ^ "Gilliead Returns as Sixth Summer Signing".
  28. ^ "Alex Gilliead". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017.
  29. ^ "Games played by Alex Gilliead in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  30. ^ "Games played by Alex Gilliead in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  31. ^ "Games played by Alex Gilliead in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  32. ^ "Games played by Alex Gilliead in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
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