James Perch

James Perch
Perch playing for Newcastle United in 2012
Personal information
Full name James Robert Perch[1]
Date of birth (1985-09-28) 28 September 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth Mansfield, England
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Defender / Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Ilkeston Town
Youth career
1996–2004 Nottingham Forest
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2010 Nottingham Forest 190 (12)
2010–2013 Newcastle United 65 (1)
2013–2015 Wigan Athletic 82 (3)
2015–2018 Queens Park Rangers 74 (0)
2018–2020 Scunthorpe United 71 (3)
2020–2023 Mansfield Town 90 (4)
2023– Ilkeston Town 34 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:24, 30 March 2024 (UTC)

James Robert Perch (born 28 September 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays for Ilkeston Town. Perch is versatile and has covered many positions in both defence and across midfield. However, he is usually deployed at right back.

Career

Nottingham Forest

Perch was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and began his career at Nottingham Forest. He made 22 league appearances in his début season as Forest were relegated from the rebranded Football League Championship. His first professional goal came in the same season, scoring in the 63rd minute against Doncaster Rovers in the Third Round of the Football League Cup. After his first season, he signed a new contract to extend his stay a further 2 1/2 years.[3] He made over 200 appearances for Forest (including 30 league appearances in the 2007/08 campaign when Forest were promoted back to the Championship) before moving to newly promoted Newcastle United.

Newcastle United

On 5 July 2010, Perch signed for Newcastle United for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £1 million, on a four-year deal.[4] Forest had rejected a transfer bid from Newcastle in January of the same year.[5] He made his debut for Newcastle against Manchester United on 16 August 2010 in a 3–0 defeat.[6] On 18 September 2010, he set a new Premier League record by being the first player ever to receive five yellow cards in his first five games in the league.[7] His only goal for Newcastle came in a 4–3 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Premier League.[8] During his stay, Perch was nicknamed "Perchinho" due to the fans respect for his steady performances and versatility.

Wigan Athletic

On 3 July 2013, Perch completed a move to recently relegated FA Cup holders Wigan Athletic, signing a four-year contract with the club. The transfer fee was undisclosed, but was estimated to be around £750,000.[9] Perch made his league debut for Wigan on 3 August 2013, in a 4–0 away victory over Barnsley.[10] He scored his first goal for the club on 9 March 2014, in a 2–1 win against Premier League Manchester City, helping holders Wigan to the semi-finals of the FA Cup for a consecutive season.[11]

Queens Park Rangers

On 31 July 2015, Perch signed for Championship side Queens Park Rangers on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[12] Perch made his competitive QPR debut in the first game of the 2015-16 Championship Season which resulted in a 2–0 defeat against Charlton Athletic, he played the whole game.[13]

On 6 April 2018, it was announced that Perch would leave the club at the end of the 2017–18 season.[14]

Scunthorpe United

He joined Scunthorpe United in August 2018, signing a two-year contract.[15]

Mansfield Town

Perch signed for his hometown club Mansfield Town in August 2020.[16] He suffered a fractured skull in August 2021 that initially ruled him out of action for the 2021–22 season.[17] Perch made a return to training quicker than expected in January 2022,[18] and made his return to the starting line-up against Port Vale on 15 March.[19]

Ilkeston Town

On 8 September 2023, Perch signed for Northern Premier League Premier Division club Ilkeston Town.[20]

International career

In October 2012, he was approached by the Jamaica Football Federation, who wanted Perch to play for Jamaica during their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.[citation needed] Perch is also eligible for Barbados through his father, who was born on the island.[21]

Career statistics

As of end of 2022–23 season
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
Nottingham Forest 2004–05[22] Championship 22 0 3 0 3 1 — 28 1
2005–06[23] League One 38 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 40 3
2006–07[24] League One 46 5 4 0 0 0 5[a] 1 55 6
2007–08[25] League One 30 0 2 0 1 0 1[b] 0 34 0
2008–09[26] Championship 37 3 3 0 2 0 — 42 3
2009–10[27] Championship 17 1 2 0 0 0 2[c] 0 21 1
Total 190 12 16 0 6 1 8 1 220 14
Newcastle United 2010–11[28] Premier League 13 0 1 0 1 0 — 15 0
2011–12[29] Premier League 25 0 1 0 2 0 — 28 0
2012–13[30] Premier League 27 1 1 0 1 0 9[d] 0 38 1
Total 65 1 3 0 4 0 9 0 81 1
Wigan Athletic 2013–14[31] Championship 40 0 6 1 0 0 7[e] 1 53 2
2014–15[32] Championship 41 3 1 0 0 0 — 42 3
Total 81 3 7 1 0 0 7 1 95 5
Queens Park Rangers 2015–16[33] Championship 35 0 1 0 1 0 — 37 0
2016–17[34] Championship 32 0 1 0 2 0 — 35 0
2017–18[35] Championship 7 0 0 0 0 0 — 7 0
Total 74 0 2 0 3 0 — 79 0
Scunthorpe United 2018–19[36] League One 41 2 1 1 1 0 2[f] 0 45 3
2019–20[37] League Two 30 1 1 0 1 0 4[f] 0 36 1
Total 71 3 2 1 2 0 6 0 81 4
Mansfield Town 2020–21[38] League Two 32 3 1 0 1 0 1[b] 0 35 3
2021–22[39] League Two 20 1 0 0 0 0 3[g] 0 23 1
2022–23[40] League Two 38 0 2 0 0 0 4[b] 0 44 0
Total 90 4 3 0 1 0 8 0 102 4
Career total 571 23 33 2 16 1 38 2 658 28
  1. ^ Three appearances in Football League Trophy, two appearances and one goal in League One play-offs
  2. ^ a b c Appearances in Football League Trophy
  3. ^ Appearances in Championship play-offs
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ One appearance in FA Community Shield, four appearances in UEFA Europa League, two appearances and one goal in Championship play-offs
  6. ^ a b Appearances in EFL Trophy
  7. ^ Appearance(s) in EFL League Two play-offs

Honours

Nottingham Forest

References

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Scunthorpe United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 63. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Premier League Player Profile". Premier League. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  3. ^ "Perch signs new Forest contract". BBC Sport. BBC. 1 March 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  4. ^ "Newcastle land Forest star Perch". ESPNsoccernet. ESPN. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  5. ^ "Nottingham Forest reject Newcastle's offer for Perch". BBC. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  6. ^ Chowdhury, Saj (16 August 2010). "Man Utd 3–0 Newcastle". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  7. ^ McNulty, Phil (18 September 2010). "Everton 0–1 Newcastle". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  8. ^ "Man Utd 4–3 Newcastle". BBC. 26 December 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  9. ^ "Wigan complete Perch swoop". ESPN. 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  10. ^ "Barnsley 0–4 Wigan" BBC Sport. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  11. ^ "Manchester City 1–2 Wigan" BBC Sport. 9 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  12. ^ "James Perch: QPR sign Wigan Athletic defender". BBC. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  13. ^ "Charlton 2-0 QPR". BBC Sport. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Queens Park Rangers confirm three players will leave at the end of the season". 6 April 2018.
  15. ^ James Perch: Scunthorpe United sign former QPR midfielder BBC Sport. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  16. ^ Thirkill, Stephen (13 August 2020). "James Perch delighted to sign for home town club Mansfield Town". Mansfield Chad. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  17. ^ "James Perch: Mansfield Town defender suffers fractured skull". BBC Sport. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  18. ^ "James Perch: Mansfield Town defender cleared to return after fractured skull". BBC Sport. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  19. ^ Lomas, John (15 March 2022). "Mansfield Town first team start for James Perch at Port Vale". Mansfield Chad. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  20. ^ "James Perch Is A Robin". ilkestontownfc.co.uk. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  21. ^ "James Perch exclusive interview". The Journal. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  22. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  24. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  25. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  27. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  28. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  29. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  30. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  31. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  32. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  33. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  34. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  35. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  36. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  37. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  38. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  39. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  40. ^ "Games played by James Perch in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
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