Chris Long (footballer)

Christopher Long
Personal information
Full name Christopher Michael Long[1]
Date of birth (1995-02-25) 25 February 1995 (age 29)[2]
Place of birth Huyton, England
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[3]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Crewe Alexandra
Number 7
Youth career
2000–2013 Everton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2015 Everton 0 (0)
2014 → Milton Keynes Dons (loan) 4 (1)
2015 → Brentford (loan) 10 (4)
2015–2018 Burnley 10 (0)
2016–2017 → Fleetwood Town (loan) 18 (4)
2017 → Bolton Wanderers (loan) 10 (1)
2017–2018 → Northampton Town (loan) 38 (9)
2018 Fleetwood Town 8 (0)
2019 Blackpool 17 (2)
2019–2021 Motherwell 54 (11)
2021– Crewe Alexandra 73 (23)
International career‡
2010–2011 England U16 2 (0)
2011 England U17 4 (2)
2012–2013 England U18 2 (1)
2013 England U19 1 (0)
2013–2014 England U20 5 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:39, 16 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:51, 10 October 2014 (UTC)[4]

Christopher Michael Long (born 25 February 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League Two club Crewe Alexandra. He is a product of the Everton Academy.[2] Long has represented England from U16 to U20 level.[4]

Club career

Everton

A forward, Long grew up in Huyton and represented the town at schoolboy level.[5][6] Long joined the Everton academy as a five-year-old in 2000 and worked his way up through the youth ranks.[2] He made his debut for the Toffees' youth team in a 2–1 Premier Academy League defeat to Bolton Wanderers on 5 February 2011, coming on as a late substitute for Hallam Hope.[7] He broke into the youth team on a regular basis during the 2011–12 season, impressing with nine goals in 17 games.[8] Long also made his reserve team debut during the season, scoring one goal in seven Premier Reserve League appearances.[9] He signed a two-year professional contract in July 2013.[10] After steady progress in the reserves and a goal for the first team in a 3–1 pre-season friendly defeat to Paderborn in August 2014,[11] Long received his maiden call into the senior squad for Everton's dead rubber Europa League group stage match versus Krasnodar on 11 December.[12] Awarded the number 41 shirt, he made his Everton debut when he came on for Conor McAleny after 80 minutes of the 1–0 defeat.[13] Entering the final six months of his contract in January 2015, Long stated that he hoped to earn a new deal with his performances on loan away from Goodison Park.[14] He turned down a new deal after the 2014–15 season and departed Everton on 28 July 2015.[15]

Milton Keynes Dons (loan)

On 8 January 2014, Long signed for League One side Milton Keynes Dons on a one-month loan.[16] Allotted the number 15 shirt, Long made the first professional appearance of his career in a 3–2 win over Shrewsbury Town three days later, starting the match and scoring his first senior goal to put the Dons 2–1 ahead.[17] He played the full 90 minutes of the following match versus Bristol City and managed two further starts before returning to Everton in February when his loan expired.[18] Long scored one goal in four appearances for the Dons.[19]

Brentford (loan)

Long followed in the footsteps of former Everton youth colleagues Jake Bidwell, Adam Forshaw and Conor McAleny by joining Championship side Brentford on 20 January 2015, on an initial one-month loan.[20] Through later extensions, the loan was extended until the end of the 2014–15 season.[21][22][23][24] Wearing the number 31 shirt, he made his debut four days later in a 2–1 victory over Norwich City, coming on as a late substitute for Andre Gray.[25] He scored his first Bees goal on his fifth appearance, crowning a 3–1 victory over Bournemouth on 21 February.[26] Selected ahead of Andre Gray, Long made his first Bees start versus Huddersfield Town on 3 March and scored two goals before being replaced by Gray after 73 minutes.[27][28] He made it four goals in five games with Brentford's opener in a 3–2 victory over Blackburn Rovers two weeks later.[25] A stomach bug, an injury and a gashed knee (the latter suffered in an Everton reserve match) kept Long out of the squad for the rest of the regular season.[28][29][30] Long failed to appear again until what became Brentford's final game of the season, a 3–0 playoff semi-final second leg defeat to Middlesbrough on 15 May,[28] replacing Toumani Diagouraga after 71 minutes.[25] He made 11 appearances and scored four goals during his spell.[25]

Burnley

On 28 July 2015, Long signed for newly relegated Championship side Burnley for an undisclosed fee.[31] In May 2018, he was released by Burnley following the expiration of his contract after three years at the club.[32]

Loan spells

On 12 August 2016, Long joined League One side Fleetwood Town on a season-long loan deal.[33] On 30 January 2017, Long was recalled by Burnley and immediately loaned to another League One side Bolton Wanderers until the end of the season.[34] He scored on his home debut for the club, coming on as a substitute in a 4–1 win against Walsall.[citation needed] On 28 July 2017, Long joined League One side Northampton Town on a season long loan deal.[35]

Fleetwood Town

On 20 July 2018, Long signed for EFL League One side Fleetwood Town on a two-year deal.[36]

Blackpool

On 8 January 2019, Long joined Blackpool until the end of the 2018–19 season after his contract at Fleetwood had been terminated by mutual consent.[37]

Motherwell

On 10 June 2019, Motherwell announced the signing of Long on a one-year contract to begin when his Blackpool contract expired on 30 June 2019.[38] He made his debut on 13 July 2019, in a Scottish League Cup group stage match away to Queen of the South, however he had to be substituted after only three minutes having been struck in the face by the ball within the first ten seconds of the match.[39] Long netted his first hat-trick for the club in a 3–0 Scottish Cup win at Dundee on 18 January 2020.[40]

On 10 July 2020 it was announced Long had signed a new one-year deal to stay at Motherwell.[41]

He was released by the club at the end of the 2020–21 season.[42]

Crewe Alexandra

Long joined League One club Crewe Alexandra on a two-year deal on 7 June 2021.[43] He made his Crewe debut in a League Cup first round tie at Hartlepool United on 10 August 2021,[44] but initially struggled to get further games due to COVID-19, Norovirus and a slight injury.[45][46] He scored his first Crewe goal on 30 October 2021, against MK Dons at Gresty Road,[47] but then suffered a groin injury in Crewe's next game.[48] However, as Crewe were relegated to League Two, he became a first team regular, finished joint top scorer with 10 goals from 34 appearances,[49] and was named Crewe Alexandra Player of the Season.[50]

The start of Long's second season at Crewe was also hampered by injury and illness; Long suffered an ankle injury during pre-season then had a bout of food poisoning which delayed his return to the first team.[51] He played one league game in September 2022 and was then out of the first team until April 2023. He then scored three goals in Crewe's final nine games of the season, against Barrow on 7 April,[52] Walsall on 15 April,[53] and Bradford City on 3 May.[54] Long was offered a new contract by the club at the end of the season,[55] and signed a 12-month deal.[56] After his third season at the club, having helped it reach the League 2 play-off final in May 2024, Long was offered another new contract by Crewe[57] and signed a one-year deal.[58]

After scoring three times in four games at the start of the 2024–25 season, Long suffered a hamstring injury, ruling him out until November.[59][60] He made a substitute appearance in Crewe's FA Cup first round defeat by Dagenham & Redbridge on 2 November 2024,[61] and was then red-carded after less than two minutes of his second-half substitute appearance against Notts County on 16 November 2024.[62]

International career

Long has represented England from U16 to U20 level.[63] He made two appearances in the U16s' victorious 2010–11 Victory Shield campaign.[63] Long was elevated an age-group and named in the England squad for the U20 World Cup in June 2013.[63] He scored on his debut for the side in a 3–0 pre-tournament friendly victory over Uruguay.[64] He made substitute appearances against Egypt and Iraq as England crashed out in the group stage.[65] Long made his U19 debut in a friendly versus Hungary on 14 November 2013.[63] Long scored his second U20 goal in a 3–2 Four Nations Tournament victory over the Netherlands on 11 October 2014.[66]

Career statistics

As of match played 16 November 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
Everton 2013–14[19] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2014–15[67] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 1[a] 0 1 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Milton Keynes Dons (loan) 2013–14[19] League One 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1
Brentford (loan) 2014–15[67] Championship 10 4 0 0 0 0 1[b] 0 11 4
Burnley 2015–16[68] Championship 10 0 1 0 0 0 — 11 0
2016–17[69] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2017–18[70] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
Fleetwood Town (loan) 2016–17[69] League One 18 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 23 4
Bolton Wanderers (loan) 2016–17[69] League One 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 1
Northampton Town (loan) 2017–18[70] League One 38 9 1 0 1 0 3[c] 0 43 9
Fleetwood Town 2018–19[71] League One 8 0 0 0 2 0 3[c] 1 13 1
Blackpool 2018–19[71] League One 17 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 2
Motherwell 2019–20[72] Scottish Premiership 25 7 2 3 4 1 — 31 11
2020–21[73] Scottish Premiership 29 4 3 1 0 0 3[a] 1 35 6
Total 54 11 5 4 4 1 3 1 66 17
Crewe Alexandra 2021–22[49] League One 32 10 0 0 1 0 1[c] 0 34 10
2022–23[74] League Two 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 3
2023–24[75] League Two 27 9 0 0 2 0 3[d] 0 32 9
2024–25[76] League Two 4 1 1 0 0 0 2[c] 2 7 3
Total 73 23 1 0 3 0 7 2 84 25
Career total 225 49 13 4 10 1 15 4 263 58
  1. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ Appearance in Championship play-offs
  3. ^ a b c d Appearances in EFL Trophy
  4. ^ Appearance in EFL play-offs

Honours

Burnley

Bolton Wanderers

Individual

  • Crewe Alexandra Player of the Season: 2021–22[50]

References

  1. ^ "Chris Long". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Chris Long". Everton FC. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  3. ^ "Barclays Premier League Player Profile Chris Long". Premier League. 2014. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Chris Long". The FA. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  5. ^ "Dons sign Everton's Long". MKDons.com. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  6. ^ Johnson, Tim (6 December 2005). "CLASSY CHRIS BOOKS RETURN TO GOODISON; Holders Huyton set up final clash with Liverpool". Free Library. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  7. ^ "ToffeeWeb – Everton Under-18s, 2010–11". toffeeweb.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  8. ^ "ToffeeWeb – Everton Under-18s, 2011–12". toffeeweb.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  9. ^ "ToffeeWeb – Everton Reserves, 2011–12". toffeeweb.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  10. ^ "Chris Long rewarded with Everton contract". Sports Mole. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Everton 1-3 SC Paderborn". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Chris Long". espnfc.com.ve. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  13. ^ Whalley, Mike. "Everton 0–1 FK Krasnodar". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  14. ^ Murtagh, Jacob (28 January 2015). "Striker eyes new Everton deal". getwestlondon. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  15. ^ Kirkbride, Phil (29 July 2015). "Everton stand to make £1m from Chris Long exit". Retrieved 21 August 2015.
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  17. ^ "MK Dons 3–2 Shrewsbury". BBC Sport. 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
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  32. ^ Marshall, Tyrone (17 May 2018). "Three players leave Burnley". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
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  35. ^ "Striker Long Joins Cobblers On Loan". Burnley F.C. 28 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
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  40. ^ Southwick, Andrew (18 January 2020). "Dundee 0–3 Motherwell". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
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  43. ^ "Christopher Long joins the Alex on two-year contract". Crewe Alexandra FC. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  44. ^ "Hartlepool United 0-1 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  45. ^ "Extended Break To Benefit Long". CreweAlex.net. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  46. ^ "Long Suffers Slight Set-Back In Quest To Return". CreweAlex.net. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
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  50. ^ a b "Player of the Season: Christopher Long has been named this years Player of the Season! CreweAlex". Twitter. Crewe Alexandra. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
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  53. ^ "Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Walsall". BBC Sport. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  54. ^ "Crewe Alexandra 3-2 Bradford City". BBC Sport. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
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  59. ^ "Injury Update | Powell, Bogle & Long". CreweAlex.net. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  60. ^ "Injury Update: Long, Powell & Lankester". CreweAlex.net. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
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  62. ^ "Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Notts County". BBC Sport. 16 November 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  63. ^ a b c d "TheFA". thefa.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  64. ^ "England U20 3–0 Uruguay U20: Taylor's men record comfortable win in World Cup warm-up". Goal.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  65. ^ Chris Long – FIFA competition record (archived)
  66. ^ The Football Association. "Aidy Boothroyd praise never say die attitude of U20s – England – The FA". thefa.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  67. ^ a b "Games played by Chris Long in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  68. ^ "Games played by Chris Long in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  69. ^ a b c "Games played by Chris Long in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  70. ^ a b "Games played by Chris Long in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  71. ^ a b "Games played by Chris Long in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  72. ^ "Games played by Chris Long in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  73. ^ "Games played by Chris Long in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  74. ^ "Games played by Chris Long in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  75. ^ "Games played by Chris Long in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  76. ^ "Games played by Chris Long in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 August 2023.