Toby Sibbick

Toby Silbufis
Personal information
Full name Toby Peter Silbufis[1]
Date of birth (1999-05-23) 23 May 1999 (age 25)[2]
Place of birth Isleworth, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.89 m)[3]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Wigan Athletic
Number 17
Youth career
– Feltham
2014–2017 AFC Wimbledon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2019 AFC Wimbledon 26 (0)
2019–2022 Barnsley 51 (1)
2020 → Heart of Midlothian (loan) 2 (0)
2020 → Oostende (loan) 0 (0)
2022–2024 Heart of Midlothian 67 (0)
2024– Wigan Athletic 8 (0)
International career
2024– Uganda 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:15, 29 November 2024 (UTC)

Toby Peter Sibbick (born 23 May 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for EFL League One club Wigan Athletic. Born in England, he plays for the Uganda national team.

He has previously played for AFC Wimbledon, Barnsley and Heart of Midlothian, as well as Oostende on loan.

Early life

Born in Isleworth to a Ugandan mother and an English father, Sibbick grew up in Feltham, West London.[4]

He started playing football when his father took him to play for Feltham Youth, before later joining Conquest Football Academy. Sibbick gained a trial for AFC Wimbledon after playing against them and then subsequently being scouted.[5]

Career

AFC Wimbledon and early career

After being scouted, Sibbick signed his first professional contract with AFC Wimbledon, and made his professional debut on 17 April 2017 in a 0–0 draw against Peterborough United.[6]

He scored his first goals for Wimbledon when he scored twice in an EFL Trophy tie against Tottenham Hotspur Under-23s on 3 October 2017.[7] On 26 January 2019, Sibbick came off the bench scored the fourth goal against West Ham United in the FA Cup fourth round to seal a famous 4–2 win for AFC Wimbledon.[8]

Barnsley

Sibbick signed for Barnsley in the summer of 2019.[9] He then moved on loan to Scottish club Heart of Midlothian in January 2020.[10][11]

On 4 August 2020, Sibbick joined Belgian First Division A side Oostende on a season-long loan deal,[12] which was eventually terminated early in December 2020 as Sibbick had difficulties manifesting himself due to the good performance of other young defenders.[13][14]

He scored his first goal for Barnsley in a 1–1 draw with Cardiff City on 7 August 2021.[15]

Heart of Midlothian

On 27 January 2022, Sibbick signed with previous loan club Heart of Midlothian on a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[16] He made his second debut for Hearts in a 2–0 home win against Motherwell two days later, coming on at half time to replace an injured John Souttar.[17]

Wigan Athletic

On 24 July 2024, Sibbick joined EFL League One club Wigan Athletic on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[18][19]

International career

Sibbick was called up to the Uganda national team for a set of friendlies in March 2024. He debuted with them in a 2–2 draw with Ghana on 27 March 2024.[20]

Style of play

Sibbick is well known for his versatility, work-rate, and fitness levels, in mainly defending but also the attacking sense. He can operate in mainly defensive positions but has the footballing ability to play further forward if needed. He has been described as: "So comfortable on the ball, as he can also get up and down the pitch brilliantly" and "tall, athletic and has the ability to easily beat his man and find a teammate".[5]

Career statistics

As of 20 May 2024[21][22]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other[a] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
AFC Wimbledon 2016–17[23] League One 2 0 — — — — 2 0
2017–18[24] 1 0 — — — 4 2 5 2
2018–19[25] 23 0 2 1 2 0 — 3 0 30 1
AFC Wimbledon Total 26 0 2 1 2 0 0 7 2 37 3
Barnsley 2019–20[26] Championship 18 0 — — — — 18 0
2020–21[27] 21 0 3 0 — — 2[b] 0 26 0
2021–22[28] 12 1 — — — — 12 1
Barnsley Total 51 1 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 56 1
Heart of Midlothian (loan) 2019–20[26] Scottish Premiership 2 0 — — — — 2 0
Heart of Midlothian 2021–22[28] Scottish Premiership 14 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 0
2022–23 Scottish Premiership 32 0 3 1 1 0 5 0 0 0 41 1
2023–24 Scottish Premiership 21 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 27 0
Heart of Midlothian Total 69 0 7 1 3 0 8 0 0 0 86 1
Career Totals 145 1 12 2 5 0 8 0 9 2 179 5
  1. ^ Includes appearances in the EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in Championship play-offs

References

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Barnsley" (PDF). English Football League. p. 4. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Profile". 11v11. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Toby Sibbick". AFC Wimbledon. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  4. ^ Pilcher, Ross (24 January 2020). "Hearts target Toby Sibbick scouted". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Toby signs pro deal".
  6. ^ "AFC Wimbledon 0–0 Peterborough". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Parrett decides Trophy thriller against his old club Spurs". AFC Wimbledon. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  8. ^ "AFC Wimbledon 4-2 West Ham in the FA Cup fourth round". BBC Sport. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  9. ^ "Toby Sibbick Joins The Reds!". www.barnsleyfc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  10. ^ "SIBBICK JOINS HEARTS". Heart of Midlothian FC. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  11. ^ McLauchlin, Brian (24 January 2020). "Hearts close to Liam Boyce deal as Toby Sibbick joins on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Toby Sibbick Joins KV Oostende On Season Long Loan". Barnsley F.C. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Toby Sibbick keert terug naar Barnsley" (in Dutch). K.V. Oostende. 21 December 2020. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  14. ^ "Toby Sibbick Returns to Oakwell".
  15. ^ "Cardiff 1-1 Barnsley". BBC. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  16. ^ "Sibbick returns to Hearts | Heart Of Midlothian Football Club". www.heartsfc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Heart of Midlothian 2-0 Motherwell". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Sibbick leaves for Wigan – Hearts". www.heartsfc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  19. ^ FC, Wigan Athletic (24 July 2024). "Latics sign Hearts defender Toby Sibbick!". Wigan Athletic FC. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Hearts: Sibbick starts in eventful Uganda draw". BBC Sport. 26 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Toby Sibbick Profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  22. ^ Toby Sibbick at Soccerbase
  23. ^ "Games played by Toby Sibbick in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  24. ^ "Games played by Toby Sibbick in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  25. ^ "Games played by Toby Sibbick in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  26. ^ a b "Games played by Toby Sibbick in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Games played by Toby Sibbick in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  28. ^ a b "Games played by Toby Sibbick in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 November 2021.