Joseph William George Tomlinson (born 9 June 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a full-back for EFL League Two club Milton Keynes Dons.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph William George Tomlinson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 June 2000 | ||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Full-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Milton Keynes Dons | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Southampton | |||
| Yeovil Town | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Bognor Regis Town (loan) | 32 | (3) |
| 2019–2020 | Hungerford Town | 33 | (4) |
| 2020–2021 | Eastleigh | 41 | (12) |
| 2021–2023 | Peterborough United | 9 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Swindon Town (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2023 | → Swindon Town (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2023– | Milton Keynes Dons | 52 | (11) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:31, 16 November 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editEarly years
editTomlinson played for the academies of Southampton and Yeovil Town, before joining the under-23 side of Brighton & Hove Albion at the age of 17.[3] He spent time on loan with non-league club Bognor Regis Town,[4] but was released by Brighton at the end of the 2018–19 season.[5]
Non-league
editAhead of the 2019–20 season, Tomlinson joined National League South club Hungerford Town, where he was later appointed captain at the age of 19.[6] He then signed for National League club Eastleigh ahead of the 2020–21 season.[7] In his first season, Tomlinson finished as the club's top scorer with 12 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions, despite playing from left-back.[8] He was later named the club's Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year for the 2020–21 season.[9]
Peterborough United
editAfter catching the eye of several football league clubs, Tomlinson joined Championship club Peterborough United in July 2021, signing a three-year deal.[9][10][11] With first team opportunities limited, he signed for League Two club Swindon Town on loan in January 2022.[12][13] After impressing on loan at Swindon, Tomlinson was awarded the EFL Young Player of the Month award for February 2022, contributing with three assists and a goal across the month.[14] In January 2023, Tomlinson re-signed for Swindon on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent transfer, which later failed to materialise.[15][16]
Milton Keynes Dons
editOn 1 September 2023, Tomlinson joined League Two club Milton Keynes Dons for an undisclosed fee.[17][18] He made his debut the following day, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute in a 3–1 away league defeat to Crewe Alexandra.[19] Tomlinson scored his first goal for the club on 24 October 2023, in a 4–1 home league win over Bradford City.[20]
Having become a regular part of the first-team, on 9 September 2024 Tomlinson signed an extended contract with improved terms.[21]
Career statistics
edit- As of 16 November 2024
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2018–19[22] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Bognor Regis Town (loan) | 2018–19[23] | Isthmian Premier Division | 32 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 5[a] | 0 | 40 | 2 | |
| Hungerford Town | 2019–20[24] | National League South | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 4[b] | 1 | 38 | 5 | |
| Eastleigh | 2020–21[24] | National League | 41 | 12 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 43 | 12 | |
| Peterborough United | 2021–22[25] | Championship | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |
| 2022–23[26] | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2023–24[27] | League One | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| Swindon Town (loan) | 2021–22[25] | League Two | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| Swindon Town (loan) | 2022–23[26] | League Two | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | |||
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2023–24[27] | League Two | 36 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[d] | 0 | 39 | 7 | |
| 2024–25[28] | League Two | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 4 | |
| Total | 52 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 58 | 11 | ||
| Career total | 183 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 212 | 32 | ||
- ^ Three appearances in FA Trophy, two appearances in Alan Turvey Trophy
- ^ One appearance in FA Trophy, three appearances and one goal in Berks & Bucks Senior Cup
- ^ Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
- ^ 1 appearance in the EFL Trophy, 2 appearances in the play-offs
Honours
editIndividual
- Eastleigh Young Player of the Year: 2020–21[9]
- Eastleigh Player of the Year: 2020–21[9]
- EFL Young Player of the Month: February 2022[14]
References
edit- ^ "EFL squad list 2021/22 & U21 registered contracted players" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ "Joseph Tomlinson Defender". Milton Keynes Dons Football Club.
- ^ "Tomlinson Reflects On Dream Move". Brighton & Hove Albion. 26 May 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Bognor Regis Town | Appearances | Joe Tomlinson | 2018-2019 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
- ^ "Five under-23 players retained and seven released by Brighton". www.brightonandhoveindependent.co.uk.
- ^ "Tomlinson's pride at captain's role". Newbury Today. 23 January 2020.
- ^ "NEW SIGNING | JOE TOMLINSON SIGNS FOR EASTLEIGH | Eastleigh FC". www.eastleighfc.com.
- ^ "Joe Tomlinson departs club". Eastleigh. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Posh Swoop For Eastleigh Startlet". Peterborough United. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ "Posh sign Eastleigh full-back Tomlinson". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Peterborough United sign Joe Tomlinson, a two-footed full-back or wing-back who was attracting the attention of multiple Football League clubs". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk.
- ^ "Peterborough United complete their transfer deadline day business by allowing Joe Tomlinson to leave on loan". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk.
- ^ "Swindon sign Posh defender Tomlinson". BBC Sport.
- ^ a b "Joe Tomlinson becomes the latest EFL Young Player of the Month". www.efl.com. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Swindon Town re-sign Joe Tomlinson from Peterborough United". www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk.
- ^ "Swindon sign Blake-Tracy, Tomlinson and Kadji". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Don Deal: Joe Tomlinson joins on Deadline Day". Milton Keynes Dons. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "MK Dons sign Tomlinson, Harrison and Stewart" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Crewe Alexandra 3-1 Milton Keynes Dons". BBC. 2 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ "Milton Keynes Dons 4-1 Bradford City". BBC. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ "Joe Tomlinson puts pen to paper on new MK Dons deal". Milton Keynes Dons. 9 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "Games played by Joe Tomlinson in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ "Bognor Regis Town – Appearances – Joe Tomlinson". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ a b "J. Tomlinson: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Games played by Joe Tomlinson in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Games played by Joe Tomlinson in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Games played by Joe Tomlinson in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Games played by Joe Tomlinson in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2024.