Josh Coburn
Personal information
Full name Joshua Guy Coburn[1]
Date of birth (2002-12-06) 6 December 2002 (age 21)
Place of birth Bedale, England
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Middlesbrough
Number 19
Youth career
0000–2019 Sunderland
2019–2021 Middlesbrough
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021– Middlesbrough 42 (10)
2022–2023 → Bristol Rovers (loan) 35 (10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:41, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

Joshua Guy Coburn (born 6 December 2002) is an English footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough.

Early life and education

Coburn was born in Bedale, North Yorkshire, and attended Bedale Primary School, Crakehall Primary School and Richmond School.[3][4][5] He returned to his primary school in November 2021 to open a new sports facility at the school, alongside local MP and current Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.[5]

Career

After spending five years at Sunderland's academy, he was released by them whilst going through a growth spurt and joined Middlesbrough at under-16 level in September 2019.[2][4] He signed his first professional contract with the club in January 2021,[4] and was named on the first team bench for the first time on 13 March 2021 for a 3–0 home win over Stoke City.[2][6] He made his debut for the club as a substitute in a 2–1 win over Rotherham United on 21 April 2021.[6][7] Coburn scored his first goal for the club in his next game with a "brilliant headed goal" in a 3–1 league win at home to Sheffield Wednesday on 24 April 2021.[8] He scored once in 4 appearances in his debut season in professional football.[9]

On 11 August 2021, he made his first start for Middlesbrough in a 3–0 EFL Cup defeat to Blackpool.[10][11] He scored his first goal of the season in a 2–0 win over Peterborough United on 16 October 2021.[11] He scored in successive fixtures against Luton Town and West Bromwich Albion in November 2021,[11] the former coinciding with his full league debut.[12] In January 2022, he signed a new contract with the club until 2025, with the option of a further year.[3]

On 1 March 2022, he scored the winning goal in extra time in an FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur to take Middlesbrough through to the quarter-finals of the competition.[13]

Loan to Bristol Rovers

On 1 September 2022, Coburn joined EFL League One club Bristol Rovers on loan for the 2022–23 season.[14] Having suffered an injury on the opening day of the season, Coburn would stay with his parent club in the short-term to work on the rehab from this knee injury.[15] On 4 October, Coburn made his debut for the club when he came on as a half-time substitute in a 2–0 EFL Trophy victory over Crystal Palace U21.[16] Coburn made his league debut four days later, scoring the winner in a 2–1 victory over Cambridge United, Rovers' first league win for eight weeks.[17] Coburn impressed during his first ten league appearances for the club, scoring five goals, with manager Joey Barton tipping him to go on to play for England.[18] In December 2022, amid talk of a potential recall, Middlesbrough Head of Football Kieran Scott reiterated the plan was to allow Coburn to stay with Rovers until the end of the season as originally planned.[19] Despite going through a goal drought of over two months, he retained the faith of Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick who challenged him to force himself back into the first-team regularly.[20] On 2 May 2023, he ended his goal drought in the penultimate game of the season in a 2–1 defeat to Shrewsbury Town, his first goal since 7 January and his tenth of the season.[21] At the end of the season, he received the club's Young Player of the Year award and their goal of the season award for his goal in October against Sheffield Wednesday.[22]

Career statistics

As of 1 January 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Middlesbrough 2020–21[9] Championship 4 1 0 0 0 0 – 4 1
2021–22[11] Championship 18 4 3 1 1 0 – 22 5
2022–23[23] Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 – 1 0
2023–24[24] Championship 19 5 0 0 2 0 – 21 5
Total 42 10 3 1 3 0 0 0 48 11
Bristol Rovers (loan) 2022–23[23] League One 35 10 1 0 0 0 4[a] 0 40 10
Career total 77 20 4 1 3 0 4 0 88 21
  1. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 23rd June 2020: Middlesbrough" (PDF). 23 June 2020. p. 18. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Johns, Craig (16 March 2021). "Josh Coburn's route to Boro's bench, impressing Warnock and Fry". TeessideLive. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b Wilson, Scott (4 January 2022). "Josh Coburn challenged to 'kick on' after signing new deal at Middlesbrough". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Barnard, Ashley (14 January 2021). "Josh achieves his dream signing for Middlesbrough Football Club". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b Gleeson, Janet (13 November 2021). "Stars turn out to open school's new games area". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  6. ^ a b "J. Coburn: Summary". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  7. ^ Shaw, Dominic; Johns, Craig (21 April 2021). "Rotherham 1–2 Boro - Reaction as Boro win at New York Stadium". TeessideLive. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  8. ^ Johns, Craig (24 April 2021). "Boro 3–1 Sheff Wed: Coburn the hero after dream home debut". TeessideLive. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Games played by Josh Coburn in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Josh Coburn". mfc.co.uk. Middlesbrough F.C. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d "Games played by Josh Coburn in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  12. ^ Johns, Craig (3 November 2021). "Warnock delighted for Coburn after goal in his full Boro league debut". TeessideLive. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Middlesbrough vs. Tottenham Hotspur - Football Match Report - March 2, 2022". ESPN. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Josh Coburn is a Gashead!". www.bristolrovers.co.uk. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Josh Coburn Loaned To Bristol Rovers". www.mfc.co.uk. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Match Report : Rovers 2–0 Crystal Palace U21s". www.bristolrovers.co.uk. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Bristol Rovers 2–1 Cambridge United". BBC Sport. 8 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Josh Coburn: Bristol Rovers striker 'could play for England', says boss Joey Barton". BBC Sport. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  19. ^ Johns, Craig (20 December 2022). "Middlesbrough's Josh Coburn Bristol Rovers loan stance reiterated ahead of January transfer window". Gazette Live. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  20. ^ Frost, Sam (29 March 2023). "Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick delivers fresh verdict on Josh Coburn's Bristol Rovers loan". Bristol Post. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  21. ^ "Shrewsbury Town 2–1 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  22. ^ a b "End of Season Awards 2022/23". www.bristolrovers.co.uk. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  23. ^ a b "Games played by Josh Coburn in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  24. ^ "Games played by Josh Coburn in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 September 2023.

External links

Middlesbrough F.C. – current squad
Categories