Wyll Stanway

Wyll Stanway
Personal information
Full name Wylliam Sam Stanway
Date of birth (2001-05-21) 21 May 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Barrow-in-Furness, England
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Barrow
Number 21
Youth career
Barrow
Holker Old Boys
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021 Furness Rovers
2021–2022 Holker Old Boys 12 (0)
2021–2022 → Lancaster City (dual registration) 5 (0)
2022–2024 Chester 57 (0)
2022 → FC United of Manchester (loan) 7 (0)
2022 → Bootle (loan) 5 (0)
2022–2023 → Macclesfield (loan) 20 (0)
2024– Barrow 4 (0)
International career‡
2024 England C 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:55, 5 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 April 2024 (UTC)

Wylliam Sam Stanway (born 21 May 2001) is an English football goalkeeper and former cricketer who currently plays for EFL League Two club Barrow. In cricket, he represented Cumbria.

Early life and cricket

[edit]

Wylliam Sam Stanway[2] was born on 21 May 2001 in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.[3] He is one of four siblings, with two brothers and an older sister, footballer Georgia Stanway.[4][5] They are from Askam-in-Furness.[6]

Though the siblings all played football together growing up,[5] Stanway played club and National Counties cricket before his football career.[4] His father had previously made the Cumberland County Cricket Second XI in 1991,[7] with Georgia and their younger brother also representing Cumbria's youth teams.[8] In cricket, Wyll Stanway was an all-rounder, playing for Furness Cricket Club as well as grade cricket in Australia and representing Cumbria up to and including senior.[4][9] When he was 17, he captained the under-18 Twenty20 team of Carrum Cricket Club in Melbourne.[10] Stanway made his senior debut for Cumbria (then Cumberland) in 2019, and played for them in the NCCA Knockout Trophy and 2021 National Counties Championship.[11][12] A noted batsman for Furness and other clubs,[9][13] he had success as a bowler for Cumbria.[14]

He attended the Chetwynde School[15] and worked part-time in the nuclear engineering industry as a support worker, having reduced his hours when he joined Chester.[4]

Football career

[edit]

Local leagues

[edit]

Having played in some youth teams of local club Barrow's Performance Centre,[16] Stanway and his brothers played for Holker Old Boys as teenagers;[2][17][18] Stanway and his younger brother had stopped playing there by 2019, at which point Wyll was focused on cricket, while older brother JP was still at the club as a striker.[19] Continuing in local football, Wyll Stanway played as an outfield centre-back until he was 19, in early 2021,[20] when Furness Rovers needed a substitute goalkeeper.[4] Stanway discovered this due to the manager being a friend, and offered to "stand in net for them".[16] As a goalkeeper, he was described as a raw talent. In June 2021 he moved from Furness Rovers[21] to Holker Old Boys,[22] and a few months into the 2021–22 season he also signed for Lancaster City on dual registration.[23] He made 12 appearances for Holker Old Boys and 5 for Lancaster before, in January 2022, he transferred to Chester.[22][24]

Chester

[edit]

He signed for Chester on a non-contract basis until the end of the 2021–22 season,[4] making 11 league appearances.[25] His debut for the club in February 2022 meant he had gone from step 7 football at Furness Rovers to step 2 in seven months, reported as an "incredible rise".[26] He was not used for a period during the season, with the manager choosing a more experienced goalkeeper instead, but returned to a starting role towards the end, including keeping a clean sheet in four of the last five games. In June 2022 he signed a one-year contract for Chester. At the time, he described his good run of form as bittersweet, due to it coming at the end of a season.[4][21] His progress as a goalkeeper saw him draw attention from other clubs.[20]

In the 2022–23 season, Stanway spent time on loan at three clubs.[25] He joined F.C. United of Manchester on 28-day loan at the end of September 2022,[27] where he played seven games and was named player of the match twice, including on his debut.[28][29][30] After F.C. United he went to Bootle, intended to be until the end of the season. He was recalled from Bootle by Chester at the end of November 2022 and sent instead to Macclesfield for the remainder of the season,[31] after Macclesfield's first-choice goalkeeper suffered an injury.[32] With Macclesfield he won the Division One West of the Northern Premier League.[25][33] Robbie Savage, a board member of the club, later revealed that Macclesfield had wanted to offer Stanway a permanent deal, but could not agree terms with Chester.[32]

Stanway was kept under contract at Chester for the 2023–24 season,[34] being given the number 1 shirt.[35] By the end of January 2024, he had kept 18 clean sheets for them in the season;[36] he finished the season with 22 clean sheets, having played every minute. He was also voted as Chester's player of the season by the club's travelling fans.[37]

Barrow

[edit]

On 23 May 2024, EFL League Two side Barrow announced that they had signed Stanway to a professional two-year contract, with option for another year, for an undisclosed fee.[38] Chester manager Calum McIntyre described the fee as "significant".[37]

Stanway made his debut in the English Football League on 14 September 2024, which Barrow won 2–1 away at Grimsby Town. Stanway was named player of the match.[6] He was an unused substitute in the EFL Cup third-round tie against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 24 September, which saw Barrow knocked out of the competition.[39] Barrow won the Lancashire Senior Cup on 26 November in a 1–1 draw against Burnley Under-23s, decided by a penalty shoot-out in which Stanway made two saves.[40]

International career

[edit]

In March 2024, he was called up to the England national football C team as one of two step 2 players in the squad,[41] debuting as a substitute in a match against Wales C.[42]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Soccerway
  2. ^ a b "Holker Old Boys AFC Reserves | Furness Premier League sponsored by Paul Hunt of Bargain Booze". fulltime.thefa.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Wyll Stanway". The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Baggaley, Michael (6 July 2022). "Wyll Stanway talks Chester FC, supporters and new season". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b Chabo, Elena. "Georgia Stanway talks teamwork, mindfulness, and the future of women's football". Stylist. No. 460. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Stanway family make history as Georgia and Wyll win accolades within 24 hours". The Mail. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Paul Stanway". stats.acscricket.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Georgia Stanway". The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Cockermouth emerge as main threat to Furness in cricket top flight". Whitehaven News. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Furness pair Stanway and Shaw making mark in Australia". The Mail. 22 December 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Wyll Stanway Profile - Cricket Player England | Stats, Records, Video". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  12. ^ Bone, Andy (11 August 2021). "NCCA Championship ED2: Wells set for Bucks debut in Cumbria + all the team news". Sports Shots. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  13. ^ Hui, Jin (20 June 2019). "It's a nightmare for bowlers". Dandenong Star Journal. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  14. ^ Travers, Chris (18 August 2021). "NCCA review: Beds and Herefordshire seal promotion, Oxfordshire stun Berkshire". Stoke on Trent Live. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Something in their DNA – Second Stanway sibling receives England call-up". The Mail. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Stanway returns to Barrow - England international signs with AFC". The Mail. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Holker Old Boys back themselves to continue revival". The Mail. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Town put run of defeats behind them". St Helens Star. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Stanway continuing family's sporting success story". The Mail. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  20. ^ a b Tomlinson, Andy (25 August 2022). "Roker Roundup: Sunderland linked with brother of Lionesses star & Bennette speaks in Costa Rica". Roker Report. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  21. ^ a b Baggaley, Michael (17 June 2022). "Verdict on Wyll Stanway as keeper prepares for new season at Chester FC". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  22. ^ a b admin (28 January 2022). "BREAKING | Wyll Stanway signs for Chester FC". Chester Football Club. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  23. ^ "Duo join Lancaster City - The Pitching In Northern Premier League". www.thenpl.co.uk. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  24. ^ "Lancaster City | Appearances | Wyll Stanway | 2021-2022 | Football Web Pages".
  25. ^ a b c "Wyll Stanway". Chester Football Club. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  26. ^ Richardson, David (13 February 2022). "Wyll's big step up is testament to Blues". The Non-League Football Paper. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  27. ^ admin (23 September 2022). "NEWS | Wyll Stanway joins FC United on loan". Chester Football Club. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  28. ^ "Match Preview : FC aim for three consecutive league wins". fc-utd.co.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  29. ^ Gordon, James (24 September 2022). "Yellows frustrated by man of the match 'keeper". Warrington Worldwide. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  30. ^ "Marske lose at home to League leaders FC United of Manchester". www.marskeunitedfc.org. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  31. ^ "Wyll Stanway moves to Macclesfield on loan". Cumbria Crack. 1 December 2022.
  32. ^ a b "Player Profiles: Goalkeepers". Macclesfield FC Archives, Unofficial Fan Account. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  33. ^ "Macclesfield | Appearances | Wyll Stanway | 2022-2023 | Football Web Pages".
  34. ^ "Boss Calum is thrilled as striker Caton signs two-year deal with Chester". The Leader. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  35. ^ Albert2 (13 July 2023). "Chester FC Squad Numbers confirmed for 2023/24!". Chester Football Club. Retrieved 18 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  36. ^ "Our terrific team of the week won't go far wrong with an eight-goal striker!". The Leader. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  37. ^ a b Albert2 (23 May 2024). "Wyll Stanway joins Barrow AFC". Chester Football Club. Retrieved 26 May 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ "Wyll Stanway: Barrow sign Chester goalkeeper for undisclosed fee". BBC Sport. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  39. ^ Hashim, Taha (24 September 2024). "Nkunku's hat-trick sends Chelsea on Carabao Cup cruise against Barrow". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  40. ^ "Wyll's the penalty hero as Barrow win Lancashire Senior Cup". The Mail. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  41. ^ "England C squad for Wales C clash revealed". The Non-League Paper. 6 March 2024.
  42. ^ "BBC Radio Cumbria - BBC Radio Cumbria Sport, Wyll Stanway". BBC. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wyll_Stanway&oldid=1261957347"