Cheye Alexander

Born in Newham, Alexander supported his local team West Ham United as a child and joined their academy in 2003, remaining there for ten years before being released as an 18-year old in summer 2013.[4][5] He was diagnosed with Osgood–Schlatter disease, which causes knee pain but gave him a growth spurt during his last year as a schoolboy.[6] This meant that he had to play through the pain during the 2011–12 season, and though he managed to join the under-18 team during the 2012–13 season he was not given a professional contract by the club.[6] He instead signed a one-year deal with Port Vale, but did not make any first team appearances for the "Valiants". On 13 December 2013, he joined Northern Premier League Premier Division side Ilkeston on a one-month loan deal.[7] Vale manager Micky Adams confirmed that Alexander would not be offered a new contract in April 2014.[8]

On 5 September 2014, he signed with Conference South side Concord Rangers.[6] He made his debut for the club in a 2–0 win over Weston-super-Mare on 1 November and played a total of three games for the "Beach Boys".[3] On 28 November 2014, he joined fellow Conference South club Bishop's Stortford.[9] He played two games for the "Blues", one each in the league and FA Trophy.[3]

Alexander joined Aldershot Town on a non-contract basis on 3 March 2015.[10][11] He made his club debut in a 1–1 draw with Braintree Town on 11 April and played three further Conference Premier games by the end of the 2014–15 season.[3] He signed a one-year contract with the "Shots" in June 2015.[5] Manager Barry Smith said that "he's got all of the attributes of a full-back and he’ll play in the style that I want to play".[5]

He scored his first career goal on 22 August 2015, in a 4–0 win at Guiseley.[12] He scored two goals in 50 appearances across the 2015–16 campaign.[3] He signed a new one-year contract in June 2016, with manager Gary Waddock commenting that he felt he could improve the player further.[13] He made 45 appearances during the 2016–17 season, scoring one goal, as Aldershot qualified for the play-offs with a fifth-place finish. However they were beaten 5–2 on aggregate by Tranmere Rovers in the play-off semi-finals.[14]

On 19 August 2017, he scored from 25 yards (23 m) out at Boreham Wood but claimed it meant nothing to him as the team lost the game 2–1.[15] He ended the 2017–18 season with two goals in 45 games, with Aldershot again claiming a play-off spot with a fifth-place finish. However this time they lost a penalty shoot-out to Ebbsfleet United after their play-off quarter-final game ended in a 1–1 draw at the Recreation Ground.[16] He was released by his own request in May 2018.[17] Upon his departure from the club he said that "I feel I have improved as a player and I’ve learned so much at Aldershot.... it's an amazing club that’s become a big part of my life".[18]

On 26 June 2018, Alexander joined Barnet on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee, with "Bees" manager John Still admitting that he had tried to sign the player on previous occasions.[19] He scored two goals from 53 appearances during the 2018–19 campaign as Barnet posted a 12th-place finish in the National League. He scored two goals in 42 games during the 2019–20 season, which was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, with Barnet in the play-offs with a seventh-place finish. He turned down a short-term contract extension in June 2020 that would have kept him at The Hive Stadium for the delayed play-off campaign after informing manager Darren Currie that he had found a move to a club in the English Football League.[20]

On 23 July 2020, he returned to the Football League by signing for League One club AFC Wimbledon.[21] Manager Glyn Hodges said that he had impressed the club's scouts and that he hoped to have found a "hidden gem in non league" as they found with left-back Nesta Guinness-Walker the previous year.[21] He made his debut on 5 September, when he started an EFL Cup tie away at Oxford United.[22] However it was only when Mark Robinson succeeded Hodges as manager the following January that Alexander enjoyed a sustained run in the first-team.[23] He made a total of 36 appearances in the 2020–21 season, helping the "Dons" to post a 19th-place finish in League One.[3] He featured 25 times in the 2021–22 relegation campaign, but was unable to play for incoming manager Mark Bowen after missing the end of the season with a groin injury.[3][24] He was released in June 2022.[25]

Alexander signed for League Two side Gillingham on 15 July 2022 on a one-year deal after impressing manager Neil Harris whilst on trial.[26] He made his debut for the Kent side as a 67th-minute substitute on the opening day of the 2022–23 season, in a 2–0 away loss to the team who had just released him, AFC Wimbledon.[27] His first Gillingham goal came in the return fixture at Priestfield in February 2023, with his volley sealing a 2–1 victory over his former employers.[28] He scored three goals in 48 games, making a sufficient number of appearances during the season to trigger an extension clause in his contract.[29] His volleyed goal against AFC Wimbledon on 25 February won him the club's Goal of the Season award.[30]