Ollie Younger

Oliver James Younger (born 14 November 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back. He started his career with Burnley, where he spent time on loan at St Patrick's Athletic, before moving on to Sunderland and Doncaster Rovers.

Ollie Younger
Personal information
Full name Oliver James Younger[1]
Date of birth (1999-11-14) 14 November 1999
Place of birth Skipton, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
 Free agent
Youth career
2007–2018 Burnley
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2020 Burnley 0 (0)
2020 → St Patrick's Athletic (loan) 2 (0)
2020–2022 Sunderland 1 (0)
2022–2023 Doncaster Rovers 16 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:24, 29 August 2023 (UTC)

Career

Early career

He began his career with Burnley in 2007, aged 7 years old. He grew up a fan of the club and was a season ticket holder at the club for 15 years.[2] He was in the same youth teams as England U21 international Dwight McNeil.[3]

Burnley

On 10 February 2018, Younger alongside fellow youth teammate Dwight McNeil were included in Sean Dyche's first team squad for the Premier League game away to Swansea City.[3] Younger signed his first professional contract with the club in April 2018, signing a 2 year deal.[4]

St Patrick's Athletic loan

On 13 February 2020, the day before their first game of the season, it was announced that Younger had signed for League of Ireland Premier Division side St Patrick's Athletic on loan until 31 July.[5] He made his debut in senior football in a 2–0 win away to Sligo Rovers in which Younger was sent off after receiving 2 yellow cards within 5 minutes of each other.[6] His next appearance came against Cork City at Richmond Park and resulted in more bad luck for Younger as he was hospitalized after receiving 10 minutes of treatment on the pitch following an elbow to the jaw which saw him lose consciousness.[7][2] This proved to be his last appearance for the club as the league was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and did not resume until after Younger's loan spell at the club was up.[8]

Sunderland

It was announced in September 2020 that Younger had signed for Sunderland, initially linking up with their under-23's side.[9] He made his Sunderland first team debut on 10 November 2020, in a 2–1 loss to Fleetwood Town in the EFL Trophy.[10] Younger made his league debut for the club on 6 March 2021, playing at right-back in a 2–0 win over Rochdale at the Stadium of Light.[11][12] On the 14th March 2021, Younger won the first silverware of his senior career as he was an unused substitute in a 1–0 win over Tranmere Rovers in the 2021 EFL Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium, having made 3 appearances in the competition on the way to the final.[13]

Doncaster Rovers

On 19 January 2022, Younger joined League One's bottom side Doncaster Rovers on an eighteen-month deal.[14] He made 16 appearances for the club by the end of the season, as they were relegated to EFL League Two.[15] Younger suffered a long term injury during pre-season ahead of the 2022–23 season, snapping his hamstring.[16] In February 2023, just weeks ahead of his return to playing, he suffered a relapse of the hamstring injury in the final stages of his recovery, which would rule him out for the rest of the season.[17][18] On 19 May 2023, it was announced that Younger would be released by the club following the end of his contract, but was invited back for pre-season training in an aim to help him regain his fitness.[19]

Career statistics
As of match played 23 April 2022[20]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Burnley 2017–18 Premier League 000000—00
2018–19 0000000[lower-alpha 1]000
2019–20 000000—00
Total 0000000000
St Patrick's Athletic (loan) 2020 League of Ireland Premier Division 20———20
Sunderland 2020–21 EFL League One 1000003[lower-alpha 2]040
2021–22 0000104[lower-alpha 2]050
Total 1000107090
Doncaster Rovers 2021–22 EFL League One 160———160
2022–23 EFL League Two 0000000000
Total 160000000160
Career Total 190001070270
  1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Sunderland

References
  1. Ollie Younger at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  2. James, Alex (19 May 2020). "Uncertainty, hope, desire - inside Academy life with a Burnley prospect". LancsLive.
  3. Scholes, Tony (16 September 2020). "Younger joins former team mates at Sunderland".
  4. "First pro deal for young Clarets defender". Lancashire Telegraph.
  5. "Oliver Younger Joins On Loan Deal". www.stpatsfc.com.
  6. Farry, Jessica (21 February 2020). "Hale and Forrester goals help 10-man Saints past Sligo". The42.
  7. Sneyd, David (7 March 2020). "St Pat's defender Younger released from hospital after losing consciousness in collision on Friday night". The42.
  8. "Games Postponed Following Covid-19 Outbreak". www.stpatsfc.com.
  9. Knight, Chris (16 September 2020). "Sunderland continue under-23 rebuild with double swoop". ChronicleLive.
  10. Scholes, Tony (11 November 2020). "A Younger night for Sunderland".
  11. Hewitt, Matty (6 March 2021). "Who is Oliver Younger? Young centre-back makes his debut against Rochdale". ChronicleLive.
  12. Hunter, James (6 March 2021). "Sunderland 2-0 Rochdale player ratings as Wyke and Sanderson earn important win". ChronicleLive.
  13. Pilnick, Brent (14 March 2021). "Sunderland 1–0 Tranmere Rovers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  14. "Welcome to Rovers, Ollie Younger". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  15. "England - O. Younger - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  16. "Why McSheffrey isn't looking too deep into injury situation as physio moves on". www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk. 9 August 2022.
  17. "Doncaster Rovers defender Ollie Younger suffers setback in his return from injury".
  18. Ray, James (7 February 2023). "Doncaster Rovers set to be without 23-year-old for the rest of the season".
  19. "Rovers confirm retained and released list". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk.
  20. "England – O.Younger". Ie.soccerway.com. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
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