Danny Hylton

Daniel Thomas Hylton (born 25 February 1989) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is a first-team coach at Charlton Athletic.

Career

Aldershot Town

Born in Camden, Greater London, Hylton joined Aldershot Town aged 16 in 2005, when he was signed by Terry Brown. During the 2007–08 season, Hylton was part of the team which won the Conference Premier title and the Conference League Cup. Among his appearances, Hylton played in their first League Cup match, when he came on as a 69th-minute substitute for Marvin Morgan in a 3–1 defeat to Coventry City on 13 August 2008.

In March 2007, Hylton joined Harlow Town on loan before he sustained an injury on his debut, making one appearance as a result.

On 6 January 2011, it was reported Hylton had agreed to sign for AFC Wimbledon. However, he later signed a one-year contract extension to remain with Aldershot under new manager Dean Holdsworth.

Rotherham United

On 18 June 2013, Hylton signed a two-year contract with newly promoted League One club Rotherham United, with the option of a third year. He made his Rotherham debut in a 1–0 win away to Brentford on 5 October. Ten days later, Hylton was loaned out to League Two club Bury until 23 November.

On 27 January 2014, Hylton joined AFC Wimbledon on loan for the remainder of the 2013–14 season. Rotherham were promoted to the Championship at the end of the season, and Hylton was transfer-listed.

Oxford United

Hylton joined League Two club Oxford United on a two-year contract on 6 June 2014. He ended the 2014–15 season as Oxford's top goalscorer with 16 goals in all competitions, 14 of which came in the league. On 3 April 2016, he scored Oxford's second goal in the 2016 Football League Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium, which Oxford lost 3–2 to Barnsley.

Luton Town

Hylton turned down a new contract with Oxford to sign for League Two club Luton Town on a two-year contract on 31 May 2016. He scored the opening goal on his debut in Luton's 3–0 win away to Plymouth Argyle on the opening day of 2016–17. Hylton scored a hat-trick for Luton in a 4–1 win at home to Wycombe Wanderers on 3 September, which saw him earn a place in the English Football League Team of the Week. He scored twice from the penalty spot for Luton in a 3–1 victory away to Exeter City in the FA Cup first round, ensuring their progression to the second round. Hylton signed a contract extension with Luton on 12 January 2017 until June 2019, with the prospect of a further extension until 2020, having scored 14 goals from 26 appearances up to that point in 2016–17. He scored twice during a home match against Crawley Town on 11 February, the first coming in the 70th minute and the second coming in the 76th minute, which made the score 2–1 to Luton, and was once again named in the English Football League Team of the Week. Hylton was named the PFA Fans' League Two Player of the Month for February 2017, during which he scored four goals in five league appearances. His performances for Luton saw him named in the PFA League Two Team of the Year, as well as being named Luton Town Player of the Season, voted for by the club's supporters. Hylton played in both legs of Luton's play-off semi-final defeat to Blackpool, which finished 6–5 on aggregate, and scored a penalty in the 3–3 home draw in the second leg. He finished the season with 47 appearances and 27 goals.

Ahead of 2017–18, Hylton had an operation on his lower leg which saw him miss the start of the season. His first appearance of the season came against Tottenham Hotspur U21 in an EFL Trophy group stage match on 15 August 2017, in which he was substituted at half-time. Hylton scored his first goal of 2017–18 in his 50th appearance for Luton with the equaliser away to Mansfield Town 11 days later, which finished a 2–2 draw. He was named the PFA Fans' League Two Player of the Month for October 2017, having scored four goals from five league appearances.

His contract was extended by a further year at the end of the 2017–18 season after a promotion clause was triggered as a result of Luton's promotion to League One.

Northampton Town

Hylton signed a two-year contract with League Two club Northampton Town on 21 June 2022 effective from 1 July when his Luton contract expired, making 28 appearances in all competitions in the 2022-23 season as the Cobblers won promotion from League Two.

He was released by the club upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2023–24 season, after making only four appearances, totaling at 32 appearances and zero goals across his time with the Cobblers.

Charlton Athletic

On 18 September 2024, Hylton signed for Charlton Athletic as a player-coach on a short-term deal reuniting him with his former manager Nathan Jones.

On 26 October 2024, Hylton made his debut for Charlton Athletic, coming on in the 81st minute of a 2-2 draw in League One with Wrexham at The Valley. In doing so, Hylton became the Charlton's 1,000 ever player to represent the club in a professional game.

On 28 January 2025, it was confirmed that Hylton's contract had expired but that he would continue to train with the men's first-team squad.

On 24 February 2025, it was confirmed that Hylton had extended his player-coach contract with the club. On 30 May 2025, it was confirmed Hylton's playing contract at the club would not be renewed following the conclusion of his contract, but he would sign a contract to continue as part of Nathan Jones' backroom staff.

On 19 June 2025, Hylton announced his retirement from professional football.

Career statistics

Honours

Aldershot Town
*Conference League Cup: 2007–08
*Conference Premier: 2007–08

Oxford United
*Football League Trophy runner-up: 2015–16
*Football League Two second-place promotion: 2015–16

Luton Town
*EFL League Two second-place promotion: 2017–18
*EFL League One: 2018–19

Individual
*PFA Fans' League Two Player of the Month: February 2017, October 2017
*PFA Team of the Year: 2016–17 League Two, 2017–18 League Two
* Luton Town Player of the Season: 2016–17

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hylton, Danny
1983 births
Living people
People from Camden Town
Footballers from the London Borough of Camden
English men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Aldershot Town F.C. players
Harlow Town F.C. players
Rotherham United F.C. players
Bury F.C. players
AFC Wimbledon players
Oxford United F.C. players
Luton Town F.C. players
Northampton Town F.C. players
Charlton Athletic F.C. players
National League (English football) players
Isthmian League players
English Football League players
Charlton Athletic F.C. non-playing staff
21st-century English sportsmen