Jayden Stockley
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Jayden Connor Stockley (born 15 September 1993) is an English professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a striker for club
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
. He is a target forward and has excellent heading skills. Stockley came through the youth system at
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
to make his professional debut at age 16 in 2009. He spent time on
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
at Dorchester Town,
Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...
,
Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...
,
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
,
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
,
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
,
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
,
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
and
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
. He left Bournemouth in May 2016 and spent two seasons in the
Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...
with
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
, featuring in
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
and
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
for a fee of £750,000 in January 2019. He scored nine
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
goals before being loaned out to
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...
in January 2021. He joined Charlton permanently in the summer for £450,000 and was the club's top-scorer for the 2021–22 season. He was signed to
Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Established in 1997, the current Flee ...
for an undisclosed fee in January 2023 and became the club's top-scorer in the 2023–24 season before he was sold on to Port Vale in June 2024. He was promoted out of League Two with the club at the end of the 2024–25 season.


Career


AFC Bournemouth

Jayden Connor Stockley was born on 15 September 1993 in
Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...
,
Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
. He attended Lytchett Minster School. He started his career as a youth player at
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
, entering the Centre of Excellence aged seven. He enjoyed being at the club, though came close to joining
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
when Bournemouth entered
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
in 2008. At the age of 16 years,
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Eddie Howe Edward John Frank Howe (born 29 November 1977) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Premier League club Newcastle United. A centre-back during his playing career, Howe spent most of his playing ...
called him up to be a substitute for their match at home to
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...
on 26 September 2009, due to an injury crisis within the Bournemouth squad, and the block on Bournemouth's transfer activity as they owed money to
HM Revenue and Customs His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (commonly HM Revenue and Customs, or HMRC, and formerly Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) is a department of the UK government responsible for the collection of taxes, the payment of some forms of stat ...
. Howe needed permission from his school, as he had to miss exam preparation. Howe said; "I had to phone Jayden's school to get permission to let him play against Burton and I shall call them again to see if they'll let me have him on Tuesday". He made his debut for Bournemouth on 6 October away against
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
in their 2–1 defeat in the
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
;
Danny Ings Daniel William John Ings (born 23 July 1992) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for club West Ham United F.C., West Ham United. He will become a free agent on 1 Ju ...
also debuted in the game. Stockley was the second youngest player to ever take to the field for Bournemouth. Responding to his age, he said; "At the end of the day, you have to get on with your job—it doesn't matter how old you are. There are no excuses. If Eddie thinks I am ready to come in now then I'm ready." Stockley made his debut in
the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
in Bournemouth's subsequent League Two game against Chesterfield on 10 October, replacing Ryan Garry as a substitute in the 89th minute. He signed a five-year contract with Bournemouth in November 2009. He joined
Conference South The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 of the NLS and sixth-highest ti ...
side Dorchester Town on
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
for one month on 7 January 2011 and scored two goals on his debut the following day in a 3–2 defeat at
Ebbsfleet United Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. The club compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1946 from the merger ...
. He made a further six appearances for
Ashley Vickers Ashley James Ward Vickers (born 14 June 1972) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Playing career Born in Sheffield, Vickers began his career as a defender with Sheffield United, but was released at the end ...
's Magpies, without adding to his goal tally. On 30 August 2011, he scored a brace after coming off the bench in a 4–1 win over
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
in a
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
fixture at
Dean Court Dean Court, currently known as Vitality Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England, and is the home ground of AFC Bournemouth. The stadium has a capacity of 11,307. History I ...
. On 4 November, Stockley joined League Two club
Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...
on an initial one-month loan deal. He debuted for the Reds the following day in a 2–1 win over
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...
at the
Crown Ground The Crown Ground is a multi-use stadium in Accrington, Lancashire, England. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Accrington Stanley. Opened in 1968, the stadium has a capacity of 5,450. Stands/terraces *J ...
. He scored his first Football League goal in a 1–1 draw at
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an association football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and from 1891 played home games at Moss Rose. It competed in the short ...
on 19 November. He returned to Bournemouth on 9 January, having made ten appearances and scoring three goals. In 2019, he said that Accrington was one of his best loan spells and that " John Coleman and his No.2 Jimmy Bell were great with me". He joined
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...
for a light training session with the prospect of joining the club on loan, though no move materialised. He played what turned out to be his last game for Bournemouth in Lee Bradbury's final game as manager in March 2012. Stockley was demoted to the Development squad at Bournemouth by short-lived manager Paul Groves. Eddie Howe returned him to the first-team squad after returning as manager in October 2012. On 14 November, having not featured for the Cherries in eight months, he joined
Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...
side
Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...
on loan until January 2013. His loan was extended until the end of the
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
season. He was reported to be "blossoming under
Garry Hill Garry Hill is an English football manager who was last the manager of National League club Ebbsfleet United. He previously managed Woking, Heybridge Swifts, St Albans City, Dagenham & Redbridge, Hornchurch, Weymouth and Rushden & Diamonds. ...
" after hitting a volley in a 1–1 draw at
Braintree Town Braintree Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Braintree, Essex, England. They are currently members of and play at Cressing Road. History The club was formed on 24 September 1898 as Manor Works, the works team of the ...
on 19 March. He totalled 14 goals in 29 games during his spell at the
Kingfield Stadium Kingfield Stadium, currently known as The Laithwaite Community Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a Association football, football stadium in the Kingfield area of Woking, Surrey, and is the home of Woking F.C., Woking Football Club which has a ...
. On 2 September 2013, he was loaned to
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
for a month, where manager
Russell Slade Russell Mark Slade (born 10 October 1960) is an English former professional football manager and coach. Having had an extended career at reserve team level, Slade entered professional sports coaching with Notts County in 1993. He briefly took ...
was looking to add depth behind the
strike partnership Striking-partnership is a term used in European football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet t ...
of
Kevin Lisbie Kevin Anthony Lisbie (born 17 October 1978) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in London, he earned ten international caps for Jamaica. He is now a coach at Leyton Orient. Club career Charlton Athletic Born in Ha ...
and
Dave Mooney David Mooney (born 30 October 1984) is an Irish footballer who has played for several clubs in Ireland and the United Kingdom. As of 2019, he was playing as a striker for Leinster Senior League side Lucan United. Club career Shamrock Rovers M ...
. After making five appearances in all competitions for Orient, he had his loan extended until 4 January. However, he played less than an hour of
League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...
football in his eight substitute appearances for the O's, though he did score a goal against
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
at
Brisbane Road BetWright Stadium, traditionally known as Brisbane Road and originally known as Osborne Road, is a football stadium in Leyton, East London, England. It has been the home ground of Leyton Orient since 1937, before which it was the home of amat ...
. Bournemouth recalled him on 28 November and sent him on loan to
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
, who would be managed by his former coach at Bournemouth,
Chris Hargreaves Christian Hargreaves (born 12 May 1972) is an English football manager, former footballer and pundit. As a player he was a forward and midfielder who played for Grimsby Town, Scarborough, Hull City, West Bromwich Albion, Hereford United, Plymout ...
, after the sacking of
Alan Knill Alan Richard Knill (born 8 October 1964) is a professional football manager and former player, who is a coach for the Wales national team and Sheffield United. He played as a centre-back for several clubs, spending the most time at Halifax T ...
. The loan was curtailed after three substitute appearances due to injury, though was resumed for a further month on 9 January. He scored his first goal for the club two days later to give Hargreaves his first win as manager, a 2–0 victory at
AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...
. The Gulls struggled for goals, however, and remained at the bottom of the Football League. On 5 April, he was sent off for elbowing
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was formed in ...
defender
David Mirfin David Matthew Mirfin (born 18 April 1985) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a centre back. Career Huddersfield Town Mirfin was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. He graduated from the Huddersfield Town Academy in the ...
. At the end of the season, he signed a new 12-month contract with Bournemouth, and Howe said it would be a "big year" for the player. On 22 August 2014, he joined League Two club
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
on loan until January. Eight days later, he scored twice on the debut for the U's in a 5–0 victory over
Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They have played their ...
at the
Abbey Stadium The Abbey Stadium, currently known as the Cledara Abbey Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Cambridge, England. It has been the home ground of Cambridge United since 1932, and currently has a maximum capacity of 7,937 spe ...
. However, he only started two games, playing 135 minutes during a four-match loan spell. He said that he ended the loan spell early as he was not getting game time at Cambridge and had a better chance of earning a new contract at Bournemouth by impressing in reserve team games there. On 7 January 2015, Stockley signed on a one-month loan for League Two side
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
. Manager
John Still John Still (c. 1543 – 26 February 1607/1608) was Master of two Cambridge colleges and then, from 1593, Bishop of Bath and Wells. He enjoyed considerable fame as an English preacher and disputant. He was formerly reputed to be the author of an ...
extended the loan into a second month after Stockley made four hard-working performances at
Kenilworth Road Kenilworth Road, known affectionately as The Kenny, is a association football, football stadium in the area of Bury Park, Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been the home ground of Luton Town F.C., Luton Town Football Club since 1905. The sta ...
. The loan was extended into a third and final month as he continued to impress Still. He returned to Bournemouth on 13 April, having scored three times in 13 games for the Hatters. Stockley signed on loan for Portsmouth at the start of the 2015–16 League Two season, and also signed a new one-year contract with Bournemouth. He spent six months at
Fratton Park Fratton Park is a association football, football ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and is the home of Portsmouth F.C., Portsmouth Football Club. Fratton Park's location on Portsea Island is unique in English professional football, as it ...
, scoring two goals in twelve games – a winner at
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...
and an equaliser at home to
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...
, though manager
Paul Cook Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and a founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is nicknamed "Cookie" by friends in the punk music scene. Early life and career Cook was ...
could not guarantee him regular first-team football. On 11 January 2016, he joined League Two side
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
on loan until the end of the 2015–16 season. He was the club's joint top scorer, along with Tom Nichols on ten goals, at the end of the 2015–16 season. Exeter made two contract offers in an attempt to sign Stockley permanently. Stockley made 22 appearances for Bournemouth but did not play in his last four seasons at the club. Howe had noted that Stockley had missed first-team chances due to the club's rapid rise through the leagues. Stockley later said that "I always felt I was playing catch up with Bournemouth's successes... I had to sit and watch promotion after promotion".


Aberdeen

On 11 May 2016, Stockley signed a pre-contract (two-year) agreement with
Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...
side
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
ahead of his Bournemouth contract expiring at the end of the following month. He made his debut on 30 June in a
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
first qualifying round tie against Fola Esch. He scored his first goal for the club in the following round, in a 3–0 win against
Ventspils Ventspils () is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It is situated on the Venta River and ...
. However, he was
sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
in a defeat to
NK Maribor Nogometni klub Maribor () is a Slovenian professional Association football, football club based in Maribor, Slovenia. It competes in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the top tier of the Football in Slovenia#League system, Slovenian football league system ...
in the following round after receiving two yellow cards for elbowing. He scored his first league goal for the Dons at
Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
on 18 September, and manager
Derek McInnes Derek John McInnes (born 5 July 1971) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian. He featured prominently for Greenock Morton, Rangers, West Bromwich A ...
praised him after the match for his contribution to the 3–1 win. McInnes was again fulsome in his praise for Stockley after the striker scored the winning goal at
Partick Thistle Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football, football club from Glasgow, Scotland and currently plays in the . Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not ...
with a "glorious left-footed chip". He played in the November 2016 Scottish League Cup final defeat to
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
at
Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
. However, he found himself dropping down the pecking order as the 2016–17 season progressed. His final two matches of the season were a league win over
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...
in which he was introduced as a substitute and sent off for two bookings, and the 2017 Scottish Cup final, a defeat to Celtic in which he broke
Kieran Tierney Kieran Tierney (born 5 June 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the Scotland national team. Tierney came through the Celtic youth system and made his first-team debut in ...
's jaw. He was not booked or given any retrospective punishment for the challenge on Tierney as referee
Bobby Madden Robert Adam Madden (born 25 October 1978) is a Scottish former football referee. Madden became a FIFA referee in 2010. He officiated in 2014 World Cup qualifiers, beginning with the match between Germany and the Faroe Islands. He left the FIF ...
had witnessed the incident, though Stockley had been sent off three times throughout the campaign for elbowing opponents.


Exeter City

On transfer deadline day, 31 August 2017, Stockley signed for his previous loan club, Exeter City, for a club record fee believed to be £100,000. Manager
Paul Tisdale Paul Robert Tisdale (born 14 January 1973) is an English professional football manager and former player. He is currently Head of Football Operations at Celtic. As a player, Tisdale represented Southampton, Bristol City, FinnPa, Panionios and ...
said it was a necessary move for the club after the sales of
Ollie Watkins Oliver George Arthur Watkins (born 30 December 1995) is an English professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa and the England national football tea ...
and David Wheeler. He scored 25 goals to become the club's top-scorer for the 2017–18 campaign. He scored in front of the Big Bank at
St James Park St James Park and variants may refer to: Football stadiums * St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, ground of Newcastle United F.C. * St James Park (Exeter), England, ground of Exeter City F.C. * St James Park, ground of Brackley Town F.C., ...
in a 3–1 win over Lincoln City in the second leg of the play-off semi-finals, which he described as "his most important goal... to date". He played in the final, a 3–1 defeat to
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
, in which he had two headers saved by
Lee Burge Lee Stephen Burge (born 9 January 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Northampton Town. Club career Coventry City On 30 January 2013, Burge joined Conference National side Nuneaton Town on loan for a ...
. He scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 win at
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
on 22 December 2018. Despite spending only half the season with Exeter, he scored 16 league goals in the 2018–19 campaign to finish as the club's top-scorer again and the sixth-highest scorer in League Two. Having been voted as the club's Plyer of the Month, negotiations opened with several clubs after his release clause was met in the January transfer window. He was linked with a £450,000 move to Portsmouth, but instead chose to go elsewhere. Manager Matt Taylor said that "he's been an excellent servant for this club". Stockley, who had scored 51 times in 97 games for the Grecians, said that he and his young family and been "properly happy" at Exeter. The club replaced him by signing
Ryan Bowman Ryan Michael Bowman (born 30 November 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Cheltenham Town. Career Carlisle United Bowman was born in Carlisle, Cumbria. He started his career with hometown club Carlisle ...
from
Motherwell Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...
.


Preston North End

On 3 January 2019, Stockley signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
for a reported fee of £750,000 as manager Alex Neil looked to replace
Jordan Hugill Jordan Thomas Hugill (born 4 June 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Rotherham United. A relative latecomer to the professional game, he had spells with non-League sides Seaham Red Star, Consett, W ...
. Preston had faced competition from several other clubs for the signing after he had scored more league goals (including play-off games) than any other player in the top four tiers of English football in the calendar year of 2018. He scored his first goal for the Lilywhites in his second appearance, a 4–1 win at
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
. On 13 March, he scored the winning goal against
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
to give Preston their first win at the
Riverside Stadium The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough since its opening in 1995. It has an all-seated capacity of 34,742, although provisional planning permission is in place to expan ...
, which he described as "a magical feeling". He scored four goals in 17
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
games for PNE in the second half of the 2018–19 season. He enjoyed a good run of form playing as a target man forward in the 2019–20 campaign, starting in a 3–2 win over
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
in October. However, after four starts in the next five games, he was returned to the bench until June as he lacked the mobility that Neil wanted in a striker. He made nine Championship starts in the season, playing 35 games in all competitions and scoring four goals. He was nominated for the Championship Goal of the Month award for October 2020 for his strike against
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
at
Deepdale Deepdale is a football stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England that is the home ground of Preston North End. Built in 1875 and in use since 1878, Deepdale is recognised as being one of the oldest continuously used football stadium ...
. However, by this stage he was the fourth-choice striker in a 4–2–3–1 system. Preston made him available for loan or transfer in the January 2021 transfer window, with both League One clubs
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...
and
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
heavily linked. Stockley scored nine goals in 71 appearances for the club over a two-and-a-half-year stay. More than half of his league appearances were as a substitute, and the club failed to play to his strengths.


Charlton Athletic

On 22 January 2021, Stockley joined
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...
on loan for the rest of the 2020–21 Charlton Athletic F.C. season, 2020–21 season, with manager Lee Bowyer's side in the League One play-offs in sixth-place. He scored his first goal for Charlton in a 3–1 defeat to Portsmouth on 2 February and was described by Bowyer as a "nightmare" for defenders and a "constant threat". On 20 March, he scored in the South London derby as Charlton secured a 2–2 draw at AFC Wimbledon. His first six goals for the Addicks all came from headers, though he missed a crucial penalty shot, penalty in a 1–0 defeat by Peterborough United F.C., Peterborough United at The Valley (stadium), The Valley. He scored eight goals in 22 appearances as Charlton missed out on the play-offs on goal difference. On 15 June 2021, Stockley signed for Charlton Athletic for an undisclosed fee – reported to be around £450,000, signing a three-year deal. He was dropped by short-lived manager Nigel Adkins after failing to score as a lone striker in September. He was returned to the first XI the following month as part of a switch in formation to a front two by Adkins's successor, Johnnie Jackson. On 23 October, Sunderland manager Lee Johnson (footballer), Lee Johnson claimed that Stockley had headbutted Tom Flanagan (footballer), Tom Flanagan and called on The Football Association to investigate the incident. Stockley denied any violent conduct and said such comments could negatively influence referees against him. On 13 November, Stockley was sent off by referee Trevor Kettle for an off the ball incident with
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...
defender Deji Oshilaja; Jackson said the club would appeal the decision. He played for three months whilst suffering from foot drop due to two Spinal disc herniation, slipped discs in his back. He scored 20 goals in the 2021–22 Charlton Athletic F.C. season, 2021–22 season to finish as the club's top-scorer, and his four FA Cup goals made him the competition's joint top scorer alongside Manchester City F.C., Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez. He was appointed as the club Captain (association football), captain by newly-appointed manager Ben Garner in July 2022. Stockley was retrospectively handed a three-match ban for violent conduct after elbowing
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
defender Nathan Smith (footballer, born 1996), Nathan Smith in a 1–0 defeat on 19 November amid reports that he was frustrated by the style of play employed by Garner. He fell out of favour after Dean Holden was appointed manager in December. Holden removed the captaincy from him and preferred to play Miles Leaburn and Macauley Bonne. He opted to leave the club in January 2023 after a period of struggling for game time, which culminated in the arrival of another highly-rated striker in Ched Evans. Including both spells at Charlton, Stockley scored 31 goals and recorded six assists in 89 appearances.


Fleetwood Town

On 30 January 2023, Stockley joined
Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Established in 1997, the current Flee ...
for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal. He said the signing of Jack Marriott (footballer), Jack Marriott was a "big pull" as it showed "vision from the club". He was sent off in the penultimate game of the 2022–23 Fleetwood Town F.C. season, 2022–23 season, a 2–0 defeat at Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers, following an off the ball incident with MJ Williams; manager Scott Brown (footballer, born June 1985), Scott Brown said it was a "poor decision". He scored a brace to give Fleetwood a point at Port Vale on 27 February 2024, which gave manager Charlie Adam pride in the team's "attitude and hunger". He was named to the League One Team of the Week for his performance in a 4–2 win over Wigan Athletic F.C., Wigan Athletic at Highbury Stadium (Fleetwood), Highbury Stadium on 2 March. Fleetwood fans also voted him as their Player of the Month. He was the club's top-scorer in the 2023–24 Fleetwood Town F.C. season, 2023–24 season with ten goals, though Fleetwood were relegated from League One. He was also named the club's PFA Community Champion of the Year for his interaction during community engagement projects.


Port Vale

On 21 June 2024, Stockley signed for League Two club Port Vale for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year deal. Manager Darren Moore had previously tried to sign him at Sheffield Wednesday F.C., Sheffield Wednesday. He made his first league start for the Valiants on 7 September, scoring two goals and winning 12 aerial duals in a 4–1 win at Newport County A.F.C., Newport County and was subsequently named in the EFL League Two Team of the Week. He was nominated for September's EFL League Two Player of the Month award and was voted as PFA League Two Fans' Player of the Month. He maintained his good form through October as the club established a four-point lead at the top of the table. On 26 October, he scored a goal and provided an assist in a 3–2 home win over
AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...
. He remained a key player until he was sidelined with a rib injury in February. He marked his first start since recovering from the injury with a goal and an assist in a 3–0 win over Milton Keynes Dons F.C., Milton Keynes Dons at Vale Park on 15 March, also making four key passes and winning 15 aerial duels in the match. On 29 March, he scored the only goal of the game at nearby rivals Crewe Alexandra F.C., Crewe Alexandra, also winning 14 aerial duels to earn himself inclusion on the EFL Team of the Week. He won the PFA Community Award at the club's end of season ceremony. He scored seven headed goals in the 2024–25 Port Vale F.C. season, 2024–25 season, more than any other player in the division, and won 306 aerial duels – 20% of the team's total. He was named on WhoScored's League Two Team of the Season, which ended in promotion for the club.


Style of play

Stockley reportedly scored more headed goals in 2018 than any player in the top European leagues. He was nicknamed 'the headmaster' at Charlton. In 2021, he said that "there has got to be fast and creative players around me" as he lacks pace, though he can hold the ball up and bring others into play.


Personal life

Stockley's third child was born in March 2022. He supports Manchester United F.C., Manchester United and Lancashire County Cricket Club. He holds a master's degree in sports business.


Career statistics


Honours

Aberdeen *
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
runner-up: 2016 Scottish League Cup final (November), 2016 (November) *
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,