Joshua Dean Windass (born 9 January 1994) 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 an
attacking midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
and
forward for club
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
.
After playing youth football for
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
, Windass began his senior career in non-league football with
Harrogate Railway Athletic. He later played for
Accrington Stanley,
Rangers, and
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
. After signing for
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
on loan, the transfer was made permanent.
Career
Early career
Windass played youth football for
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
, spending ten years with the club.
He was released in April 2012 and trialled with
Bradford City that same month. Windass began his senior career with non-league team
Harrogate Railway Athletic in December 2012. He played on a semi-professional basis, combining his football career with a job as a construction labourer.
Accrington Stanley
He signed a professional contract with
Accrington Stanley in July 2013. He made his professional debut on 9 November 2013, in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
. In November 2015 he turned down a new contract from the club on the advice of his father. In January 2016 Accrington announced that Scottish club
Rangers had approached Windass and teammate
Matt Crooks directly, due to them being in the final six months of their contracts. The duo agreed pre-contracts with Rangers later that month, ahead of the
2016–17 season.
Rangers
Windass joined Rangers on 1 July 2016, signing a four-year contract alongside fellow Accrington player
Matt Crooks. Both players had already been training with the club before completing their transfers after Rangers agreed a compensation fee with Accrington, reported to be around £60,000 per player. Windass made his debut for Rangers in a pre-season friendly against American side
Charleston Battery
The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are the oldest continuously operating professional socc ...
on 7 July 2016, scoring the opening goal in a 2–1 win. His official debut was against
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 ...
in the
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 ...
on 16 July and Windass netted his first goal for the club against
Lowland Football League side
East Stirlingshire six days later. Windass spent periods of the first half of the
2016–17 season on the sidelines due to a recurring hamstring injury in early August and October. Despite this, Windass was linked with a return to England in December 2016, with
EFL Championship
The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...
sides
Derby County and
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
reportedly showing an interest in the midfielder.
During the
2017–18 season, Windass finished the season with 18 goals in all competitions, tied (with
Alfredo Morelos) as the club's top scorer for the season; with 13 of Windass' strikes in the league, the
third-highest total behind
Kris Boyd and
Morelos
Morelos, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos, is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Mun ...
.
Wigan Athletic
He signed for
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
on 9 August 2018.
Sheffield Wednesday
Windass joined
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
on loan for the remainder of the 2019–20 season on 31 January 2020. Due to
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
his loan spell was extended until the end of July.
On 2 September 2020, he made his move to Sheffield Wednesday a permanent signing for an undisclosed fee. His first appearance on his return to the club was on 5 September 2020, in the
EFL Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
away to
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
, where he came on as a second-half substitute.
He would score his first goal as a permanent Wednesday player, on the opening day of the season in an away win against
Cardiff City.
He would win the clubs player of the month competition during his first month back at the club, after scoring 2 goals in 5 appearances. Following relegation to
League One, Windass was heavily linked with moves back to the
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 ...
, with the club rejecting offers in the region of £1 million for him.
During pre-season for the 2021–22 season, Windass suffered a hamstring injury during a friendly against
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
which would rule him out for two months and the start of the League One season. Despite being injured, he signed a new two-year deal at the club on 10 August 2021, which would see him remain at the club until the summer of 2023. Following his injury, he returned to the squad on 20 November as an unused substitute against
Accrington Stanley and made his playing come back a few days later, coming off the bench to score an injury time winner against
Milton Keynes Dons. Following the end of the 2021–22 season, there was again interest in him, with his ex Rangers manager
Pedro Caixinha linking him with a surprise move to
Atlético Talleres reported.
He scored two braces, against
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 ...
in
League One and
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, resulting in him winning the club's player of the month for January 2023 and a nomination from the EFL for player of the month. His form for the 2022–23 season, saw him and teammate
Barry Bannan make the EFL League One team of the Season.
He scored the only goal in the last minute of the
League One play-off final against
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
to gain promotion to the Championship.
Wednesday exercised an option in his contract for him to remain at the club for another season.
His goal against
Blackburn Rovers, a looping chip from range that dropped under the crossbar won the April Championship Goal of the Month. Following the end of the
2023–24 season, the club offered Windass a new contract. He signed his new contract on 2 July 2024.
The following season, he won the club's player of the month award for December 2024, having scored four goals. In January 2025, he scored from his own half against
Derby County which earned him the goal of the month award, and a nomination for goal of the season. His goal against
Watford
Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne.
Initially a smal ...
on the final day of the
2024–25 season made him Sheffield Wednesday's leading goal scorer in the 21st century with 53 goals, overtaking
Marcus Tudgay's record. Following the end of the
2024–25 season, an option was taken to extend his current contract.
Playing style
Primarily an
attacking midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
, Windass can also play as a
forward.
Personal life
Windass was born in
Hull,
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...
,
and is the son of former professional
Dean Windass.
Career statistics
Honours
Sheffield Wednesday
*
EFL League One play-offs:
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
Individual
*
EFL League One Team of the Season:
2022–23
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windass, Josh
1994 births
Living people
Footballers from Kingston upon Hull
English men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players
Harrogate Railway Athletic F.C. players
Accrington Stanley F.C. players
Rangers F.C. players
Wigan Athletic F.C. players
Northern Football League players
English Football League players
Scottish Professional Football League players
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
21st-century English sportsmen