Luke Alan Croll (born 10 January 1995) 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 defender for

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

side

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census. The town ...

. He became a free agent on 30 June 2024.

Club career

Crystal Palace

Croll was born in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

and joined the

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

Academy as a 9 year old. The left-sided centre-half put in a series of consistent performances for the under-21 side to earn himself a professional contract at the club, and went onto establish himself in the side that won the U21 League 2 South in the 2014-15 season. In the 2015-16 season, Croll was named as an unused substitute against Watford. Croll was released by Crystal Palace on the expiry of his contract on 30 June 2017.

2013–14 Harrow Borough (loan)

In January 2014, Croll joined

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...

side Harrow Borough on a short-term loan. Croll made 2 league appearances before returning to the Crystal Palace Development side.

2015–16 Plymouth Argyle (loan)

On 20 November 2015, Croll joined Plymouth Argyle on loan until 2 January 2016.

2016–17 Exeter City (loan)

On deadline day, Croll joined Exeter City on loan until 14 January 2017. The loan period was later extended until the end of the 2016–17 season.

Exeter City

In June 2017, Croll signed a permanent deal with Exeter after being released by Crystal Palace. He was released by Exeter at the end of the 2018–19 season.

Dagenham & Redbridge

In July 2019 he signed for

side

Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club (), often known simply as Dagenham and abbreviated when written to Dag & Red, is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England that play in the , the sixth level of the En ...

on a one-year contract. He was released by Dagenham along with five others in June 2021 following the expiration of his contract.

Chesterfield

On 6 November 2021, Croll joined

side Chesterfield on a short-term deal. He made his debut later that day, making an impressive debut that saw him score as Chesterfield defeated

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...

in the FA Cup first round.

North Carolina FC

On 2 February 2023, Croll signed with

North Carolina FC North Carolina FC is an American professional association football, soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 2006, the team previously was named the Caro ...

of the

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...

, the third-tier of US soccer.

Eastleigh

In December 2023, Croll returned to England, joining National League club

. He departed the club at the end of the 2023–24 season.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Croll, Luke Living people 1995 births English men's footballers Footballers from the London Borough of Lambeth People from Lambeth Men's association football defenders Crystal Palace F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Harrow Borough F.C. players Exeter City F.C. players Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players North Carolina FC players Eastleigh F.C. players English Football League players Isthmian League players National League (English football) players USL League One players English expatriate men's footballers English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States 21st-century English sportsmen