Wade Kristopher Small (born 23 February 1984) 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 ...
. His last known club was
Kingstonian. Mainly a right winger, Small can also play on the left side and as a
forward.
Playing career
Early career: Wimbledon and Milton Keynes Dons
Small began his career at the
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* W ...
academy
and made his debut on 15 October 2003, as a 58th-minute substitute in a 1–0 defeat away at
Coventry City.
He scored his first goal on 26 December, in a 3–0 away win at
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
and went on to make a total of thirty appearances
that season, scoring two goals,
as Wimbledon finished bottom of the
First Division and were relegated.
In 2004, Wimbledon were renamed
Milton Keynes Dons after the club moved to Milton Keynes in September 2003. The
following season he made a total of 49 appearances, scoring eleven goals including two in a 3–0 victory over
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
on 11 December.
In August 2005, he signed a new two-year contract.
Small played most of his games for ''the Dons'' as a midfielder, on either wing, and also at times as a striker.
Sheffield Wednesday
On 15 May 2006, Small signed for
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 ...
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 ...
for an undisclosed "substantial" transfer fee, signing a three-year contract. On signing Small, then ''Wednesday'' manager
Paul Sturrock
Paul Whitehead Sturrock (born 10 October 1956) is a Scottish former football coach and former player.
As a player, Sturrock spent his entire senior career with Dundee United, making more than five hundred appearances between 1974 and 1989. He w ...
said, "I've seen Wade several times over the last couple of years and he's our type of signing. He is very quick, can play in a variety of positions offensively and has high potential. I hope he does very well for Sheffield Wednesday."
His first appearance was as an 80th-minute substitute in a 0–0 draw 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 ...
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 ...
on 5 August. He scored his first goal when ''the Owls'' drew 2–2 with
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
at
Molineux. Injury problems restricted him to 23 appearances in his
first season, scoring two goals. In November, during a three-match suspension, he had a minor operation on his knee, having carried the injury for a while.
In the
2007–08 season, he made 30 appearances, scoring four goals.
After making seven starts and thirteen substitute appearances in the
2008–09 season, he joined fellow Championship club
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
on 13 March 2009, on a one-month loan deal.
A day later he scored on his debut as ''the Seasiders'' beat
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 ...
1–0 at
Oakwell
Oakwell is a multi-purpose sports ground in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England used
by Barnsley Football Club for home fixtures, and those of their reserves. As of 2023, the Barnsley F.C. Women's team also play at the stadium.
While the na ...
.
Three days later he was named in the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
's "Championship Team of the Week".
On 8 May 2009, Small's contract with Sheffield Wednesday was terminated by mutual consent. Through the following summer, Small was reported to have held talks with
Crystal Palace,
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
and
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
regarding moves to one of those clubs.
On 18 July 2009, Small began a trial at
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 ...
playing in a number of their friendlies. In August, he signed for the club on a non-contract basis. He left shortly after, his only game for Charlton being in a 1–0 defeat to
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 the
League Cup.
Chesterfield
In August 2009, Small signed with ''the Spireites'' on a one-year deal until June 2010. He made his first appearance for on 29 August 2009, in a League Two match against
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 ...
as a 66th-minute substitute and scored his first goals for the club on his full debut, in a 5–1
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 ...
victory over
Burton Albion on 1 September 2009.
Manager John Sheridan said: "Wade Small is an exciting player who is capable of causing problems for the opposition. He is quick and pacey and although he can play in all the forward positions he is also a versatile player." He added: "He will be a very useful addition to the squad and I am excited he has joined us."
During the 2010 January transfer window, Small was sensationally linked with a move to Bristol City after being spotted in a helicopter above Ashton Gate.
Aldershot Town
On 30 July 2010, Small signed for
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 ...
. He left the club in 2011.
Non League
In the 2011–12 pre-season he joined
Lewes
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...
and played in two competitive games for the club before moving to
Tooting & Mitcham United at the beginning of September. .
In the summer of 2012, Small joined
Kingstonian.
References
External links
Wade Small profileat swfc.co.uk
at mkdons.com
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Small, Wade
English men's footballers
Blackpool F.C. players
Charlton Athletic F.C. players
Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
Wimbledon F.C. players
Chesterfield F.C. players
Aldershot Town F.C. players
Lewes F.C. players
Tooting & Mitcham United F.C. players
Kingstonian F.C. players
English Football League players
Isthmian League players
1984 births
Living people
Men's association football forwards
Men's association football wingers
Footballers from the London Borough of Croydon
People from Croydon
21st-century English sportsmen