Jake Buxton

Jake Buxton

Buxton playing for Derby County in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Jake Fred Buxton[1]
Date of birth	4 March 1985[1]
Place of birth	Sutton-in-Ashfield, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1]
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current team	Wigan Athletic
Number	3
Youth career
2000–2002	Mansfield Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2008	Mansfield Town	151	(5)
2003	→ Alfreton Town (loan)	5	(0)
2008–2009	Burton Albion	40	(0)
2009–2016	Derby County	139	(11)
2016–	Wigan Athletic	14	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:39, 8 March 2015 (UTC).

Jake Fred Buxton (born 4 March 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Wigan Athletic.

Career

Mansfield Town

Born in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire,^[1] Buxton came up through the youth system at Mansfield, winning the Youth Team Player of the Year award in 2002,^[2] and made his first-team debut in October 2002 in a Football League Trophy match against Crewe Alexandra.^[3] However, it was not until the 2004–05 season that he established himself as a regular member of the first team and his form was rewarded with a new one-year contract in February 2005.^[4] In April 2006, Buxton signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract,^[5] and was made team captain,^[6] one of the youngest in the country, during the 2006–07 season.^[2]

By the end of the 2007–08 season, he had played over 160 first-team games for Mansfield, scoring five goals.^[7] After Mansfield Town were relegated to the Football Conference at the end of the 2007–08 season, he was out of contract but was offered new terms by the club.^[8] Following a takeover of the club and change of manager, Buxton was released by mutual consent after expressing his desire to stay in the Football League.^[9]

Burton Albion

After leaving Mansfield, Buxton had a trial spell with Crewe,^[10] but Crewe decided not to sign him so he joined Burton Albion in August 2008 on a free transfer.^[11] Buxton's performances at Burton earned him rave reviews as he helped the Brewers to the Conference National title, and he was named Player of the Month for November 2008.^[12] He won the club's annual player of the year award and attracted much interest from league clubs.

Derby County

At the end of the 2008–09 season, Buxton signed a one-year contract, with an option of a one-year extension, to rejoin former manager Nigel Clough^[13] at Championship side Derby County when his contract with Burton expired at the end of June 2009.^[14] Buxton made his Derby début on 8 August 2009, playing the full 90 minutes as Derby beat Peterborough United 2–1 at home, Buxton getting an assist for Miles Addison's goal. His first goal for Derby came in their 2–1 victory at home to Plymouth Argyle on 22 August. After playing the first six games of the season, an injury in the sixth, a 3–2 defeat at Nottingham Forest, saw Buxton undergo an operation for a hernia.^[15][16] Despite being ruled out for several weeks, Buxton was fit enough to feature on the bench ten days later,^[17] and later played 90 minutes for the reserves.^[18] However, he then picked up a groin strain^[19] and was ruled out for several more weeks.^[20] In December, Derby took up the option of a one-year extension to his contract.^[21] After being out for three months through injury,^[22] Buxton returned to the starting eleven on 26 December in a 2–0 defeat to Blackpool, in what would be his first of six consecutive starts for Derby. He finished the season with 24 starts in all competitions, describing his first full season for the club as "a dream come true."^[23]

During the 2011 close season, Buxton underwent groin surgery which ruled him out for four to six weeks and meant he missed the majority of Derby's pre-season campaign.^[24] He returned to action as a second-half substitute in a 3–1 win for a Derby County XI against former club Burton Albion in the Bass Charity Vase final on 28 July 2012.^[25] He then injured his back, ruling him out of the start of the 2010–11 season before undergoing back surgery to clear up the injuries which had forced him out of the first team picture for seven months.^[26] He returned to first team action four months later with an 89th-minute substitute appearance in a 1–0 win at Sheffield United on 27 February 2011, which would prove to be his only first-team appearance of the campaign.

Derby made a strong start the 2011–12 season, featuring in the play-off spots for the first three months of the campaign. However, a sharp decline in form from November onwards, coupled with a season-ending injury to Shaun Barker, allowed Buxton the opportunity to cement a place in the Derby starting eleven and he appeared in the majority of Derby's fixtures from November onwards. He even earned cult status amongst the Derby support with a stoppage-time winner in the East Midlands derby at home to Nottingham Forest to earn Derby a first league double over their arch rivals in 40 years.^[27] Buxton was eventually rewarded with a two-year extension to his contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2014.^[28]

Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Buxton was placed as Derby's most experience available defender following the sale of Jason Shackell to Burnley and the injury to Barker, and Nigel Clough stated his faith in Buxton's ability to become a first team regular at Championship level,^[29] Buxton opened the season with three goals in two games, with a brace in a 5–5 League Cup draw with Scunthorpe United^[30] and a strike in the opening league game against Sheffield Wednesday.^[31] Buxton spent the start of the season in and out of the starting line-up, competing with new signing James O'Connor to start alongside captain Richard Keogh, a battle Buxton was winning until he was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 3–0 loss at Peterborough United on 27 October 2012.^[32] After several games on the bench after his suspension, Buxton returned to the starting before being ruled out for two months after picking up a knee injury following his goal in a 3–1 win against Leeds United.^[33] Buxton returned to first team action in a 2–2 draw at Sheffield Wednesday^[34] and was praised for his courage by Clough after he was forced to start at short notice due to an injury picked up by Mark O'Brien in the pre-match warm-up.^[35] Buxton retained his place in the starting line-up alongside Keogh and scored his fifth goal of the season with an 88th-minute winner in a 2–1 win at Leeds United on 1 April.^[36] Later on in the month, Buxton signed a new two-year contract.^[37]

Despite losing his squad number of 5, Buxton was considered to be the first choice centre back for 2013–14, as Shaun Barker and Mark O'Brien were still recovering from knee injuries.^[38]

On 30 June 2014, Jake Buxton signed a new three-year contract with Derby County, which would see him stay at the club until the end of the 2016/17 season.^[39] Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Buxton regained his number 5 shirt following the continued absence of Shaun Barker.

Wigan Athletic

On 26 July 2016, Buxton joined newly promoted side Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee and signed a three-year contract.^[40]

Career statistics

As of 22 May 2014

Club	Season	League^[A]		FA Cup		League Cup		Other^[B]		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Mansfield Town	2002–03[3]	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
	2003–04[41]	9	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	11	1
	2004–05[42]	30	1	2	0	0	0	1	0	33	1
	2005–06[43]	39	0	3	0	2	0	0	0	44	0
	2006–07[44]	30	1	2	0	2	0	2	0	36	1
	2007–08[45]	40	2	4	0	1	0	1	0	46	2
	Total	151	5	12	0	5	0	6	0	174	5
Alfreton Town (loan)	2003–04[46]	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
	Total	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Burton Albion	2008–09[47]	40	0	1	0	0	0	3	0	44	0
	Total	40	0	1	0	0	0	3	0	44	0
Derby County	2009–10[48]	19	1	4	0	1	0	0	0	24	1
	2010–11[49]	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2011–12[50]	21	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	23	2
	2012–13[51]	31	3	0	0	1	2	0	0	32	5
	2013–14[52]	46	2	1	0	1	0	3	0	52	2
	Total	119	10	7	0	5	2	0	0	133	10
Career totals		322	13	20	0	10	2	9	0	349	15

A. ^ The "League" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the Football League, Football Conference and Northern Premier League.^[53]

B. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the Football League Trophy and FA Trophy.^[54]

Honours

Burton Albion

• Conference Premier: 2008–09^[1]

Individual

• Conference Premier Player of the Month: November 2008

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
2. "Jake Buxton profile". Mansfield Town F.C. official site. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
3. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
4. "Stags reward Buxton with new deal". BBC Sport. 2 February 2005. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
5. "Buxton could make early comeback". BBC Sport. 28 April 2006. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
6. "Stags skipper ready for Cup test". BBC Sport. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
7. "Jake Buxton". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
8. "Seven players to leave Mansfield". BBC Sport. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
9. "Buxton released". Mansfield Town FC. 5 July 2008. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2013.<
10. "Holland to make Buxton decision". BBC Sport. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
11. "Brewers swoop for defender Buxton". BBC Sport. 28 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
12. "Burton's Buxton claims accolade". BBC Sport. 2 December 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
13. "Clough mulls over move for Buxton". BBC Sport. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
14. "Buxton pens Derby deal". Sky Sports. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
15. "Rams are rocked by double blow". Derby Telegraph. 16 September 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
16. "Rams defender Buxton set for hernia op this weekend". Derby Telegraph. 19 September 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
17. "Buxton ready to answer Rams call". Derby Telegraph. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
18. "Defender Buxton's joy after return to Rams action". Derby Telegraph. 16 October 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
19. "Rams defender Buxton hoping injury frustration is over". Derby Telegraph. 12 December 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
20. "Rams trio set to return after international break". Derby Telegraph. 6 November 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
21. "New Rams deals for Buxton and Pringle". Derby Telegraph. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
22. "Buxton back in contention for Watford trip". Derby Telegraph. 10 December 2009.
23. "Buxton "A dream come true"". dcfc.co.uk. 7 July 2010.
24. "Derby County's Jake Buxton to undergo groin surgery". BBC Sport. 29 June 2010.
25. "Buxton Delighted To Be Back". dcfc.co.uk. 29 July 2010.
26. "Back op for Buxton". dcfc.co.uk. 13 October 2010.
27. "Derby County 1–0 Nottm Forest". dcfc.co.uk. 13 March 2012.
28. "Buxton and Roberts sign new Derby County contracts". BBC Sport. 16 April 2012.
29. "Derby County have sold Jason Shackell to Championship rivals Burnley and are close to new signing". Derby Telegraph. 5 July 2012.
30. "Derby 5–5 Scunthorpe". BBC Sport. 14 August 2012.
31. "Derby 2–2 Sheff Wed". BBC Sport. 18 August 2012.
32. "Peterborough 3–0 Derby". BBC Sport. 27 October 2012.
33. "Derby County's Jake Buxton out for two months with knee injury". BBC Sport. 13 December 2012.
34. "Sheff Wed 2–2 Derby". BBC Sport. 9 February 2013.
35. "Defender Jake Buxton is praised for his 'incredible courage' by Derby County boss Nigel Clough". Derby Telegraph. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
36. "Leeds 1–2 Derby". BBC Sport. 1 April 2013.
37. "Jake Buxton extends Derby County contract". BBC Sport. 11 April 2013.
38. "Nigel Clough in no rush to land central defender for Derby County". Derby Telegraph. 29 July 2013.
39. "Jake Buxton Signs A New Three-Year Contract With Derby County". Derby County F.C. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
40. "Jake Buxton joins Wigan Athletic from Derby County for undisclosed fee". BBC Sport. 26 July 2016.
41. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
42. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
43. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
44. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
45. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
46. "Alfreton 2003/2004 player appearances". SoccerFactsUK. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
47. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
48. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
49. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
50. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
51. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
52. "Games played by Jake Buxton in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
53. "Burton 2–1 Barrow". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
54. "SPIRITED CELTS BOW OUT ON PENALTIES". Farsley Celtic AFC. Retrieved 2012-06-06.

External links

• Jake Buxton career statistics at Soccerbase