Wikipedia

Jack Grimmer

Jack Richard Grimmer (born 25 January 1994) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League One club Wycombe Wanderers, where he is also club captain.

Jack Grimmer
Personal information
Full name Jack Richard Grimmer[1]
Date of birth (1994-01-25) 25 January 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth Aberdeen, Scotland
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Wycombe Wanderers
Number 2
Youth career
Aberdeen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2012 Aberdeen 4 (0)
2012–2017 Fulham 13 (0)
2014 → Port Vale (loan) 13 (1)
2014 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 6 (0)
2016 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 21 (1)
2016–2017 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 24 (0)
2017–2019 Coventry City 53 (1)
2019– Wycombe Wanderers 164 (4)
International career
2009 Scotland U15 2 (0)
2008–2009 Scotland U16 8 (2)
2009–2010 Scotland U17 10 (0)
2012 Scotland U18 2 (0)
2011–2013 Scotland U19 15 (0)
2014 Scotland U21 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 04:52, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

A Scotland under-21 international, he began his career at Aberdeen, becoming the club's youngest-ever player at the age of 16. He was sold to Fulham in January 2012 and has since been loaned out to Port Vale and Shrewsbury Town (in three separate spells). He signed with Coventry City in July 2017 and went on to be named in the EFL League Two PFA Team of the Year for the 2017–18 season as Coventry won promotion via the play-offs. He signed with Wycombe Wanderers in July 2019 and 12 months later helped the club to win promotion out of League One via the play-offs.

Club career

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Aberdeen

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Grimmer made his debut for Aberdeen under Mark McGhee on 7 April 2010, becoming the youngest ever Aberdeen player when he came on as a substitute for Steven MacLean in a 3–1 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox at the age of 16 years, 2 months and 13 days.[3][4] Four days later he made his Pittodrie debut in a 3–1 defeat to St Johnstone.[5]

His next taste of first-team football came in the last two SPL games of the 2010–11 season, which included his first start in professional football in a 1–0 home defeat to St Mirren on 10 May.[6]

In January 2012, Aberdeen manager Craig Brown confirmed that English Premier League club Fulham had expressed interest in signing Grimmer.[7] Brown also stated his belief that Grimmer would best develop his career by staying with the "Dons".[7] Despite this, Grimmer agreed to join Fulham on 18 January, with Aberdeen receiving a £200,000 fee plus incentives.[8] Following his move to Fulham, Aberdeen chief executive Duncan Fraser claimed Grimmer's decision to quit Pittodrie for Fulham showed how young Scottish talent was being lured south of the border by wealthy English clubs and was, therefore a bad indication for the future of Scottish football.[9]

"It did get quite personal. When people say certain things you have to try and take it in your stride. But because it was my hometown team, it was harder to take. I'd been one of them when I was younger sitting in the stands with my season-ticket. But I just had to get on with it. There were fans who agreed with my decision and others who didn't but supported me anyway, knowing I was just a young player making a tough choice. Like everyone who is criticised, I want to go out and try to prove the doubters wrong."

— Grimmer speaking in May 2013 about the abuse and criticism he received on Twitter following his move to Fulham.[10]

Fulham

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Grimmer signed a three-year contract with Fulham and initially joined the club's Academy team.[8][11] On 7 January 2014, he joined League One side Port Vale on a one-month loan.[12] Manager Micky Adams stated that: "We have a lot of experienced defenders making mistakes and we have been looking to strengthen in that area for a while."[13] Four days later and an injury crisis meant that he started in an inexperienced centre-back partnership with 20-year-old Joe Davis as Vale lost 2–0 to league leaders Brentford at Griffin Park.[14] He was publicly praised by Adams for his performance in the match.[15] He scored his first professional goal with a header in a 1–0 win over Oldham Athletic at Vale Park on 18 January and was named on the Football League team of the week.[16][17] He impressed in his first four appearances for the "Valiants", and his loan deal was extended until the end of the season.[18] Fulham recalled Grimmer on 27 March 2014 by exercising a clause in the loan agreement, as manager Felix Magath wanted to cover for some defensive injuries.[19][20]

He joined League Two club Shrewsbury Town on a one-month loan on 18 October 2014.[21] He was persuaded to join the "Shrews" after hearing good things about the club from his friend Fraser Fyvie and being told by manager Micky Mellon that he would fit in with the style of football at New Meadow.[22] Grimmer played seven matches for Shrewsbury, including five consecutive league victories and their 2–1 defeat to Chelsea in the League Cup. Although the loan had been extended to 3 January 2015, he was recalled to Fulham on 24 November[23] and made his Fulham league debut on 29 November against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Falmer Stadium.[24] He made a total of 17 appearances for Kit Symons's "Cottagers" during the 2014–15 campaign. He signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract in March.[25]

On 5 January 2016, Grimmer returned to Shrewsbury on loan until the end of the season.[26] He made his second debut for the club five days later, as he helped Shrewsbury to keep a clean sheet as they beat Cardiff City 1–0 in the FA Cup third round.[27] On 30 January, in the next round at home to Sheffield Wednesday, he headed an added-time winner in a 3–2 victory, after Shrewsbury had trailed 2–1 with five minutes remaining.[28] He was ever-present for the duration of his second loan spell at the club, helping them avoid relegation with a 20th-placed finish in their first season back in League One.[29] On 31 August 2016, he returned to Shrewsbury Town on a loan deal to run until the end of the 2016–17 season.[30] He was in and out of the first XI under new manager Paul Hurst, and ended the campaign with 27 appearances to his name.[31] He was released by Fulham in July 2017.[32]

Coventry City

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Grimmer signed a two-year contract with newly relegated League Two side Coventry City in July 2017.[33] He was named as the division's Player of the Month for September.[34] On 6 January 2018, he scored the winning goal from long-range in Coventry's 2–1 victory over Premier League side Stoke City in the Third Round of the FA Cup.[35] He went on to be named on the PFA Team of the Year for the 2017–18 campaign as he helped Mark Robins's "Sky Blues" qualify for the play-offs.[36] Coventry then eliminated Notts County in the play-off semi-finals, before Grimmer scored the third goal in a 3–1 victory over Exeter City in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium.[37] However, he was limited to just 13 appearances in the 2018–19 season and admitted that "Last season was a dream, but the difference between that and this season has been like night and day."[38] He was released from the Ricoh Arena on 9 May.[39]

Wycombe Wanderers

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On 22 July 2019, Grimmer signed a two-year contract with League One club Wycombe Wanderers after impressing manager Gareth Ainsworth on trial.[40][41] He later said it was an unpleasant experience to spend over two months as a free agent, but that "holding off for the right club was absolutely the right decision for my happiness and my enjoyment of the game" and he was "very, very thankful that I am where I am now".[42] He was limited to 18 league appearances during the 2019–20 season, which was settled on points per game (PPG) due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England; Wycombe finished third on PPG. He went on to start all three play-off games, as Wycombe secured a place in the Championship after beating Oxford United in the behind closed doors Wembley final.[41] His fiancée, Sammy, speaking two weeks later, said that "I'm so proud of him and Jack won't let his winner's medal out of his sight – he even took it on holiday with us and we had to keep it in the safe at the hotel".[43]

He signed a new three-year deal with Wycombe in August 2020.[44] Wanderers took their battle against relegation to the last day of the 2020–21 Championship season, but ultimately occupied the final relegation spot. Grimmer finished third in the Supporters' Player of the Year award nominations, as voted for by fans online.[45] He scored his first goal for the "Chairboys" on 11 January 2022, joking after the game that it was "quality over quantity" as his curved strike secured a 2–0 win at Bolton Wanderers.[46] He played 30 games in the 2021–22 season and hoped to win his third play-off final.[47][48] However, he was an unused substitute as Wycombe were beaten 2–0 by Sunderland.[49] He featured 42 times in the 2022–23 season, though suffered concussion injuries in February and April.[50][51] He signed a new one-year contract in April 2023.[52]

Grimmer played in the 2024 EFL Trophy final at Wembley, which ended in a 2–1 defeat to Peterborough United.[53] He featured a total of 35 times during the 2023–24 season.[54]

In July 2024, and by now the club's longest-serving player, manager Matt Bloomfield named Grimmer as the Wycombe club captain following the departure of Joe Jacobson.[55]

International career

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Grimmer was a key player for Scotland youth teams as a teenager, winning caps for the under-15, under-16, under-17, under-18, and under-19s. He was called up to the Scotland under-21 side for the first time in August 2013 for a qualifier for the 2013 UEFA U-21 Championship.[56] He did not play a game before he withdrew from the squad due to injury.[57] His cap for the under-21s came in a 2–2 draw with Hungary at Tannadice Park on 5 March 2014.[58]

Style of play

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Grimmer was described as "tenacious, aggressive, intelligent, accomplished on the ball and rarely makes a mistake" by the Staffordshire Sentinel in February 2014.[59] Due to his strengths going forward he plays as an attacking full-back, though remains a "solid and dependable" defender and can also play as a wing-back.[60]

Personal life

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Grimmer is a Manchester United supporter.[61]

Career statistics

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As of match played 12 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Aberdeen 2009–10[62] SPL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2010–11[63] SPL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2011–12[64] SPL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
Fulham 2012–13[65] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2013–14[66] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014–15[67] Championship 13 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 17 0
2015–16[68] Championship 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
2016–17[69] Championship 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Total 13 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 19 0
Port Vale (loan) 2013–14[66] League One 13 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 1
Shrewsbury Town (loans) 2014–15[67] League Two 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 7 0
2015–16[68] League One 21 1 3 1 − 0 0 24 2
2016–17[69] League One 24 0 1 1 − 2[a] 0 27 1
Total 51 1 4 2 1 0 2 0 58 3
Coventry City 2017–18[70] League Two 42 1 5 1 1 0 5[b] 1 53 3
2018–19[71] League One 11 0 0 0 1 0 1[a] 0 13 0
Total 53 1 5 1 2 0 6 1 66 3
Wycombe Wanderers 2019–20[72] League One 18 0 1 0 1 0 4[c] 0 24 0
2020–21[73] Championship 40 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 42 0
2021–22[47] League One 26 2 1 0 1 0 2[d] 0 30 2
2022–23[50] League One 40 0 0 0 1 0 1[a] 0 42 0
2023–24[54] League One 27 2 1 0 1 0 6[a] 0 35 2
2024–25[74] League One 13 0 0 0 1 0 2[a] 0 16 0
Total 164 4 4 0 6 0 15 0 185 4
Career total 298 7 18 3 11 0 23 1 346 11
  1. ^ a b c d e Appearances in the EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Two appearances in the EFL Trophy and three appearances and one goal in the play-offs
  3. ^ 1 appearance in the EFL Trophy and 3 appearances in the EFL League One play-offs.
  4. ^ 1 appearance in the EFL Trophy and 1 appearance1 in the EFL League One play-offs.

Honours

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Coventry City

Wycombe Wanderers

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Wycombe Wanderers" (PDF). English Football League. p. 77. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  2. ^ Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline. p. 470. ISBN 978-0-7553-6356-8.
  3. ^ "Grimmer becomes an Aberdeen FC record breaker". Evening Express. 8 April 2010. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  4. ^ Bailey, Graeme (6 January 2012). "Dons starlet set for England". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  5. ^ Miller, Stevie (11 April 2010). "Aberdeen 1 – 3 St Johnstone". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Aberdeen 0 – 1 St Mirren". BBC Sport. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Fulham keep eye on Aberdeen teenager Jack Grimmer". BBC Sport. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Fulham sign Jack Grimmer from Aberdeen". BBC Sport. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  9. ^ "Aberdeen starlet Jack Grimmer quitting for Fulham is bad news for Scottish football, says club chief exec". Daily Record. Glasgow. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
  10. ^ McDermott, Scott (26 May 2013). "It was Grimmer up north; Jack:twitter pests wrote me off when I quit Dons... now I'm training with Berbatov every day I'm out to prove the snipers wrong". Sunday Mail. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Fulham sign Jack Grimmer from Aberdeen". BBC Sport. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  12. ^ "Grimmer Joins Vale". Fulham FC. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  13. ^ "Jack Grimmer: Port Vale sign Fulham defender on loan". BBC Sport. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  14. ^ Baggaley, Mike (11 January 2014). "Micky Adams targets loan signings after Gavin Tomlin joins Vale injury list". The Sentinel. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Micky Adams praises Joe Davis and Jack Grimmer". The Sentinel. 13 January 2014. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  16. ^ "Port Vale 1 – 0 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  17. ^ "Sky Bet Football League Team of the Week 13/01/14 - 19/01/14". www.efl.com. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  18. ^ Baggaley, Mike (8 February 2014). "Port Vale extend Fulham defender Jack Grimmer's loan until end of season". The Sentinel. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  19. ^ "Jack Back In SW6". Fulham F.C. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  20. ^ Murtagh, Jacob (29 March 2014). "Fulham boss explains why he recalled Grimmer from Port Vale loan". Get West London. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  21. ^ "Fulham defender joins Shrewsbury on loan". BBC Sport. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  22. ^ "Shrewsbury sneak in Jack Grimmer signing". Shropshire Star. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  23. ^ "Grimmer Recalled". Fulham F.C. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  24. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion v Fulham". BBC Sport. 29 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  25. ^ "Fulham full-back Jack Grimmer signs new contract with club". BBC Sport. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  26. ^ "Fulham pair Jack Grimmer & Larnell Cole in Shrewsbury deals". BBC Sport. 6 January 2016.
  27. ^ "Cardiff City 0–1 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  28. ^ "FA Cup: Shrewsbury 3–2 Sheffield Wednesday highlights". BBC Sport. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  29. ^ "Jack Grimmer a treat for Shrewsbury Town". Shropshire Star. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  30. ^ "DEAL: Shrewsbury sign loan duo Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Jack Grimmer « Shropshire Star". Shropshire Star. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  31. ^ Cox, Lewis (5 May 2017). "Outgoing Jack Grimmer says thanks to the Shrewsbury faithful". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  32. ^ "Player Departures | Fulham Football Club". fulhamfc.com. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  33. ^ "Jack Grimmer: Coventry City bring in former Fulham and Aberdeen right-back". BBC Sport. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  34. ^ a b Rodger, James (7 October 2017). "Coventry City defender Jack Grimmer WINS PFA Player of the Month". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  35. ^ "Coventry City 2-1 Stoke City". BBC Sport. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  36. ^ a b "PFA League Two Team of the Year: Five Luton Town players named in 2017–18 side". BBC Sport. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  37. ^ a b Law, James (28 May 2018). "Coventry City 3–1 Exeter City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  38. ^ Hamilton, Sean (24 March 2019). "Former Aberdeen youngster Jack Grimmer eyes a possible return home". Sunday Post. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  39. ^ "NEWS: Coventry City announce retained list following end of 2018/19 season". ccfc.co.uk. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  40. ^ "Jack Grimmer, Jacob Gardiner-Smith and Giles Phillips: Wycombe Wanderers sign trio". BBC Sport. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  41. ^ a b c Williams, Adam (13 July 2020). "Oxford United 1–2 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  42. ^ Curtis, Leigh (12 July 2020). "Wembley hero Jack Grimmer opens up on Coventry City exit". coventrytelegraph. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  43. ^ Beresford, Alan (3 August 2020). "Grimmer life just grand for champ Jack". Grampian Online. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  44. ^ "Jack signs new deal". www.wycombewanderers.co.uk. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  45. ^ "Josh scoops two awards at Adams Park ceremony". www.wycombewanderers.co.uk. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  46. ^ "First Wycombe goal 'overdue' - Grimmer". BBC Sport. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  47. ^ a b "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  48. ^ Durent, Jamie (20 May 2022). "Former Aberdeen defender Jack Grimmer looks to complete Wembley play-off hat-trick with Wycombe Wanderers". Press and Journal. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  49. ^ Peddy, Chris (21 May 2022). "Sunderland back in Championship after play-off win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  50. ^ a b "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  51. ^ Richings, James (27 April 2023). "Wycombe's Jack Grimmer expected to miss the rest of the season with concussion". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  52. ^ Richings, James (6 April 2023). "'Exciting times' - Jack Grimmer on his new contract with Wycombe Wanderers". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  53. ^ "Peterborough United 2 - 1 Wycombe Wanderers". EFL. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  54. ^ a b "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  55. ^ "Jack Grimmer appointed club captain of Wycombe Wanderers". Wycombe Wanderers. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  56. ^ "Scotland Under-21s call for Danny Handling and Jack Grimmer". BBC Sport. 28 August 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  57. ^ "Scotland Under-21: Billy Stark backs players to bounce back". BBC Sport. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  58. ^ Baggaley, Mike (5 March 2014). "Port Vale defender Jack Grimmer makes Scotland U-21 debut". The Sentinel. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  59. ^ "Port Vale pen pics". The Sentinel. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  60. ^ Turner, Andy (5 July 2017). "Coventry City signing Jack Gimmer: 'Good acceleration and flies down the wing'". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  61. ^ Law, Dan (22 February 2016). "Former Aberdeen youngster Jack Grimmer gearing up to face Manchester United". Press & Journal. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  62. ^ "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  63. ^ "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  64. ^ "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  65. ^ "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  66. ^ a b "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  67. ^ a b "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  68. ^ a b "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  69. ^ a b "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  70. ^ "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  71. ^ "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  72. ^ "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  73. ^ "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  74. ^ "Games played by Jack Grimmer in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  75. ^ Harby, Chris (7 April 2024). "Peterborough United 2–1 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
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