James Wesolowski

James Peter Wesolowski (born 25 August 1987) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder.

James Wesolowski
Wesolowski playing for Oldham Athletic in 2012
Personal information
Full name James Peter Wesolowski[1]
Date of birth (1987-08-25) 25 August 1987
Place of birth Sydney, Australia
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
2002 Northern Spirit
2002–2006 Leicester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2010 Leicester City 46 (0)
2008 → Cheltenham Town (loan) 4 (0)
2009 → Dundee United (loan) 8 (0)
2009–2010 → Hamilton Academical (loan) 29 (4)
2010–2011 Peterborough United 32 (2)
2011–2014 Oldham Athletic 93 (7)
2014–2016 Shrewsbury Town 26 (1)
2016–2018 Guiseley 19 (0)
2018 Nuneaton Borough 9 (0)
2019 Hereford 3 (0)
Total 269 (14)
International career
2005 Australia U20 2 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Leicester City

Wesolowski played for Australian side Northern Spirit before signing for Leicester City in 2002. After showing a lot of potential in the reserves, Wesolowski played for Leicester in a pre-season friendly against Celtic in 2005, but suffered a broken leg due to a challenge from Bobo Baldé.[2] He underwent surgery on the leg but the injury sidelined him until the start of 2006. Wesolowski returned and impressed for the Leicester first team, making his debut at home to Cardiff City in January 2006. However, after only five appearances, he broke his same leg against Brighton in February.[3]

The departure of Joey Guðjónsson gave Wesolowski the opportunity to become a first team regular, although he still faced stiff competition from then-teammates Stephen Hughes and Andy Johnson for the central midfield spot. He scored his first senior goal in a 4–3 FA Cup defeat to Fulham on 17 January 2007.[4]

In July 2007, Wesolowski agreed to a contract extension with Leicester that would see him remain at the club until 2011.[5] He scored his second goal of his career in a 1–0 League Cup win over Accrington Stanley on 14 August 2007,[6] before being sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring injury on 18 September in a 3–2 League Cup win over Nottingham Forest.[7] Wesolowski had more hamstring problems following recovery, and he was injured again on 8 December in a 2–1 defeat to West Brom, sidelining him until Christmas.[8]

Wesolowski lost his place in the first team the following season, playing just four cup matches. On 2 October 2008, he joined Cheltenham Town on a three-month loan deal, linking up with former Leicester manager Martin Allen and fellow loanee Barry Hayles, with the option of being recalled after the first month.[9] His loan ended early after suffering a fractured ankle in a 2–0 away defeat to Tranmere Rovers in October.[10] On 2 February 2009, Wesolowski joined Dundee United on loan for the remainder of the 2008–09 season,[11] with the option of making the deal permanent.[12] He made his debut in a 1–0 home defeat to Hearts, playing for 65 minutes before being substituted.[13]

On 4 August 2009, Wesolowski joined SPL side Hamilton Academical on loan for an initial six-month period,[14] which was extended till the end of the season after some impressive run of form.[15]

Peterborough United

On 1 June 2010, Wesolowski signed a two-year deal at Peterborough United for an undisclosed sum.[16]

Oldham Athletic

On 8 August 2011, Wesolowski signed a one-year deal with league one club Oldham Athletic.[17]

Wesolowski had his best season for the club yet in the 2013–14 season, he played nearly every game for the club & scored 5 goals, his best ever goal – scoring season. The vast improvement he had shown resulted in him scooping up 5 awards at the end of season awards, including Player of the Year.[18]

On Wednesday 7 May, when the clubs retained list was announced, it was confirmed that a formal contract offer had been made to Wesolowski.[19] With Wesolowski stating that he "would love to stay here" and that he would like to come to an arrangement with the club over a new contract.[20]

Shrewsbury Town

On 6 June 2014, despite a contract offer from Oldham, Wesolowski moved to Shrewsbury Town in League Two on a free transfer.[21] He made his debut on the opening day of the season, coming on as a substitute in a 2–2 draw away at A.F.C. Wimbledon,[22] and was a regular in the first team squad until suffering a season-ending injury in a home match against Hartlepool United on 17 January 2015 where he ruptured two knee ligaments.[23] He scored his first and what turned out to be only goal for Shrewsbury in a 2–1 win over Portsmouth on 25 October 2014.[24]

Wesolowski returned to the side following their promotion to League One, but suffered a further knee injury in September 2015 just three matches into his comeback, which was initially thought to rule him out for the rest of the season.[25] After playing a full ninety minutes and scoring Shrewsbury's equalising goal in their Shropshire Senior Cup final win against local rivals AFC Telford United,[26] he returned to the first team ahead of schedule in a home match against Sheffield United in April 2016.[27] At the end of the season, Wesolowski was offered a new contract – reportedly on reduced terms – and was still training with the first-team during the following pre-season.[28] He was later reported to be training with National League side Lincoln City, but was unable to agree to a contract.[29]

Guiseley

Wesolowski joined National League club Guiseley in October 2016.[30]

International career

Wesolowski was born in Australia, and is of Polish descent through his grandfather.[31] Wesolowski received international acclaim at the end of the 2004–05 season after competing for Australia in the FIFA World Youth Championship and was labelled "a star in the making" by the Australian Football Federation.[32] Wesolowski was called up to the Australian national team on his 19th birthday for the 2007 Asian Cup qualifier against Kuwait, but was withdrawn from the squad days later after consultation with medical staff from both parties 'on precautionary grounds'. On 6 November 2007, he was called up to the national team for a friendly match against Nigeria on 17 November,[33] but was an unused substitute as Australia won 1–0.

Career statistics
As of match played 21 November 2017
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Leicester City 2005–06[34] Championship 50−−−50
2006–07[35] 1902130−241
2007–08[36] 2201021−251
2008–09[37] League One 0000202[lower-alpha 1]040
2009–10[38] Championship 0000−−00
Total 460317120582
Cheltenham Town (loan) 2008–09[37] League One 40−−−40
Dundee United (loan) 2008–09[37] Scottish Premier League 800000−80
Hamilton Academical (loan) 2009–10[38] Scottish Premier League 2940010−304
Peterborough United 2010–11[39] League One 32230202[lower-alpha 1]0392
Oldham Athletic 2011–12[40] League One 21341104[lower-alpha 1]0304
2012–13[41] 330501000390
2013–14[42] 39440102[lower-alpha 1]1465
Total 93713130611159
Shrewsbury Town 2014–15[43] League Two 21130301[lower-alpha 1]0281
2015–16[44] League One 5000101[lower-alpha 1]070
Total261304020351
Guiseley 2016–17[45][46] National League 12000−1[lower-alpha 2]0130
2017–18[47] 7000000070
Total 190000010200
Nuneaton Borough 2018–19 National League North 9000000090
Hereford 2018–19 National League North 3000001[lower-alpha 2]040
Career total 2691422217114132218
  1. Appearances in the Football League Trophy
  2. Appearance in the FA Trophy

References
  1. "James Wesolowski". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  2. "Wesolowski receives Balde apology". BBC Sport. 24 July 2005.
  3. "Dundee United net Caddis on loan". Sky Sports. 13 February 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2009.
  4. "Fulham 4–3 Leicester". BBC Sport. 17 January 2007. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  5. Wesolowski signs Leicester deal BBC Sport 3 July 2007
  6. "Accrington 0–1 Leicester". BBC Sport. 14 August 2007. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  7. "Wesolowski injury rocks Leicester". BBC Sport. 20 September 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2007.
  8. "Wesolowski out until Christmas". BBC Sport. 10 December 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2007.
  9. "Allen adds pair to Robins squad". BBC Sport. 2 October 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
  10. "Gilbert Out". LCFC.co.uk. 23 October 2008. Archived from the original on 26 October 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
  11. "Wesolowski Joins Arabs". LCFC.co.uk. 2 February 2009. Archived from the original on 22 July 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
  12. "A young man's pain". The Sunday Herald. 28 February 2009. Archived from the original on 4 April 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
  13. "Dundee United 0–1 Hearts". BBC Sport. 28 February 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  14. Wright, Angus (4 August 2009). "Accies recruit Wesolowski and Rubiales". www.Scotsman.com. The Scotsman. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  15. "Wesolowski extends Hamilton stay". BBC Sport. 27 November 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  16. "Peterborough United | News | Latest News | Latest News | Wesolowski Pens Two-Year Deal". Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  17. "Latics land Wesolowski". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  18. "End of Season Awards Night". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  19. "Oldham Athletic retained list". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  20. "Wesolowski: "I'd Love to Stay Here"". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  21. "James Wesolowski Joins Town". "Shrewsweb". Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  22. "AFC Wimbledon 2–2 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. BBC. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  23. "James Wesolowski: Shrewsbury midfielder to undergo knee surgery". BBC Sport. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  24. "Shrewsbury 2–1 Portsmouth". BBC. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  25. "James Wesolowski: Shrewsbury midfielder suffers new ACL injury". BBC Sport. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  26. "James Wesolowski eager to step into the Lions' Den". Shropshire Star. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  27. "Wesolowski on Gillingham clash". Shrewsweb. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  28. "James Wesolowski still with Shrewsbury Town". Shropshire Star. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  29. "Lincoln City cannot strike a deal for midfielder James Wesolowski". Lincolnshire Echo. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  30. "James Wesolowski: Guiseley sign former Shrewsbury midfielder". BBC Sport. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  31. "James Tarkowski – obrońca Brentford z polskimi korzeniami « Outsider".
  32. "James Wesolowski profile". LCFC.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
  33. Qantas Socceroos Squad to Play Nigeria Named Archived 27 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Football Australia 6 November 2007.
  34. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  35. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  36. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  37. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  38. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  39. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  40. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  41. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  42. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  43. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  44. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  45. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  46. "Lions register first away win". Guiseley AFC. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  47. "Games played by James Wesolowski in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
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