Harvey Saunders
Harvey Read Saunders (born 20 July 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays for Tranmere Rovers as a striker.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Harvey Read Saunders[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 July 1997[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Wolverhampton, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Tranmere Rovers | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Barnard Castle | |||
| Darlington Railway Athletic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Darlington Railway Athletic | |||
| Bishop Auckland | |||
| Durham City | |||
| 2017–2019 | Darlington | 66 | (11) |
| → Ryhope Colliery Welfare (loan) | |||
| → Dunston UTS (loan) | |||
| 2019–2021 | Fleetwood Town | 27 | (3) |
| 2019 | → Darlington (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2021 | → Hartlepool United (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Bristol Rovers | 33 | (2) |
| 2023– | Tranmere Rovers | 55 | (5) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:15, 13 April 2024 (UTC) | |||
Early and personal life edit
Saunders is from Staindrop.[4] He is nicknamed "Rooster".[4]
Career edit
Early career edit
Saunders joined local club Barnard Castle at the age of 6 or 7, leaving at under-14s after the club folded.[4] He occasionally played rugby for a local club and then began working full-time in an Indian restaurant.[4] The restaurant entered a team into a football competition, which they won.[4] Saunders then began playing Sunday League football, before signing for Darlington Railway Athletic, initially at under-18 level but then for the senior team.[4] He then played for Bishop Auckland and Durham City.[4] He then signed for Darlington, making his debut in January 2017.[5] Whilst at Darlington he had loan spells at Ryhope Colliery Welfare and Dunston UTS.[4] In total he scored 11 goals in 66 league games for Darlington.[6]
Fleetwood Town edit
He signed for Fleetwood Town in January 2019 for an undisclosed fee, on a 2+1⁄2-year contract, and was immediately loaned back to Darlington.[7][8]
He made his first-team debut for Fleetwood on 3 September 2019 in the EFL Trophy.[9] He scored his first goals for Fleetwood when he scored twice in an EFL Trophy tie against Carlisle United on 1 September 2020,[10] and his first league goal followed in a 2–1 defeat to Rochdale on 3 October 2020.[11] On 6 October 2020 Saunders scored a hat-trick in the EFL Trophy against Aston Villa U21s.[12]
He signed on loan for Hartlepool United on 22 April 2021.[13]
At the end of the 2020–21 season, Saunders was released by Fleetwood Town.[14]
Bristol Rovers edit
On 25 June 2021, Saunders agreed to join Bristol Rovers on a two-year deal from the expiration of his Fleetwood contract. Saunders joined former Fleetwood teammates Paul Coutts and Sam Finley in joining former manager Joey Barton that summer.[15][16] On 7 August 2021, Saunders made his debut for the club in a 2–1 opening day defeat to Mansfield Town,[17] playing the full match on account of the fact that he was the club's only fit striker.[18] On 17 August 2021, Saunders scored his first goal for the club with the only goal in a victory over Oldham Athletic, the club's first win of the season, heading home a cross from Harry Anderson via a deflection.[19] After suffering an injury during an aerial collision in a match against Bradford City on 16 October, Saunders was ruled out until the new year with torn ankle ligaments.[20] On 29 January 2022, Saunders made his return to action from the bench as he assisted Rovers' late winner to defeat Walsall.[21]
Tranmere Rovers edit
On 27 January 2023, Saunders signed for League Two club Tranmere Rovers for an undisclosed fee on an eighteen-month contract. The club had previously tried to sign him in the summer.[22][23]
Career statistics edit
- As of match played 13 April 2024
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fleetwood Town | 2019–20[24] | League One | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 2020–21[25] | League One | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4[b] | 5 | 29 | 8 | |
| Total | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 41 | 8 | ||
| Darlington (loan) | 2019–20 | National League North | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
| Hartlepool United (loan) | 2020–21[25] | National League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Bristol Rovers | 2021–22[26] | League Two | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 1 | 23 | 3 |
| 2022–23[27] | League One | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[b] | 2 | 20 | 2 | |
| Total | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 43 | 5 | ||
| Tranmere Rovers | 2022–23[27] | League Two | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 |
| 2023–24[28] | League Two | 36 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 2 | |
| Total | 55 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 58 | 5 | ||
| Career Total | 133 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 160 | 19 | ||
- ^ 3 appearances in EFL Trophy and 2 appearances in EFL League One play-offs
- ^ a b c Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
Honours edit
Bristol Rovers
- League Two promotion: 2021–22[29]
References edit
- ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Fleetwood Town" (PDF). English Football League. p. 27. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ Harvey Saunders at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ^ "Hervey Saunders". Bristol Rovers F.C. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Steve Coney (6 April 2017). "Harvey Saunders loving Darlington ride just two years after thinking his football dream was over". The Non-League Football Paper. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Profile". Darlington F.C. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Harvey Saunders at Soccerway. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Rosie Swarbrick (16 January 2019). "Darlington attacker Harvey Saunders latest hotshot bidding to follow in Jamie Vardy's footsteps as he clinches Fleetwood Town transfer". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Craig Stoddart (16 January 2019). "Darlington striker Harvey Saunders signs for Fleetwood Town". Northern Echo. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Leasing.com Trophy (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Carlisle United 1 Fleetwood Town 3: Saunders double and debut goal for Camps seal winning start". blackpoolgazette.co.uk. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ "Rochdale 2–1 Fleetwood". BBC. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ "Report: Saunders first-half hat-trick sees Town beat Aston Villa". fleetwoodtownfc.com. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ "Pools sign Harvey Saunders". 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Retained list announced". www.fleetwoodtownfc.com. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ "Rovers complete the signing of Harvey Saunders!". www.bristolrovers.co.uk. 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Rovers bring in striker Saunders". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Mansfield Town 2–1 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Bristol Rovers have just one fit striker for Mansfield Town clash after Brett Pitman scare". Bristol Post. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Bristol Rovers 1–0 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 17 August 2021.
- ^ Frost, Sam (9 November 2021). "Joey Barton reveals how long Bristol Rovers striker Harvey Saunders will be out injured". Bristol Post.
- ^ "Bristol Rovers 1–0 Walsall". BBC Sport. 29 January 2022.
- ^ "Harvey Saunders arrives at Prenton Park". www.tranmererovers.co.uk. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Tranmere sign Bristol Rovers striker Saunders". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Games played by Harvey Saunders in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Games played by Harvey Saunders in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ "Games played by Harvey Saunders in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Games played by Harvey Saunders in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ "Games played by Harvey Saunders in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ "Bristol Rovers go up after extraordinary 7–0 win". BBC Sport. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.