Luke Southwood

Luke Southwood

Personal information
Full name	Luke Kevin Southwood[1]
Date of birth	(1997-12-06) 6 December 1997 (age 27)[2]
Place of birth	Oxford, England
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Bolton Wanderers
Number	20
Youth career
	Reading
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2023	Reading	26	(0)
2017–2018	→ Bath City (loan)	42	(0)
2018–2019	→ Eastleigh (loan)	22	(0)
2019–2020	→ Hamilton Academical (loan)	15	(0)
2022–2023	→ Cheltenham Town (loan)	46	(0)
2023–2024	Cheltenham Town	46	(0)
2024–	Bolton Wanderers	5	(0)
International career
2016	England U19	1
2016–2017	England U20	5	(0)
2021–	Northern Ireland	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:36, 4 November 2024 (UTC)

Luke Kevin Southwood (born 6 December 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL League One club Bolton Wanderers. Born in England, he plays for the Northern Ireland national team.

Club career

Reading

On 11 May 2018, Reading announced that they had offered a new contract to Luke Southwood,[3] with a new two-year contract being confirmed as signed on 2 July 2018.[4]

On 7 May 2021, Reading announced that Southwood had signed a new two-year contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2023.[5]

Loans

On 4 August 2017, Southwood joined Bath City on a six-month loan deal,[6] which was extended until the end of the season on 3 January 2018.[7] He was awarded player of the season after an outstanding year.

On 24 December 2018, Southwood joined Eastleigh on an initial one-month loan deal, with the loan being extended until the end of the season on 24 January 2019.[8] Eastleigh managed to get to the semi-finals of the National League play-offs with Southwood playing a key part in that, also getting player of the month in April.

On 1 August 2019, Southwood joined Hamilton Academical on loan until 5 January 2020.[9] On 21 January 2020, Southwood signed a new contract with Reading until the summer of 2021, and then returned to Hamilton Academical on loan until the end of the season.[10]

On 22 July 2022, Southwood joined Cheltenham Town on a season-long loan deal. During that time he kept sixteen clean sheets in league one and helped them to a 16th place finish.[11]

On 17 May 2023, Reading announced that Southwood would leave the club at the end of his contract.[12]

Cheltenham Town

On 11 July 2023, Southwood returned to Cheltenham Town on a permanent one-year deal.[13] On 22 May 2024, the club announced he had rejected a new contract and would be leaving the club.[14]

Bolton Wanderers

On 21 June 2024, Southwood signed a two-year contract with EFL League One club Bolton Wanderers.[15]

International career

Southwood made his debut for the England under-19 team, play the first 45minutes in a 1–0 defeat to Mexico in June 2016.[16]

Southwood was selected for the England under-20 team in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup and was an unused substitute in the final where England beat Venezuela 1–0.[17]

In November 2021, Southwood was called up to the Northern Ireland national team for the first time, for whom he qualified for through a grandmother.[18] He debuted with Northern Ireland in a friendly 3–1 win over Luxembourg on 25 March 2022.[19]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 10 December 2024[2]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Reading	2015–16	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		–		0	0
	2016–17	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		–		0	0
	2017–18	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		–		0	0
	2018–19	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		–		0	0
	2019–20	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		–		0	0
	2020–21	Championship	1	0	1	0	2	0	–		–		4	0
	2021–22	Championship	25	0	0	0	1	0	–		–		26	0
	Total		26	0	1	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	30	0
Bath City (loan)	2017–18	National League South	42	0	2	0	–		–		1[a]	0	45	0
Eastleigh (loan)	2018–19	National League	22	0	0	0	–		–		–		22	0
Hamilton Academical (loan)	2019–20	Scottish Premiership	8	0	0	0	0	0	–		2[b]	0	10	0
	2019–20	Scottish Premiership	7	0	1	0	0	0	–		0	0	8	0
	Total		15	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	18	0
Cheltenham Town (loan)	2022–23	League One	46	0	1	0	1	0	–		3[c]	0	51	0
Cheltenham Town	2023–24	League One	46	0	1	0	1	0	–		0	0	48	0
	Total		92	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	3	0	99	0
Bolton Wanderers	2024–25	League One	5	0	1	0	3	0	–		1[c]	0	10	0
Career total			202	0	7	0	8	0	0	0	7	0	224	0

1. Appearance in FA Trophy
2. Appearances for Hamilton under-21s in the Scottish Challenge Cup
3. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 25 March 2022[20]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Northern Ireland
	2022	1	0
Total		1	0

Honours

England U20

• FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2017

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Reading" (PDF). English Football League. p. 58. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
2. Luke Southwood at Soccerway. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
3. "Anssi set to stay and contracts offered to young blood". Readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
4. "Seven players sign first pro deals with Reading". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
5. "Southwood signs new contract to remain a Royal until 2023". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
6. "Owers adds final pieces on season eve". bathcityfc.com. Bath City. 4 August 2017. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
7. "Bath City secure World Cup winner and Reading goalkeeper Luke Southwood until the end of the season". thenonleaguefootballpaper.com/. The Non League Football Paper. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
8. "Eastleigh Football Club is delighted to announce that Luke Southwood has had his loan extended until the end of the season". twitter.com/EastleighFC/. Eastleigh F.C. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
9. "Southwood seals loan switch to Scotland". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
10. "Southwood signs until 2021 and rejoins Hamilton on loan". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
11. "LUKE SOUTHWOOD SIGNS SEASON-LONG LOAN MOVE TO CHELTENHAM TOWN". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
12. "NEW DEALS OFFERED AS CONTRACTS COME TO THEIR CONCLUSION". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
13. "Luke Southwood re-joins the Robins". www.ctfc.com. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
14. "Cheltenham Town: Liam Sercombe, Luke Southwood and Sean Long to leave club". BBC Sport. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
15. "Bolton sign ex-Cheltenham goalkeeper Southwood". BBC Sport. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
16. "Southwood makes Young Lions bow in Mexico". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
17. "Under-20 World Cup: England beat Venezuela in final". BBC Sport. 11 June 2017.
18. ""IT'S BEEN A WHIRLWIND!" – SOUTHWOOD ON NORTHERN IRELAND CALL-UP". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
19. "Luxembourg vs. Northern Ireland – 25 March 2022 – Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com.
20. "Southwood, Luke". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 6 June 2022.