Conor Washington

Conor James Washington (born 18 May 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for League One club Charlton Athletic and the Northern Ireland national team.

Conor Washington

Washington playing for Queens Park Rangers in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Conor James Washington[1]
Date of birth	(1992-05-18) 18 May 1992[2]
Place of birth	Chatham, Kent, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Playing position(s)	Striker
Club information
Current team	Charlton Athletic
Youth career
2008–2009	St Ives Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2012	St Ives Town[lower-alpha 1]	80	(54)
2012–2014	Newport County	39	(5)
2014–2016	Peterborough United	82	(27)
2016–2018	Queens Park Rangers	92	(13)
2018–2019	Sheffield United	15	(0)
2019–2020	Heart of Midlothian	15	(3)
2020–	Charlton Athletic	0	(0)
National team^‡
2016–	Northern Ireland	21	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 June 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 September 2019 (UTC)

He began his career in non-league football with St. Ives Town, joining Newport County for £5,000 in 2012. After helping them return to The Football League via the play-offs, he transferred to Peterborough United in January 2014. Two years later, he signed for Queens Park Rangers for an undisclosed fee. In 2018, after leaving by mutual consent, he joined Sheffield United. Washington moved to Scottish club Hearts in June 2019.

Born in England, Washington qualified for Northern Ireland through a grandparent. He made his senior debut for the Northern Ireland national team in March 2016 and was chosen for their UEFA Euro 2016 squad.

Early and personal life

Born in Chatham, Kent, England, Washington was eligible to play for Scotland through his mother, and through a grandmother to play for Northern Ireland.[3][4] After his parents moved to St Ives, Cambridgeshire during his childhood, he began to show his scoring capability by winning trophies as part of the Westfield Junior School squad.[5] After graduating school, he was turned down for an apprenticeship by both Norwich City and Peterborough United.[4] He subsequently worked as a postman for the Royal Mail,[4] whilst developing his football as a striker for St. Ives Town, scoring 52 goals in 50 matches in the United Counties League, Premier Division.[4][5]

Club career

Newport County

Washington joined Newport County on 1 October 2012 for a fee of £5,000,[4] after being spotted by their manager Justin Edinburgh.[6] He made his debut 26 days later in a 3–2 home loss to Woking, replacing Ben Swallow for the final nine minutes.[7] The only goal of his 15 appearances in his first season was the game's only on 9 April 2013 against Braintree Town at Rodney Parade.[8] Newport finished 3rd in the Conference Premier and reached the play-offs, though he was not selected in the matchday squad for the playoff final which Newport won 2–0 against Wrexham at Wembley Stadium to return to the Football League after a 25-year absence.[9]

Washington made his Football League debut in League Two versus Accrington Stanley on 3 August 2013, and his League Cup debut in the first round at Brighton & Hove Albion three days later, scoring the third goal in Newport's 3–1 win. His first Football League goal came on 10 August in County's 3–1 reverse at Northampton Town.

Peterborough United

On 28 January 2014, Washington joined Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee, with Shaun Jeffers moving the other way as part of the deal.[10] As part of the deal, Newport retained a 20% sell-on clause.[4]

He made his debut for the Posh on 8 February, replacing Jack Payne for the final 17 minutes of a 2–1 win away to Leyton Orient. His first goal in League One came on 8 March, concluding a 4–2 victory over Crewe Alexandra at London Road; he assisted two further goals.[11] Washington scored three more goals over the season, including two in a win of the same score at Shrewsbury Town on 26 April, and added another in the play-off semi-final defeat to Orient.[12]

On 7 November 2015, Washington scored the first two goals of a 3–0 win away to Burton Albion in the first round of the FA Cup,[13] and three weeks later he added his first professional hat-trick in a 4–0 victory at Scunthorpe United.[14]

Queens Park Rangers

On 19 January 2016, Washington joined Queens Park Rangers on a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee[15] that was reported to be between £2.5m and £3m.[16] Four days later, he made his debut by replacing Junior Hoilett with seven minutes remaining in a 1–1 home draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers.[17]

After failing to score a goal in his first season at Loftus Road, Washington scored his first goal for the club in extra time of a League Cup first round match at home to Swindon Town on 10 August 2016, putting his team 2–1 ahead. The game ended 2–2 and he scored in their 4–2 penalty shootout victory.[18] On 1 October, he scored his first league goal for QPR, opening a 2–1 win at Fulham in a West London derby.[19]

On 5 August 2017, in the first game of the new Championship season, Washington scored both goals in a 2–0 home win over Reading.[20]

Sheffield United

On 31 August 2018, Washington left QPR after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent and joined fellow Championship club Sheffield United on a one-year contract.[21] He made his debut for the club the following day as an 81st-minute substitute for Billy Sharp during a 4–1 home win against Aston Villa.[22] He was released by Sheffield United at the end of the 2018–19 season.[23]

Hearts

Washington signed a two-year contract with Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian in June 2019.[24] He made his debut on 12 July, playing the full 90 minutes of a Scottish League Cup 1–1 home draw with Dundee United.[25] On 16 August he scored his first goal in the last 16 of the same competition, a penalty to win 2–1 at Motherwell; it was his first career goal since February 2018.[26] Nine days later he scored his first Premiership goal, a consolation as Hearts lost 3–1 at champions Celtic.[27] In September, he was ruled out for three months with a hamstring injury.[28]

Charlton Athletic

On 13 August 2020, Washington joined League One club Charlton Athletic on a two-year deal.[29]

International career

Washington received his first call-up to the senior Northern Ireland squad on 16 March 2016 for friendlies against Wales and Slovenia;[4][30] he had only been to the area once, for a Peterborough friendly.[3] He made his debut against Wales on the 24th, and four days later he scored his first goal, the only one against Slovenia at Windsor Park.[3] In June 2016 Washington was named in the Northern Ireland squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament.[31] He scored his first competitive goal in Northern Ireland's 2–0 home World Cup Qualifying victory over Norway on 26 March 2017, making it three goals in three starts for him at Windsor Park.[32]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 11 March 2020

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
St Ives Town	2008–09[33]	UCL Premier Division	1	0	0	0	—		0	0	1	0
	2009–10[34]	UCL Premier Division	23	8	0	0	—		1[lower-alpha 2]	0	24	8
	2010–11[35]	UCL Premier Division	21	11	0	0	—		3[lower-alpha 3]	3	24	14
	2011–12[36]	UCL Premier Division	35	35	1	2	—		9[lower-alpha 4]	15	45	52
	Total		80	54	1	2	0	0	13	18	94	74
Newport County	2012–13[37]	Conference Premier	15	1	0	0	0	0	1[lower-alpha 5]	0	16	1
	2013–14[38]	League Two	24	4	3	0	2	1	3[lower-alpha 6]	2	32	7
	Total		39	5	3	0	2	1	4	2	48	8
Peterborough United	2013–14[38]	League One	17	4	0	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 7]	1	19	5
	2014–15[39]	League One	40	13	2	0	1	0	1[lower-alpha 6]	0	44	13
	2015–16[40]	League One	25	10	3	4	2	1	1[lower-alpha 6]	0	31	15
	Total		82	27	5	4	3	1	4	1	94	33
Queens Park Rangers	2015–16[40]	Championship	15	0	0	0	0	0	—		15	0
	2016–17[41]	Championship	40	7	0	0	3	1	—		43	8
	2017–18[42]	Championship	33	6	0	0	1	0	—		34	6
	2018–19[43]	Championship	4	0	—		2	0	—		6	0
	Total		92	13	0	0	6	1	0	0	98	14
Sheffield United	2018–19[43]	Championship	15	0	1	0	—		—		16	0
Heart of Midlothian	2019–20[44]	Scottish Premiership	15	3	3	0	4	1	—		22	4
Charlton Athletic	2020–21[45]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total			323	102	13	6	15	4	21	21	371	132

1. The St Ives Town appearances and goals do not include the 2012–13 season.
2. Appearance in United Counties League Cup
3. Two appearances and two goals in United Counties League Cup, one appearance and one goal in FA Vase
4. Five appearances and eight goals in United Counties League Cup, two appearances and five goals in FA Vase, two appearances and two goals in Huntingdonshire Senior Cup
5. Appearance in Conference Premier play-offs
6. Appearances in Football League Trophy
7. Appearances in League One play-offs

International

As of match played 11 June 2019[46]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Northern Ireland	2016	9	2
	2017	7	1
	2018	2	0
	2019	3	1
Total		21	4

International goals

As of match played 8 June 2019. Northern Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Washington goal.[47]

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	28 March 2016	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	2	Slovenia	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2	27 May 2016		3	Belarus	2–0	3–0
3	26 March 2017		10	Norway	2–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	8 June 2019	A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia	22	Estonia	1–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification

Honours

Sheffield United

• EFL Championship runner-up: 2018–19[48]

References

1. "The Football League Limited: Club list of registered players as at 16th May 2015" (PDF). The Football League. 16 May 2015. p. 54. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
2. "Conor Washington". 11v11. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
3. Ducker, James (28 March 2016). "Northern Ireland 1 Slovenia 0: Conor Washington strikes to extend unbeaten streak to ten matches". Telegraph. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
4. Pearlman, Michael (21 March 2016). "Conor Washington: The Northern Ireland striker made in Wales". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
5. Taylor, Mark (24 March 2016). "Conor Washington: From St Ives Town to a Northern Ireland international". Cambridge News. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
6. "Newport County sign striker Conor Washington". BBC Sport.
7. "Newport 2–3 Woking". BBC Sport. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
8. "Newport 1–0 Braintree". BBC Sport. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
9. Hughes, Dewi (5 May 2013). "Wrexham 0–2 Newport". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
10. "Peterborough United sign Newport County's Conor Washington". BBC Sport.
11. "Peterbrough 4–2 Crewe". BBC Sport. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
12. Stevens, Rob (13 May 2014). "Leyton Orient 2–1 Peterborough". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
13. "Conor Washington stars as Peterborough beat Burton in FA Cup". Sky Sports. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
14. "Scunthorpe 0–4 Peterborough: Conor Washington hat-trick sinks Scunthorpe". Sky Sports. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
15. @QPRFC. "QPR sign Peterborough United forward Conor Washington for an undisclosed fee".
16. Paul Vinnell. "QPR sign striker Conor Washington from Peterborough". Sky Sports.
17. "QPR 1–1 Wolves". BBC Sport. 23 January 2016.
18. "QPR 2–2 Swindon". BBC Sport. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
19. Gallagher, Sean (6 October 2016). "Conor Washington: I questioned whether I was good enough for the Championship". Brent & Kilburn Times. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
20. Glanville, Brian (6 August 2017). "Washington double spells trouble for 10-man Reading". The Times. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
21. "Sheffield United sign Conor Washington after QPR departure". BBC Sport. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
22. "Sheffield United 4-1 Aston Villa: Steve Bruce's side embarrassed by Blades". BBC Sport. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
23. "Paul Coutts: Sheffield United midfielder among five released". BBC Sport. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
24. "Conor Washington: Northern Ireland forward signs for Hearts". BBC Sport. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
25. Brown, Anthony (16 July 2019). "Conor Washington hopes to rekindle relationship with his secret weapon in Hearts squad". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
26. "Hearts: Conor Washington 'surprised' by quality of Scottish game". BBC Sport. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
27. English, Tom (25 August 2019). "Celtic 3–1 Heart of Midlothian". Retrieved 10 November 2019.
28. "Conor Washington: Hearts striker out for three months with hamstring tear". BBC Sport. 17 September 2019.
29. "DONE DEAL | Conor Washington joins on two-year deal". Charlton Athletic. 13 August 2020.
30. "Michael Smith and Conor Washington called into NI squad". BBC Sport. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
31. Sport, Telegraph (18 May 2016). "Northern Ireland Euro 2016 Squad" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
32. McCaig, Alvin (26 March 2017). "Northern Ireland 2–0 Norway". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
33. "2008–09". Football Mitoo. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
34. "2009–10". Football Mitoo. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
35. "2010–11". Football Mitoo. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
36. "2011–12". Football Mitoo. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
37. "Games played by Conor Washington in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
38. "Games played by Conor Washington in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
39. "Games played by Conor Washington in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
40. "Games played by Conor Washington in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
41. "Games played by Conor Washington in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
42. "Games played by Conor Washington in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
43. "Games played by Conor Washington in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
44. "Games played by Conor Washington in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
45. "Games played by Conor Washington in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
46. "Washington, Conor". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
47. "Conor Washington". EU Football. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
48. Anderson, John, ed. (2019). Football Yearbook 2019–2020. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 320–231. ISBN 978-1-4722-6111-3.

External links

• Conor Washington at Soccerbase