Bailey Wright

Bailey Colin Wright (born 28 July 1992) is an Australian professional footballer who plays for EFL League One club Sunderland.

Bailey Wright
Wright with Preston North End in 2016
Personal information
Full name Bailey Colin Wright[1]
Date of birth (1992-07-28) 28 July 1992[2]
Place of birth Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre back
Club information
Current team
 Sunderland
Number 5
Youth career
1998–2004 Langwarrin
2005 Mornington
2006 Dandenong Thunder
2007–2008 VIS
2009–2010 Preston North End
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2017 Preston North End 179 (8)
2017–2020 Bristol City 72 (1)
2020 → Sunderland (loan) 5 (0)
2020– Sunderland 18 (2)
National team‡
2008–2009 Australia U-17 3 (0)
2014– Australia 24 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11:45, 4 January 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 October 2019

Wright has played his entire senior career in England, with Preston North End, Bristol City and Sunderland.

He has played 24 times for the Australian national team and was selected for Australia's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Club career

Wright spent his formative years at Langwarrin, before playing a season each with Mornington and Dandenong Thunder. He was identified as a promising talent, eventually earning selection for the Victorian state team in 2007.[4] He honed his skills further with the Victorian Institute of Sport, before moving overseas in July 2009, signing a two-year scholarship with Preston North End after a protracted clearance saga.[5]

Preston North End

In his first season with Preston North End, Wright played predominantly as a centre-half for the Reserves and Under 18s teams, but was eventually called up to the senior squad in April, sitting on the bench for the club's fixture away to Coventry City.[6] He commenced the 2010–11 season with his debut senior appearance in the first round of the League Cup, playing the full 90 minutes in the Lilywhites' 5–0 win against Stockport County. On 13 December 2010, Wright was handed a two and a half-year professional contract.

Wright made his league debut for Preston on 5 March 2011 against Norwich City.[7] He scored his first professional goal for Preston on 7 April 2012 against MK Dons.

Wright was voted Young player of the year of Preston North End for the season 2012/13.[8] On 1 May 2013, he was handed a new two-year contract, with the option of staying at Preston North End for another year.[9]

Wright won promotion via the Play-Offs with Preston in 2015, defeating Swindon Town 4–0 at Wembley on 24 May 2015.

Bristol City
Wright with Bristol City in 2019

On 6 January 2017, it was announced that Wright joined Bristol City for an undisclosed fee, signing a ​2 1⁄2-year contract.[10] On 7 January 2017, he made his debut in the FA Cup Third Round Tie against Fleetwood Town. He scored his first goal for Bristol City in a 1–1 draw with Norwich City on 7 March 2017.[11] At the start of the 2017–18 season, Wright was named Bristol City captain.[12]

Wright featured as Bristol City reached the semi finals of the 2017–18 EFL Cup with wins over Premier League opponents Watford FC,[13] Stoke City,[14] Crystal Palace F.C.[15] and Manchester United.[16] Wright played as City lost in the semi-final tie against Premier League leaders Manchester City.[17] Wright was released by Bristol City at the end of his contract in July 2020.[18]

Sunderland

Wright signed a six-month loan deal with League One club Sunderland on 21 January 2020.[19] On 2 August 2020, Wright signed for Sunderland on a permanent basis, on a two-year deal.[20] He scored his first goal for Sunderland in a 2-2 draw with Rochdale on 27 October 2020.[21]

International career

Wright was a member of the Australia under-17 squad that reached the quarter-finals of the AFC U-16 Championship, narrowly missing a place at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup when they lost 2–3 against United Arab Emirates.

He was also selected as part of Ange Postecoglou's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, one of two new inclusions.

Wright made his national debut starting in a friendly match against Saudi Arabia at Craven Cottage in London. He scored a header in this debut giving Australia a two-goal lead.[22]

He was in the Australia national football team preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia but did not make Bert van Marwijk's final 23.[23]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 11 December 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Preston North End 2010–11[24] Championship 200020—40
2011–12[25] League One 1310010—141
2012–13[26] League One 38200102[lower-alpha 1]0412
2013–14[27] League One 43440202[lower-alpha 2]0514
2014–15[28] League One 27120103[lower-alpha 2]0331
2015–16[29] Championship 3800030—410
2016–17[30] Championship 1800030—210
Total 179860130702058
Bristol City 2016–17[30] Championship 21130——241
2017–18[31] Championship 3600040—400
2018–19[32] Championship 1203000—150
2019–20[33] Championship 300010—40
Total 7216050—831
Sunderland (loan) 2019–20[33] League One 50———50
Sunderland 2020–21[34] League One 15100102[lower-alpha 3]0181
Total 201001020231
Career total 271101201908031110
  1. Appearances in Football League Trophy
  2. Appearances in League One play-offs
  3. Appearances in EFL Trophy

International
As of match played 10 October 2019[35]
International statistics
National teamYearAppsGoals
Australia 201411
201570
201640
201790
201810
201920
Total241

International goals
As of match played 15 November 2017. Australia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Wright goal.[35]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref
1 8 September 2014Craven Cottage, London, England2 Saudi Arabia3–13–2Friendly[36]

Honours

Preston North End

References
  1. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Bristol City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 9. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  2. "FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017: List of players: Australia" (PDF). FIFA. 2 July 2017. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  3. "Bailey Wright". socceroos.com.au. Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  4. "The Wright Stuff". PNEFC. 16 April 2010. Archived from the original on 18 April 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  5. "FFA ends Wright, Parish standoff". Goal!Weekly. 10 November 2009. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  6. "Wright: An Amazing First Year". PNEFC. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  7. http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/198177,aussies-abroad-weekend-wrap.aspx
  8. "John Welsh Is 2013 Player Of The Year". Preston North End FC. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  9. "Preston North End: Bailey Wright signs new contract". Preston North End FC. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  10. "Defender Bailey Wright signs for Bristol City from Preston North End". Bristol Post. 6 January 2017.
  11. "Bristol City 1–1 Norwich". BBC Sport. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  12. "SOCCEROOS DEFENDER NAMED BRISTOL CITY SKIPPER". FourFourTwo. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  13. "Watford 2–3 Bristol City". BBC Sport. 22 August 2017.
  14. "Bristol City 2–0 Stoke City". BBC Sport. 19 September 2017.
  15. "Bristol City 4–1 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. 24 October 2017.
  16. "Bristol City 2–1 Manchester United". BBC Sport. 20 December 2017.
  17. "Manchester City 2–1 Bristol City". BBC Sport. 9 January 2018.
  18. BEST WISHES TO BAILEY WRIGHT, 02 July 2020, Bristol City official website
  19. "Bailey Wright: Sunderland bring in Bristol City defender on loan". BBC Sport. 21 January 2020.
  20. "Wright returns to Sunderland". Sunderland AFC. 2 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  21. "Rochdale 2-2 Sunderland". BBC. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  22. Davidson, John (9 September 2014). "Wright on target in dream debut for Socceroos". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  23. "Australia World Cup 2018 squad: Socceroos group trimmed to 26 players, Jamie Maclaren, Mitch Langerak ommited". 14 May 2018.
  24. "Games played by Bailey Wright in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  25. "Games played by Bailey Wright in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  26. "Games played by Bailey Wright in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  27. "Games played by Bailey Wright in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  28. "Games played by Bailey Wright in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  29. "Games played by Bailey Wright in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  30. "Games played by Bailey Wright in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  31. "Games played by Bailey Wright in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  32. "Games played by Bailey Wright in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  33. "Games played by Bailey Wright in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  34. "Games played by Bailey Wright in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  35. Wright, Bailey at National-Football-Teams.com
  36. "Saudi Arabia 2–3 Australia". SkySports. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  37. Middleton, Nathan (24 May 2015). "Preston North End 4–0 Swindon Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
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