Ellery Balcombe

Ellery Balcombe (born 15 October 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays for Doncaster Rovers, on loan from Brentford, as a goalkeeper. He is a product of the Brentford academy and has been capped by England at youth level.

Ellery Balcombe
Personal information
Full name Ellery Balcombe[1]
Date of birth (1999-10-15) 15 October 1999
Place of birth Bedfordshire, England[2]
Height 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Doncaster Rovers
(on loan from Brentford)
Number 1
Youth career
Bedford Panthers
Stevenage
0000–2018 Brentford
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018– Brentford 0 (0)
2018–2019 → Boreham Wood (loan) 8 (0)
2019–2020 → Viborg FF (loan) 8 (0)
2021– → Doncaster Rovers (loan) 4 (0)
National team‡
2016–2017 England U18 3 (0)
2017–2018 England U19 9 (0)
2017–2019 England U20 6 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:53, 31 January 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15:01, 9 January 2021 (UTC)

Club career

Youth years (2014–2018)

A goalkeeper, Balcombe began his career as a youth with Bedford Panthers and Stevenage, before joining the academy and the Elite U19 Education and Football Programme at Brentford.[4][5] He was a part of the U15 team which won the Junior Globe at the 2014 Milk Cup.[6] While still an U16, he broke into the youth team during the second half of the 2015–16 season, making six appearances and he also made four Development Squad appearances.[7][8]

At the end of the 2015–16 season,[9] Balcombe was promoted into the new Brentford B team and signed his first professional contract on 15 October 2016.[10] Three weeks later, he won his maiden first team call up for a West London derby with Fulham, after second-choice goalkeeper Jack Bonham suffered whiplash in a car accident and remained an unused substitute during the 2–0 defeat.[11][12] He played in the majority of the B team's matches during the 2016–17 season and helped the team to win the 2017 Kai Thor Cup.[13][14] Balcombe was the undisputed first choice goalkeeper for the B team during the 2017–18 season and made 30 appearances.[15] He received his only first team call up of the season for an FA Cup third round match versus Notts County on 6 January 2018.[12]

First team (2018–present)

In June 2018, Balcombe signed a new four-year contract and was promoted into the first team squad.[16] He departed Griffin Park on a half-season loan in August 2018,[17] but returned early through injury in mid-October 2018.[18] After regaining fitness, he won his first senior call up of the 2018–19 for an FA Cup third round match versus Oxford United on 5 January 2019.[12] Injuries suffered by goalkeepers saw Balcombe receive a number of further call-ups into the first team squad during the final months of the season.[12][19][20]

During the 2019–20 pre-season, Balcombe fell behind B team goalkeeper Patrik Gunnarsson in the first team goalkeeping pecking order and instead travelled with the B team on its training camp in Cheshire.[21] In September he departed on loan until the end of the season,[22] but in January 2020 the loan ended due to a season-ending back injury,[23] which required surgery.[24] Balcombe returned fit for the 2020–21 pre-season and owing to the departure of Gunnarsson on loan,[25][26] he served as third-choice goalkeeper behind David Raya and Luke Daniels and was an unused substitute during two early regular season matches.[12] Balcombe signed a new ​4 1⁄2-year contract in January 2021 and spent the second half of the 2020–21 season away on loan.[27]

Boreham Wood (loan)

On 6 August 2018, Balcombe joined National League club Boreham Wood on a youth loan until 1 January 2018.[28] He made eight appearances for the club before he returned to Brentford for treatment on an injury suffered while on international duty in mid-October 2018.[29][18]

Viborg FF (loan)

On 2 September 2019, Balcombe joined Danish 1st Division club Viborg FF on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season.[22] He was sent off for the first time in his career on his eighth and what proved to be final appearance for the club, a 2–1 defeat to HB Køge on 2 November 2019.[12] The loan was terminated during the winter break, due to injury.[23]

Doncaster Rovers (loan)

On 6 January 2021, Balcombe joined League One club Doncaster Rovers on loan until the end of the 2020–21 season.[27] He immediately assumed a starting role and one of his saves during a 4–0 FA Cup fourth round defeat to West Ham United on 23 January was nominated for the competition's Save of the Round award.[30][31] One week later, two penalty saves and a man of the match performance in a 1–0 win over Lincoln City saw Balcombe named in the League One Team of the Week.[32][33]

International career

Balcombe was capped by England at U18, U19 and U20 level.[34] He was a part of the England squads at the 2018 UEFA European U19 Championship and the 2017 and 2019 editions of the Toulon Tournament.[35][36][37][38] He was uncapped at U21 level, but was an unused substitute in a number of matches and was called into the 2018 Toulon Tournament group as a standby and training support.[12][39] While on U21 duty in October 2019, Balcombe trained with the full England squad.[40]

Personal life

Balcombe attended Castle Lower School in Bedford.[4] He won the Outstanding Achiever Award at the 2017 Bedford Sports Awards.[4]

Honours

England U20

England U18

  • International Trophy: 2016[41]

Career statistics
As of match played 30 January 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals Apps GoalsAppsGoals
Brentford 2016–17[42] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2017–18[43] 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2018–19[29] 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
2020–21[30] 0 0 — 0 0 — 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Boreham Wood (loan) 2018–19[29] National League 8 0 0 0 — 0 0 8 0
Viborg FF (loan) 2019–20[12] Danish 1st Division 8 0 0 0 — — 8 0
Doncaster Rovers (loan) 2020–21[30] League One 4 0 2 0 — — 6 0
Career total 2002000 0 0220

References
  1. "EFL club list of registered players as at 20th May 2017" (PDF). 14 June 2017. p. 9.
  2. Ellery Balcombe at Soccerbase
  3. "Ellery Balcombe – Goalkeeper – First Team". Brentford FC. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  4. "Sport Bedford & Bedford Borough Council Sports Development Unit present...Sports Awards 2017" (PDF). p. 25. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  5. "Brentford FC Elite Under 19 Education and Football Programme Trials". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  6. "Milk Cup: Brentford U15s 4 Southampton U15s 0". Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  7. "Youth Team Player Stats". Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  8. "2015/16 Development Squad Stats". Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  9. "Club statement: Brentford Academy restructuring". Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  10. "Ellery Balcombe signs first professional contract". Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  11. Moore, Tom (4 November 2016). "Dean Smith on Fulham loss and Jack Bonham's odd injury". getwestlondon. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  12. Ellery Balcombe at Soccerway. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  13. "Ellery Balcombe called up to England Under-18 squad". Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  14. "Match Report: Brentford B 3 Brann Bergen 1". Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  15. "B Team 17/18: One win, one loss and one full stats review". Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  16. "New contract for Ellery Balcombe". Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  17. "Justin Shaibu and Ellery Balcombe join Boreham Wood on loan". Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  18. "Balcombe back with The Bees". Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  19. Storer, Tom (23 February 2019). "Every word from Brentford boss Thomas Frank on the 5–1 win over Hull". footballlondon. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  20. Spencer, Phil (11 March 2019). "What Frank had to say on Daniel Bentley and Julian Jeanvier injuries". footballlondon. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  21. "B Team Training, Strength & Conditioning on Day Two of tour". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  22. "Ellery Balcombe joins Viborg FF on season-long loan". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  23. "Ellery Balcombe returns from loan due to injury". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  24. "An injury update from Neil Greig". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  25. "Peter Gilham's St George's Park Blog". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  26. "Patrik Gunnarsson heads out on loan". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  27. "Balcombe signs new contract and makes loan move". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  28. "International Talent Signs At Meadow Park". Boreham Wood Football Club. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  29. "Games played by Ellery Balcombe in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  30. "Games played by Ellery Balcombe in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  31. "Balcombe misses out on Save of the Round prize". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  32. "Balcombe voted man of the match against Lincoln City". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  33. @SkyBetLeagueOne (31 January 2021). "Team of the Week time! Powered by @WhoScored ratings!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  34. "Ellery Balcombe". TheFA.com. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  35. "Under-19 – Norway-England". UEFA.com. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  36. Ellery Balcombe – UEFA competition record
  37. "Ellery helps out at UEFA". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  38. "International Round-Up". Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  39. "Goalkeeper Balcombe joins England U21 in Toulon". Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  40. "VFF-målmand trænede med Englands A-hold". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  41. "Young Lions secure International Trophy, despite 4–5 shoot-out defeat in Peterborough". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  42. "Games played by Ellery Balcombe in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  43. "Games played by Ellery Balcombe in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
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