Ivan Toney

Toney playing for Northampton Town in 2014

Born in Northampton,[4] Toney began his career at his hometown club Northampton Town.[5] He made his first-team debut on 13 November 2012, in a 3–3 draw in the FA Cup first round away to Bradford City; he came on at the end of regulation time in place of Lewis Wilson as his team eventually lost 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out.[6] At 16 years old he became the youngest first-team player in the club's history.[7] The following day, he scored four goals in the FA Youth Cup, in a 5–0 win over York City.[7] His only other appearance in a matchday squad that season was on 17 November, remaining unused in a 3–1 League Two win at home to Wycombe Wanderers.[8]

Toney made his first start on 28 September 2013 in a goalless home draw against Morecambe, making way for Ben Tozer after 74 minutes.[9] His first professional goals came on 26 April 2014, scoring two in the first half of a 3–0 victory away to Dagenham & Redbridge, the latter a bicycle kick.[10] On 3 May, he scored a header as Northampton defeated Oxford United 3–1 at home to avoid relegation to the Conference Premier on the final day of the season.[11]

On 12 August 2014, Toney scored a header in a 3–2 win away to Championship team Wolverhampton Wanderers in the first round of the League Cup.[12] His first goals of the league season arrived on 20 September; on as a substitute for Lawson D'Ath, he scored twice in a home contest against Accrington Stanley but his team nonetheless lost 5–4.[13] A week later, his header was the only goal in victory away to Morecambe.[14] Toney received the first red card of his career on 26 December in a 3–2 home defeat to Bury, being dismissed for fighting with visiting defender Hayden White.[15]

In November 2014, Toney was close to a transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers, which collapsed due to an undisclosed medical issue.[16]

Toney playing for Newcastle United in 2015

After 13 goals in 60 appearances for Northampton across all competitions, Toney signed for Premier League club Newcastle United on 6 August 2015 on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee.[17] He made his debut on 25 August in the second round of the League Cup, replacing Massadio Haïdara for the final 12 minutes of a 4–1 home win over his former team.[18] On 26 September, he played his first league match for Newcastle, as an 85th-minute substitute for Aleksandar Mitrović in a 2–2 home draw against Chelsea.[19]

On 9 November 2015, Toney joined League One club Barnsley on a 28-day youth loan.[20] He made his debut the next day in the Northern quarter-finals of the Football League Trophy, starting in a 2–1 home win over York.[21] On 5 December, he scored his first goal for Barnsley away to Wigan Athletic in the Trophy's next round, a header in a 2–2 draw, and also converted his attempt as they won in the subsequent penalty shoot-out.[22] A week later, he scored his first league goal for the club, deciding a 3–2 win away to Colchester United with a header from Marley Watkins' cross.[23]

On 24 March 2016, Toney returned to Barnsley on loan for the remainder of the season.[24] On 3 April, in the 2016 Football League Trophy Final against Oxford United at Wembley Stadium, he came on as a 65th-minute substitute for top scorer Sam Winnall. He took a shot which rebounded for Ashley Fletcher to give Barnsley a 2–1 lead, and they eventually won 3–2.[25] Barnsley won promotion with a 3–1 victory over Millwall at the same ground on 29 May; Toney replaced Fletcher for the last nine minutes.[26]

The following season, Toney joined League One club Shrewsbury Town on 8 August 2016 on a half-season loan.[27] He scored his first goal for the club, converting a penalty after being fouled by Charles Dunne, in a 3–2 win away to Oldham Athletic on 3 September,[28] and added another a week later to equalise in a 1–1 draw away to Bury.[29] On 24 September, he was sent off in a 1–1 draw away to AFC Wimbledon for a late challenge on opposition goalkeeper James Shea.[30]

Having scored 7 goals in 26 appearances across all competitions for Shrewsbury, Toney was loaned to fellow League One club Scunthorpe United on 12 January 2017 for the remainder of 2016–17 season.[31] Two days later he made his debut for the Iron, replacing Kevin van Veen for the final ten minutes of a 2–1 win on his return to Northampton.[32] On 28 January, he made a first start and scored in a 3–2 home win over Port Vale, putting Scunthorpe in first place.[33]

On 2 August 2017, Toney returned to League One, joining Wigan Athletic for the upcoming season.[34] He made his debut three days later, starting as they began the campaign with a 1–0 win away to Milton Keynes Dons.[35] His first goal for his new team came on 19 August, opening a 2–0 win away to Oldham Athletic.[36] However, his deal was cut short, as he returned to Newcastle on 10 January 2018.[37]

Toney re-signed on loan for Scunthorpe United on 11 January 2018.[38] He scored his first goal back in a Scunthorpe shirt on 3 February 2018, netting the winner in a 3–2 away victory over Fleetwood Town.[39]

Toney signed for League One club Peterborough United on 9 August 2018 on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee,[40] reported by some sources as £650,000.[41] He made his debut two days later in a 4–1 win at Rochdale as a 72nd-minute substitute for two-goal Jason Cummings.[42] On 8 September, coming on for the same player, he scored his first goal for the Posh to win 3–2 at Southend United.[43]

He scored a hat-trick on 11 December in a 4–4 draw in the second round replay of the FA Cup away to Bradford City – starting with a free kick from near the halfway line – but missed in the subsequent penalty shootout although his team won nonetheless.[44] Eighteen days later he recorded another treble in a 4–0 win at Accrington Stanley.[45] On 23 February 2019, Toney was sent off in the first half-hour of a 2–1 home loss to former team Shrewsbury, for handling the ball on the goal line.[46]

Toney began the 2019–20 season with seven goals in the first seven league games, concluding with a hat-trick in a 6–0 home win over Rochdale on 14 September.[47] The following month, he asked a chant sung by Peterborough fans about the size of his genitalia to be changed to make it more family-friendly.[48]

On 31 August 2020, Toney completed a medical and signed for Championship club Brentford on a five-year deal. The fee is said to be in the region of £5 million and around £10 million with add ons, Peterborough's record transfer fee.[49][50] He scored his first goal for Brentford, a penalty, in a 1–1 draw with Millwall on 26 September 2020.[51]