Jack Marriott (footballer)

Born in Beverley, Humberside,[2] Marriott began his career with the youth system at Ipswich Town aged 15.[4] He later joined the club's under-18 team on a two-year scholarship in April 2011.[5] At the time recruitment officer Malcolm Moore said, "He's a striker, tough, quick, aggressive and has a horrible knack of scoring goals."[5] Impressive performances for the under-18s over his two-year scholarship led to Marriott signing a one-year professional contract at Portman Road in February 2013.[6] Marriott was included in the squad for the final two matches of 2012–13 and made his professional debut as a 61st-minute substitute for Frank Nouble in a 2–0 defeat away to Burnley on 4 May.[7] On 11 December, Marriott signed a new one-and-a-half-year contract with the club.[8]

On 8 November 2013, Marriott joined Conference Premier club Woking on a one-month loan.[9] He made his Woking debut in a 3–0 win at home to Dartford on 12 November, scoring his first professional goal as he picked up the man-of-the-match award.[10] Marriott scored twice in his next match in a 3–2 comeback win over Hyde.[11] He scored his fourth goal in as many matches as he netted in a 3–0 win over Hereford United in the FA Trophy.[12] Marriott scored the first hat-trick of his professional career in the following match; a 4–3 win over Halifax Town.[13] On 5 December, it was confirmed that Marriott had extended his loan with Woking by a further month until 2 January 2014, which included a 24-hour recall clause.[14] He finished his loan spell with eight goals in seven league appearances.[15] Marriott then joined League One club Gillingham on loan until the end of the 2013–14 season a day after the expiration of his Woking loan.[16] However, he played in only one match before being recalled by Ipswich four weeks later.[17] He subsequently returned to Woking on loan until the end of the season and scored four goals in 15 league appearances.[15][18]

Marriott joined League Two club Carlisle United on a one-month loan on 18 August 2014.[19] He made five appearances for the club before returning to Ipswich on 19 September.[20] Marriott then joined Woking on loan for a third spell on 25 September,[21] scoring on his return two days later in a 3–2 defeat at home to Kidderminster Harriers.[22] Marriott was recalled from Woking by Ipswich on 19 January 2015.[23] He then joined League One club Colchester United on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season a day later.[24] Marriott played in five matches, all as a substitute, scoring once.[25] He returned to Ipswich at the end of the season, but was not offered a new contract and he was subsequently released.[26]

Marriott signed for League Two club Luton Town on a one-year contract on 20 May 2015.[4][27] He made his debut as a 76th-minute substitute for Danny Green in a 1–1 draw away to Accrington Stanley on the opening day of 2015–16.[28] Marriott scored his first goals for Luton in the following match, a 3–1 win at home to newly promoted Championship club Bristol City in the League Cup first round.[29] This performance saw him named in the League Cup team of the round.[30] Marriott signed a contract extension with Luton on 25 August until June 2017, with triggers to extend it for a further two years.[31] He was shown a red card for making a gesture to the Leyton Orient fans in Luton's 2–1 win in the Football League Trophy on 1 September.[32] Luton manager John Still, who was adamant he didn't deserve the red card said, "He shouldn't have done it but the punishment didn't fit the crime."[32] Marriott scored a brace in consecutive substitute appearances against AFC Wimbledon and Hartlepool United, which resulted in two wins in a week to increase his tally for the season to six goals.[33][34] He went on to score twice in 20 appearances, including a goalless drought of 10 matches,[28] before scoring a consolation goal in a 4–1 defeat away to AFC Wimbledon on 13 February 2016.[35] A return to form saw Marriott score four goals in five matches and increased his tally for the season to 12 goals after a 1–0 win away to Leyton Orient on 5 March.[36] Marriott was named Luton Town Player of the Season, voted for by the club's supporters, and joint winner of the Luton Town Young Player of the Season award along with Cameron McGeehan on 1 May, chosen by the Luton Town management team.[37] His fourth brace of 2015–16 in a 4–1 win at home to Exeter City on 7 May saw him finish the season as Luton's top scorer with 16 goals in 44 appearances.[28][38] Marriott signed a new three-year contract with Luton on 20 July.[39]

Marriott made his first appearance of 2016–17 in the starting lineup away to Plymouth Argyle on the opening day of the season, in which he scored Luton's second goal in a 3–0 victory.[40] He went on to score two further goals in the early months of the season, which included the second goal in a 3–1 victory at home to Doncaster Rovers on 24 September.[41][42] However, he entered a goalless drought of 10 matches which saw him dropped from the first-team in November against Morecambe, Portsmouth and Exeter City in favour of fellow striker Isaac Vassell.[43][44] Marriott was recalled to the first-team for a 6–2 victory at home to Solihull Moors in the FA Cup second round on 3 December, in which he scored the fourth and final goals, ensuring Luton's progression to the third round.[44][45] He scored twice against Chesterfield in the EFL Trophy third round on 10 January 2017 as Luton progressed with a 4–0 home victory.[46] Marriott entered another goalless drought of 16 matches, before scoring Luton's fourth goal in a 4–1 victory away to Accrington Stanley on 29 April, having entered the match as a 73rd-minute substitute, a result that confirmed their place in the play-offs.[47][48] He was introduced as a 74th-minute substitute in the first leg of the play-off semi-final defeat to Blackpool, losing 6–5 on aggregate,[49][50] and finished the season with 47 appearances and 12 goals.[41]

Marriott signed for League One club Peterborough United on 28 June 2017 on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[51] He made his debut on the opening day of 2017–18 in a 2–1 win at home to Plymouth Argyle.[52] Marriott then scored six goals in three league matches, including a hat-trick in a 4–1 win away to Bristol Rovers on 12 August,[52][53] and was named the League One Player of the Month for August 2017.[54]

In April 2018 he was nominated for the EFL League One Player of the Season award.[55] He was also named in the EFL League One team of the season.[56] On 18 April, Marriott was named in the PFA Team of the Year for League One.[57]

After scoring 33 goals in 56 appearances in all competitions during the 2017–18 season,[52] on 30 April, at Peterborough United's end of season awards, Marriott won three awards including the Fans Player Of The Year, Players Player of The Year, and the Away Travel Player Of The Year.[58]

Marriott signed for Championship club Derby County on 26 July 2018 on a three-year contract. The fee was undisclosed.[59] He scored his first goal for Derby in an EFL Cup tie against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 25 September 2018.[60] Marriott came on for Duane Holmes in the 44th minute of Derby's playoff clash against Leeds at Elland Road, playing a key role in the match to overturn the deficit, scoring 2 goals to send Derby County through to the 2019 Championship Playoff Final.[61]

On 16 October 2020, Derby took the opportunity to extend Marriott's contract until the summer of 2022, before allowing him to join Sheffield Wednesday on a season-long loan.[62] [63] He would make his debut the following day, coming off the bench against Birmingham City.[64] After Tony Pulis first game in charge, he announced that Marriott had a long term calf strain and would be out for 6-7 weeks.[65]