Josh Payne

Payne was born and grew up in Basingstoke, where he attended Brighton Hill Community College.[4]

Payne began his career with Portsmouth and Southampton[5] before moving to West Ham United. He was named as 2008–09 captain of the West Ham Under-18 team,[6][7] but joined Cheltenham Town on an initial one-month loan on 24 September 2008.[8][9] He made his debut for Cheltenham against Stockport County on 27 September 2008, scoring a goal in the 66th minute.[10][11] Payne's loan with Cheltenham Town lasted three months before he returned to West Ham on 22 December 2008.[12] Payne made his West Ham and Premier League debut on 21 March 2009 in a 1–1 away draw against Blackburn Rovers coming on as a 90th-minute substitute for Diego Tristán.[13]

On 22 October 2009 Payne signed for Colchester United on a one-month loan.[14] Payne made his debut for Colchester on 24 October 2009 in a 2–1 home victory against Walsall and was fouled for a penalty, which resulted in Colchester's second and winning goal.[15] Payne returned to West Ham on 20 November, having played only three games for Colchester, as manager Aidy Boothroyd decided not to extend his loan.[16]

On 22 January 2010 Wycombe Wanderers confirmed they had signed Payne on an initial one-month loan.[17] Payne made his debut for Wycombe on 23 January, scoring in a 1–1 away draw against Southend United.[18]

He returned to West Ham on 25 February 2010.[19] In March 2010 it was announced that Payne's contract with West Ham would not be renewed beyond the end of the 2009–10 season.[20]

On 28 July 2010 Payne signed for Doncaster Rovers on an initial six-months contract after a successful trial period at the club.[21] He made his Rovers debut in the League Cup tie against Accrington Stanley on 10 August 2010, scoring his first and Doncaster's only goal in a 2–1 defeat.[22]

On 31 August 2010 Payne joined Oxford United on a one-month loan deal, which was then extended for another three months. Payne subsequently signed a pre-contract agreement with Oxford, making the move permanent.[23][24][25] He scored his first goal for Oxford from a free kick in a 3–1 home victory against Northampton on 23 October 2010.[26]

In January 2012 it was confirmed that Payne would be joining Aldershot Town on loan, initially for a month but later extended to the end of the season.[27] On 5 March, the move was made permanent on a free transfer.[28]

On 24 June 2013, shortly after his release from prison, Payne signed for Woking.[29] Payne played 95 league and cup games for Woking. He left the Conference Premier side at the end of the 2014–15 season to join Eastleigh. After a successful debut season with Eastleigh, Payne decided to reject a new one-year deal to venture into The Football League.[30]

On 26 May 2016, Payne joined Crawley Town on a two-year deal.[31] On 6 August 2016, Payne made his Crawley debut in a 1–0 victory against Wycombe Wanderers, playing the full 90 minutes.[32] On 3 October 2019, Payne joined National League club Ebbsfleet United on loan until January 2020.[33][34] In January 2020, his loan was extended until the end of the season.[35] His contract with Crawley Town was not extended at the end of the 2019–20 season.[36]

Following his release from Crawley, Payne signed a two-year contract with former club Ebbsfleet United in July 2020.[37]

In December 2012 Payne was sent to prison for twelve months following a conviction for actual bodily harm and common assault following an incident in Guildford town centre in May 2012; upon conviction Aldershot terminated Payne's contract.[38][39]

• Josh Payne at Soccerbase
• Cheltenham profile