Graham Wilkins
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Graham George Wilkins[1] | ||
Date of birth | 28 June 1955 | ||
Place of birth | Hillingdon, England | ||
Position(s) | Full-back | ||
Youth career | |||
1965–1972 | Chelsea | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1972–1982 | Chelsea | 137 | (1) |
1982–1984 | Brentford | 38 | (0) |
1984 | → Southend United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
Southall | |||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Graham George Wilkins (born 28 June 1955) is an English retired professional football full-back who made over 130 appearances in the Football League for Chelsea. He also played league football for Brentford and Southend United.
Career
[edit]Wilkins was born in Hillingdon. Able to play on either flank as a full-back, he began his career at Chelsea at the age of 10 and signed his first professional contract in 1972.[2][3] He remained a bit-part player until the 1976–77 season, when he made 29 appearances to help the Blues to promotion back to the First Division.[4][5] Wilkins remained at Stamford Bridge until July 1982, by which time he had made 151 appearances and scored one goal.[4] He dropped down to the Third Division to join West London neighbours Brentford on a free transfer,[3] but with the Bees he experienced "the worst two years of my life. I dislocated my shoulder, had seven teeth kicked out, ruptured my cruciate ligaments and that was it".[2] Wilkins' final appearances as a professional came late in the 1983–84 season, on loan at Third Division club Southend United.[3]
Personal life
[edit]Wilkins was the son of footballer George Wilkins and the eldest of four Hillingdon-born brothers who played professional football.[6] He later worked at Heathrow Airport.[6]
Career statistics
[edit]Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Chelsea | 1972–73[4] | First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
1973–74[4] | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |||
1974–75[4] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
1975–76[4] | Second Division | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
1976–77[4] | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 29 | 0 | |||
1977–78[4] | First Division | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | ||
1978–79[4] | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 29 | 1 | |||
1979–80[4] | Second Division | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
1980–81[4] | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |||
1981–82[4] | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |||
Total | 137 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 151 | 1 | |||
Brentford | 1982–83[7] | Third Division | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 29 | 0 |
1983–84[7] | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |||
Total | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 0 | ||
Southend United (loan) | 1983–84[8] | Third Division | 3 | 0 | — | — | 1[b] | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
Career total | 178 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 202 | 1 |
- ^ Appearances in Football League Group Cup
- ^ Appearance in Football League Trophy
Honours
[edit]Chelsea
- Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1976–77[4][5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Graham Wilkins". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Foot in both camps: Graham Wilkins". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ a b c Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 340.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Graham Wilkins". 11v11.com. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Football Club History Database – Chelsea". fchd.info. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ a b Henderson, Charlie; Bevan, Chris (23 February 2007). "Were you there ..." BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
- ^ a b Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. pp. 424–425. ISBN 978-1906796716.
- ^ "SUFCdb | Player Profile". www.sufcdb.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
External links
[edit]- Graham Wilkins at Sporting Heroes
- 1955 births
- Living people
- People from Hillingdon
- English men's footballers
- Footballers from the London Borough of Hillingdon
- Men's association football fullbacks
- English Football League players
- Chelsea F.C. players
- Brentford F.C. players
- Southend United F.C. players
- Wilkins family
- English football defender, 1950s birth stubs