James Hurst (footballer)

James Hurst (born 31 January 1992) is an English footballer who plays as a defender.

James Hurst
Hurst in 2022
Personal information
Full name James Hurst[1]
Date of birth (1992-01-31) 31 January 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Sutton Coldfield, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
2001–2008 West Bromwich Albion
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2010 Portsmouth 0 (0)
2010ÍBV (loan) 16 (1)
2010–2013 West Bromwich Albion 1 (0)
2011Blackpool (loan) 2 (0)
2011–2012Shrewsbury Town (loan) 7 (0)
2012Chesterfield (loan) 10 (0)
2012Birmingham City (loan) 3 (0)
2013Shrewsbury Town (loan) 4 (0)
2013 Valur 7 (2)
2013–2014 Crawley Town 18 (0)
2014Northampton Town (loan) 1 (0)
2014 Valur 7 (0)
2014–2015 Hednesford Town 33 (3)
2015–2016 Torquay United 17 (7)
2015–2016Guiseley (loan) 18 (3)
2016–2017 AFC Telford United 12 (0)
2017 Dover Athletic 14 (0)
2017–2018 Wrexham 17 (0)
2018 Nuneaton Borough 5 (0)
2018 Welling United 3 (0)
2018–2019 Sutton Coldfield Town
2019–2020 Hednesford Town 16 (1)
2020–2022 Buxton 24 (2[3])
2022–2023 Tamworth 21 (5)
2023–2024 Ilkeston Town 0 (0)
International career
2007 England U16 2 (0)
2008–2009 England U17 12 (0)
2011 England U19 5 (0)
2011 England U20 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:58 6 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:00, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

His professional career saw him play club football in the Premier League for West Bromwich Albion, in the Football League for Blackpool, Shrewsbury Town, Chesterfield, Birmingham City, Crawley Town and Northampton Town, and in the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild for ÍBV and Valur. Internationally, he represented England at levels from under-16 to under-20.

Career

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Professional

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Hurst was born in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.[1] He came through the ranks at West Bromwich Albion, but declined to sign for them, opting instead for a scholarship with the 2008 FA Cup winners, Portsmouth, who reportedly beat Arsenal, Manchester United and Aston Villa to his signature.[4] He never made a first team appearance for Portsmouth, but did have a loan spell at Icelandic club ÍBV during the summer of 2010, where he scored one goal.[5]

Hurst rejoined West Bromwich Albion on a two-year deal in September 2010 after Portsmouth's relegation from the Premier League.[6] He made his debut for Albion on 1 December 2010 in the League Cup quarter-final clash with Ipswich Town which ended in a 1–0 defeat at Portman Road.[7]

On 31 August 2011, Hurst was sent out on loan to Blackpool for the entire season, on condition that he could be recalled at any time.[8] He made his debut as a substitute in the 1–1 draw with Cardiff City on 17 September. On 21 October he was recalled to his parent club.

On 18 November, he joined League Two side Shrewsbury Town on a six-week loan.[9] Shrewsbury Town were seeking to extend his loan, but on 11 January 2012, Hurst joined League One team Chesterfield on loan until the end of the season.[10]

 
Hurst playing for Birmingham City in 2012

Hurst signed for Championship club Birmingham City on 1 October 2012 on a one-month youth loan,[11] and made his debut the following day, as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 defeat at Cardiff City.[12] Fitness problems resulted in Paul Robinson being preferred, and Hurst made just three appearances before returning to Albion.[13]

Hurst signed for Icelandic club Valur in May 2013.[14] After less than two months, he returned to England to join Crawley Town of League One on a one-year contract.[15] On 17 January 2014, Hurst signed for Northampton Town on a month's loan.[16] On 27 February 2014, Hurst's contract at Crawley Town was cancelled by mutual consent.[17] He rejoined Valur for another spell on 11 March 2014.[18]

Non-league

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On 2 July 2014, Hurst joined Hednesford Town of the Conference North.[19] He signed for Conference Premier club Torquay United for the following season,[20] but was suspended by the club from all football activities pending an investigation over an alleged incident on a night out in November 2015.[21] He then moved on loan to divisional rivals Guiseley.[22]

Hurst signed for AFC Telford United in May 2016, reuniting with former Hednesford manager Rob Smith.[23] After being sent off in a match against Salford City in October, he was involved in an argument with supporters on social media, leading to his suspension and a club investigation into his behaviour.[24][25] He was subsequently transfer-listed by the club and fined two weeks wages.[26]

Hurst signed for Dover Athletic on 4 January 2017.[27] He made his debut for the club in their 2–2 draw with York City, coming off the bench at half-time to replace Sammy Moore.[28] He was released at the end of the season and signed a one-year contract with National League club Wrexham.[29]

He left Wrexham on 13 March 2018 by mutual consent.[30]

He was signed by National League North side Nuneaton Borough for the 2018–19 season,[31] however, after only five games, he signed for National League South side Welling United.[32]

It was confirmed on 27 December 2018 that Hurst had joined his home town club Sutton Coldfield Town.[33] On 1 June 2019, he returned to Hednesford Town.[34]

His contract was terminated with Hednesford Town in January 2020.[35] On 25 August 2020, he signed with Buxton.[36]

 
Hurst playing for Tamworth in March 2022.

On 18 January 2022, Hurst signed for Southern League Premier Division Central rivals Tamworth.[37] Hurst made his debut for Tamworth the same day, playing the full match in an away quarter final fixture against Leamington in the Birmingham Senior Cup, which the home side won 3–1.[38]

Hurst set off on a pretty impressive goal scoring run, which coincided with the appointment of Andy Peaks as manager at Tamworth. In Peaks first match as manager, Hurst scored a brace in a 6–0 demolition of Barwell on 26 February 2022 in a home Southern League Premier Division Central fixture.[39]

James bagged an 82nd minute equaliser in the next match, an away Southern League Premier Division Central fixture at Hitchin Town on 28 February 2022.[40] Hurst scored his fourth goal for Tamworth on 19 March 2022, in a Southern League Premier Division Central fixture away at AFC Rushden & Diamonds, James scored the 37th minute to half the deficit after the home side had taken an early 2–0 lead, the game finished 2–2 with Jordaan Brown equalising in the second half.[41]

Tamworth produced a newsletter on 9 May 2022, which confirmed that Hurst along with fellow defender Lucas Yeomans were in fact on longer term contracts, and would both remain with the club for the 2022–23 season.[42]

On 20 August 2022, Hurst scored his first goal of the 2022–23 season in an away fixture against Bedford Town, Hurst came on as a 74th minute substitute for Alex Collard, and went on to score to make the score 8–0 to Tamworth on the 83rd minute, with the match finishing 8–1 to Tamworth.[43]

In May 2023, he signed for Ilkeston Town.[44]

Arrest

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In June 2020, he was remanded in custody by a court in Glasgow after pleading guilty to acting in a threatening or abusive manner towards police officers following a domestic incident; he coughed in officers' faces, told them he had COVID-19,[45][46] used derogatory language to describe a female police officer and shouted anti-Scottish abuse. He was sentenced to 160 hours unpaid community service.[47] In August 2024, Hurst received a two-year prison sentence and a five-month restraining order at Birmingham Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to one count of stalking, two of harassment, two of sending false communications and one of breaching a non-molestation order.[48]

Career statistics

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As of match played 20 August 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Portsmouth 2009–10[49] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ÍBV (loan) 2010[5] Úrvalsdeild 16 1 1 0 17 1
West Bromwich Albion 2010–11[50] Premier League 1 0 1 0 1 0 3 0
2011–12[51] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012–13[52] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 0
Blackpool (loan) 2011–12[51] Championship 2 0 2 0
Shrewsbury Town (loan) 2011–12[51] League Two 7 0 2 0 9 0
Chesterfield (loan) 2011–12[51] League One 10 0 3[a] 0 13 0
Birmingham City (loan) 2012–13[52] Championship 3 0 3 0
Shrewsbury Town (loan) 2012–13[52] League One 4 0 4 0
Valur 2013[5] Úrvalsdeild 7 2 1 0 8 2
Crawley Town 2013–14[53] League One 18 0 1 0 1 0 1[a] 0 21 0
Northampton Town (loan) 2013–14[53] League Two 1 0 1 0
Valur 2014[5] Úrvalsdeild 7 0 2 0 9 0
Hednesford Town 2014–15[54][55] Conference North 33 3 1 0 1[b] 0 35 3
Torquay United 2015–16[54] National League 17 7 0 0 0 0 17 7
Guiseley (loan) National League 18 3 0 0 3[b] 1 21 4
AFC Telford United 2016–17[54][56] National League North 12 0 2 0 0 0 14 0
Dover Athletic 2016–17[54] National League 14 0 14 0
Wrexham 2017–18[54] National League 17 0 1 0 1[b] 0 19 0
Tamworth 2021–22[57] Southern League Premier Division Central 16 4 0 0 1[c] 0 17 4
2022–23[57] Southern League Premier Division Central 3 1 0 0 0 0 3 1
Total 206 21 12 0 2 0 10 1 231 22
  1. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  2. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  3. ^ One appearance in Birmingham Senior Cup

Honours

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Chesterfield

References

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  1. ^ a b "James Hurst". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  2. ^ "James Hurst". Wrexham A.F.C. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  3. ^ "James Hurst". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Portsmouth sign Man Utd and Arsenal target". The News. Portsmouth. 2 July 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d "James Hurst" (in Icelandic). Knattspyrnusamband Íslands (Iceland Football Association). Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  6. ^ "West Brom sign Portsmouth full-back". BBC Sport. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  7. ^ "Cup skipper hails Hurst". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 2 December 2010. Archived from the original on 2 December 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  8. ^ "Blackpool agree James Hurst loan from West Brom". BBC Sport. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  9. ^ "West Brom loan out James Hurst to Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  10. ^ "Chesterfield sign James Hurst on loan from West Brom". BBC Sport. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  11. ^ "Birmingham sign West Brom right-back James Hurst on loan". BBC Sport. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  12. ^ Colin Tattum (3 October 2012). "Cardiff City 2, Birmingham City 1". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  13. ^ "James Hurst returns to The Hawthorns". Birmingham Mail. 1 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  14. ^ "James Hurst til liðs við Val" [James Hurst joined Valur] (in Icelandic). Knattspyrnufélagið Valur. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  15. ^ "James Hurst: Crawley Town sign ex-West Brom defender". BBC Sport. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  16. ^ Gareth Willsher (17 January 2014). "Northampton Town sign James Hurst". Northampton Town F.C. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  17. ^ "James Hurst leaves Crawley Town". Crawley Town F.C. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  18. ^ "James Hurst leikur með Val á komandi tímabili" [James Hurst plays for Valur for the coming season] (in Icelandic). Knattspyrnufélagið Valur. 11 March 2014. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  19. ^ "Major transfer coup for the Pitmen". Hednesford Town F.C. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  20. ^ Richard Hughes (26 June 2015). "Torquay United: Gulls have full XI after Paul Cox snaps up James Hurst from Hednesford Town". Torquay Herald Express. Archived from the original on 28 June 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  21. ^ David Thomas (9 November 2015). "Torquay United: Club has 'suspended' James Hurst over 'alleged incident' over the weekend". Torquay Herald Express. Archived from the original on 12 November 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  22. ^ "James Hurst: Guiseley sign Torquay United defender". BBC Sport. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  23. ^ "James Hurst is a 'coup' for AFC Telford". Shropshire Star. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  24. ^ "AFC Telford defender James Hurst argues with fans via Twitter". Shropshire Star. 31 October 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  25. ^ "Club statement". AFC Telford United. 1 November 2016. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  26. ^ "AFC Telford place James Hurst on the transfer list". Shropshire Star. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  27. ^ "James Hurst: Dover Athletic sign former West Brom full-back". BBC Sport. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  28. ^ "Dover Athletic 2–2 York City". BBC Sport. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  29. ^ "James Hurst: Former West Brom full-back joins Wrexham on one-year deal". BBC Sport. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  30. ^ Carl Hogan (13 March 2018). "Player News James Hurst Departs Wrexham AFC By Mutual Consent". Wrexham A.F.C. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  31. ^ Sam Bettany. "James Hurst Signs For Boro'". Nuneaton Borough. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  32. ^ Daniel Welling (10 September 2018). "Welling and Chelmsford share spoils in stalemate". News Shopper. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  33. ^ Matt Panter (27 December 2018). "Former West Bromwich Albion defender joins the Royals". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  34. ^ Profile at Footballdatabase, footballdatabase.eu
  35. ^ "Hednesford Town Football Club - Club Statement – James Hurst".
  36. ^ Ex-Premier League defender Kilgallon joins Buxton[usurped], nonleaguedaily.com, 25 August 2020
  37. ^ "EXPERIENCED DEFENDER JOINS THE LAMBS". TamworthFC.co.uk. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  38. ^ "Leamington 3-1 Tamworth". TamworthFC.co.uk. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  39. ^ "Tamworth 6-0 Barwell". TamworthFC.co.uk. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  40. ^ "Hitchin Town 1-1 Tamworth". TamworthFC.co.uk. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  41. ^ "AFC Rushden & Diamonds 2-2 Tamworth". TamworthFC.co.uk. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  42. ^ "SUMMER NEWSLETTER 1ST EDITION NOW AVAILABLE". TamworthFC.co.uk. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  43. ^ "Bedford Town 1-8 Tamworth". TamworthFC.co.uk. 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  44. ^ "Ilkeston welcome new defender and first team coach". ilkestontownfc.co.uk. 27 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  45. ^ Connor Gordon (8 June 2020). "West Brom and Portsmouth defender James Hurst remanded after police attack". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  46. ^ "Coughing footballer James Hurst told police: 'I've got Covid'". BBC News. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  47. ^ "Footballer sentenced for coronavirus cough threat to police officers". BBC News. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  48. ^ McIntyre, Alex (1 August 2024). "Footballer James Hurst jailed for stalking and harassment". BBC News. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  49. ^ "Games played by James Hurst in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  50. ^ "Games played by James Hurst in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  51. ^ a b c d "Games played by James Hurst in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  52. ^ a b c "Games played by James Hurst in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  53. ^ a b "Games played by James Hurst in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  54. ^ a b c d e "J. Hurst". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  55. ^ "Kings Lynn 1-0 Hednesford Town". Hednesford Town F.C. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
    "AFC Fylde 3–2 Hednesford Town". Hednesford Town F.C. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  56. ^ Geoff Berkeley (17 September 2016). "Full-time: Worcester City 0–0 AFC Telford United". Worcester News. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
    Geoff Berkeley (20 September 2016). "Full-time: AFC Telford United 1–3 Worcester City". Worcester News. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  57. ^ a b "Player profiles: James Hurst". Aylesbury United F.C. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  58. ^ "Chesterfield vs Swindon Town. Papa John's Trophy Final". Sky Sports. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
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