John Wilkinson (footballer, born 1979)
Quick Facts
Biography
John Colbridge Wilkinson (born 24 August 1979) is a retired footballer who last played for Tanjong Pagar United FC and the Singapore national team.
Club career
Born in Exeter, Wilkinson played for Exeter City, Woodlands Wellington and Geylang United before joining Singapore Armed Forces in 2006.
Wilkinson's five seasons with SAFFC saw him help the Warriors win league titles in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, also winning the Singapore Cup twice in 2007 and 2008. He scored the Warriors' first ever goal in the AFC Champions League in a 4–1 away defeat against Shanghai Shenhua in China.
After reportedly turning down a three-year deal at SAFFC, Wilkinson joined INSEE Police UTD on a two-year contract in January 2012 and became the first foreign captain in the history of the Thai Premier League. Wilkinson failed to see out his contract at Police United however, and signed for reigning Singapore Cup champions Home United FC at the beginning of the 2012 S-League season. Wilkinson signed for Salgaocar in January 2013 until the end of the 2012-13 I-League season. On 6 June 2013, he was unveiled as the first signing of the mid-season window for Tanjong Pagar United, and will don the number 16 jersey.
International career
Wilkinson became a Singapore citizen, after marrying a Singaporean, thus allowing him to play international football for Singapore.
He was called up to the national team (consisted of 32) for a series for friendly matches against North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Australia. He made his debut for Singapore on 24 June 2007 in the second half against North Korea and even got an assist. He scored his first international goal when he broke the deadlock in the 1–1 draw against Gulf Cup champions, UAE on 12 September 2007.
He also scored in the 4–0 win over Palestine in a World Cup 2010 qualifying match on 8 October 2007. On 2 June 2008, he scored in a 3–7 home defeat against Uzbekistan in Third round of qualifying.
International goals
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 12 September 2007 | Singapore, Singapore | United Arab Emirates | 1–1 | Draw | Friendly |
2. | 8 October 2007 | Doha, Qatar | Palestine | 4–0 | Won | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
3. | 2 June 2008 | Singapore, Singapore | Uzbekistan | 3–7 | Lost | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
4. | 22 June 2008 | Beirut, Lebanon | Lebanon | 2–1 | Won | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
Honours
Singapore Armed Forces
- S.League: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
- Singapore Cup: 2007, 2008