![]() Buckley in action for Blackburn Rovers U18s in November 2017 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | John Keaton Buckley[1] | ||
Date of birth | 13 October 1999 | ||
Place of birth | Manchester, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Blackburn Rovers | ||
Number | 21 | ||
Youth career | |||
2006–2019 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2019– | Blackburn Rovers | 115 | (6) |
2023–2024 | → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 13 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 February 2024 (UTC) |
John Keaton Buckley (born 13 October 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Blackburn Rovers.
Born in Manchester, Greater Manchester, Buckley joined the academy of then Premier League club Blackburn Rovers at the age of 6 in 2006. He signed his scholarship with Rovers in June 2015 before agreeing to his first professional contract on 26 January 2018, agreeing a deal that would run until 30 June 2020.[3]
On 1 March 2019, Buckley signed a new three-year-deal with Blackburn which would run until 30 June 2022.[4] Just over two weeks later, Buckley made his professional debut for Blackburn on 16 March, with the club being defeated 4-2 in its EFL Championship fixture against Sheffield Wednesday.[5]
On 2 November, Buckley scored the first senior goal of his career in his club's 2-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday at Ewood Park. His first goal came against the very same club the player had made his professional debut against at the beginning of the year.[6]
On 8 March 2020, Buckley received the first red card of his professional career, with the youngster being sent off in the 93rd minute against Derby County.[7] In his first full season with the club's first-team, Buckley made 23 competitive appearances for Blackburn, scoring twice.
On 1 September 2023, Buckley joined Sheffield Wednesday on a season-long loan.[8] He made his debut coming off the bench against Ipswich Town on 16 September 2023.[9] On 2 January 2024, he was recalled from his loan spell to continue his rehabilitation at Blackburn following shoulder surgery, having played a total of 13 times for Sheffield Wednesday.[10][11]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Blackburn Rovers | 2018–19[12] | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
2019–20[13] | Championship | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 2 | |
2020–21[14] | Championship | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
2021–22[15] | Championship | 42 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 3 | |
2022–23[16] | Championship | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
2023–24[17] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
Total | 114 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 130 | 9 | ||
Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2023–24[17] | Championship | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
Career total | 127 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 143 | 9 |