Joseph Mills (footballer)

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For the American attorney, jurist, and politician, see Joseph Trotter Mills.

Joseph Mills
Personal information
Full name Joseph Nathan Mills[1]
Date of birth (1989-10-30) 30 October 1989 (age 34)[2]
Place of birth Swindon, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Position(s) Left back / Left midfielder
Youth career
Aston Villa
2006–2008 Southampton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 Southampton 26 (0)
2009 → Scunthorpe United (loan) 14 (0)
2010–2011 → Doncaster Rovers (loan) 18 (2)
2011–2013 Reading 15 (0)
2012–2013 → Burnley (loan) 10 (0)
2013–2014 Burnley 0 (0)
2013 → Oldham Athletic (loan) 11 (0)
2014 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 13 (0)
2014–2016 Oldham Athletic 45 (1)
2016–2018 Perth Glory 44 (1)
2018–2020 Forest Green Rovers 68 (11)
2020–2022 Northampton Town 44 (0)
Total 308 (15)
International career
2004–2006 England U17 4 (0)
2006 England U18 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Joseph Nathan Mills (born 30 October 1989)[3] is a retired[4] English footballer, who last played for League Two club Northampton Town. He mainly played as a left back but also played as a left-sided midfielder.

Career[edit]

Southampton[edit]

Born in Swindon, England, Mills started his football career at Aston Villa's academy before opting to move to Southampton[5] in August 2006.[3] At Southampton, alongside his brother Matthew, he progressed through the academy and reserve sides before being promoted to the first team ahead of the 2008–09 season.[6]

He made his Southampton first team debut as substitute in a League Cup match against Birmingham City on 26 August 2008.[7] He made his league debut at home against Barnsley on 20 September 2008.[8]

After making a handful of appearances for Southampton, on 23 February 2009, he joined Scunthorpe United on an emergency loan for one month.[9] Mills made his Scunthorpe United debut on 24 February 2009, where he made his first start, in a 2–0 loss against Southend United.[10] On 24 March, the loan was extended to the end of the 2008–09 season.[11] Although Mills played regularly as Scunthorpe finished in 6th Place, he tore a hamstring in the final match of the league season and missed the play-offs in which Scunthorpe secured promotion to the Championship.[3]

After returning from a loan spell at Scunthorpe United, Mills signed a new three-year contract in August 2009 after some good pre-season performances, featuring sporadically during the 2009–10 season.[12] However, Mills did play in Southampton's victorious Football League Trophy final against Carlisle United.[13]

In the 2010–11 season, Mills lost his first team place under the management of Nigel Adkins and joined Doncaster Rovers on a one-month emergency loan deal on 19 October 2010,[14] making his debut the same day in a 3–2 defeat by Derby County.[15] This loan deal was then extended to 19 January 2011.[16] Mills scored his first professional goal for Doncaster in a 3–0 victory over former loan club Scunthorpe United on 1 January 2011.[17] Weeks later, on 15 January 2011, Mills was injured in Doncaster's 3–0 defeat to Reading and this may have been his last action for Doncaster.[18] On 31 January 2011, the loan deal was extended until the end of the season.[19] Mills then scored his second goal for the club on 1 March 2011, in a 3–1 win over Derby County.[20] Mills later finished the season, making eighteen appearances and scoring two times.

In July 2011, he joined Preston North End on trial.[21] Around the same time, Mills was a subject of a move to Doncaster Rovers on a permanent basis.[22] His future at Southampton became increasingly in doubt after being left out of the squad for the pre-season tour in Switzerland.[23]

Reading[edit]

On 22 August 2011, he joined Reading for an undisclosed fee, signing a one-year contract with the option of another year.[24] Upon joining the club, Mills revealed his brother, Matthew, played a role that led him to join Reading, a club he left for Leicester City before Joseph arrived.[25]

He made his first start for the Royals in a 2–1 defeat by Charlton Athletic, in the League Cup first round on 23 August 2011, coming off the bench for Ian Harte in the 62nd minute.[26] Four days later, Mills made his league debut for Reading, in a 1–0 loss against Hull City.[27] On 6 November 2011, Mills was announced as Man of the Match after Reading defeated Birmingham City 1–0 thanks to a Noel Hunt winner.[28][29]

Mills signed a contract extension on 8 February 2012 keeping him at Reading until the end of the 2014 season.[30] However, Mills suffered injuries that kept him out for the most of the season.[31][32] In his first season at Reading, Mills made fifteen appearances for the club.

Burnley[edit]

On 17 July 2012, Mills joined Burnley on a season long loan after falling down the pecking order at Reading.[33]

He made his Burnley debut in the League Cup first round win over Port Vale[34] and then made his first league appearance the following weekend in the 2–0 win against Bolton Wanderers.[35] He went on to make 10 league appearances during the 2012–13 season, before joining Burnley permanently in the summer of 2013, signing a two-year contract.[36]

Loan spells[edit]

On 16 August 2013, he joined League One side Oldham Athletic on a one-month loan deal.[37] Mills made his Oldham Athletic debut the next day, in a 2–1 loss against Peterborough United.[38] Mills soon extended his loan spell for the second and third time.[39][40] Despite suffering from an injury,[41] Mills went on to make eleven appearances for the club and returned to his parent club on 22 November 2013.[42]

On 31 January 2014, Mills joined Shrewsbury Town on loan for the remainder of the 2013–14 season.[43] Mills made his Shrewsbury Town debut the next day, coming on as a substitute for Paul Parry in the 82nd minute, in a 1–1 draw against Brentford.[44] On 29 March 2014, Mills received a straight red card after a foul on James Chambers, in a 1–0 loss against Walsall.[45] After an unsuccessful appeal over his suspension,[46] Mills returned to the first team and made the total of thirteen appearances for the club.

Oldham Athletic[edit]

On 4 June 2014, Mills signed for Oldham Athletic where he had spent a loan spell the previous season. He signed a two-year contract with the option of a third and was the Latics first summer signing.[47] Upon joining the club, Manager Lee Johnson said of the signing "It's a great signing. He's young, hungry and got a lot of potential. We'll give him an identity and a bit of love and I feel he can be a really good player for us."[48] Upon signing for the club, Mills was given number three shirt ahead of a new season.[49]

Mills' first game after signing for the club on a permanent basis came in the opening game of the season on 9 August 2014, where he played 90 minutes, in a 2–2 draw against Colchester United.[50] On 16 September 2014, Mills then provided assist for James Dayton to score the first goal of the game, in a 2–2 draw against Swindon Town.[51] Mills' performance was praised by Oldham Athletic supporters[52] and was rewarded with October's Player of the Month and December's Player of the Month by supporters.[53][54] However, Mills was soon sent-off in the 75th minute after making a tackle, in a 2–2 draw against Doncaster Rovers on 10 January 2015.[55] Soon after, Mills was later sidelined injuries twice towards the end of the season.[56][57] Despite this, Mills went on to make thirty appearances for the club.

In his second season at Oldham Athletic saw Mills regained his fitness and re-established himself in the first team.[58] Mills scored his first Oldham Athletic goal on 5 September 2015, in a 2–1 loss against Bradford City.[59] After suffering from ankle injury,[60] Mills made his first team return on 31 October 2015, in a 1–0 loss against Burton Albion.[61] Mills was expected to leave the club in January, but stayed at the club at the end of the season.[62] Mills appeared in the handful of first team until he spent the rest of the season on the substitute bench, having his first team place and made fifteen appearances for the club.

At the end of the 2015–16 season, Mills was released by the club.[63]

Perth Glory[edit]

On 18 May 2016, it was announced that Mills had signed for A-League side Perth Glory.[64] Upon joining the club, he said moving to Australia was an opportunity he couldn't turn down.[65] Following two years with Perth Glory, making 44 appearances with one goal, Mills left at the end of the 2017–18 season.[66]

Forest Green Rovers[edit]

On 8 June 2018, Mills returned to English football when he signed for Forest Green Rovers on a two-year contract.[67]

Northampton Town[edit]

Mills joined Northampton Town in August 2020.[68] He scored his first goal for the club in an EFL Trophy tie against Milton Keynes Dons on 8 September 2020.[69]

On 28 August 2021, in a 0–0 draw at Crawley, he was carried off the pitch with an ankle injury that was expected to prevent him playing for several months.[70] On 26 January 2022, manager Jon Brady stated that Mills' return had been delayed following a setback.[71]

International career[edit]

Mills previously represented England U17 and England U18.[72]

Personal life[edit]

He is the younger brother of retired footballer, Matt Mills, who was also his teammate when he played for Forest Green Rovers in League Two.

Career statistics[edit]

As of match played 18 May 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Southampton 2008–09[73] Championship 8 0 0 0 2 0 — 10 0
2009–10[74] League One 16 0 3 0 0 0 3[a] 0 22 0
2010–11[75] League One 2 0 — 1 0 0 0 3 0
Total 26 0 3 0 3 0 3 0 35 0
Scunthorpe United (loan) 2008–09[74] League One 14 0 — — — 14 0
Doncaster Rovers (loan) 2010–11[75] Championship 18 2 1 0 — — 19 2
Reading 2011–12[76][b] Championship 15 0 0 0 1 0 — 16 0
Burnley (loan) 2012–13[79] Championship 10 0 0 0 2 0 — 12 0
Oldham Athletic (loan) 2013–14[80] League One 11 0 — — 3[a] 0 14 0
Shrewsbury Town (loan) 2013–14[80] League One 13 0 — — — 13 0
Oldham Athletic 2014–15[81] League One 30 0 2 0 1 0 3[a] 0 36 0
2015–16[82] League One 15 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 19 1
Total 45 1 5 0 2 0 3 0 55 1
Perth Glory 2016–17[83] A-League 22 1 1 0 — — 23 1
2017–18[84] A-League 22 0 0 0 — — 22 0
Total 44 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 45 1
Forest Green Rovers 2018–19[85] League Two 44 4 1 0 1 0 2[c] 1 48 5
2019–20[86] League Two 24 7 2 1 2 0 0 0 28 8
Total 68 11 3 1 3 0 2 1 76 13
Northampton Town 2020–21[87] League One 27 0 0 0 1 0 3[a] 2 31 2
2021–22[88] League Two 17 0 0 0 1 0 2[d] 0 20 0
Total 44 0 0 0 2 0 5 2 51 2
Career totals 308 15 13 1 13 0 16 3 349 19
  1. ^ a b c d Appearances in Football League Trophy
  2. ^ Soccerbase incorrectly credits Jack Mills with two appearances against Hull City and Charlton Athletic on 23 and 27 August 2011 respectively, that should instead be attributed to Joseph Mills as confirmed by the official match reports on the Reading website.[77][78]
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in League Two play-offs
  4. ^ Appearances in League Two play-offs

Personal life[edit]

Mills is the younger brother of former Bolton Wanderers defender Matthew Mills[3] and was given a nickname 'Fish'.[89] Mills is interested in cookery.[90]

In early 2016, Mills became a father when his partner gave birth to a girl.[91]

Honours[edit]

Southampton

Reading

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Clubs submit retained and released lists". Premier League. 7 June 2013. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  2. ^ a b Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84596-474-0.
  3. ^ a b c d Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (2013). All the Saints: A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC. Southampton: Hagiology Publishing. pp. 402–403. ISBN 978-0-9926-8640-6.
  4. ^ THE RETAINED LIST
  5. ^ "Mills planning to wreck brother's birthday". Get Reading. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  6. ^ "The likely lads for next season". Daily Echo. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Southampton 1–2 Birmingham City". BBC Sport. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Southampton 0–0 Barnsley". BBC Sport. 20 September 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
  9. ^ "Scunthorpe sign Trotter and Mills". BBC Sport. 23 February 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  10. ^ "Southend United 2–0 Scunthorpe United". BBC Sport. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Defender loan extended". Southampton F.C. 24 March 2009. Archived from the original on 28 March 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  12. ^ "Mills targets Saints breakthrough". Daily Echo. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  13. ^ "Southampton to bid for Brentford's Ryan Dickson". Daily Echo. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Mills Makes Rovers Switch". Southampton FC. 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  15. ^ "Doncaster 2 Derby County 3". BBC Sport. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  16. ^ "Saints' Mills extends his loan with Doncaster Rovers". BBC Sport. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Doncaster Rovers 3–0 Scunthorpe United". BBC Sport. 1 January 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  18. ^ "Match Report: Doncaster Rovers 0–3 Reading". Reading F.C. 15 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  19. ^ "Mills Stays North". Southampton FC. 31 January 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  20. ^ "Derby County 1–3 Doncaster Rovers". BBC Sport. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  21. ^ "Joseph Mills to discover if he has a future at Preston North End". Daily Echo. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  22. ^ "Southampton's Joseph Mills attracts attention from Doncaster Rovers". Daily Echo. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  23. ^ "Joseph Mills in limbo after being left out of Saints' tour squad". Daily Echo. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  24. ^ "Royals sign up Mills". Sky Sports. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  25. ^ "New Reading signing Joseph Mills credits brother Matt". BBC Sport. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  26. ^ "Charlton Athletic 2–1 Reading". BBC Sport. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  27. ^ "Hull City 1–0 Reading". BBC Sport. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  28. ^ "McDermott: It's a big three points". Reading FC. 7 November 2011. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  29. ^ "Mills: It gives me confidence". Reading FC. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  30. ^ "Reading defender Joseph Mills signs new contract". BBC. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  31. ^ "McDermott's ref rage subsides after chat". Get Reading. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  32. ^ "Jason Roberts in fight to save his Reading FC season". Get Reading. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  33. ^ "Mills makes Burnley move". Sky Sports. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  34. ^ "Port Vale match report". Burnley FC. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  35. ^ "Bolton match report". Burnley FC. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  36. ^ "Burnley: Joseph Mills to join Clarets on permanent basis". BBC Sport. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  37. ^ "Latics complete double signing". Oldham Athletic AFC. 16 August 2013. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  38. ^ "Peterborough United 2–1 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  39. ^ "Mills extends stay". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 12 September 2013. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  40. ^ "Mills extends Latics loan". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  41. ^ "Mills Injury Worry". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 23 October 2013. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  42. ^ "Latics farewell for Mills". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 22 November 2013. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  43. ^ "Joseph Mills Joins On Loan". Shrewsbury Town FC. 31 January 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  44. ^ "Shrewsbury Town 1–1 Brentford". BBC Sport. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  45. ^ "Walsall 1–0 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 29 March 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  46. ^ "Shrewsbury Town fail in Joseph Mills red card appeal". Shropshire Star. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  47. ^ "Joseph Mills signs for Latics". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  48. ^ "Latics land former loan star". Oldham Chronicle. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  49. ^ "Latics Announce Squad Numbers". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 29 July 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  50. ^ "Colchester United 2–2 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  51. ^ "Swindon Town 2–2 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  52. ^ "Joseph Mills tells Oldham fans 'you ain't seen nothing yet!'". Manchester Evening News. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  53. ^ "Player of the Month Winner Announced". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 17 November 2014. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  54. ^ "December Player Of The Month Winner Announced". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 13 January 2015. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  55. ^ "Oldham Athletic 2–2 Doncaster Rovers". BBC Sport. 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  56. ^ "No-frills Holden tells players to give it all they've got". Oldham Chronicle. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  57. ^ "Go for jugular, Dean demands". Oldham Chronicle. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  58. ^ "Fully-fit Mills on revenge mission". Oldham Chronicle. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  59. ^ "Oldham Athletic 1–2 Bradford City". BBC Sport. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  60. ^ "Players must prove their worth – Dunn". Oldham Chronicle. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  61. ^ "Latics slump to Burton defeat". Oldham Chronicle. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  62. ^ "Dunn looks for answers". Oldham Chronicle. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  63. ^ "Oldham Athletic Retained List". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 11 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  64. ^ "Transfer news: Glory sign English defender". Football Australia. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  65. ^ "Perth Glory swoop for attacking defender Mills". The World Game. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  66. ^ "Perth Glory cut loose trio". FourFourTwo. 19 April 2018. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  67. ^ "Mills becomes fourth summer signing". Forest Green Rovers F.C. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  68. ^ "Joseph Mills: Northampton Town sign defender after he rejects Forest Green deal". BBC. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  69. ^ "Report: MK Dons 3–1 Northampton Town". Milton Keynes Dons. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  70. ^ Davies, Steve (30 August 2021). "EFL Trophy predictions". Racing Post. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  71. ^ Heneghan, James (26 January 2022). "Cobblers suffer Zimba and Mills injury blows". Northampton Chronicle. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  72. ^ "Mills is loving life at Latics". Oldham Chronicle. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  73. ^ "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  74. ^ a b "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  75. ^ a b "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  76. ^ "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  77. ^ "Royals knocked out by unbeaten Addicks". Reading F.C. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  78. ^ "Hull City 1–0 Reading". Reading F.C. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  79. ^ "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  80. ^ a b "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  81. ^ "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  82. ^ "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  83. ^ "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  84. ^ "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  85. ^ "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  86. ^ "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  87. ^ "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  88. ^ "Games played by Joseph Mills in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  89. ^ "Brothers to do battle at St Mary's". Daily Echo. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  90. ^ "Joseph Mills vows to cook up a storm at Reading FC". Get Reading. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  91. ^ "Shez pins his faith in Matt". Oldham Chronicle. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  92. ^ a b "J.Mills profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 August 2023.

External links[edit]

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