John Bostock

English footballer

John Bostock
Bostock playing for RC Lens in 2016
Personal information
Full name John Joseph Bostock[1]
Date of birth (1992-01-15) 15 January 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Camberwell, England[2]
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Notts County
Number 16
Youth career
1999–2007 Crystal Palace
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2008 Crystal Palace 4 (0)
2008–2013 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0)
2009–2010 → Brentford (loan) 9 (2)
2010–2011Hull City (loan) 11 (2)
2012Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 4 (0)
2012–2013Swindon Town (loan) 11 (0)
2013 → Toronto FC (loan) 7 (0)
2013–2014 Royal Antwerp 31 (1)
2014–2016 OH Leuven 51 (18)
2016–2018 Lens 42 (5)
2018 Bursaspor 8 (0)
2018–2020 Toulouse 16 (0)
2019–2020Nottingham Forest (loan) 7 (0)
2021–2022 Doncaster Rovers 39 (0)
2022– Notts County 46 (3)
International career
2006–2007 England U16 6 (0)
2007–2009 England U17 25 (0)
2009–2010 England U19 9 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:10, 16 January 2023 (UTC)

John Joseph Bostock (born 15 January 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two club Notts County.[4]

Bostock made his professional debut for Crystal Palace at the age of 15. In 2008, he signed for Tottenham Hotspur for an initial £700,000. He played only four games for Tottenham, none of which were in the Premier League, spending most of his time on loan at various clubs in the English Football League, and later with Toronto FC. In 2013, Bostock was released and moved to Belgium, representing Royal Antwerp and OH Leuven. In summer 2016, he joined French side Lens where he stayed for one and a half seasons.

Born in England, Bostock represented the country up to under-19 level. In 2016, he chose to represent his ancestral Trinidad & Tobago at full international level, although he has yet to appear for them.

Club career

Crystal Palace

Bostock began his career with Crystal Palace at the age of five.[5] At the age of 14 he was offered a contract by Spanish club Barcelona.[5]

Bostock made his league debut on 29 October 2007 at the age of 15 years and 287 days, playing 20 minutes as a substitute for Ben Watson in a 2–0 defeat to Watford at Selhurst Park, making him Palace's youngest ever player.[6] He also became the youngest ever Palace player to start a game,[7] aged 15 years and 295 days, on 6 November 2007 against Cardiff City at Ninian Park.[8]

Tottenham Hotspur

Bostock with Tottenham Hotspur in 2009

On 30 May 2008, Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Bostock on their club website.[9] Crystal Palace later issued a statement denying reports that an agreement had been reached with Tottenham.[10] Tottenham and Crystal Palace entered negotiations over the transfer fee, but agreement could not be reached, leading to the sum being decided at a tribunal. On 9 July, the tribunal declared that Tottenham would pay £700,000 for Bostock, with add-on payments of up to £1.25m dependent on appearances and a further £200,000 should he make his full international debut. A sell-on clause entitled Crystal Palace to 15% of any profit Tottenham makes from any future sale of Bostock's contract.[11][12] Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan said he was so disgusted with Bostock and his stepfather that he intended to revoke and refund their Selhurst Park season tickets for 2008–09, which the pair had already purchased.[13]

Bostock made his first team debut for Spurs in an 8–0 pre-season win over Spanish side Tavernes, providing the cross for Aaron Lennon's opening goal.[14] On 6 November 2008, he made his competitive match debut in the 2008 UEFA Cup game against Dinamo Zagreb, coming on as a substitute, and becoming the youngest player ever to play for Spurs at 16 years, 295 days, just beating the previous record-holder Ally Dick by six days.[15][16] Bostock made a further two appearances in the UEFA Cup that season,[17] however his career with Tottenham stalled after that and had to wait until January 2012 for his next appearance, in an FA Cup match against Cheltenham Town.[18]

Loan spells

On 13 November 2009, Bostock joined League One club Brentford on loan for a month,[19] he was handed the number 17 shirt immediately. Bostock scored twice on his debut against Millwall.[20]

On 6 August 2010, Bostock had joined newly relegated Hull City on a season-long loan.[21] He scored with a 30-yard strike described as a "wonder goal" on his debut against Swansea on 7 August.[22] On 31 December 2010, Tottenham Hotspur announced that Bostock had returned early from his largely unsuccessful loan spell at Hull City.

Bostock joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan on 30 January 2012 for the remainder of the 2011–12 season.[23] He made his debut the following day as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with MK Dons.[24] He was recalled to Spurs in March after playing only four games.[25]

Bostock joined Swindon Town on loan on 22 March 2012 for the remainder of the season, after Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said it would be good for him to play under Paolo Di Canio.[26] He made his debut on 25 March in the 2012 Football League Trophy Final, which Swindon lost 2–0 to Chesterfield.[27] He made his league debut against Gillingham on 21 April.[28] He made his home debut on 28 April, in a 5–0 win against Port Vale in a game that saw Swindon crowned League Two champions.[29] He made his final appearance on the final day of the season in a 0–0 draw against Bradford.[30]

He returned on loan to Swindon on 30 August 2012 until January 2013.[31] He made his first appearance 2 days later against Preston.[32] He made his home debut on 5 September in the Football League Trophy against rivals Oxford United.[33] Bostock returned to Tottenham on 7 January 2013.[34]

In February 2013, it was reported that Bostock was having trials with two different MLS clubs with a view to a loan move.[35][36] He officially joined Toronto FC on 8 March,[37] and made his debut for team the following day in a 2–1 home victory over Sporting Kansas City where he was substituted in the 85th minute.[38] On 24 May, Bostock was given a waiver (release) by Toronto, ending his loan stint with the club.[39] On 7 June, the Premier League confirmed that Bostock was one of a number of Premier League players who were being released by their clubs and were now free agents, advertising their availability to other clubs.[40] The official announcement from Tottenham was made on 10 June, which included Bostock, amongst a number of Spurs players who would not be re-signed and were being released.[41]

Royal Antwerp

On 11 July 2013, Bostock joined Royal Antwerp in the Belgian second division under the tutelage of manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Despite scoring just one goal he flourished at Antwerp providing 16 assists in his first season and soon became a fans favourite helping the team to finish 6th in the league narrowly missing out on the playoffs.

OH Leuven

John Bostock for OHL in 2015

His strong performances earned him a move to newly relegated side Oud-Heverlee Leuven, where he continued to blossom. In his second season in Belgium, Bostock went on to help his new side OHL win promotion via the playoffs. Along the way he scooped the Proximus Player of the Season Award after scoring 13 goals and providing 19 assists.[42]

Lens

On 5 July 2016, Bostock joined Ligue 2 team RC Lens on a two-year deal.[43][44]

On 9 August 2016, Bostock scored his first goal for Lens with a 26th-minute free-kick against AC Ajaccio in the first round of the Coupe de la Ligue.[45] He scored his first league goal for the club in a 2–0 win over Nîmes on 15 August 2016.[46] He scored an eighth-minute penalty in a 1–1 draw with Troyes on 26 August 2016[47] before scoring twice in a 4–2 win over Orléans on 20 September 2016.[48] He scored his fifth league goal of the season with a penalty against Red Star on 30 September 2016. Bostock was named Ligue 2 player of the month in September and then again in October 2016. He was awarded Ligue 2 player of the year after his first season in French football on 15 May 2017.[49]

Bursaspor

In January 2018, Bostock signed with Süper Lig side Bursaspor, having agreed a 2+12-year contract with the club.[50]

Toulouse

In July 2018, Bostock returned to France signing a three-year contract with Toulouse FC, managed by his former Lens boss Alain Casanova.[51]

On 8 August 2019, Bostock returned to England with a season-long loan to Championship side Nottingham Forest.[52]

He left Toulouse by mutual consent in October 2020.[53]

Doncaster Rovers

Bostock joined League One club Doncaster Rovers on an 18-month contract in January 2021.[54] On 1 June 2022, following Doncaster Rovers's relegation from League One, it was announced that he had turned down a new contract and would be leaving the club.[55] He made 39 league appearances for the club.[55]

Notts County

On 7 December 2022, Bostock signed for National League club Notts County on an eighteen-month contract.[56] In the 2023 National League play-off final, Bostock scored an 87th minute equaliser against Chesterfield to send the match to extra time.[57] In the penalty shootout, Bostock attempted a Panenka penalty but hit the bar.[58] However, Notts County would prevail 4–3 to earn promotion.[57]

International career

Bostock captained England at Under-17 level.[7]

He was eligible to represent England, Trinidad & Tobago and Scotland. In March 2013, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation announced that he had shown interest in representing the Soca Warriors at international level.[59] Three years later, on 18 March 2016, he was selected for the double confrontation with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification CONCACAF fourth round.[60]

Personal life

Bostock is a devout Christian.[5] His family support Crystal Palace.[5] As of November 2020 he had been married for ten years and had a young son.[5]

Career statistics

As of match played 13 January 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Crystal Palace 2007–08[61] Championship 4 0 1 0 5 0
Tottenham Hotspur 2008–09[17] Premier League 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0
2010–11[62] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2011–12[63] Premier League 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 4 0
Brentford (loan) 2009–10[64] League One 9 2 1 0 10 2
Hull City (loan) 2010–11[62] Championship 11 2 11 2
Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 2011–12[63] League One 4 0 4 0
Swindon Town (loan) 2011–12[63] League Two 3 0 1[a] 0 4 0
Swindon Town (loan) 2012–13[65] League One 8 0 1[a] 0 9 0
Toronto FC (loan) 2013[66] MLS 7 0 0 0 2[b] 0 9 0
Royal Antwerp 2013–14[67] Belgian Second Division 29 1 29 1
2014–15[67] Belgian Second Division 2 0 2 0
Total 31 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 1
OH Leuven 2014–15[67] Belgian Second Division 26 11 5[c] 2 31 13
2015–16[67] Belgian Pro League 25 7 2 0 27 7
Total 51 18 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 58 20
Lens 2016–17[66] Ligue 2 31 5 1 1 32 6
2017–18[66] Ligue 2 11 0 1 0 2 0 14 0
Total 42 5 1 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 46 6
Bursaspor 2017–18[68] Süper Lig 8 0 0 0 8 0
Toulouse 2018–19[66] Ligue 1 16 0 1 0 1 0 18 0
Nottingham Forest (loan) 2019–20[69] Championship 7 0 0 0 2 0 9 0
Doncaster Rovers 2020–21[70] League One 18 0 0 0 18 0
2021–22[71] League One 21 0 1 0 1 0 2[d] 0 25 0
Total 39 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 43 6
Notts County 2022–23[72] National League 23 1 2[e] 1 25 2
2023–24[73] League Two 23 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 2[d] 0 27 2
Total 46 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 4 1 52 4
Career total 286 31 9 0 8 1 3 0 15 3 321 35
  1. ^ a b Appearance in Football League Trophy
  2. ^ Appearances in Canadian Championship
  3. ^ Appearances in Belgian Second Division play-offs
  4. ^ a b Appearances in EFL Trophy
  5. ^ Appearances (one goal) in National League play offs

Honours

Swindon Town

Notts County

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Nottingham Forest" (PDF). English Football League. p. 49. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  2. ^ Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline. p. 542. ISBN 978-0-7553-6356-8.
  3. ^ "Beattie joins Preston on loan". Crystal Palace F.C. 5 March 2008. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  4. ^ "New signing: Bostock".
  5. ^ a b c d e McGregor, Nesta (11 November 2020). "John Bostock: From 'wonderkid' with a Barcelona contract offer to 13 clubs in 13 years". BBC Sport.
  6. ^ "Crystal Palace 0–2 Watford". BBC Sport. 29 October 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  7. ^ a b Collins, Sam (16 May 2008). "Spurs braced for Bostock compensation battle". London: Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  8. ^ "Cardiff 1–1 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. 6 November 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  9. ^ "Bostock joins Club". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  10. ^ "No Bostock Agreement". Crystal Palace F.C. 5 June 2008. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  11. ^ "League Clarifies Bostock Details". The Football League. 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  12. ^ "Jordan Fury over Bostock fee". Sky Sports. 9 July 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  13. ^ Hytner, David (31 May 2008). "Jordan accuses Bostock of 'lies' over transfer to Tottenham". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  14. ^ "Gr-eight for Gio". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  15. ^ "Four-midable!". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 6 November 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  16. ^ "Record breaker". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 7 November 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Games played by John Bostock in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  18. ^ "Tottenham v Cheltenham". BBC Sport. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  19. ^ "Bostock joins Brentford on loan". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  20. ^ "Brentford 2–2 Millwall". bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  21. ^ "Bostock extends deal/Hull loan". Tottenham Hotspur FC. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  22. ^ Dulin, David (7 August 2010). "Hull City 2–0 Swansea City". bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
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  24. ^ "MK Dons 1–1 Sheffield Wednesday". BBC Sport. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
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  26. ^ "McEveley and Bostock join Swindon". BBC Sport.
  27. ^ "Chesterfield 2–0 Swindon" BBC Sport. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  28. ^ "Gillingham 3–1 Swindon" BBC Sport. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  29. ^ "Swindon 5–0 Port Vale" BBC Sport. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  30. ^ "Bradford 0–0 Swindon" BBC Sport. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  31. ^ "Town bring in Bostock" Swindon Advetiser. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  32. ^ "Preston 4–1 Swindon" BBC Sport. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  33. ^ "Oxford Utd 1–0 Swindon" BBC Sport. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  34. ^ "Bostock back at Spurs". Swindon Advertiser.
  35. ^ Frank Stranzl (12 February 2013). "Spurs midfielder John Bostock in camp with Earthquakes". sjearthquakes.com. Saint Josh Earthquakes. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  36. ^ Dave Rowaan (26 February 2013). "Toronto FC Targets: Ephraim, Bostock, Earnshaw, and more". wakingthered.com. SB Nation – Waking The Red. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
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  38. ^ Bottjer, Steve (9 March 2013). "Reds Beat SKC at Rogers Centre". Toronto FC. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
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  44. ^ Unwin, Will (18 July 2016). "Ex-Spurs midfielder John Bostock: I won't be defined by my teenage stardom". ITV. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  45. ^ "Lens 3-0 AC Ajaccio : Début parfait en Coupe !". www.rclens.fr. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  46. ^ "Racing Club de Lens : Match". www.rclens.fr. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  47. ^ "Racing Club de Lens : Match". www.rclens.fr. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  48. ^ "Racing Club de Lens : Match". www.rclens.fr. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  49. ^ "Foot - Ligue 2 - UNFP - "Un honneur" pour John Bostock (Lens), élu meilleur joueur de Ligue 2" (in French). Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  50. ^ "Forest bring in Bostock on loan". www.nottinghamforest.co.uk.
  51. ^ "Toulouse recrute John Bostock (Bursaspor)". L'Équipe (in French). 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  52. ^ "Nottingham Forest sign Levante's Chema & John Bostock from Toulouse". BBC Sport. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  53. ^ Wilson, Amie (9 October 2020). "Former Nottingham Forest midfielder looking for new club after being released". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  54. ^ Hoden, Liam (25 January 2021). "BREAKING: Doncaster Rovers sign midfielder John Bostock". Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  55. ^ a b "John Bostock: Doncaster Rovers midfielder to leave club after turning down new deal". BBC Sport. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  56. ^ "New signing: Bostock". Notts County FC. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  57. ^ a b c Andrew Aloia (13 May 2023). "Notts clinch promotion to EFL with shootout win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  58. ^ Andrew Aloia (13 May 2023). "Notts County boss Luke Williams 'can't comprehend' National League promotion final win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  59. ^ "International Career". John Bostock. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  60. ^ "OHL.be – Oud-Heverlee Leuven". www.ohl.be. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  61. ^ "Games played by John Bostock in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  62. ^ a b "Games played by John Bostock in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  63. ^ a b c "Games played by John Bostock in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  64. ^ "Games played by John Bostock in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  65. ^ "Games played by John Bostock in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  66. ^ a b c d John Bostock at Soccerway. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  67. ^ a b c d "John Bostock » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  68. ^ "Games played by John Bostock in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  69. ^ "Games played by John Bostock in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  70. ^ "Games played by John Bostock in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  71. ^ "Games played by John Bostock in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  72. ^ "Games played by John Bostock in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  73. ^ "Games played by John Bostock in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  74. ^ "Starting Lineups - Chesterfield vs Swindon". Sky Sports. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  75. ^ [1] Archived 23 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine

External links

  • John Bostock at Soccerbase Edit this at Wikidata
  • Tottenham Hotspur player profile
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