Chigozie Eze Ugwu (born 22 April 1993) is an English
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
.
He made his debut in the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
in 2012, and his debut in the
Scottish Professional Football League
The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is the national men's association football league in Scotland. The league was formed in June 2013 following a merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. As ...
in 2014.
Club career
Reading
Ugwu was born in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, Oxfordshire.
He began his career with
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and progressed through the club's academy to sign a first professional contract in June 2011.
He joined
Conference National
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...
side
Ebbsfleet United
Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the club competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football.
The club was formed in 1946 from ...
on a one-month loan in January 2012, and made his debut in a 1–0
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
defeat at
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
. Ugwu his first goal for the club in a 3–2 win at
Bath City
Bath City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset FA and currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club have ...
, and two more in his next three appearances, against
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Irish ...
and
Gateshead
Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...
, before the loan was extended by a further month.
He returned to Reading at the start of April to try and earn a new contract after scoring four goals in ten league and cup appearances for Ebbsfleet.
He signed a new two-year contract with Reading in July 2012 and joined
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
on loan for six months. Ugwu made his debut in a 3–0
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
win against
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
in August, and scored his first two goals for Yeovil in a 4–0 win at
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
eleven days later. He scored one more goal, against
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
, and returned to Reading at the start of January 2013 after making five starts and 13 substitute appearances for Yeovil. Soon after his return, Ugwu was included in a Reading match-day squad for the first time ahead of an
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
tie with
Crawley Town
Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team co ...
. He was named among the substitutes but did not make an appearance in a 3–1 win for Reading.
Later in January, Ugwu joined
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
club
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
on a one-month youth loan.
In his second week with the club, he injured his ankle and was unavailable for two matches. He resumed training in February and made his debut for Argyle two days later in a 2–1 win at
Aldershot Town
Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area i ...
as a second-half substitute. Despite his injury hit start, manager
John Sheridan was keen to extend Ugwu's stay and on 19 February his loan was extended for a further month. Having started only two games, and with Reading keen for Ugwu to get playing time, he was recalled from loan on 11 March.
On 14 November 2013, Ugwu signed on loan for
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
until January and made his debut two days later in a 3–1 defeat to
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
. He returned to Reading having scored once in seven appearances after Shrewsbury manager
Graham Turner
Graham John Turner (born 5 October 1947) is an English former footballer who became a manager. His son Mark was also a professional footballer. He is third behind only Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger in terms of most games managed.
After a ...
decided against renewing his loan.
On his decision not to extend Ugwu's stay, Turner commented that despite a positive start, he felt criticism from the fans had impacted on his performances.
In May 2014 he left Reading following the expiry of his contract, going on to have trials with
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...
and
Dagenham & Redbridge
Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...
.
Dunfermline Athletic
On 2 August 2014, Ugwu joined
Scottish League One
The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was e ...
side
Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...
. He made his debut days later, coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute of the
Scottish Challenge Cup
The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,[Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leag ...](_blank)
. On 23 August 2014, Ugwu scored twice in 3–0 home victory over
Airdrieonians
Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United ...
, netting in the 24th and 80th minute. On 22 November 2014, Ugwu scored his first career hat-trick in a 4–0 home victory against
Stirling Albion
Stirling Albion Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Stirling. The club was founded in 1945 following the demise of King's Park after World War II. The club currently competes in Scottish League Two as a member of the ...
, netting all three goals in the space of 60 minutes.
Yeovil Town
Following his release from Dunfermline, Ugwu rejoined
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
on 15 January 2015 until the end of the season. Despite finishing the season as Yeovil's joint top goalscorer with five, Ugwu was released by Yeovil at the end of the 2014–15 season following their relegation to League Two.
Wycombe Wanderers
On 9 September 2015, Ugwu signed a permanent deal with
Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
to the end of the 2015–16 season. Three days later, Ugwu was given his debut by manager
Gareth Ainsworth
Gareth Ainsworth (born 10 May 1973) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Queens Park Rangers.
A former youth player at Blackburn Rovers, the midfielder, who was known for his crossing ability ...
in Wycombe's 2–1 home defeat against
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
, playing the full 90 minutes. A week later, Ugwu went onto score his first goal for Wycombe Wanderers in their 1–1 draw with
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...
, opening the scoring just before half time. On 30 January 2016, Ugwu scored the winner in Wycombe's reverse fixture against Plymouth Argyle, netting the only goal of the game in the 3rd minute.
On 9 May 2016, it was announced that Ugwu would leave the club upon the expiry of his contract on 30 June 2016, along with team-mates;
Max Kretzschmar,
Alex Lynch
Alexander Patrick Lynch (born 4 April 1995) is a Welsh football coach and former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently player/goalkeeping coach at Holyhead Hotspur.
Club career
Peterborough United
Lynch joined Peterborough U ...
and
Ryan Sellers.
Woking
On 15 July 2016, Ugwu joined
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
side
Woking
Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
on a one-year deal. On 6 August 2016, Ugwu made his Woking debut in a 3–1 home defeat against
Lincoln City, playing the full 90 minutes.
On 27 August 2016, Ugwu scored his first Woking goal in a 4–1 defeat against
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
, netting the opener in the 8th minute. Two days later, Ugwu went on to score Woking's third against
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
, in the Cards first victory of the 2016–17 campaign. On 18 October 2016, in an
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
fourth qualifying round replay against
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
, Ugwu scored a brace to send Woking through to the first round. In following round of the FA Cup, Ugwu once again scored a brace to assist Woking to a 4–2 victory over
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...
. On 26 November 2016, Ugwu scored his first Woking hat-trick in a 3–0 home victory against
Gateshead
Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...
, sealing his 12th goal of the season. On 1 April 2017, Ugwu came off the bench to score the winner in Woking's 2–1 victory over
Sutton United
Sutton United Football Club is a professional football club in Sutton, South London, England, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They play home games at Gander Green Lane in Sutton about 11 miles sout ...
, after being dropped for new signing
Jamie Lucas
Jamie Lucas (born 6 December 1995) is a Welsh footballer who plays for Droitwich Spa as a striker.
Born near Pontypridd, South Wales, Lucas spent one season playing for Bristol Rovers Central in the Midland Junior Premier League, before joinin ...
. On 17 April 2017, Ugwu scored his 20th goal of the campaign, in Woking's 3–2 away victory against
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
, converting a penalty in the 91st minute.
Chesterfield
On 25 May 2017, Ugwu joined
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
side
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
on a two-year deal. On 5 August 2017, Ugwu made his Chesterfield debut during their 3–1 home defeat against
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...
, featuring for the entire 90 minutes. Following sustaining a long-term thigh injury in late 2017, Ugwu returned to action during Chesterfield's penultimate fixture of the season, replacing
Jerome Binnom-Williams
Jerome Craig Binnom-Williams (born 7 March 1995) is an English footballer who plays as a defender for club Dulwich Hamlet.
Career
Binnom-Williams began his career with Crystal Palace and made his professional debut on 27 August 2013 in a 2†...
with nineteen minutes to play in the 2–1 defeat.
Ebbsfleet United
Having finished the 2018–19 season on loan at
Ebbsfleet United
Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the club competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football.
The club was formed in 1946 from ...
, Ugwu joined the club on a permanent basis on 24 June 2019.
Raith Rovers
Ugwu returned to Scotland on 20 August 2020, joining
Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland
Scotland (, ...
club
Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leag ...
.
Morton
Ugwu then moved to another Scottish club,
Greenock Morton
Greenock Morton Football Club is a Scottish professional football club, which plays in the Scottish Championship. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs. Morton was renamed Greeno ...
, in June 2021.
Jeddah
In August 2022, Ugwu moved to
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
to join second-tier
Jeddah Club
Jeddah Club is a Saudi Arabian football team based in Jeddah that competes in the Prince Mohammad bin Salman League.
Current squad
''As of 20 September 2021:''
References
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidd ...
.
Career statistics
Honours
Club
;Reading
*
U21 Premier League Cup
The Premier League Cup is an English football competition run by the Premier League for under–21 sides.
History
The competition was created in 2013 as the U21 Premier League Cup, an U21 equivalent of the FA Youth Cup (an U18 competition com ...
:
2013–14
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ugwu, Gozie
1993 births
Living people
Footballers from Oxford
English sportspeople of Nigerian descent
English men's footballers
English expatriate men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Black British sportsmen
Reading F.C. players
Ebbsfleet United F.C. players
Yeovil Town F.C. players
Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
Shrewsbury Town F.C. players
Dunfermline Athletic F.C. players
Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players
Woking F.C. players
Chesterfield F.C. players
Boreham Wood F.C. players
Raith Rovers F.C. players
Greenock Morton F.C. players
Jeddah Club players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Scottish Professional Football League players
Saudi First Division League players
English expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia
Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia