Jack Elliott Bonham (born 14 September 1993) is a professional

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

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for club

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...

. A product of the

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

academy, Bonham spent time on loan at Harrow Borough, before transferring to

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

in June 2013. After failing to break into the team, he spent much of his later career with the club away on loan, before transferring to Gillingham in 2019. Following two seasons as the Gills' first-choice goalkeeper, he transferred to Stoke City in 2021. Although born in England, Bonham represented the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

at U17 level.

Club career

Watford

Bonham signed a scholarship deal with

in June 2010, but quickly signed his first professional contract three months later, having just turned 17. Due to first team goalkeeper

Scott Loach Scott James Loach (born 27 May 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Derby County. Loach previously played for Ipswich Town, Watford and Hartlepool United. He has also spent loan spells with non-League Staff ...

incurring a

suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspend ...

, Bonham won his maiden call up to the first team squad on 26 November 2011, when he was an unused substitute during a 0–0

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

draw with

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 ...

. Bonham was an unused substitute on 12 occasions during the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season. On 17 February 2012, Bonham joined

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...

Premier Division club Harrow Borough on a one-month emergency

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...

. He made the first senior appearance of his career the following day, conceding two goals in a 2–2 draw with

Bury Town Bury Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club, based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The club are currently members of the and play at Ram Meadow. History Early history The club was established by William Lake at a meetin ...

. On 14 March, the loan was extended by a further month. He returned to Watford in April after he broke a bone in his hand during a 4–3 defeat to

Canvey Island Canvey Island is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office ...

. He made 9 appearances for the club and failed to keep a

clean sheet In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

. Bonham made his only appearance for Watford on 4 May 2013, when he came on as a substitute for injured goalkeeper

Jonathan Bond Jonathan Henry Bond (born 19 May 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. Bond has played internationally for Wales at under-17 and under-19 levels; he has also been called up to the under-21 and senior teams and the ...

after 24 minutes of the final game of the season against

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

. He was only included in the squad due to an injury sustained in the warm up by first-choice goalkeeper

Manuel Almunia Manuel Almunia Rivero (born 19 May 1977) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He competed mainly in the Spanish lower leagues in his early years, only appearing in 26 La Liga games over the course of two seasons with Rec ...

and was at fault for both Leeds' goals in the 2–1 defeat, which cost Watford the chance of automatic promotion to the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

. After the match, Watford manager

Gianfranco Zola Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played predominantly as a forward. He was most recently the assistant manager of Chelsea. He spent the first decade of his playing career playing in ...

refused to blame Bonham for his actions. Bonham was not called into the squad for Watford's unsuccessful playoff campaign. On 7 June 2013, Watford announced that Bonham's contract would not be renewed and he was released by the club.

Brentford

2013–2015

On 12 June 2013, Bonham signed a two-year contract with

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 ...

club

on a free transfer. He made his debut for the club in a

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 ...

first round tie at home to

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 ...

on 6 August, in which Brentford ran out 3–2

extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...

winners. His second appearance came in the following round away to

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

, in which he endured a torrid evening as the home side cruised to a 3–0 lead before half time, eventually winning 5–0. Bonham made his league debut on 7 September, coming off the bench against

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

after starting keeper

David Button David Robert Edmund Button (born 27 February 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club West Bromwich Albion. A product of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, Button came to prominence at Brentford in 2013. He ea ...

was

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

. Described as a 'nightmare afternoon' in press reports, he conceded four goals as Brentford lost 4–0. Bonham spent much of the remainder of the 2013–14 season away on loan at Southern League Premier Division club

Arlesey Town Arlesey Town Football Club is a football club based in Arlesey, Bedfordshire, England. Affiliated to the Bedfordshire County Football Association, they are currently members of the and play at Hitchin Road. History The club was established ...

. Joining on 15 November 2013, he made his debut the following day in a 2–0

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 ...

third qualifying round victory over Marlow. He endured another nightmare afternoon in the following round, conceding five goals in a 5–1 defeat to

Whitehawk Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton, England, south of Bevendean and north of Brighton Marina. The area is a large, modern housing estate built in a downland dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was originally ...

on 30 November. After four successive defeats and conceding 12 goals, Bonham helped Arlesey to three league wins in a row in December and at the end of the month, his loan was extended until the end of the 2013–14 season. Bonham was recalled on 8 February 2014, after making 19 appearances. Following Brentford's promotion to the Championship, a persistent shoulder injury suffered by Richard Lee saw Bonham serve as backup to David Button through the 2014–15 season. He signed a new year contract on 2 January 2015 and celebrated his signing the following day with his only appearance of the season with a start in an FA Cup third round match versus

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...

. He conceded two late goals as Brentford were knocked out after suffering a 2–0 defeat, though winning the club's

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

award proved to be a consolation.

2015–2019

Bonham had a nightmare start to the 2015–16 season, conceding four goals on his sole appearance against

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 ...

in the League Cup first round on 11 August 2015. He again served as David Button's backup throughout the campaign. Despite the departure of Button on 19 July 2016, Bonham entered the 2016–17 season as second-choice behind new signing Dan Bentley. He made his first appearance of the season in a 1–0 EFL Cup first round defeat to

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

on 9 August 2016. Having failed to make an appearance in nearly five months, Bonham revealed in late December 2016 that it was "frustrating" to be denied the chance to move away on loan. He made his second and final appearance of the season with his first Brentford start in a 1–1 draw versus

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

on 17 April 2017 and won the club's man of the match award for his performance. Bonham signed a one-year contract extension in June 2017, which would keep him at

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

until the end of the 2018–19 season. He spent the entire 2017–18 season away on loan at

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

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

. Bonham's performances in January 2018 saw him nominated for the PFA League Two Fans' Player of the Month award and he finished the season with 49 appearances. On 27 August 2018, Bonham joined League One club

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...

on loan until the end of the 2018–19 season. He had an impressive start to his time with the club and was reported on 15 October 2018 to have "the best save percentage of any first-choice goalkeeper in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

so far this season, with 91.5%". Bonham finished the season with 46 appearances. Bonham departed Brentford when his contract expired at the end of the 2018–19 season, after making just seven appearances during six seasons at Griffin Park.

Gillingham

On 4 June 2019, Bonham signed a two-year contract with League One club Gillingham on a free transfer, effective 1 July 2019. He made 89 appearances during two mid-table seasons with the club and departed Priestfield after rejecting a new contract at the end of the

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

season.

Stoke City

On 28 June 2021, Bonham signed a two-year contract with Championship club

. He failed to win a call into a matchday squad until 20 November 2021, when he was promoted to the substitutes' bench due to first-choice goalkeeper Josef Bursik suffering a torn thigh muscle. Bonham backed up second-choice goalkeeper Adam Davies until January 2022, when he assumed the starting role. After Davies' transfer away from the club in January 2022 and Bursik's return from injury one month later, Bonham largely held the starting spot through to the end of the 2021–22 season and finished the campaign with 17 appearances. Bonham improved his tally to 28 appearances during the

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

season and the one-year option to extend his contract was exercised at the end of the campaign. Bonham signed another one-year contract extension in November 2023.

International career

Bonham won five caps for the Republic of Ireland U17 team in 2009 and 2010. In October 2018, it was reported that the full

team were considering calling up Bonham, due to his club form at Bristol Rovers.

Career statistics

References

External links

*
Jack Bonham
at soccerscene.ie
Jack Bonham
at fai.ie
Jack Bonham
at stokecityfc.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonham, Jack 1993 births Living people Footballers from Hertfordshire Sportspeople from Stevenage Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers English men's footballers English people of Irish descent Men's association football goalkeepers Watford F.C. players Harrow Borough F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Arlesey Town F.C. players English Football League players Isthmian League players Southern Football League players Carlisle United F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Gillingham F.C. players Stoke City F.C. players