Jake Kenny Reeves (born 30 May 1993) is an English 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 ...
who plays as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for club
Stevenage.
He began his career in the
youth system
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...
at
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
, before beginning his senior career with
Brentford in 2011. He joined
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
in August 2014, leaving at the end of the year, returning to
AFC Wimbledon in January 2015.
Career
Brentford
Born in
Lewisham
Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
,
Reeves moved from
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
to
Brentford in 2009 and was given a two-year scholarship. He captained the
youth team
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future i ...
during the
2010–11
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. ...
season and was given his first team debut by
Nicky Forster
Nicholas Michael Forster (born 8 September 1973) is a former professional footballer who was most recently the manager of Staines Town. Forster has also been player-manager at Brentford and manager of Dover Athletic.
Football career
Early y ...
in the last game of the season,
when he replaced
Myles Weston
Myles Arthur Eugene Wesley Weston (born 12 March 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Dagenham & Redbridge. Born in England, he represents the Antigua and Barbuda national team.
Club career Charlton Athletic
Westo ...
after 82 minutes of a 4–4 draw with
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
. At the end of the season he signed a two-year professional contract to be part of the
Development Squad. Described by new boss
Uwe Rösler
Uwe Rösler (; born 15 November 1968) is a German football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player he was a centre forward, notably playing in the Premier League for Manchester City, where he was the leading goalscorer for thr ...
as a "big option", Reeves made his first start for the club on the opening day of the
2011–12 season in a 2–0 home win over
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 ...
. He was due to move on loan to
Hayes & Yeading United in November 2011, but the move was delayed on 17 November due to ill health, before the deal was cancelled entirely a week later. He made only two further substitute appearances for Brentford during the 2011–12 season, making 11 appearances in total,
but by January 2012, Director of Youth Football Development Ose Aibangee had stated that Reeves "is considered a member of the first team squad".
Reeves started Brentford's first game of 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 against
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield.
Walsall is th ...
in the
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, but he lasted only 25 minutes before being
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 ...
for a challenge on
Adam Chambers. He failed to feature for Brentford again until making a starting appearance in a 2–1
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
defeat to
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
in December. 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 ...
match versus
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
on 17 February 2013, Reeves was left concussed following a collision with opposition defender
David Luiz
David Luiz Moreira Marinho (born 22 April 1987) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Flamengo. Primarily a centre back, he can also be deployed as a defensive midfielder.
After starting out at Vitoria, David Luiz moved to B ...
. Reeves signed a new two-year deal in April 2013,
after making 15 appearances during the 2012–13 season.
Reeves was made available for loan in October 2013, after managing just one league start during the first four months of the
2013–14 season. He instead saw regular action in the Development Squad during the first half of the season, making seven appearances. Reeves scored the first senior goal of his career in an FA Cup first round tie against local neighbours
Staines Town
Staines Town Football Club was a semi-professional Association football, football club based in Staines-upon-Thames, Middlesex.
History
Early days
Staines Town FC was founded in 1892 and was known under various names including ''Staines F.C ...
on 9 November, bagging the second in a 5–0 victory. Despite regular substitute appearances and a start under new manager
Mark Warburton
Mark Warburton (born 6 September 1962) is an English professional football manager and former player who is a first-team coach at West Ham United.
As a player, Warburton was a right back at non-League level with Enfield and Boreham Wood. He beg ...
, Reeves was again made available for loan in February 2014. The departure of
central midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
Toumani Diagouraga
Toumani Diagouraga (born 10 June 1987) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He played his entire career in the English Football League and made 529 League appearances between 2005 and 2023. Following hi ...
on loan and injury to
Adam Forshaw saw Reeves win his second start under Warburton in a 2–0 win over
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
on 11 March. Reeves made sporadic appearances through to the end of the season and celebrated the Bees' automatic promotion to the
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 ...
after a 1–0 win over
Preston North End on 18 April. In the 2013–14 season, Reeves made 25 appearances and scored his first goal for the club.
After failing to be named in any Brentford league squad in the opening month of the
2014–15 Championship season,
Reeves was made available for loan on 18 August 2014. He chose to terminate his contract by mutual consent on 29 August and departed
Griffin Park.
Manager Mark Warburton said Reeves "needs to play week-in, week-out. With the level of player we have here, that opportunity is not available at Brentford now".
Reeves made 47 appearances and scored one goal during his time with the Bees.
St Albans City (loan)
Reeves joined
Conference South side
St Albans City on a work experience loan in February 2011, linking up with fellow Brentford youth teammate
Kyle Vassell. He made two league appearances.
AFC Wimbledon (loan)
Reeves moved on loan to
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
AFC Wimbledon on 5 November 2012. He made his debut the following day in a 2–0 defeat at
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 ...
. He was recalled by Brentford on 4 December 2012 due to an injury crisis. He made five appearances and scored no goals.
Swindon Town
Reeves signed for League One side
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
on 29 August 2014, on a short-term deal running until January 2015.
After his arrival, he said "I've got a lot of energy to give to the team and you'll hopefully see some good passing ranges too. I also hope to score a few goals". Reeves made his debut for the Robins with a late substitute appearance for goalscorer
Jonathan Obika
Jonathan Chiedozie Obika (born 12 September 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for League One club Morecambe.
Club career Tottenham
Obika is a product of the Tottenham Hotspur youth system and was the top scor ...
in a 2–1 victory over
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.
...
on 13 September. He scored his first goal for the club on his fifth appearance, scoring the second goal in a 3–0 win over
Barnsley on 27 September. Reeves left the club in late December 2014, after his deal expired. He made 12 appearances and scored one goal, managing just three starts.
AFC Wimbledon
In December 2014, it was reported that Reeves' former club AFC Wimbledon had shown interest in signing him.
In January 2015 Reeves rejoined the club on a permanent deal.
Bradford City
In June 2017 he was linked with a transfer to Bradford City. He signed a three-year contract with the club in July 2017, after moving for an undisclosed sum thought to be around £150,000. In September 2017 he spoke positively of the pressure expected of him, and in October 2017 of the team's strong start to the season. In January 2018 he suffered a recurrence of a groin injury he first had in November 2017, potentially ruling him out until the end of the season. In August 2018 he was stated to be close to returning to fitness. In November 2018 he was still injured and hadn't appeared played for the club since January 2018. In February 2019, after 13 months of injury, club manager
David Hopkin
David Isaac Hopkin (born 21 August 1970) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player who was most recently the manager of Ayr United.
As a player he was a midfielder from 1989 until 2003, notably in the English Premier League ...
said he was still unsure when Reeves would return to play. In April 2019 new City manager
Gary Bowyer
Gary David Bowyer (born 22 June 1971) is an English professional football coach and former player who is the manager of Scottish club Dundee.
As a player, he made 52 league appearances for Hereford United, Nottingham Forest and Rotherham Uni ...
(the fourth since Reeves was injured 15 months before) said he wanted Reeves to play as he would suit his management style. In May 2019 it was announced that Reeves would continue his rehabilitation throughout the summer break, ahead of the 2019–20 season. In June 2019, Bowyer said that he had noticed a more positive attitude from Reeves, and in August 2019 Bowyer said that Reeves' input on footballing matters was beneficial. In September 2019, after 20 months of injury, Bowyer said there was no pressure on Reeves as he continued his rehabilitation. In November 2019, Bowyer said that Reeves was getting fitter and had joined in with team training for the first time since his injury. Later that month he was an unused substitute in the 1–1 FA Cup draw away at
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 ...
, before returning to the first-team as captain in the EFL Trophy game at home to
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
three days later. Reeves later thanked Bowyer for his support throughout his injury, whilst Bowyer also praised Reeves, describing him as being like a "new signing", and setting the standard for other players. In January 2020 he was critical of the club's away form. In February 2020 he said he felt under pressure to perform for new City manager
Stuart McCall, whom he had played under previously.
On 26 May 2020 it was announced that he was one of 10 players who would leave Bradford City when their contract expired on 30 June 2020.
Notts County
He signed for
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 ...
club
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
on 18 August 2020.
Stevenage
Reeves agreed terms with League Two club
Stevenage on 21 June 2021, officially joining the club upon the expiry of his Notts County contract. Reeves scored his first Stevenage goal on the opening day of the season against Barrow.
Personal life
Reeves is a
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
supporter.
Career statistics
Honours
AFC Wimbledon
*
Football League Two play-offs
The EFL League Two play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from fourth to seventh in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are part of the annual Eng ...
:
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeves, Jake
1993 births
Living people
English footballers
Association football midfielders
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Brentford F.C. players
AFC Wimbledon players
St Albans City F.C. players
Swindon Town F.C. players
Bradford City A.F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Notts County F.C. players
Stevenage F.C. players