Luke James Joyce (born 9 July 1987) 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 le ...

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

Radcliffe Radcliffe or Radcliff may refer to: Places * Radcliffe Line, a border between India and Pakistan United Kingdom * Radcliffe, Greater Manchester ** Radcliffe Tower, the remains of a medieval manor house in the town ** Radcliffe tram stop * ...

. Joyce came through 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 if t ...

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

to make his first-team debut in January 2006. He was allowed to sign for

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 ...

six months later, from where he was

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 ...

ed out to

Conference Premier 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-profess ...

clubs Barrow and

Northwich Victoria {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

during the 2008–09 season. He signed with

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete history ...

in June 2009 and spent the next six years with the club, including over three seasons as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, making a total of 276 league and cup appearances. He returned to Carlisle United in May 2015 and spent three years with the club, for an overall period of six years and 161 appearances in all competitions over his two spells. He moved on 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 ...

in May 2018, where he would remain a key fixture in the starting eleven for his three seasons at the club. He dropped into

non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

after signing for AFC Fylde in June 2021. He moved on to Radcliffe 12 months later and helped the club to win the 2023

Manchester Premier Cup The Manchester Premier Cup (also known as the Frank Hannah Manchester Premier Cup) is an annual English football knockout tournament involving teams from Greater Manchester, England. It is a County Cup competition of the Manchester Football ...

Career

Wigan Athletic

Joyce was born in

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

, and was at the

Academy An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

from the age of eight until he was released at age ten or eleven. He went on to play Sunday League football and

ed the Wigan schools' team. He joined the

in June 2003. He made one appearance for the first-team, coming on as a substitute for

Josip Skoko Josip Skoko (born 10 December 1975) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder for North Geelong Warriors, Hajduk Split, Genk, Gençlerbirliği, Wigan Athletic, Stoke City and Melbourne Heart. Skoko has ...

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 ...

of a 3–3 draw at

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 ...

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 ...

Third Round replay on 17 January 2006.

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Paul Jewell Paul Jewell (born 28 September 1964) is an English football manager and former player, who was most recently director of football at Swindon Town. Jewell began his playing career with Liverpool, continued at Wigan Athletic and concluded in a t ...

said that "he didn't let anybody down" in the game and praised his attitude in training, as did "Latics" youth team

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

David Lee. However Joyce did not make an appearance for the club in 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 ...

and was allowed to leave the

JJB Stadium The DW Stadium is a stadium in Robin Park, in Wigan, within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The ground is owned and managed by Wigan Football Company Limited, which is 85% owned by Wigan Athletic and 15% owned ...

at the end of the 2005–06 season.

Carlisle United

After a short trial, Joyce joined

, initially with the club taking over his Wigan scholarship, signing on a permanent basis in July 2006. He made his debut in

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 ...

as an 85th-minute substitute for

Simon Hackney Simon John Hackney (born 5 February 1984) is an former English footballer who recently played for Northwich Victoria. Club career Carlisle United Hackney joined Nantwich Town in November 2001, leaving for Woodley Sports in the summer of 2003. ...

in a 2–0 win over

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...

Brunton Park Brunton Park is a football stadium and the home of Carlisle United. It is situated in the city of Carlisle and has a certified capacity of 17,949. The ground opened in 1909. Brunton Park's grandstand burned down in 1953 and the stadium floode ...

on 3 September. He scored his first senior goal for the "Cumbrians" in a 5–0 victory over Gillingham on 24 March. He 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 ...

for the first time in his career in a 2–0 defeat at

on 7 April. He made a total of 16 appearances across the 2006–07 season, helping Neil McDonald's "Blues" to an eighth-place finish. He featured just three times under new manager John Ward during the 2007–08 campaign, though managed to score his second career goal in a 3–2 win over Port Vale on 5 January. On 27 November 2008, he joined

club Barrow on a one-month

; "Bluebirds" manager

David Bayliss David Anthony Bayliss (born 8 June 1976) is an English football scout. He previously played in defence, and was manager at Barrow. Career Born in Liverpool, Merseyside, Bayliss joined Rochdale and progressed through the ranks, making his Footba ...

said that "Luke will definitely strengthen us but whether he starts or not remains to be seen". He made his debut at

Holker Street Holker Street ( known as the SO Legal Stadium for sponsorship purposes), is a sports stadium in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. As well as being a football ground, it has also been used for motorcycle speedway.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 ...

. He remained with the club for five weeks, featuring seven times, before leaving after their FA Cup elimination by

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

in January 2009. On 13 March 2009, he joined

on an initial one-month loan. He scored on his debut for the "Vics" two days later in a 4–1 defeat at

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...

. He scored two goals in 12 games for

Andy Preece Andrew Preece (born 27 March 1967) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who is currently the manager of Chorley.2008–09 season being

relegated In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

out of the Conference Premier. Nevertheless, he said he enjoyed his time at the Victoria Stadium, and upon returning to Carlisle he found that he was to be released by manager

Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 50th Tex ...

Accrington Stanley

On 25 June 2009, Joyce signed with

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

. He made 50 appearances in the 2009–10 season, scoring one goal. He featured 32 times in 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. I ...

campaign, helping "Accy" to reach the

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 Engli ...

for the first time, before they were beaten by

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...

at the semi-final stage. He scored three goals in 47 matches as Stanley finished in 14th-place under the stewardship of

Paul Cook Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He was also called "Cookie" by his friends on the punk music scene. Early life and career Cook was raised in Hammersmith and atte ...

at the end of the 2011–12 season; Joyce took over as captain following the departure of

Andrew Procter Andrew John Procter (born 13 March 1983) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He made one appearance for the England C national football team, England C national team. Career The highli ...

in January 2012. He made 48 appearances across 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 ...

campaign, with Stanley ending up in 18th-place under new boss

Leam Richardson Leam Nathan Richardson (born 19 November 1979) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of Wigan Athletic. As a player, Richardson played for Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Notts Coun ...

. Joyce played 49 games in the 2013–14 season as Accrington posted a 15th-place finish under the stewardship of rookie manager James Beattie. When the club were bottom of the

English 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 Engl ...

in November after failing to win in their first 12 league games, Joyce stood by Beattie, calling him a "good manager and a good bloke". Two months later Beattie returned the favour by calling Joyce an "unsung hero" after he scored his first goal in 22 months to help secure a 2–1 victory over Cheltenham Town. John Coleman returned as manager early in the 2014–15 campaign and kept Joyce as captain, with the midfielder scoring four goals from 50 appearances. Joyce said "it has been an up and down season... overall, I guess it has been a decent season, we have secured our tenth season in the Football League and that's a massive achievement for the club the size of ours, but we are disappointed we haven't finished further up the league".

Return to Carlisle United

On 21 May 2015, Joyce turned down a two-year

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

with Accrington to rejoin former club Carlisle United on a two-year deal. He made 42 appearances as United posted a tenth-place finish in League Two at the end of the 2015–16 season, though was booed and criticised by some supporters after suffering from poor form in March, which manager

Keith Curle Keith Curle (born 14 November 1963) is an English football manager and former professional player, who is the current manager of League Two side Hartlepool United. He played as a centre back from 1981 to 2005, notably in the Premier League for ...

blamed on a "nervous period". He helped Carlisle to record a 2–1 win at

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

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 ...

, before he missed a

penalty Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...

in Carlisle's

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

defeat to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...

in the Third Round. Joyce went on to miss just one of Carlisle's 56 games during the 2016–17 season, as the club secured a play-off place with a sixth-place finish before losing 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 ...

in the play-off semi-finals. In the Second Round of the EFL Cup he helped Carlisle to secure a 1–1 draw at

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 ...

, and then remarkably converted two penalties as Carlisle were beaten 14–13 following 11 rounds of sudden death in the resulting penalty shoot-out. On 29 October, he scored with a long-range strike in a 3–1 home win over

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 ...

, which ended up winning him that month Goal of the Month award for League Two. In April 2017, it was confirmed that Joyce would remain at the club after triggering a one-year extension to his contract. He scored two goals – adding a tap in at Newport County to his strike against Crawley – in 46 appearances during the 2017–18 as Carlisle went on to finish in tenth-position, before leaving the club after rejecting a new 12-month deal on reduced terms offered to him by the managerless club.

Port Vale

On 17 May 2018, Joyce signed a two-year contract with League Two side Port Vale; manager

Neil Aspin Neil Aspin (born 12 April 1965) is an English football manager and former player. A solid defender who could play at centre-back and right-back, he was a good marker and an adept tackler. He made his debut in the English Football League for L ...

said that "he is comfortable in possession and was impressive against us for Carlisle". He chose to join the "Valiants" despite receiving a better contract offer from a club playing below the

. He started the 2018–19 season in a central midfield partnership with Manny Oyeleke. However he lost his place to Tom Conlon after Conlon returned to fitness in September, and Joyce went on to admit that "I have not quite performed as well as I would like to and had the influence on games". He continued in indifferent form for the rest of Aspin's tenure and was given permission to look for a new club in January after going seven games without a first-team appearance, though started against Lincoln City on New Year's Day and remained in the first-team thereafter. He became a key player under new manager

John Askey John Colin Askey (born 4 November 1964) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of club York City. He is the son of former Port Vale player Colin Askey. Able to play as a winger or as a ...

in February and ended the season with 35 starts and seven substitute appearances. On 18 September 2019, he marked his 500th appearance in a Football League fixture as Vale lost 2–0 at league leaders

; he quipped that "that probably sums up my career really, Exeter away on a Tuesday night". He scored his first goal for the club on 5 October, levelling the scores in what finished as a 3–1 win over

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It has been the home ground of Port Vale F.C. since 1950. The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool, although a club record 49, ...

. In February 2020, it was announced that Joyce had triggered a clause in his contract to keep him at the club until summer 2021. He scored one goal in 43 appearances throughout the 2019–20 season, missing just one league game due to suspension, providing the defensive cover in the holding midfield role to allow players such as Scott Burgess, Jake Taylor and Tom Conlon to get further forward. He was a joint winner of that season's Players' Player of the Year award, along with

David Worrall David Richard Worrall (born 12 June 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Barrow. A versatile and aggressive player, he is able to play wide right or in central midfield. Worrall began his career at ...

. On 14 November 2020, Joyce was sent off for a high tackle when Vale were leading

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 adop ...

2–0, and the team went on to lose 4–3 in his absence. The team also lost the three games he missed due to suspension. The losing run continued following his return to the team, leading Joyce to say that "losing games hurts... but we just have to deal with". Joyce featured 46 times in 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, but was one of 15 players released by new manager

Darrell Clarke Darrell James Clarke (born 16 December 1977) is an English professional football manager and former player who played in the English Football League. He is the manager of club Port Vale. A box-to-box midfielder, Clarke began his career with ...

in May 2021. Joyce said that he was disappointed not to be offered a new contract but that "I have taken great pride in playing for Port Vale".

AFC Fylde

On 28 June 2021, Joyce agreed a one-year deal with

National League North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...

club

AFC Fylde AFC Fylde is a professional football club based in Wesham in the Borough of Fylde, Lancashire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Mill Farm. Originally known as Kirkham & Wesham following a merger of Kirkham Town and Wes ...

; manager

Jim Bentley James Graham Bentley (born 11 June 1976) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a centre back. He is currently manager of EFL League Two club Rochdale. Career Bentley, who debuted for Telford United in 1997 ...

stated that "this is a real big signing for the football club. Luke has proven to be one of the best midfielders in League Two over many seasons. His stats are phenomenal, he's an excellent professional and is very well respected within the game". In joining the "Coasters" he rejected the opportunity to stay in League Two with

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic ...

. He featured 34 times in the 2021–22 campaign as Fylde finished in third-place, but did not feature in their unsuccessful play-off campaign and was released in the summer by new manager James Rowe.

Radcliffe

On 20 June 2022, Joyce joined

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...

Premier Division club

, having previously been a teammate of manager Bobby Grant at Accrington. He made 46 appearances in 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, including in the

final victory over Wythenshawe Town.

Style of play

Joyce describes himself as a "working player in

midfield Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

" who wins the ball and passes it onto more creative teammates. Port Vale manager John Askey stated that "with Luke not only is it his football, his organisation and encouragement helps the other players". His successor, Darrell Clarke, classed Joyce as a deep-lying midfielder.

Coaching career

Joyce holds a

UEFA B Licence UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are is ...

and by 2019 had set up a junior academy in

Westhoughton Westhoughton ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester.

Career statistics

Honours

Radcliffe *

: 2023

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, Luke 1987 births Living people Footballers from Bolton English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Wigan Athletic F.C. players Carlisle United F.C. players Barrow A.F.C. players Northwich Victoria F.C. players Accrington Stanley F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players AFC Fylde players Radcliffe F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Northern Premier League players Association football coaches