Player Profile

Jacob Wakeling was signed on a free transfer after being released by Leicester City in the summer of 2022, and was not initially expected to be a first team regular as his CV showed only four games and no goals on loan at Barrow the season before. As it was, he hit the ground running, scoring four goals in his first nine games, leading to Town tying him down to an unheard of four-year contract before the end of September.

A left-footed, pacy striker, Wakeling made particular hay in the early stages of the season of running onto through balls from Ben Gladwin. Later in the season, his goalscoring form tailed off, although he remained a regular first team player: somewhat cursed by versatility, he was often fielded on the left of a three and occasionally a long way out of position at left wing back, particularly under Jody Morris, where he looked less than comfortable. The low point of his season was being sent off after just 45 seconds against Stockport County in March for a professional foul as the last man. It was a clumsy, panicked challenge, but it said a great deal about Swindon’s defensive structure that the left-sided forward had found himself as the last man in defence within 45 seconds of Stockport kicking off: it was the fastest red card ever received by a Town player, well ahead of Ian Culverhouse’s first minute marching orders at Everton in 1997.

Wakeling finished the season with 8 league goals in 46 appearances: perhaps a little below where he would have hoped after his start to the season, but more than acceptable for someone in his first full season at pro level. The pick of the eight was his goal at Salford, a flick over his right shoulder with his back to goal from a Hutton cross which looped into the far corner of the net which earned the League Two goal of the month award. Wakeling was named on a three-man shortlist for League Two Young Player of the Season, but missed out to Colchester’s Junior Tchamadeu.

Wakeling looked set for a big role the next season as part of a forward rotation with Charlie Austin, Jake Young and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, but after a handful of appearances he was rather surprisingly sold to Peterborough on the final day of the summer 2023 transfer window. Whilst the fee was officially undisclosed, it was believed to be a fairly generous fee that the club did not feel they could turn down: unfortunately they also didn’t manage to reinvest it, and Town would have to make do until the winter window with just three strikers on the books.

Playing Record

Senior

Career details

Club	Details
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion	2014 (academy) rptd July 13th, 2018 (youth scholarship); released (2020)
Alvechurch Alvechurch	rptd July 16th, 2020 (unattached); transferred out (November 30th, 2020)
Leicester City Leicester City	November 30th, 2020 (transferred in, undisclosed fee undisclosed compensation fee); released (rptd June 10th, 2022)
Barrow Barrow	January 12th, 2022 (loan); expired (2021/2)
Swindon Town Swindon	July 5th, 2022 (unattached); transferred out (September 1st, 2023)
Peterborough United Peterborough United	September 1st, 2023 (transferred in, undisclosed fee)