Callum Luke Saunders (born 26 September 1995) is a footballer who plays as a forward for semi-professional Northern Premier League Division One West side Nantwich Town. Born in Turkey, he represented Wales internationally at youth levels U19 and 21.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Callum Luke Saunders[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 26 September 1995[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Istanbul, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Nantwich Town | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2014 | Crewe Alexandra | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2017 | Crewe Alexandra | 27 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | Notts County | 3 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Nantwich Town | 36 | (10) |
| 2019 | Curzon Ashton | 16 | (2) |
| 2019–2021 | Nantwich Town | 27 | (3) |
| 2021–2022 | Witton Albion | 36 | (17) |
| 2022 | Ashton United | 21 | (6) |
| 2022–2023 | Stafford Rangers | 14 | (4) |
| 2023- | Nantwich Town | 21 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014 | Wales U19 | 3 | (1) |
| 2015 | Wales U21 | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:48, 20 December 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11:35, 13 February 2024(UTC) | |||
Club career
Saunders began his career in the Crewe Alexandra Academy and signed a professional contract with the club in June 2014.[3] He made his Football League debut on 9 August 2014 in a 2–1 defeat away at Fleetwood Town,[4] and scored his first Crewe goal at Doncaster on 12 December 2015.[5] On 9 May 2017, Crewe announced that Saunders had been released by the club.[6]
He then signed for Notts County at the beginning of the 2017–18 season but was released at the end of the season.[7]
Saunders signed for Northern Premier League side Nantwich Town on the eve of the 2018–19 season,[8] scoring 10 goals in 36 games, before joining Curzon Ashton in the summer of 2019.[9] He then returned to Nantwich Town in November 2019.[10]
He signed for Northern Premier League Premier League side Witton Albion on a free transfer in September 2021.[11]
Saunders signed for Ashton United in June 2022.[12] On 19 December 2022, Saunders left Ashton United by mutual consent and joined Stafford Rangers.[13] He returned to Nantwich Town ahead of the 2023–2024 season.[14]
International career
Saunders has represented Wales at under-17 and under-19 level,[15][16] and made his under-21 debut on 17 November 2015, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute against Romania.[17]
Personal life
Saunders was born in Istanbul when his father, former professional footballer Dean Saunders, was playing for the Turkish club Galatasaray.[18]
Career statistics
- As of match played 3 December 2022[19]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other[a] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Crewe Alexandra | 2014–15 | League One | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 27 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 2 | ||
| Notts County | 2017–18 | League Two | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Nantwich Town | 2018–19 | Northern Premier League | 36 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 10 |
| Curzon Ashton | 2019–20 | National League North | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| Nantwich Town | 2019–20[20] | Northern Premier League | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 7 |
| 2020–21[21] | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 5 | ||
| 2021–22[22] | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 21 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 30 | 12 | ||
| Curzon Ashton | 2021–22[23] | Northern Premier League | 36 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 39 | 18 |
| Ashton United | 2022–23[24] | Northern Premier League | 21 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 24 | 6 | |
| Career total | 160 | 39 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 9 | 186 | 50 | ||
References
External links
- Callum Saunders at Soccerbase
