Reece James

Born in Bacup, Lancashire, in November 1993, Reece James came through the youth systems at Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End before joining Manchester United in 2012. He made one competitive first-team appearance for United, in the League Cup in 2014, and gained senior experience on loan at Carlisle United, Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town.

He joined Wigan Athletic in 2015 and was part of two League One title-winning squads there, in 2015/16 and 2017/18, despite a long spell out with an ankle injury. Spells at Sunderland and Doncaster Rovers followed, and he scored nine league goals in two seasons at Doncaster.

James moved to Blackpool in 2021 and joined Sheffield Wednesday on a season-long loan for 2022/23. He scored Wednesday’s third goal in the play-off semi-final second leg against Peterborough United, the night that became known as the Miracle of Hillsborough, and was part of the side that won promotion at Wembley.

He signed permanently in the summer of 2023 and spent the 2023/24 Championship season with the club before being released. He then spent two seasons at Rotherham United, making 80 league appearances.

After leaving Rotherham in May 2026, James trained with Wednesday and returned on 24 August 2026 on a one-year contract following a successful trial, providing cover and competition at left-back. He wears the number 33 shirt.