Lennon Wheeldon

Lennon Wheeldon
Personal information
Full name Lennon Wheeldon
Date of birth (2006-02-16) 16 February 2006
Place of birth Nottingham, England
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 South Shields
(on loan from Derby County)
Number 18
Youth career
Notts County
–2024 Derby County
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Derby County 1 (0)
2024–2025 → Boston United (loan) 3 (0)
2025– → South Shields (loan) 21 (3)
International career‡
2024 England U19 3 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:55, 4 March 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 20:30, 8 April 2025 (UTC)

Lennon Scott Wheeldon (born 16 February 2006) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for National League North club South Shields, on loan from EFL Championship club Derby County.

Starting his professional career at Derby County, Wheeldon had a loan spell at Boston United in 2024, before making his Derby County league debut in April 2025. In November 2025, he joined South Shields on loan.

Club career

Wheeldon started his career as a youth player at Notts County, before joining Derby County as an under-16s player.[1][2] On 8 November 2023, he made his debut for Derby County as a substitute in a 4–1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s in the EFL Trophy.[3] In this game he came on as a 74th-minute substitute for James Collins and was able to create a goal scoring chance for Kane Wilson.[4] In August 2024, it was announced that Wheeldon had signed his first professional contract at Derby County.[5]

On 23 November 2024, he joined National League side Boston United on a one-month loan.[6][2] The loan was ended in January 2025, with Wheeldon making four appearances for Boston, without scoring a goal.[7] On 5 April 2025, he made his league debut for Derby County as a substitute in a 1–0 away loss to Swansea City.[8][9]

Ahead of the 2025–26 season, Wheeldon was one of a selection of under-21 players who took part in first team activities during pre-season.[10] On 12 August 2025, Wheeldon played in Derby's EFL Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion, as a 63rd-minute substitute, a match which Derby won via a penalty shootout.[11] He had an impact in the match as he headed wide in the 69th minute, missing a good goalscoring opportunity.[11][10] Derby head coach John Eustace praised Wheeldon's impact in the game, as well as he general development.[10]

On 8 November 2025, Wheeldon joined National League North side South Shields on a month-long loan.[12] On 15 November 2025, Wheeldon scored twice in South Shields 6–2 FA Trophy win over Dunston.[13] [14] On 27 November 2025, the loan was extended until early January 2026.[15] On 30 December 2025, Wheeldon scored his first league goal for Shields in a 2–1 win at Darlington.[16][17] In January 2026, the loan was further extended until February.[18] The loan was further extended until 25 April in March.[19]

International career

In October 2024, Wheeldon was called up by the England under-19 team for friendlies against Portugal, The Netherlands and France.[20]

Style of play

Wheeldon has been described as playing like an "old fashioned centre forward".[21]

Career statistics

As of match played 3 March 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Derby County 2023–24[3] League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 1[a] 0 1 0
2024–25[8] Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2025–26[22] Championship 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1 0
Total 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 0
Boston United (loan) 2024–25[8][23] National League 3 0 — — 1[b] 0 4 0
South Shields (loan) 2025–26[22] National League North 21 3 — — 2[b] 2 23 5
Career total 26 3 0 0 1 0 4 2 31 5
  1. ^ Appearances in the EFL Trophy
  2. ^ a b Appearances in the FA Trophy

References

  1. ^ "Lennon Wheeldon". dcfc.co.uk. Derby County F.C. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Derby County confirm striker transfer before Preston North End clash". DerbyshireLive. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Games played by Lennon Wheeldon in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  4. ^ "Derby County player ratings v Wolves under-21s as young duo shine and Collins lethal". DerbyshireLive. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  5. ^ "ACADEMY NEWS: Seven Young Rams Sign First Professional Deals". Derby County. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  6. ^ "ACADEMY NEWS: Wheeldon makes Boston United loan move". dcfc.co.uk. Derby County F.C. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Wheeldon loan spell concluded". Boston United. 2 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  8. ^ a b c "Games played by Lennon Wheeldon in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  9. ^ "Swansea City 1–0 Derby County". BBC Sport. 5 April 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  10. ^ a b c "John Eustace reveals what he told Derby County young guns amid rare but 'great' opportunity". DerbyshireLive. 16 August 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  11. ^ a b "West Bromwich Albion 1–1 Derby County". BBC Sport. 12 August 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  12. ^ "Lennon Wheeldon signs on loan". South Shields F.C. 8 November 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  13. ^ "South Shields 6–2 Dunston UTS". BBC Sport. 15 November 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  14. ^ "MATCH REPORT: South Shields 6–2 Dunston FC". South Shields. 15 November 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  15. ^ "ACADEMY NEWS: Price and Wheeldon extend loan spells". Derby County. 27 November 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  16. ^ "South Shields manager proud as National League promotion bid gets triple boost after Darlington win". Shields Gazette. 31 December 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Darlington 1–2 South Shields". BBC Sport. 30 December 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  18. ^ "ACADEMY NEWS: Wheeldon Extends South Shields Stint". Derby County. 6 January 2026. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Lennon Wheeldon extends loan". South Sheilds F.C. 4 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  20. ^ "ACADEMY NEWS: Quartet Link Up With International Teams For October Fixtures". dcfc.co.uk. Derby County F.C. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  21. ^ "The Derby County wonderkids who could save them millions". DerbyshireLive. 19 October 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  22. ^ a b "Games played by Lennon Wheeldon in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  23. ^ "Boston United 1–0 Alvechurch". BBC Sport. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
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