Luke Oliver

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Luke Oliver

| image =

| fullname = Luke John Oliver{{cite web|url=http://www.football-league.co.uk/staticFiles/4e/bd/0,,10794~179534,00.pdf |page=55 |title=Professional retain lists & free transfers 2012/13 |publisher=The Football League |date=May 2013 |accessdate=18 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802074454/http://www.football-league.co.uk/staticFiles/4e/bd/0%2C%2C10794~179534%2C00.pdf |archivedate=2 August 2014 }}

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1984|5|1}}

| birth_place = Acton, England{{cite book|editor1-first=Glenda|editor1-last=Rollin|editor2-first=Jack|editor2-last=Rollin|title=Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013|year=2012|publisher=Headline|location=London|isbn=978-0-7553-6356-8|page=437|edition=43rd}}

| height =

| position = Centre Back

| years1 = 2002–2004 | clubs1 = Wycombe Wanderers | caps1 = 4 | goals1 = 0

| years2 = 2004–2005 | clubs2 = Woking | caps2 = 41 | goals2 = 5

| years3 = 2005–2006 | clubs3 = Yeovil Town | caps3 = 3 | goals3 = 0

| years4 = 2005 | clubs4 = → Woking (loan) | caps4 = 13 | goals4 = 0

| years5 = 2006–2009 | clubs5 = Stevenage Borough | caps5 = 76 | goals5 = 4

| years6 = 2007 | clubs6 = → Salisbury City (loan) | caps6 = 10 | goals6 = 2

| years7 = 2009–2010 | clubs7 = Wycombe Wanderers | caps7 = 31 | goals7 = 0

| years8 = 2010 | clubs8 = → Bradford City (loan) | caps8 = 7 | goals8 = 2

| years9 = 2010–2014 | clubs9 = Bradford City | caps9 = 100 | goals9 = 2

| years10 = 2014–2015 | clubs10 = Forest Green Rovers | caps10 = 31 | goals10 = 1

| years11 = 2015–2016 | clubs11 = Aldershot Town | caps11 = 18 | goals11 = 0

| club-update = 23:25, 19 September 2015 (UTC)

}}

Luke John Oliver (born 1 May 1984) is an English former footballer who played as a defender.

Career

He signed for Wycombe in January 2009 from Stevenage Borough.{{cite news

| title = Defender Oliver rejoins Wycombe

| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wycombe_wanderers/7860203.stm

| publisher = BBC Sport

| date = 30 January 2009

| accessdate = 3 March 2010}} Either a centre back or centre forward, Oliver is an imposing player in the air and makes good use of his size in both positions, he also shows good skill on the ball and a decent turn of pace. At the beginning of the 2009–10 season Oliver started as first choice centre back alongside captain Michael Duberry after an impressive pre-season, replacing Leon Johnson. Oliver joined Bradford City on a month's loan in March 2010, joining up with manager Peter Taylor once more – who had managed Oliver at both Stevenage Borough and Wycombe.{{cite news

| title = Bantams bring in Oliver

| url = http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6001086,00.html

| publisher = Sky Sports

| date = 3 March 2010

| accessdate = 3 March 2010}}{{cite news

| title = Bradford City sign Wycombe defender Luke Oliver on loan

| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bradford_city/8548272.stm

| publisher = BBC Sport

| date = 3 March 2010

| accessdate = 3 March 2010}} He signed permanently for Bradford on a free transfer at the end of the season.{{cite news|title=Bradford City sign Oliver, Threlfall and Saxton|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bradford_city/8707838.stm|publisher=BBC Sport|date = 27 May 2010|accessdate = 29 May 2010}}

Oliver was one of five players to be sent off after the post match brawl against Crawley Town on 27 March 2012.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17441660 "Bradford 1–2 Crawley"] BBC Sport. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012. He was named Player of the Year on 24 April, receiving 6 awards at the club's annual awards night, including Player's Player of the Year.[https://archive.today/20120630224824/http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~2745387,00.html "Oliver crowned Player of the Year"] Bradford City F.C. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012. On 22 June 2012, Oliver signed a new two-year contract with the club, which was promoted to League One at the end of the season.[http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~2818632,00.html "Oliver signs up"] Bradford City F.C. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.

In January 2014 he left the club by mutual consent. On 3 February 2014, he joined Forest Green Rovers on a deal until the end of the season with an option for a further year.{{Cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26018076 |title=Forest Green sign former Bradford City defender |publisher=BBC Sport |date=3 February 2014 |accessdate=3 February 2014}} He made his debut for the club on 18 February 2014 in a 2–2 draw with Aldershot Town.{{Cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25817329 |title=Aldershot Town 2–2 Forest Green |publisher=BBC Sport |date=18 February 2014 |accessdate=19 February 2014}} Only two days later, on 20 February 2014, he took up the option of extending his contract with the club that would see him commit to Forest Green until the summer of 2015.{{Cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26278790 |title=Forest Green Rovers take up contract extension option |publisher=BBC Sport |date=20 February 2014 |accessdate=20 February 2014}} He scored his first goal for Forest Green on 9 December 2014 with the winning goal against his former club, Woking in a 2–1 home victory.{{Cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30287820 |title=Forest Green 2–1 Woking |publisher=BBC Sport |date=9 December 2014 |accessdate=14 December 2014}} On 4 May 2015, it was confirmed that he was one of six Forest Green players that had been released.{{Cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32583057 |title=Forest Green: Six players released following play-off failure |publisher=BBC Sport |date=4 May 2015 |accessdate=4 May 2015}} He signed for Aldershot Town in the summer of 2015.{{Cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33363261 | title=Luke Oliver: Aldershot sign ex-Forest Green defender |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2 July 2015 |accessdate=31 August 2015}}

Career statistics

rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="2"\|League !colspan="2"\|FA Cup !colspan="2"\|League Cup !colspan="2"\|Other !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" \|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
rowspan="2"\|Wycombe Wanderers \|2002–03 \|2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
2003–04 \|2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
rowspan="2"\|Woking \|2003–04 \|2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
2004–05 \|39	5	1	0	0	0	3	0	43	5
rowspan="1"\|Yeovil Town \|2005–06 \|3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Woking (loan) \|2005–06 \|13	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	16	0
rowspan="3"\|Stevenage \|2006–07 \|26	2	1	0	0	0	2	1	29	3
2007–08 \|16	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	17	4
2008–09 \|22	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	23	0
Salisbury City (loan) \|2007–08 \|10	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	2
rowspan="2"\|Wycombe Wanderers \|2008–09 \|8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
2009–10 \|23	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	25	0
Bradford City (loan) \|2009–10 \|7	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	2
rowspan="4"\|Bradford City \|2010–11 \|42	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	45	1
2011–12 \|39	1	3	0	0	0	4	1	46	2
2012–13 \|15	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	17	0
2013–14 \|4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Forest Green Rovers \|2013–14 \|11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	0
Forest Green Rovers \|2014–15 \|20	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	23	0
Aldershot Town \|2015–16 \|18	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	20	0
colspan="2"\|Career total !329	16	11	0	4	0	14	2	353	18