Joseph Christopher Sbarra (born 21 December 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two club Doncaster Rovers. He began his footballing career through the youth academy of EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.[2]

Joe Sbarra
Personal information
Full name Joseph Christopher Sbarra[1]
Date of birth (1998-12-21) 21 December 1998 (age 26)[2]
Place of birth Lichfield, England
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Doncaster Rovers
Number 10
Youth career
West Bromwich Albion
0000–2017 Burton Albion
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2020 Burton Albion 49 (1)
2019Solihull Moors (loan) 6 (0)
2020–2024 Solihull Moors 132 (34)
2024– Doncaster Rovers 12 (0)
International career
2022–2023 England C 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:40, 21 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:40, 29 October 2024 (UTC)

Career

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Burton Albion

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Sbarra came up through the youth academy at Burton Albion and made his debut on the last day of the 2016–17 season, coming on in the 68 minute against Reading aged 18.[3] On 10 November 2017, Sbarra was rewarded for his breakthrough with a new contract that would see him stay with the club until 2020.[4] Sbarra had to wait until the 2019–20 season to score his first senior goal, opening the scoring three minutes into a 2-2 draw with Portsmouth.[5]

Solihull Moors (loan)

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On 25 March 2019, Sbarra joined Solihull Moors on loan until the end of the season.[6] The following day Sbarra came off of the bench in the 70 minute of a 2-2 draw with Boreham Wood[7] and had to wait until the last day of the season to make his first start in a 1-1 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge.[8] Sbarra made a total of six appearances as Solihull narrowly missed out on automatic promotion before losing in the playoffs.[9]

Solihull Moors

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On 5 August 2020, Sbarra returned to Solihull Moors on a free transfer following his release from Burton Albion, signing a two-year deal.[10] He made his debut on 3 October against Woking on the opening day of the season[11] and opened his account for the club the following week in a 5-0 thrashing of King's Lynn Town.[12]

Following the conclusion of the 2023–24 season, the club confirmed that Sbarra would be leaving the club upon the expiration of his contract.[13] His time at the club ultimately ended in disappointment as the club were defeated in the play-off final and the FA Trophy final within a week of each other.[14][15]

Doncaster Rovers

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On 20 May 2024, Sbarra agreed to join League Two club Doncaster Rovers on a two-year deal with the option for a further year.[16]

International career

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Sbarra was called up to the England C team for a friendly against Wales C in March 2022.[17]

Career statistics

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As of match played 21 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Burton Albion 2016–17[18] Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2017–18[19] Championship 17 0 1 0 2 0 20 0
2018–19[9] League One 9 0 0 0 4 0 3[a] 0 16 0
2019–20[20] League One 22 1 4 0 4 0 3[a] 0 33 1
Total 49 1 5 0 10 0 6 0 70 1
Solihull Moors (loan) 2018–19[9] National League 6 0 0 0 6 0
Solihull Moors 2020–21[21] National League 34 6 3 2 2[b] 0 39 8
2021–22[22] National League 44 18 3 0 5[c] 0 52 18
2022–23[23] National League 33 9 3 1 1[b] 1 37 11
2023–24[24] National League 21 1 0 0 5[d] 3 26 4
Total 138 34 9 3 13 4 160 41
Doncaster Rovers 2024–25[24] League Two 12 0 1 0 2 0 4[a] 1 19 1
Career Total 199 35 15 3 12 0 21 5 249 43
  1. ^ a b c Appearances in EFL Trophy.
  2. ^ a b Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  3. ^ Three appearances in FA Trophy and two appearances in National League play-offs
  4. ^ Two appearances and one goal in FA Trophy and three appearances and two goals in National League play-offs

Honours

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Solihull Moors

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Burton Albion" (PDF). English Football League. p. 11. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "J. Sbarra: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Burton Albion 2-4 Reading". BBC Sport. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Joe Sbarra signs contract extension with Burton Albion keeping him at the Pirelli Stadium until 2020". staffordshire-live.co.uk. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Portsmouth 2-2 Burton Albion". BBC Sport. 17 September 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  6. ^ "J. Burton midfielder arrives on loan: Summary". SolihullMoorsFC.co.uk. Solihull Moors. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Boreham Wood 2-2 Solihull Moors". BBC Sport. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Dagenham & Redbridge 1-1 Solihull Moors". BBC Sport. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "Games played by Joe Sbarra in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Joe Sbarra returns". solihullmoorsfc.co.uk. 5 August 2020. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Woking 2-1 Solihull Moors". BBC Sport. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Solihull Moors 5-0 King's Lynn Town". BBC Sport. 10 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Released & Retained List Confirmed". www.solihullmoorsfc.co.uk. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Bromley beat Solihull on penalties to secure EFL promotion". BBC Sport. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  15. ^ a b "FA Trophy final: Gateshead 2–2 Solihull Moors (5–4 on pens) - Lineups". BBC Sport. 11 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  16. ^ "Rovers snap up sought-after midfielder Sbarra". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  17. ^ "England C squad announced full of 'best non league players' right now". Fan Banter. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  18. ^ "Games played by Joe Sbarra in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Games played by Joe Sbarra in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Games played by Joe Sbarra in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Games played by Joe Sbarra in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  22. ^ "Games played by Joe Sbarra in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Games played by Joe Sbarra in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Games played by Joe Sbarra in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  25. ^ Scott, Tom (5 June 2022). "Vanarama National League Team Of The Season Announced". The Vanarama National League. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  26. ^ a b c d "Sbarra scoops four End of Season Awards | Solihull Moors FC". Solihull Moors. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.