Bryant Akono Bilongo (born 15 September 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League One club Bristol Rovers.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bryant Akono Bilongo[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 15 September 2001[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Wandsworth, England[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bristol Rovers | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| AFC Wimbledon | |||
| Hanworth Villa | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | Hanworth Villa | 10 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Kingstonian | 20 | (1) |
| 2022–2024 | Middlesbrough | 0 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Woking (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Ebbsfleet United (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2024– | Bristol Rovers | 9 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 October 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editReleased by AFC Wimbledon at a young age,[2] Bilongo went on to join Hanworth Villa youth side[3] before eventually making the step up into the first-team during the 2020–21 campaign, in which he featured ten times.[4]
Following his breakthrough season, Bilongo joined Isthmian League Premier Division side, Kingstonian in June 2021.[2] Impressing early on, his form attracted the attention of both Football League and Premier League sides, including Chelsea who subsequently trialled the full-back in October 2021.[5] Despite this, Bilongo agreed to join Middlesbrough three months later for an undisclosed fee.[6] On 10 August 2022, he made his first-team debut for Middlesbrough, replacing Paddy McNair during an EFL Cup first round tie defeat against Barnsley, with half an hour remaining.[7] On 29 October 2022, he joined National League side, Woking on a one-month loan.[8] Bilongo went onto feature twice for the Cards before returning to Middlesbrough in November.
On 1 February 2024, Bilongo joined National League club Ebbsfleet United on loan until the end of the season.[9]
Bristol Rovers
editOn 28 June 2024, Bilongo signed for League One side Bristol Rovers for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year deal with the option for a further year.[10] He made his debut for the club on the opening day of the season, scoring a 92nd minute winner as Rovers defeated Northampton Town to claim a first opening day victory in thirteen years.[11] Following the match, he described it as the highlight of his career to date.[12]
Career statistics
edit- As of match played 10 August 2024
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hanworth Villa | 2020–21[4] | Combined Counties League Premier Division | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Kingstonian | 2021–22[13] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 4[a] | 0 | 27 | 1 | |
| Middlesbrough | 2021–22[1] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23[1] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Woking (loan) | 2022–23[1] | National League | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Ebbsfleet United (loan) | 2023–24[1] | National League | 12 | 1 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | ||
| Bristol Rovers | 2024–25[14] | League One | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Career total | 44 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 53 | 3 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "B. Akono Bilongo". Soccerway. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Kingstonian sign Bryant Akono Bilongo". Kingstonian F.C. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ Taylor, Jim (21 November 2019). "HANWORTH VILLA'S FA YOUTH CUP RUN COMES TO AN END". Middlesex FA. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Bryant Akono-Bilongo Player Stats". The FA. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ Vegas, Paul (6 October 2021). "Chelsea ready to splash out on Kingstonian trialist Bryant Akono Bilongo". Tribal Football. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ "Bryant Akono Bilongo joins Middlesbrough". Kingstonian F.C. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ "Middlesbrough vs. Barnsley". Soccerway. 10 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Daniel (29 October 2022). "Clarke and Bilongo join on loan". Woking F.C. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ "Bryant fits the bill for the Fleet". www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ "Bryant Bilongo joins Bristol Rovers". www.bristolrovers.co.uk. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Bristol Rovers 1–0 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Hargraves, Daniel (12 August 2024). "'My best football day' - Bryant Bilongo on dream Bristol Rovers debut against Northampton Town". Bristol Post. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "Kingstonian – Appearances – Bryant Akono Bilongo – 2021-2022". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ "Games played by Bryant Bilongo in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
External links
edit- Bryant Bilongo at Soccerbase