Garath McCleary

Garath James McCleary (born 15 May 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League One club Wycombe Wanderers. Born in England, he played for the Jamaica national team.

Garath McCleary

McCleary playing for Reading in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Garath James McCleary[1]
Date of birth	(1987-05-15) 15 May 1987 (age 38)[1]
Place of birth	Oxford, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Wycombe Wanderers
Number	12
Youth career
2004–2005	Oxford United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2005	Oxford City	22	(3)
2005–2007	Slough Town	33	(7)
2007–2008	Bromley	24	(8)
2008–2012	Nottingham Forest	111	(13)
2012–2020	Reading	242	(23)
2020–	Wycombe Wanderers	178	(31)
International career‡
2013–2016	Jamaica	24	(3)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Jamaica CONCACAF Gold Cup Runner-up 2015 United States–Canada Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:39, 21 November 2016 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

McCleary was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire.^[1] His football career began with Oxford City, and spent time with Oxford United but never signed a contract with the team despite spending three months with the club.^[2]

He joined Slough Town playing in 24 games and scoring on six occasions. He then moved to Bromley in January 2007. In total McCleary made over 40 appearances for Bromley scoring 11 goals. Nottingham Forest manager Colin Calderwood offered him a trial where he did well enough to secure a contract on 31 January 2008.^[3]

Nottingham Forest

McCleary made his first team debut as an 87th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 home defeat against Carlisle United, on 3 March 2008.^[4] He scored his first goal for the club on 1 April 2008 in injury time, in a 2–0 win at Carlisle. On 5 April he was handed his first start where he was voted Man of the Match as Forest beat Cheltenham Town 3–1 at the City Ground.^[5]

In the 2011/12 season McCleary scored nine goals after returning from injury in December 2011; six of which came in March 2012.^[6] Four came in a high-scoring game away to Leeds United at Elland Road, where Forest won 7–3.^[7] These performances resulted in McCleary being named as the Football League Championship Player of the Month.^[8] He was voted Forest's Player of the Season by the Forest supporters, beating Joel Lynch and Chris Gunter into second and third respectively.^[9]

Reading

On 16 May 2012 it was announced that McCleary had turned down a new contract at Forest and instead signed a three-year contract at Reading and fulfill his dream of playing in the Premier League.^[10][11] His first goal for Reading came in a 3–3 draw with Fulham.^[12]

McCleary signed a new contract with Reading on 3 October 2014, keeping at the club until the summer of 2017,^[13] before again extending it on 17 January 2017, this time until the summer of 2020.^[14]

Wycombe Wanderers

On 4 November 2020, it was announced by Wycombe Wanderers manager during a live webcast that the club had signed McCleary, who had been training with the club as a free transfer until the end of the current season.^[15] He scored his first goal for Wycombe in a 2–2 draw against Preston North End on 5 December 2020.^[16]

International career

In October 2012 he was earmarked by the Jamaica Football Federation to play for Jamaica during their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign. He received his first call up on 24 January 2013 alongside Reading teammates Jobi McAnuff and Adrian Mariappa for the World Cup qualifier against Mexico on 6 February.^[17] McCleary started the match and helped Jamaica to a 0–0 draw at the Estadio Azteca.^[18]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 26 October 2024^{[19][20][21][22]}

McCleary playing for Nottingham Forest in 2010

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
Oxford City	2004–05	Southern West	22	3	1	0	—		6[a]	3	29	6
Slough Town	2005–06	Isthmian Premier	24	7	0	0	—		7[b]	2	31	9
	2006–07	Isthmian Premier	9	0	1	0	—		1[c]	0	11	0
	Total		33	7	1	0	—		8	2	42	9
Bromley	2006–07	Isthmian Premier	6	2	0	0	—		9	1	15	3
	2007–08	Conference South	18	6	4	2	—		5	0	27	8
	Total		24	8	4	2	—		14	1	42	11
Nottingham Forest	2007–08[23]	League One	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	1
	2008–09[24]	Championship	39	1	2	0	2	0	—		43	1
	2009–10[25]	Championship	24	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	27	0
	2010–11[26]	Championship	18	2	2	0	1	0	1[d]	0	22	2
	2011–12[27]	Championship	22	9	1	0	0	0	—		23	9
	Total		111	13	7	0	4	0	1	0	123	13
Reading	2012–13[28]	Premier League	31	3	3	1	3	0	—		37	4
	2013–14[29]	Championship	42	5	1	0	0	0	—		43	5
	2014–15[30]	Championship	26	1	4	2	0	0	—		30	3
	2015–16[31]	Championship	34	4	2	0	2	1	—		38	5
	2016–17[32]	Championship	41	9	1	0	1	0	2[d]	0	45	9
	2017–18[33]	Championship	18	0	2	0	1	0	—		21	0
	2018–19[34]	Championship	31	0	1	0	0	0	—		32	0
	2019–20[35]	Championship	19	1	5	0	0	0	—		24	1
	Total		242	23	19	3	7	1	2	0	270	27
Wycombe Wanderers	2020–21[36]	Championship	32	4	1	0	0	0	—		33	4
	2021–22[37]	League One	42	11	0	0	0	0	4[e]	0	46	11
	2022–23[38]	League One	39	7	0	0	0	0	—		39	7
	2023–24[39]	League One	40	6	1	0	1	0	7[f]	0	49	6
	2024–25[40]	League One	12	2	0	0	3	0	0	0	15	2
	Total		165	30	2	0	4	0	11	0	182	30
Career total			597	84	34	5	15	1	42	6	688	96

1. Two appearances and two goals in the FA Trophy, one appearance and one goal in the Southern League Cup and three appearances in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup
2. Five appearances and two goals in the Isthmian League Cup, two appearances in the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup
3. Appearance in the Isthmian League Cup
4. Appearances in the Championship play-offs
5. One appearance in the EFL Trophy, three appearances in the EFL League One play-offs
6. Appearances in the EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 2 September 2016.^[41]

International statistics

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Jamaica	2013	7	0
	2014	1	1
	2015	11	2
	2016	5	0
Total		24	3

International goals

Scores and results list Jamaica's goal tally first.^[41]

No	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	5 March 2014	Beauséjour Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia	Saint Lucia	3–0	5–0	Friendly
2.	8 July 2015	StubHub Center, Carson, United States	Costa Rica	1–0	2–2	2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3.	14 July 2015	BMO Field, Toronto, Canada	El Salvador	1–0	1–0	2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Honours

Wycombe Wanderers

• EFL Trophy runner-up: 2023–24^[42]

Individual

• Nottingham Forest Player of the Season: 2011–12