Luke Wilkinson Player Profile
Debut: Barnet (H, 0-0), 23/01/2016
In a bid to stem the number of goals that Boro’ were letting in during the 2015-6 season, manager Teddy Sheringham raided neighbours Luton Town to secure the services of centre half Luke Wilkinson on a permanent contract.
With his arrival at the Lamex, Wilkinson linked up with former Hatters Ronnie Henry and Fraser Franks in the Stevenage defence, along with midfielder Keith Keane; at that time on loan to Boro’ from fellow League Two side Cambridge United.
In all, Wilko was with us for three seasons. In that time, he made more than 100 outings for us; scoring crucial goals at one end and keeping them out at the other. But chances to shine were few and far between during the 2018-9 season with Ben Nugent and Scott Cuthbert on the Boro’ books. It was with a sense of regret that we heard he’d be moving on in summer 2019, grateful for his service.
Wilko first started his career on youth terms at Brisol Rovers, before Portsmouth made a move to sign him. First team opportunities, however, were non-existent while at Pompey – as was the case when he went on loan to Northampton in January 2010.
Eastleigh swooped to sign Wilko on loan in February 2010 and the Conference South outfit were the first to give him a taste of senior football. It’s perhaps no surprise that Pompey opted to release the defender that summer, however. So, he was on the move again.
League One side Dagenham and Redbridge snapped up Wilko on a three-year deal. While there, he went out on loan to Boreham Wood (twice) and Dartford to gain more valuable first team experience. In 2012-3, finally, he broke into the Daggers first team as a permanent fixture.
He went from strength to strength during his time at the Daggers after that, until an injury pushed him down the pecking order in 2013-4. After the campaign had ended, he ended up moving to Luton and (funnily enough) linking up with ex-Daggers boss John Still.
