A native of Leicester, full-back Luther James-Wildin moved to Stevenage in summer 2018; the second new arrival of the close season. The switch reunited the player with manager Dino Maamria, both of whom had been at Nuneaton Town together just a few months before. And it is perhaps a mark of the player’s talents that Maamria would return to the Warwickshire club to secure James-Wildin’s services for an undisclosed fee.
His debut season was a good one by all accounts; James-Wildin a regular at right back (and later right wing back). There was plenty of promise on show, even if the lad wasn’t quite the definitive article. With Boro’ keeping him on for the 2019-20 season, there’s a clear vote of confidence this lad could be here for a while.
Luther James-Wildin: Before’ Boro
James-Wildin had only been with the other Boro’ for a season, having been released by Notts County in summer 2017. From the age of seven, he’d been turning out at the weekend for local youth side Highfield Rangers. At the age of 14, however, he decided to try his chances at a higher level“. He didn’t quite capture the imagination of Nottingham Forest or Aston Villa at the time, but he did at Notts County. After signing for the Magpies in 2014, he turned professional in 2016.
Game time at Meadow Lane, however, wasn’t forthcoming. His senior debut would come on loan at Grantham Town of the Northern Premier League. After playing much of the 2016-7 season there, he soon became a first team regular. This did not do enough to convince County to extend his one-year contract, however. It was at that point he ended up leaving them and moving down the pyramid to sign for Nuneaton Town.
It was during his somewhat brief time at Nuneaton that he caught the eye of Jamie Vardy’s V9 Academy, signing up on 14 February 2018. The name can’t come as too much of a shock to you; after all, it’s the same pathway programme that gave us Danny Newton and, well, Blair Turgott.
