Biography
The archetypal big man up front, “Albie” Wilbraham joined City in Summer 2004 for a £100,000 fee to add goals to Tigers’ League One promotion challenge. His early form was mixed and he had a month on loan at Oldham to find his feet. When he returned over the festive period he found the net a couple of times, including a goal at Edgeley Park against his former club Stockport. But was soon again out of the first team and left the Tigers in Summer 2005.
Raised in the mean streets of Knutsford, Wilbraham joined Stockport County as a youth and contributed occasional goals during a seven year term as support striker.
Wilbraham joined Milton Keynes Dons in 2005 and over the next six years he carved out a reputation as a lower league goalscoring big man and as he entered his thirties he enjoyed a late-career renaissance. He played at a higher level for Norwich and Crystal Palace, assisting both clubs to Premier League promotions and playing a few top level games for both. In 2014 Albie joined Bristol City and in three seasons he was a regular goalscorer in the second tier. After a season at Bolton, Wilbraham played for Rochdale in 2018/19 and as he approached his 40th birthday in June 2019 he renewed his Rochdale contract for a further year.
Wilbraham finally hung up his boots in the summer of 2020 and in December of that year he was appointed assistant manager at Shrewsbury Town, working alongside journeyman manager Steve Cotterill. In January 2021 Wilbraham briefly took over as caretaker manager after Cotterill was hospitalised with COVID-19 before reverting to his assistant role a few weeks later. Cotterill resigned his post at Shrewsbury in June 2023 and a month later Wilbraham also left the club.
In May 2024 Aaron helped out his home town club Knutsford FC as they suffered an end of season fixture backlog, scoring a second half hattrick in a Cheshire League match.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 21 October 1979, Knutsford
Hull City First Game: 7 August 2004, Bournemouth H (League One), 24 years, 291 days old
Hull City Final Game: 23 April 2005, Walsall A (League One), 25 years, 184 days old
Clubs
Stockport County (1995-2004), Moss FK (2000, loan), Hull City (2004-2005), Oldham Athletic (2004, loan), Milton Keynes Dons (2005-2011), Bradford City (2006, loan), Norwich City (2011, loan), Norwich City (2011-2012), Crystal Palace (2012-2014), Bristol City (2014-2017), Bolton Wanderers (2017-2018), Rochdale (2018-2020), Knutsford FC (2024)
Hull City Record
Career: 20 apps, 2 goals
Aaron Wilbraham| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004/05 | 10 (9) | 2 | 1 (0) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |