Alex Gilbey

Alexander Scott Gilbey (born 9 December 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two club Milton Keynes Dons.

[9] He played for the under-18s alongside featuring in the club's Essex Senior Cup squads, scoring in their 3–1 fourth round win against cup-holders Billericay Town on 9 November.

[10] Following another pre-season mixing with the senior squad,[11] Gilbey made his professional debut on 9 October 2012 in a Football League Trophy match at Northampton Town, where he came on as a half-time substitute for Marcus Bean.

The U's lost the encounter 3–1,[15] but Dunne praised the efforts of his youthful starting eleven, although Gilbey was taken off after only 13 minutes in a tactical substitution following defender Josh Thompson's dismissal early in the game.

[16] He made his final appearance of the 2012–13 season for the club in Colchester's 2–1 home defeat to Scunthorpe United on 12 January 2013, playing the full 90 minutes.

[20] He made his debut in County's next fixture on 30 March, another 0–0 draw, on this occasion at home to Dartford, where Gilbey was replaced by Christian Jolley after 57 minutes.

[30] Following his successful loan spell with Newport, Gilbey returned to the first-team picture with Colchester for the 2013–14 season and was involved in the U's opening game 1–0 win over Gillingham on 3 August 2013, replacing Marcus Bean after 74 minutes.

United lost the match 2–0, but it gave Dunne plenty of positives to take away, where fellow youth product Tosin Olufemi featured and Mason Spence experienced his first taste of league football.

[37] Having tied down teammates Tosin Olufemi and Drey Wright to long-term contracts, Colchester looked to do the same with Gilbey, offering him an extension to his deal which was due to expire in the summer of 2014.

However, Gilbey rejected the initial offer, reportedly alerting a number of Championship clubs to the situation following his impressive start to the season and his successful stint with Newport.

[40] Gilbey then quelled the speculation by pointing out that he wished to stay with Colchester and that he was happy working under Dunne, having featured in the starting eleven for a number of matches in the early stages of the 2013–14 season.

[44] Shortly afterward, Gilbey scored his first professional goal in Colchester's 4–2 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on 25 March, finding the back of the net with a header to reduce the U's deficit to 3–1 after 58 minutes.

[57] He made his 100th appearance for Colchester United on 12 December, captaining the side until Porter's introduction as a second-half substitute during their 3–2 defeat to Barnsley at the Community Stadium.

[69][70] Following the expiry of his Colchester United deal, Gilbey joined newly promoted Championship side Wigan Athletic on 21 June 2016 for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract.

[73] Gilbey scored his second goal for Wigan in his final appearance of the season, netting an equaliser in a 3–2 comeback victory at home to Rotherham United.

[77] Despite concerns of a long period out through injury, Gilbey recovered nearly six months ahead of schedule and returned to first team action in time for the start of the new season, featuring in a 2–1 away win over Oldham Athletic on 4 August 2018.

[85] Gilbey went on to feature 45 times for Stevenage in all competitions, scoring 3 goals, and played a key role in the club's second-place promotion to League One.

[89] On 9 September 2024, he signed a contract extension with the club[90] Having played a key role in a successful start to the season which saw Milton Keynes Dons reach the play-off positions, Gilbey was named the EFL League Two Player of the Month for November 2024.