Cole John Stockton (born 13 March 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League Two club Salford City.
He made his debut in senior football on loan at Vauxhall Motors during the 2011–12 season and turned professional at Tranmere in April 2012.
He left Tranmere at the end of his contract, moving from the National League to the Scottish Premiership after being signed by Heart of Midlothian in June 2017.
He scored three times whilst on loan, twice in a 4–4 draw with Kidderminster Harriers,[9] and the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over Worcester City.
[11] He made his debut for Tranmere on 17 January 2012, coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for Lucas Akins in a 0–0 draw with Rochdale in a League One fixture at Prenton Park.
[19] He started five games and made twenty-one substitute appearances in the 2013–14 campaign, scoring goals against Bolton Wanderers, Brentford and Walsall.
[25] On 3 January, Stockton scored a late goal against Premier League side Swansea City as Tranmere lost 6–2 and were knocked out of FA Cup; manager Micky Adams had commented before the game that "the likes of Max Power and Cole Stockton can show people they are good players".
[42] Stockton signed for Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian on a pre-contract on 2 June 2017, joining on a two-year deal on 1 July after his Tranmere contract came to an end.
[45] Speaking later that month, manager Craig Levein said that Stockton must get stronger and improve his hold up play in order to secure more game time.
[46] He failed to score in four starts and eleven substitute appearances for Hearts, and was allowed to leave Tynecastle by mutual consent on 26 January 2018.
[49] He made his debut for the "Cumbrians" the following day, coming on as a 77th-minute substitute in a 1–0 win over Forest Green Rovers at Brunton Park.
[52] He left the club by mutual consent on 2 August 2018 as new manager John Sheridan looked to free up money in the wage bill for new signings.
[55] On 7 January 2019, he joined National League club Wrexham on loan until the end of the 2018–19 season; he stated that he aimed to win promotion with Bryan Hughes's "Red Dragons".
[56] However he made just one start and seven substitute appearances in the league for Wrexham, scoring one goal against Gateshead, and did not feature in the play-off quarter-final defeat to Eastleigh.
[62][63] They went on to beat Newport County 1–0 in the play-off final at Wembley, with Mendes Gomes scoring the winning goal from the penalty spot in extra time.
[74] On 19 June 2023, it was announced that Stockton would join EFL League One club Burton Albion on a two-year contract.