Jayden Connor Stockley (born 15 September 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL League Two club Port Vale.
He was signed to Fleetwood Town for an undisclosed fee in January 2023 and became the club's top-scorer in the 2023–24 season before he was sold on to Port Vale in June 2024.
[15] He joined Conference South side Dorchester Town on loan for one month on 7 January 2011 and scored two goals on his debut the following day in a 3–2 defeat at Ebbsfleet United.
[17] On 30 August 2011, he scored a brace after coming off the bench in a 4–1 win over Hereford United in a Football League Trophy fixture at Dean Court.
[18] On 4 November, Stockley joined League Two club Accrington Stanley on an initial one-month loan deal.
[24] On 14 November, having not featured for the Cherries in eight months, he joined Conference National side Woking on loan until January 2013.
[27] He was reported to be "blossoming under Garry Hill" after hitting a 25 yards (23 m) volley in a 1–1 draw at Braintree Town on 19 March.
[29] On 2 September 2013, he was loaned to Leyton Orient for a month, where manager Russell Slade was looking to add depth behind the strike partnership of Kevin Lisbie and Dave Mooney.
However, he played less than an hour of League One football in his eight substitute appearances for the O's, though he did score a goal against Notts County at Brisbane Road.
[43] Manager John Still extended the loan into a second month after Stockley made four hard-working performances at Kenilworth Road.
[47][48][49] He spent six months at Fratton Park, scoring two goals in twelve games – a winner at Bristol Rovers and an equaliser at home to Morecambe, though manager Paul Cook could not guarantee him regular first-team football.
Howe had noted that Stockley had missed first-team chances due to the club's rapid rise through the leagues.
[7] On 11 May 2016, Stockley signed a pre-contract (two-year) agreement with Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen ahead of his Bournemouth contract expiring at the end of the following month.
[56] He scored his first league goal for the Dons at Dundee on 18 September, and manager Derek McInnes praised him after the match for his contribution to the 3–1 win.
[57] McInnes was again fulsome in his praise for Stockley after the striker scored the winning goal at Partick Thistle with a "glorious left-footed chip".
[62][63] He was not booked or given any retrospective punishment for the challenge on Tierney as referee Bobby Madden had witnessed the incident, though Stockley had been sent off three times throughout the campaign for elbowing opponents.
[68] He scored in front of the Big Bank at St James Park in a 3–1 win over Lincoln City in the second leg of the play-off semi-finals, which he described as "his most important goal... to date".
[69][70] He played in the final, a 3–1 defeat to Coventry City at Wembley Stadium, in which he had two headers saved by Lee Burge.
[79] On 3 January 2019, Stockley signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Preston North End for a reported fee of £750,000 as manager Alex Neil looked to replace Jordan Hugill.
[80][81] Preston had faced competition from several other clubs for the signing after he had scored more league goals (including play-off games) than any other player in the top four tiers of English football in the calendar year of 2018.
[29] He enjoyed a good run of form playing as a target man forward in the 2019–20 campaign, starting in a 3–2 win over Blackburn Rovers in October.
[85][90] On 22 January 2021, Stockley joined Charlton Athletic on loan for the rest of the 2020–21 season, with manager Lee Bowyer's side in the League One play-offs in sixth-place.
[100] On 23 October, Sunderland manager Lee Johnson claimed that Stockley had headbutted Tom Flanagan and called on The Football Association to investigate the incident.
[102] On 13 November, Stockley was sent off by referee Trevor Kettle for an off the ball incident with Burton Albion defender Deji Oshilaja; Jackson said the club would appeal the decision.
[106] Stockley was retrospectively handed a three-match ban for violent conduct after elbowing Port Vale defender Nathan Smith in a 1–0 defeat on 19 November amid reports that he was frustrated by the style of play employed by Garner.
[109][110] He opted to leave the club in January 2023 after a period of struggling for game time, which culminated in the arrival of another highly-rated striker in Ched Evans.
[114] He was sent off in the penultimate game of the 2022–23 season, a 2–0 defeat at Bolton Wanderers, following an off the ball incident with MJ Williams; manager Scott Brown said it was a "poor decision".
[115] He scored a brace to give Fleetwood a point at Port Vale on 27 February 2024, which gave manager Charlie Adam pride in the team's "attitude and hunger".