Joseph Charles Wildsmith (born 28 December 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.
Wildsmith started his career at Sheffield Wednesday, he would have loan spells at Alfreton Town and Barnsley before making his debut for Wednesday in 2015, Wildsmith left the club in June 2022, to join Derby County where he would spend two seasons, helping the club regain promotion to the EFL Championship.
[4] Wildsmith signed a 2+1⁄2-year professional contract with Sheffield Wednesday in November 2013 after impressing with the club's youth teams.
[6] Wildsmith made his Owls debut in Wednesday's 4–1 League Cup win over Mansfield Town at Hillsborough on 11 August 2015.
[10] Wildsmith broke into the first-team under new manager Carlos Carvalhal, as Keiren Westwood was injured and Chris Kirkland had left for Preston North End.
[11] As a result, he made his return to the starting line–up as a first choice goalkeeper, keeping a clean sheet, in a 3–0 win against Birmingham City.
[14] After recovering from injury, he returned to the substitute bench and didn't make an appearance until on 9 April 2016, starting the whole game, in a 4–1 loss against Bristol City.
[16] He made his first appearance of the season, starting and played 120 minutes, in a 2–1 loss against Cambridge United in the first round of the League Cup.
[17] However, Wildsmith found himself as the club's second choice goalkeeper and placed on the substitute bench throughout the season, even he faced his own injury concern.
[31] However, he spent the rest of the 2018–19 season, placed on the substitute bench, with Dawson and Westwood preferred to be used in goal under both Luhukay and Steve Bruce and made two appearances in all competitions.
[37] Once the season resumed behind closed doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wildsmith returned to the first team on 20 June 2020 against Nottingham Forest, in a 1–1 draw.
Wildsmith had a strong season for Derby with penalty saves against Accrington Stanley[50] and Ipswich Town[51] in back-to back weeks and a clean sheet at Anfield against Liverpool in the EFL Cup[52] being highlights.
[54] Wildsmith claimed to have chested the ball and with video evidence supporting that claim, Derby appealed the red card decision in hope to get the one-match ban overturned on 4 September 2023,[55] a day later the appeal was upheld and Wildsmith's red card and ban was withdrawn by the FA.
[65] Wildsmith made his league debut for West Bromwich Albion on 8 February 2025 in a 2-1 win at home against his boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday, following the departure of previous first-choice goalkeeper Alex Palmer during the winter 2024–25 transfer window.