Joel Alan Byrom (born 14 September 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Northern Premier League Division One West club Clitheroe.

Byrom started his career at Blackburn Rovers at the age of 14, and spent 4+1⁄2 years in the club's academy, progressing from their centre of excellence to the reserve team.

[4] Byrom started his career at the Blackburn Rovers centre of excellence after being scouted playing for local junior team Oswaldtwistle United at the age of 14.

[10] Byrom found it difficult to break into the first-team, making one further appearance for Stanley, which came as a substitute in a 3–3 draw with Shrewsbury Town on 2 December 2006.

[13] Following his release from Accrington, Byrom joined Northern Premier League First Division club Clitheroe on a short-term contract.

[14] He finished the 2006–07 season as the club's top goalscorer with 11 league goals having joined them in January 2007, which included scoring a hat-trick against Kidsgrove Athletic on 12 March 2007.

[15] Byrom's Clitheroe contract expired and Conference North club Southport signed him on non-contract terms for the start of the 2007–08 season, where he scored two goals in two games.

[19] In the first half of the 2007–08 season, Byrom scored six goals in all competitions for Clitheroe, which attracted transfer interest from Conference Premier team Northwich Victoria.

[23] Byrom scored the club's second goal in a 2–1 away victory at Stevenage on 22 April 2008, a result that ultimately secured Northwich's Conference Premier status for another season.

[27] Byrom had a hernia operation shortly after the club's 4–1 defeat to Eastbourne Borough in December 2008,[28][29] keeping him out of the first-team for ten weeks.

[30] He played regularly for the remainder of the season, and scored his second career hat-trick against Rushden and Diamonds in a 4–2 victory on 28 March 2009.

[35] He made his debut for the Hertfordshire club in a 1–1 draw at home to Tamworth in the opening game of the 2009–10 season, a match in which he was sent-off in the 90th minute for a second bookable offence.

[38] Byrom scored the second goal in a 2–0 victory against Kidderminster Harriers on 17 April 2010; the match that ultimately secured Stevenage's promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history.

[41] Byrom started in Stevenage's first Football League game, a 2–2 home draw against Macclesfield Town on 7 August 2010.

[42] After playing the whole game in Stevenage's 1–0 defeat at Cheltenham Town in September 2010, Byrom suffered a number of injuries that kept him out of the first-team for five months.

[46] Byrom started in the final, a 1–0 victory against Torquay United at Old Trafford, a win that meant Stevenage earned back-to-back promotions to League One.

[57] Despite playing regularly under new manager Gary Smith, Byrom rejected the offer of a contract extension, and left Stevenage on 25 May 2012.

[60] Byrom made his competitive debut for Preston in the club's 2–1 away victory over Bury on 8 September 2012, coming on as a second-half substitute.

[65][66] Despite having signed a new contract, Byrom did not play again for Preston, and on 14 March 2014, he joined fellow League One club Oldham Athletic on an emergency loan agreement until the end of the 2013–14 season.

[69] Having made no appearances for Preston at the beginning of the 2014–15 season, Byrom joined League Two club Northampton Town on a four-month loan deal on 21 August 2014.

[74][78] Byrom started in the club's opening match of the 2015–16 season, playing the whole 90 minutes in a 1–0 away win at newly promoted Bristol Rovers on 8 August 2015.

[79] He scored his first goal of the season when his free-kick from the right touchline sailed straight in as Northampton secured a 4–2 win at Morecambe on 19 September 2015.

[81][82] This meant it was the second time Byrom had won promotion from the fourth tier of English football, having achieved the same feat at Stevenage five seasons earlier.

[101] Byrom returned to Northern Premier League Division One West club Clitheroe on 11 January 2022, where he spent the early years of his career.

[107][109] In 2007, Clitheroe chairman, Carl Garner, said that Byrom has "tremendous skill and potential",[19] adding "Joel is a quality player.

[19] In May 2009, Stevenage manager Graham Westley believed that the acquisition of Byrom would "give the squad more balance",[110] and has also described him as having a "cultured left-foot" that enables him to open up opposition defences.