# Joe Bunney

Joseph Elliott Bunney (born 26 September 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back or forward for Stalybridge Celtic.
He has previously played professionally in the Football League for Rochdale, Northampton Town, Bolton Wanderers, Hartlepool United and Grimsby Town as well as at Non-league level for Lancaster City, Kendal Town, Stockport County, Northwich Victoria, Matlock Town, Altrincham, Warrington Rylands, Macclesfield, Ashton United and Marine.

## Club career
### Early career

Born in Gorton, Manchester, Bunney worked his way through Lancaster City's youth system and broke into their first team during the 2011–12 season as the club competed in the Northern Premier League Division One North, whilst studying sports science at Myerscough College in Preston, Lancashire.

### Rochdale

Bunney made his debut as a professional at Rochdale on 27 April 2013 as a substitute in a 1–0 victory against Plymouth, on the final day of the 2012–13 season with Bunney scoring the winning goal with a header after a cross from another débutante, Scott Tanser. On 1 July 2014, Bunney signed a new two-year contract at Rochdale.

### Northampton Town

On 16 January 2018, Bunney signed for Northampton Town for an undisclosed fee.
On 25 June 2018, Bunney signed for Blackpool on loan.
On 31 January 2019, Bunney's loan at Blackpool was cut short and then loaned out to his former club Rochdale until the end of the season.
He was one of 3 transfer-listed by Northampton at the end of the 2018–19 season; a further 8 were released.

### Bolton Wanderers

On 2 September 2019, Bunney signed for Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer from Northampton Town on a contract until the end of the season. The following weekend he was involved in a road traffic collision on the M55 motorway that left him with broken ribs and a broken collarbone. On 26 June it was announced Bunney would be one of 14 senior players released at the end of his contract on 30 June.

### Matlock and Hartlepool

On 19 October 2020, Bunney signed for Matlock Town. He played two matches for the club, registering an assist in both games. A month later he signed for Hartlepool United on 30 November. He left on 26 January 2021 as he wanted to return to playing in the English Football League.

### Grimsby Town

On 1 February 2021, Bunney joined League Two side Grimsby Town on a contract until the end of the 2020–21 season. Bunney had already played for Matlock and Hartlepool in the 2020–2021 season, usually meaning he wouldn't be able to sign for a third team as players can only play for two teams in one season – however FIFA changed the rules for that season to allow players to play for three teams, to alleviate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on football.
On 18 March 2021, it was announced by manager Paul Hurst that Bunney had played his final game for the club after he was taken to hospital hours after a game against Carlisle United, and would effectively be leaving the club because of an unreported medical condition.

### Back to Non League

On 25 August 2021, Bunney signed a contract for National League side Altrincham.
On 8 October 2021, it was announced Bunney had signed for Warrington Rylands.
On 2 June 2022, Bunney joined Scunthorpe United on trial and played in a 3–2 pre-season defeat against Middlesbrough.
Bunney signed with Macclesfield ahead of the 2022–23 season. In December 2022, Bunney joined Ashton United on a three month loan. In February 2023, he signed for Marine on loan until 1 April. His loan spell was later extended until the end of the season, and he scored the winning penalty in the Liverpool Senior Cup final against Runcorn Linnets.
On 2 July 2023, Bunney signed for Stalybridge Celtic. In November 2023, he joined Workington on a one-month loan deal.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 13 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Stockport County | 2012–13 | Conference Premier | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Rochdale | 2012–13 | League Two | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rochdale | 2013–14 | League Two | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 3 |
| Rochdale | 2014–15 | League One | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 |
| Rochdale | 2015–16 | League One | 32 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 9 |
| Rochdale | 2016–17 | League One | 29 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 1 |
| Rochdale | 2017–18 | League One | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 1 |
| Rochdale | Total | Total | 122 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 144 | 17 |
| Northampton Town | 2017–18 | League One | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Northampton Town | 2018–19 | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northampton Town | 2019–20 | League Two | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Northampton Town | Total | Total | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Blackpool (loan) | 2018–19 | League One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Rochdale (loan) | 2018–19 | League One | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2019–20 | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Matlock Town | 2020–21 | NPL Premier Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Hartlepool United | 2020–21 | National League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Grimsby Town | 2020–21 | League Two | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Altrincham | 2021–22 | National League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Warrington Rylands | 2021–22 | NPL West Division | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 |
| Macclesfield | 2022–23 | NPL West Division | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1 | 25 | 3 |
| Ashton United (loan) | 2022–23 | NPL Premier Division | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| Marine (loan) | 2022–23 | NPL Premier Division | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Workington (loan) | 2023–24 | NPL Premier Division | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| Hyde United (loan) | 2023–24 | NPL Premier Division | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 237 | 25 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 275 | 27 |

#### Notes

* 1 2 3 4 5 Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy.
* 1 2 Appearance(s) in the FA Trophy.
* ↑ Appearance(s) in the FA Trophy and Cheshire Senior Cup.
* ↑ Appearance(s) in the Liverpool Senior Cup.

## Personal life

Bunney is in a relationship with England and Manchester United footballer Ella Toone.

## Honours

Marine
* Liverpool Senior Cup: 2022–23
Macclesfield
* Northern Premier League Division One West: 2022–23