Skipper scope: Stoke City
Ahead of Blues' match against Stoke City in the Sky Bet Championship, BCFC.com has charted the career of the opposition's captain.
"A great balance of knowledge and experience, at his peak athletically and an influence", were the inspiring words used to describe Josh Laurent when he was appointed skipper for 2023/24 by former boss Alex Neil. The midfielder netted five times during his maiden season in Staffordshire and now operates under Steven Schumacher, although ahead of hosting Birmingham City at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday 20 January, kick-off 3pm, he has not featured in the last five matchday squads.
The Londoner began his career as a youth at various clubs in and around the capital, learning his trade with Chelsea and then Redbridge before signing a scholarship with Wycombe Wanderers in 2011. The Leytonstone-born player switched to Queens Park Rangers the following term and played an integral part in the Hoops' victorious Under-18s Professional Development League campaign.
He signed his first senior contract at Loftus Road in May 2013 and continued to mature on loan with Conference Premier outfit Braintree Town, earning praise for his performances from manager Alan Devonshire. He departed QPR at the beginning of 2015, signing for West-London rivals Brentford in a transfer to compete for Championship game time.
Later that year, there was a temporary move to fourth-tier Newport County, where he made his Football League debut as a substitute against Leyton Orient. Laurent’s stay in Wales only lasted eight weeks and he was recalled by his parent club after being left out of new manager John Sheridan’s initial squad.
Having tallied five goals for the Bees' development squad, his only senior match involvement arrived in a League Cup First Round defeat to Oxford United and his contract was mutually terminated to facilitate a free transfer to Hartlepool United in February 2016. There he chalked up 33 appearances and scored once before departing for Wigan Athletic precisely 12 months later.
The Latics' new signing made just a single outing in what remained of 2016/17 which, unfortunately, ended in relegation from the second tier. He scored his first goal at the DW Stadium during a 2-1 League Cup win over Blackpool at the dawn of the following season before spending the remainder of the year completing another loan spell - this time with struggling Bury. Despite his efforts, Laurent was unable to prevent the Shakers from dropping to Sky Bet League Two, having appeared on the scoresheet once during 22 games.
On the move again during the summer of 2018, he would hold down a first-team spot with Shrewsbury Town and made a notable contribution in their Emirates FA Cup Third Round tie versus his future club Stoke by bagging the winner. Laurent stayed there for two terms until he became a free agent at the end of 2019/20 and linked up with Reading.
His inaugural year with the Royals brought about personal success, scoring thrice across 46 appearances as he earned the Player of the Season Award. The following saw Reading avoid the drop by four points ahead of a return north to link up with his current employees.
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