Kyle Christopher Hurst (born 20 January 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for EFL League Two club Doncaster Rovers. He began his football career as a youngster with Milton Keynes Dons before joining Birmingham City at 16 and turning professional two years later. He had a loan spell with Southern League club Alvechurch in early 2022, but never played first-team football for Birmingham, and left the club for Doncaster Rovers in July 2022.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kyle Christopher Hurst[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2002-04-20) 20 April 2002 (age 20)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Milton Keynes, England | ||
| Position(s) | Winger,[3] forward[4] | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Milton Keynes Dons | |||
| 20??–2020 | Birmingham City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2022 | Birmingham City | 0 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Alvechurch (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2022– | Doncaster Rovers | 18 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:00, 12 November 2022 (UTC) | |||
Hurst was born in Milton Keynes,[5] and was a youth player with Milton Keynes Dons before taking up a two-year scholarship with Birmingham City in July 2018.[2][6] According to coach Steve Spooner, Hurst is "a wonderful technician. He has great dribbling skills, great receiving skills. Very attack-minded and can deliver good crosses, but he must become more consistent with his end product."[6]
On his first competitive start for Birmingham's development squad team, in September 2018, Hurst scored the second goal of a 4–0 win against Sheffield Wednesday U23.[7] He scored in the semi-final of the 2019 Professional Development League (PDL) play-offs against Ipswich Town, and started in the final, but had been substituted by the time Birmingham lost to Leeds United U23 in a penalty shoot-out.[8][9] The following season, he scored an 86th-minute winning goal that took Birmingham into the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup despite having had two players sent off; according to the report on the club's website, he "flicked the ball over an opponent, darted on into the area behind the defensive line and cracked a half-volley that went in off the post."[10] Hurst was given a first-team squad number in 2020, but a hamstring issue prevented any involvement with the matchday squad, and he signed his first professional contract, of three years with the option of a fourth, in June 2020.[3] He again helped Birmingham U23 qualify for the PDL play-offs in 2021, and played the whole of the semi-final win away to Bristol City,[11] but was an unused substitute as his side beat Sheffield United to gain promotion to Premier League 2 for 2021–22.[12]
Hurst scored four goals from 17 appearances for Birmingham's U23 team in the 2021–22 Premier League 2 season.[13] He joined Southern League Premier Division Central club Alvechurch in mid-February 2022 on loan until the end of the season.[14] He made his debut in senior football on 12 February, starting in a 1–1 draw away to Tamworth,[15] and made three more appearances before returning to his parent club.[16]
After a trial in which Hurst played in several pre-season friendlies for Doncaster Rovers,[17] he signed a two-year contract with the League Two club on 22 July 2022.[18] He made his club and Football League debut on the opening day of the 2022–23 season, playing 82 minutes of a goalless draw away to Bradford City before being substituted immediately after receiving a yellow card.[19] Hurst continued in the starting eleven, and scored his first senior goals in his fifth league match, a 20-yard (18 m) chip over the goalkeeper and a powerful shot high to his near post, to complete Doncaster's comeback from 1–0 down against Salford City.[20]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Birmingham City | 2021–22[21] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Alvechurch (loan) | 2021–22[16] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 4 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Doncaster Rovers | 2022–23[22] | League Two | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 23 | 4 |
| Career total | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 27 | 4 | ||
Doncaster Rovers F.C. – current squad | |
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