Stu Wilkin

Stuart is a product of Southampton FC’s much famed academy. After spending a number of years there, Stuart chose to turn down the attentions of other academies across the country, and instead pursue an academic/ sporting route in America.

He joined Missouri State University, who competed in the NCCA division 1. In his 3 years there, he was part of the team that secured the national title twice, a massive achievement in American colleague sport.

Upon completion of University, there were opportunities to stay in America, or to head back home to England. However, the lure of possibly playing international football for Malaysia, and also being part of a successful project at JDT, was just too hard to ignore. Despite being a heritage player, the process to secure citizenship in Malaysia was slightly longer due to Covid-19, however Stuart continued to train with JDT impressing the coaching staff in the process.

Once his citizenship came through, Stuart was thrown into the JDT II squad and featured heavily in the second half of the season.

Once the season was over, the impressive performances, on the backend of the previous season, saw Stuart linked with a host of clubs, but it was Sabah who won his signature for the 2022 season. Currently under Ong Kim Swee, Sabah are enjoying life back in the big time, and Stuart is playing a crucial part in reviving the Sabah Rhinos.