Charlie George Caton (born 25 November 2002) is a Welsh footballer who plays as a forward for Accrington Stanley.

Charlie Caton
Personal information
Full name Charlie George Caton[1]
Date of birth (2002-11-25) 25 November 2002 (age 23)
Place of birth Bodelwyddan, Wales
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
Accrington Stanley
Number 18
Youth career
2010–2019 Wrexham
2019–2020 Shrewsbury Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Shrewsbury Town 4 (0)
2022–2023Chester (loan) 26 (7)
2023–2025 Chester 53 (19)
2025– Accrington Stanley 33 (3)
2026Hartlepool United (loan) 14 (3)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:48, 11 June 2026 (UTC)

Early life

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He is the son of longstanding Bala Town manager Colin Caton.[2]

Caton attended Ysgol Brynhyfryd in Ruthin, Denbighshire.[3]

Career

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In December 2018 Caton was called up for the Welsh Schools FA under-18 training camp in Cardiff. At the time he played for Wrexham under-16s, as well as Llangynhafal in the local Llandyrnog & District Summer League.[4] In February 2019 he scored for the Wales schoolboys team in a match against Greece.[5]

Shrewsbury Town

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Having started his career with the Wrexham academy, Caton joined Shrewsbury Town as a first-year scholar in 2019.[6][7] On 10 November 2020, Caton made his first-team debut from the bench in a 4–3 EFL Trophy victory over Crewe Alexandra.[8] Having made a total of five appearances over the course of the 2020–21 season, including three in League One, he signed a new two-year contract in June 2021.[7]

In November 2022, Caton joined National League North club Chester on an initial one-month loan deal.[9] Following an impressive start to his spell, the deal was first extended by a further month,[10] then subsequently extended until the end of the season.[11]

Following the conclusion of the 2022–23 season, it was confirmed Caton would depart the club upon the expiration of his contract.[12]

Chester

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On 27 May 2023, Caton returned to Chester on a permanent two-year deal following his successful loan spell the previous season.[13][14]

Following a strong start to the 2024–25 season, Caton was named National League North Player of the Month for August 2024.[15]

Accrington Stanley

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On 16 January 2025, Caton signed for League Two club Accrington Stanley on a two-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee.[16] He signed on loan for National League side Hartlepool United on 11 February 2026 and, on the same day, scored on his debut in a 3–2 defeat against York City.[17]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 25 April 2026[18]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Shrewsbury Town 2019–20[18] League One 0000000000
2020–21[18] League One 3000002[a]050
2021–22[18] League One 0030003[a]060
2022–23[18] League One 1000203[a]060
Total 40302080170
Chester (loan) 2022–23[19] National League North 267003[b]0297
Chester 2023–24[20] National League North 285531[c]0348
2024–25[21] National League North 2514401[c]03014
Total 792693509329
Accrington Stanley 2024–25[22] League Two 120120
2025–26[23] League Two 21321203[a]0284
Total 333212030404
Hartlepool United (loan) 2025–26[23] National League 143143
Career total 130321444016016436
  1. 1 2 3 4 Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  2. Two appearances in FA Trophy, one appearance in National League North play-offs
  3. 1 2 Appearance(s) in FA Trophy

Honours

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Individual

References

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  1. "Notification of shirt numbers" (PDF). English Football League. p. 45. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  2. "It could be Caton v Caton in friendly". The Leader. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  3. Davies, Shaun (29 May 2023). "Caton agrees to sign a two-year deal with Chester FC". Denbighshire Free Press. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  4. "Charlie called up for Welsh training camp". Denbighshire Free Press. 7 December 2018.
  5. "Charlie Caton hands Wales Schoolboys the lead in international clash with Greece". Denbighshire Free Press. 21 February 2019.
  6. "First Year Scholars Set To Join Academy". www.shrewsburytown.com. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Charlie Caton signs two-year Salop deal". www.shrewsburytown.com. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  8. Cox, Lewis (10 November 2020). "EFL Trophy: Crewe 3 Shrewsbury 4 - Report". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  9. "Charlie Caton joins Chester FC on loan". www.shrewsburytown.com. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  10. "BREAKING | Charlie Caton's loan extended!". chesterfc.com. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  11. "BREAKING | Charlie Caton's loan extended for rest of season!". chesterfc.com. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  12. "Retained List 2023". www.shrewsburytown.com. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  13. Davies, Shaun (30 May 2023). "Talented striker Caton signs two-year deal with the Blues". Leader Live. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  14. "Caton agrees to sign a two-year deal with Chester FC". Denbighshire Free Press. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Player Power! It's Awards For Henry, Caton And Shields". www.thenationalleague.org.uk. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  16. "SIGNING: Charlie's a Red". www.accringtonstanley.co.uk. 16 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  17. "Caton: Still learning teammates names after loan signing". www.bbc.co.uk. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 Charlie Caton at Soccerway
  19. "First Team Statistics 2022/23".
  20. "First Team Statistics 2023/24".
  21. "First Team Statistics 2024/25".
  22. "Games played by Charlie Caton in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  23. 1 2 "Games played by Charlie Caton in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 February 2025.