Jonathan Grounds

Jonathan Martin Grounds (born 2 February 1988) is an English former professional footballer who played as a left back or centre back.

Grounds began his career with his local club, Middlesbrough, but never became a regular member of the first team; he made 33 league appearances spread across five years.

He also spent time on loan to Norwich City of the Championship, twice, Scottish Premier League club Hibernian, and Chesterfield and Yeovil Town, both of League One.

In July 2003, Grounds was a member of the Middlesbrough youth team that played in the inaugural Nike Premier Cup in the United States.

He took up a two-year scholarship with Middlesbrough F.C.'s Academy in 2004, and as part of the programme, he continued his education at Middlesbrough College where he achieved a sports science qualification.

Prior to the 2007–08 season, the club had considered releasing him, but decided to give him his first professional contract, of one year.

With regular left backs Andrew Taylor and Emanuel Pogatetz injured, Grounds made his first-team debut on 12 January 2008 in a 1–1 Premier League draw at home to Liverpool.

After impressing both as captain of Middlesbrough's reserve team and in further appearances for the first team, he was rewarded with a new two-year contract in March.

According to manager Gareth Southgate, "We didn't expect him to progress this quickly but he got into the first team and did very well, showing he has the right character and the mentality to cope with the big occasion."

Grounds joined Championship club Norwich City on 1 September 2008 on loan for three months.

He was recalled by Middlesbrough after just 31 days and five appearances because of a player shortage at his parent club.

He helped them keep a clean sheet in his first match back, away to Wigan Athletic in the Premier League, and hoped that would boost his chances of retaining a place.

His only other appearance came two weeks later at home to Chelsea.

Covering for Justin Hoyte in an unfamiliar right-back role, his "last-ditch block" prevented a first-half goal, but in the second half he was fortunate that Florent Malouda failed to capitalise on his error, and he was substituted after 54 minutes with his team 3–0 down.

On 7 January 2009, Grounds rejoined Norwich, this time for two months.

He spent much of this stint at Norwich playing in central defence while Jason Shackell was unavailable, and he made a further eleven appearances for them, scoring three goals, before returning to his parent club.

He made no appearances in what remained of Middlesbrough's season, but was an unused substitute as their relegation to the Championship was confirmed.

Southgate selected Grounds to start the opening match of the new season.

The team kept four consecutive clean sheets, and he continued in the side for several weeks, either at left back or, after the sale of Robert Huth, at centre back.

The Evening Gazette suggested that "battling full-backs Tony McMahon and Jonathan Grounds, who both have some experience at this level and appear to have a more physical approach have been picked ahead of the more silky but at times suspect duo of Justin Hoyte and Andrew Taylor."

He dropped to the bench before the last match in September, and played infrequently until late January, when an injury crisis caused Southgate's successor, Gordon Strachan, to bring him back into central defence.

According to the Gazette, "Grounds made numerous headed clearances and interceptions during the game and could hardly have done any more to push himself back into Strachan's thoughts."

He stayed in the team for another month, and finished the season with 20 Championship appearances.

In June 2010, Grounds extended his Middlesbrough contract for a further two years.

He made one League Cup appearance early in the 2010–11 season, when 13 senior professionals were unavailable through injury or international duty, and was then loaned to Scottish Premier League club Hibernian until 30 January 2011 so that he could play regularly at first-team level.

He went straight into the starting eleven for Hibernian's next match, a 1–1 draw at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and opened the scoring in a League Cup match against Kilmarnock that Hibernian lost 3–1, continuing a string of poor results that culminated in the departure of manager John Hughes.

Grounds was dropped by the caretaker managers, and omitted for the first match under Colin Calderwood, but returned to the team thereafter and played regularly until the turn of the year.

Although Hibernian wanted to extend the loan, no agreement could be reached, and Grounds returned to Middlesbrough two weeks early, having made 15 appearances in all competitions.

Under new manager Tony Mowbray, Grounds played six matches for Middlesbrough after his return, including a 4–3 defeat at home to Swansea City in which he scored a headed goal; he partnered the equally inexperienced Seb Hines in central defence.

At the start of the 2011–12 season, after Taylor left the club, Joe Bennett was Middlesbrough's left back of choice.

Although Bennett saw Grounds as competition, Mowbray spoke of Grounds "filling in" in that position, and did not view him as an out-and-out left back.

On 25 August, he joined League One club Chesterfield on loan for a month, which was later extended to three months.

He made 16 appearances in all competitions before returning to Middlesbrough.

By the turn of the year, Grounds was "on the outer fringes of the squad".

He left Middlesbrough in 2012 and signed for Oldham Athletic, also of League One, on a free transfer.

He and team-mate Jonathan Franks joined Yeovil Town, also of League One, in February 2012 on an initial month's loan, which was later extended to the end of the season.

After two seasons with Oldham, he signed for Birmingham City, where he was a first-team regular for four seasons before spending the 2018–19 season on loan at Bolton Wanderers.

He was released by Birmingham in 2020, and spent the 2020–21 season with Swindon Town before joining Exeter City.

Grounds was born in Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire.

He was associated with Middlesbrough F.C. from the age of eight, had a season ticket "from a very early age", and also played football for Stockton Schools and Redcar Town.