Charles Vernam


Charles Terence Priestley Vernam is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Burton Albion. He has previously played for Derby County and for Icelandic club ÍBV and Coventry City on loan.

Early life

Vernam was born in Lincoln.

Playing career

Derby County

Vernam was attached to Scunthorpe United as a youth player, before joining the Derby County academy in 2012. In August 2013, he appeared for the first team against Burton Albion in the pre-season Bass Charity Vase. He signed his first professional contract with Derby in 2015. He was loaned out to ÍBV in Iceland's Úrvalsdeild between April and July 2016, scoring on his senior debut when appearing as a substitute in a 4–0 win against ÍA. He made a total of eleven appearances for ÍBV, without scoring again.
Vernam was promoted to Derby's first team squad for the 2016–17 season while also continuing to play for their under-23 team, for whom he made three appearances in the EFL Trophy. During December 2016, he signed a new contract with the club, running until 2019. He made his competitive first team debut for Derby as a substitute in an FA Cup win against West Bromwich Albion in January 2017. Later that month, he was loaned to Coventry City in League One for the rest of the season. Vernam was cup-tied for Coventry's win in the 2017 EFL Trophy Final.

Grimsby Town

Vernam went on loan again in January 2018, joining Grimsby Town in League Two for the rest of the season. The move reunited him with manager Russell Slade, who had also signed him for Coventry.
After impressing the new manager Michael Jolley in the closing season, Vernam joined Grimsby Town permanently on a two-year contract on 24 July 2018. He scored the first goal on 37-minutes in the FA Cup second round, a left-footed shot following a corner, in a 2–0 victory at National League side Chesterfield. After struggling to get into the Grimsby starting lineup, he joined National League club Chorley on a one-month loan in November 2019.

Burton Albion

On 20 July 2020, Vernam joined League One club Burton Albion on a two-year deal.

Career statistics