Alex Cochrane

Alexander William Cochrane (born 21 April 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for EFL Championship club Birmingham City. He has previously played for Heart of Midlothian, Brighton & Hove Albion, East Grinstead Town and Union Saint-Gilloise.

Club career Brighton & Hove Albion Cochrane played football for Chailey & Newick Colts before joining Brighton & Hove Albion as an under-8. He developed in their academy, and was loaned to Isthmian League South side East Grinstead in January 2018. He made his professional debut for Brighton on 25 September 2019, in a 3–1 defeat at home against Aston Villa in the 2019–20 EFL Cup.

Cochrane made his first appearance for the senior side in almost a year on 23 September 2020, as a late substitute in a 2–0 away win over Preston North End in the EFL Cup. He made seven appearances and one assist In May 2021, he signed a one-year contract with Brighton.

Heart of Midlothian On 28 June 2021, Cochrane joined Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian on a season-long loan from Brighton. He made his competitive debut two weeks later, playing 83 minutes of the 2–0 away win over Peterhead in the Scottish League Cup. On 31 July, he made his Scottish Premiership debut on the opening day of the 2021–22 season, playing the whole of the 2–1 home victory over Celtic. Cochrane scored his first professional goal, Hearts' third in a 3–0 home win against Livingston, on 25 September. He scored his second goal for the club on 6 November, and also claimed an assist as Hearts beat Dundee United 5–2. On 21 May 2022, Cochrane started and played 100 minutes in the 2022 Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park, in which Hearts lost 2–0 after extra time to Rangers.

Cochrane signed a permanent deal with Hearts on 25 June 2022.

Birmingham City On 16 July 2024, recently relegated EFL League One club Birmingham City signed Cochrane on a four-year contract. The fee was undisclosed, but was reported as a seven-figure amount. He made his debut in the starting eleven for the opening fixture of the season, a 1–1 draw at home to Reading. His performances in Birmingham's 2024-25 promotion season earned him a place in the PFA League One Team of the Year. The club earned triple-digit points and he was one of their seven members to be selected.

International career Cochrane made one appearance for the England U16s, assisting a goal in a 3–3 draw against the United States U15s.

He made his international debut for the England under-20 team on 19 November 2019, in the starting eleven for a 3–0 win against Iceland under-21 at Wycombe Wanderers' Adams Park ground.

Career statistics

Honours

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise Belgian First Division B: 2020–21

Heart of Midlothian Scottish Cup runner-up: 2021–22 EFL Trophy runner-up: 2024–25

Individual EFL League One Team of the Season: 2024–25 PFA Team of the Year: 2024–25 League One