Lucas Akins

Hamilton Academical In July 2008, Akins went on trial with newly promoted Scottish Premier League club Hamilton Academical, appearing in several pre-season matches over a two-week period. He impressed manager Billy Reid and signed a two-year contract on 22 July 2008. His competitive debut came in the opening match of the 2008–09 season, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute in a 3–1 home victory over Dundee United at New Douglas Park. Akins featured predominantly as a substitute during the first half of the season, with seven of his 13 appearances coming from the substitutes' bench.

In January 2009, Reid indicated his intention to loan out Akins to gain first-team experience, and he subsequently joined Scottish First Division club Partick Thistle for the remainder of the 2008–09 season. After a two-month absence, he returned as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 home defeat to Clyde in March 2009. At the end of the loan, he returned to Hamilton but did not play during the 2009–10 season,

Tranmere Rovers Following his release by Hamilton, Akins went on trial with Rochdale in July 2010, playing in the club's 2–0 pre-season friendly victory against Rossendale United. No transfer materialised, but Akins expressed gratitude to Rochdale manager Keith Hill for including him on the club's pre-season trip to Marbella, which enabled him to regain fitness. Later that month, he undertook a two-week trial with League One club Tranmere Rovers, which led to a one-year contract on 24 August 2010. He made his Tranmere debut the same day, appearing as an 82nd-minute substitute in a 3–1 League Cup defeat to Swansea City. Akins established himself as a regular first-team player that season, making 38 appearances and scoring two goals, both in a 4–0 win over Exeter City on 25 April 2011. He signed a one-year contract extension, with the option of a further year, on 29 July 2011, with manager Les Parry noting that he was pleased to retain a player whose work ethic had been "fantastic". A month later, he scored both goals in a 2–0 victory over Hartlepool United at Victoria Park. He made 49 appearances during the season, scoring five goals, as Tranmere finished in mid-table. Following the season, the club exercised the option to extend his contract for a further year. Across his two seasons at Tranmere, Akins made 87 appearances in all competitions, scoring seven goals. Tranmere rejected the request, with manager Ronnie Moore stating the club had no intention of selling him. Akins made his debut in the club's opening match of the 2012–13 season, appearing as a 71st-minute substitute in a 3–1 League Cup victory over AFC Wimbledon. He scored the only goal on his first start in a 1–0 away win over Leyton Orient on 21 August. Akins featured in all 46 of Stevenage's league matches and four cup games, finishing the season as the club's top goalscorer with ten goals.

Burton Albion Despite having signed an automatic 12-month contract with Stevenage on 20 May 2014, Akins signed for League Two club Burton Albion on a two-year contract on 18 June 2014. He made his debut in the club's opening match of the 2014–15 season, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 away victory at Oxford United. Akins scored twice in Burton's 2–1 win at Morecambe on 18 April 2015, a result that secured the club's first-ever promotion to League One. He made 38 appearances and was Burton's top goalscorer with nine goals as the club won the League Two title. Akins opened the 2015–16 season by scoring the winning goal in Burton's first League One match, a 2–1 victory against Scunthorpe United at the Pirelli Stadium. He recorded his first career hat-trick in a 3–0 away win at Colchester United on 23 April 2016. Burton achieved back-to-back promotions into the Championship after finishing in second in League One, with Akins scoring 12 goals in 48 appearances. Out of contract at the end of the season, he signed a new two-year deal on 30 June 2016, having been offered a renewal in May.

For the third consecutive season, Akins scored in Burton's opening match, registering a first-half goal away at Nottingham Forest in an eventual 4–3 defeat to begin the 2016–17 season. He scored five times in 41 appearances across a season in which he was deployed as a wing-back, winger and forward, with Burton finishing 20th in their first Championship season to avoid relegation. Akins signed a two-year contract extension on 25 April 2017. and was named the club's Player of the Year in May 2018. Akins signed a three-year extension on 11 January 2019, amid reported transfer interest from other clubs, with manager Nigel Clough describing him as "one of the best signings this club has ever made". He scored a career-high 14 goals in 56 appearances during the 2018–19 season, finishing as the club's joint-top goalscorer and earning Burton's Player of the Year for a second consecutive season. He attracted transfer interest from Mansfield Town in January 2021, managed by Clough, but remained at Burton, making 49 appearances and scoring 11 goals in League One during the 2020–21 season. Having scored three goals in 23 appearances during the first half of the 2021–22 season, he submitted a transfer request in January 2022, with Burton permitting his departure in recognition of his service to the club. Akins left Burton holding the club record for Football League appearances (307) and goals (65).

Mansfield Town Akins joined League Two club Mansfield Town on a two-and-a-half-year contract on 20 January 2022 for an undisclosed fee, He made his debut two days later in a 3–1 away victory at Barrow and scored his first goal in a 2–0 victory over Crawley Town on 23 April 2022. Akins scored nine goals in 44 appearances during the 2022–23 season, and 14 goals in 49 appearances in the 2023–24 season as Mansfield earned automatic promotion, finishing third in League Two. He signed a new one-year contract on 6 June 2024 and made 39 appearances, scoring four goals, as Mansfield finished 17th in League One.

After serving six months of his 14-month sentence, Akins returned to Mansfield in October 2025, with Clough stating that he was being reintegrated into the squad and would be given time to return to playing, while acknowledging that he would remain conscious of the impact of the incident on the victim's family. He returned to competitive football later that month, making 34 appearances and scoring 10 goals during the 2025–26 season. He signed a contract extension on 19 May 2026.

International career Akins was first called up to the Grenada national team in March 2020, qualifying through his ancestry, although the matches were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He scored his first international goal in his third appearance, a 2–0 CONCACAF Nations League win over Saint Martin on 6 September 2024. Daniel's wife criticised Akins for not pleading guilty at the first opportunity, but stated she did not want him to be imprisoned. Akins was sentenced to 14 months in prison on 24 April 2025, serving seven months in custody and seven months on licence, and was also banned from driving for one year. Scottish Premier League

11!!0!!0!!0!!2!!0!!0!!0!!13!!0 Partick Thistle (loan) 2008–09 League One

77!!13!!4!!1!!2!!0!!2!!1!!85!!15

2014–15 League One

166!!32!!10!!2!!4!!2!!12!!2!!192!!38

662!!119!!26!!4!!31!!5!!29!!5!!748!!133

International

Scores and results list Grenada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Akins goal. No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition1. 6 September 2024 Kirani James Athletic Stadium, St. George's, Grenada 1–0 2–0 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League2. 9 September 2024 Kirani James Athletic Stadium, St. George's, Grenada 1–2 1–2 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League

Honours Burton Albion Football League Two: 2014–15

Mansfield Town EFL League Two third-place promotion: 2023–24

Individual Burton Albion Player of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19