Shaun Michael Cummings (born 25 February 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back. Born in England, Cummings won three caps for Jamaica at international level.
A graduate of the Academy at Chelsea, he spent time on loan at Milton Keynes Dons and West Bromwich Albion, before being sold on to Reading in September 2009. He spent six years at the club, helping them to the Championship title in the 2011–12 season and featuring in nine Premier League games the following campaign. He was sold to Millwall in January 2015 and though limited to 55 games in two-and-a-half seasons he did feature prominently in the 2016–17 FA Cup run that saw Millwall eliminate three top-flight teams. He then spent the 2017–18 season with Rotherham United and two months of the 2018–19 season with Doncaster Rovers.
Club career
Chelsea
Born in Hammersmith, London, Cummings joined Chelsea's academy as a 12-year-old in 2002 and was the Blues' leading appearance-maker at reserve team level in the 2007–08 season, playing 18 games and scoring once. In August 2008, he joined League One team Milton Keynes Dons on an initial month's loan. He made his senior debut for the Dons on 16 August, in a 1–0 win over Northampton Town at the Stadium MK. The loan was later extended until the end of the 2008–09 season. On 28 October, he was sent off for a foul on Leyton Orient's Sean Thornton. He went on to feature in 35 league and cup games for the Dons.
He joined Championship team West Bromwich Albion on a month's loan on 17 August 2009, with current "Baggies" manager – and former Dons manager – Roberto Di Matteo manager needing cover for injured right-back Gianni Zuiverloon. However he remained at The Hawthorns for just two weeks before signing for Reading on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, reuniting with his Academy manager at Chelsea, Brendan Rodgers.
Reading
Cummings made his debut for the "Royals" on 12 September 2009, in a 0–0 draw with Doncaster Rovers at the Madejski Stadium. However he was unable to hold down a regular starting place, making just seven further appearances under Rodgers. With Reading struggling in the league, Rodgers was sacked in December and under his successor, Brian McDermott, Cummings did not make another appearance for the rest of the 2009–10 season. The 2010–11 season followed a similar pattern for Cummings with Andy Griffin preferred at right-back. He made just 12 appearances during the season, but did play an important role in Reading's 3–0 play-off semi-final second leg win over Cardiff City, filling in on the right-wing and earning plaudits for his performance. He was an unused substitute at Wembley in the play-off final defeat to Swansea City, who were managed by former Reading boss Brendan Rodgers.
Cummings signed a one-year extension to his contract in August 2011, keeping him with the club until June 2013. Despite again starting the season as backup to Griffin, an injury to the experienced defender allowed Cummings into the team and a series of impressive performances saw him cement his place in the side. He made a total of 36 appearances in the 2011–12 campaign during Reading's title-winning season as they returned to the Premier League with the tightest defence in the Championship. With the signing of Chris Gunter in July 2012, Cummings again found himself out of the side for the start of the Premier League season. He returned to the team for the 3–2 League Cup win over Queens Park Rangers and played the next four games before Gunter reclaimed his place in the side. He signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract in December 2012, and a further run of games in December and January followed, before he again dropped out of the side after Stephen Kelly joined during the January transfer window. He did not appear again during the 2012–13 season under McDermott or his successor Nigel Adkins, with his last of eleven appearances coming on 5 January in the 3–1 FA Cup win over Crawley Town. He made a positive start to the 2014–15 season, playing six games in August and scoring his first goal in the 118th-game of his professional career to help secure a 2–2 draw at Wigan Athletic. However he only played 31 minutes for Reading after Steve Clarke took charge in December.