Crystal Palace Wiggins was born in
Uxbridge, England. He came through the academy at
Crystal Palace, played regularly for their
reserve team, In the summer of 2006, he signed his first professional contract with the club, but his progress was disrupted when he ruptured knee ligaments in a
pre-season friendly against Palace's feeder academy,
Crystal Palace Baltimore. He needed reconstructive surgery, and was sidelined for the rest of that season. Although manager
Neil Warnock thought Wiggins' impressive performances for
Wales U21 against
England in the
European Championship qualification play-off round were not reflected on Palace's training ground, he gave him a first-team start soon afterwards, at home to
Nottingham Forest in the
Championship. His debut was marred by involvement in Forest's winning goal, but Warnock still "thought he did alright last night, first half I thought he was the only one that tackled. He's got a lot of attributes and he has got to use his strength and become a defender first and foremost." On 8 January 2009, Wiggins joined
EFL League Two club
AFC Bournemouth on a month's loan. He made his debut on 17 January, playing the whole of a 1–0 defeat against
Rotherham United. He impressed at left back, and his loan was extended to the end of the season. Against
Accrington Stanley on 14 February, he gave away what he felt was an unjust late
penalty, but the kick was missed and Bournemouth won the match 1–0. During that match, Wiggins suffered knee damage that kept him out for six weeks, but he regained the left-back position and retained it for the rest of the campaign as Bournemouth secured their Football League status with one match to play. He made 13 appearances for the side. but chose to move on in search of regular football. He had considered signing permanently for Bournemouth, but became one of several signings made by
Bryan Gunn for
Norwich City, newly relegated to
League One. By the time Wiggins completed his rehabilitation and made his first outing for Norwich's reserves,
Paul Lambert had replaced Gunn as manager. Wiggins made his first-team debut on 6 October, playing the whole of the
Football League Trophy win over
Gillingham. His next appearance, a month later, was as a substitute for established left-back
Adam Drury in an
FA Cup tie against
Paulton Rovers; but when the league programme resumed, Drury was fit and Wiggins returned to the reserves.
AFC Bournemouth Wiggins returned to AFC Bournemouth on 29 January 2010 on a 28-day emergency loan, permitted under the club's transfer embargo because so many players were injured or suspended. He started the next day's 2–1 win over
Crewe Alexandra, He played regularly at left back even after
Warren Cummings' suspension ended, and his loan was extended initially for a second month and then to 1 May. He started all 19 of Bournemouth's matches during his loan spell, and played the whole of all but the last, a 4–0 win against
Port Vale that confirmed his team as
2009–10 League Two runners-up, when he was taken off after 87 minutes. His parent club, Norwich City, were promoted to the Championship at around the same time, and Wiggins suggested he had taken more satisfaction from Bournemouth's success because he had been part of the process. Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Wiggins signed a two-year permanent contract with Bournemouth with the option of a third. He went straight into the starting eleven, and was a regular throughout the first half of the season. He scored the first goal of his senior career"flying down the left [he] took a touch to compose himself before sending a sweet shot across [the goalkeeper] from just inside the penalty area"as well as assisting the first two goals in a 3–0 home win against
Dagenham and Redbridge on 11 September. A week later, he scored again, albeit in a losing cause, away at
Oldham Athletic when his "free-kick from the touchline sailed over everyone and into the back of the net", and two weeks later, conceded a penalty that contributed to a defeat away to
Southampton. In the second half of the season, he missed matches due to minor injuries, including being bitten by a dog during training, but still finished with 40 appearances in all competitions. Manager
Lee Bradbury praised Wiggins' attitude to his work after the request was turned down, but once the season ended, Wiggins' agent claimed that he would be allowed to leave for the right price.
Charlton Athletic Despite Watford's continuing interest, and made his debut in the starting eleven for a 3–0 opening-day win against his former club Bournemouth. He established himself in the left-back position ahead of fellow newcomer
Cedric Evina. On 17 September, Wiggins scored his first goal for the club in the away win against
Rochdale. Wiggins set up two goals for
Bradley Wright-Phillips in a 4–0 win over
Hartlepool United on 29 October and one for
Danny Hollands in a win over
Preston North End a week later. He then helped the team's defence keep five
clean sheets during January 2012, and maintained his contribution to the team's defensive strength with a run of six clean sheets from mid-March to mid-April 2012, the last of which, a 1–0 win away to
Carlisle United, confirmed Charlton's promotion to the Championship. They went on to finish as
League One champions, and Wiggins was one of four Charlton players named in the
PFA League One Team of the Year. He missed just one matchrested for the penultimate fixture of the season once the title was securedso made 47 appearances in all competitions. Wiggins began the 2012–13 season as first choice, but fractured
metatarsals in his foot caused when he fell awkwardly in a match against Crystal Palace in mid-September kept him out until the reverse fixture against the same team four-and-a-half months later. He regained his left-back position for the rest of the season, set up
Jonathan Obika's stoppage-time winner against
Leeds United on 6 April, and finished the season with 20 appearances in all competitions. A few days later, Wiggins signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract, to run until 2018. He continued in the side until 15 April, when he again fractured a metatarsal and missed the last five matches of Charlton's run-in. He made 40 appearances in all competitions. but his return was short-lived as he suffered a stress fracture in his foot during the next match. He returned to the starting line-up in mid-January and lasted a month before a muscular injury forced him out. This time, he failed to regain his starting place when he returned to fitness:
Morgan Fox, who had regularly covered for him, retained the position, and Wiggins made just one more appearance, in mid-April. He made his debut in Wednesday's 4–1 League Cup win over
Mansfield Town at
Hillsborough six days later, but found his first-team opportunities limited, with
Daniel Pudil preferred at left back, and he asked to leave the club in January. By the time of his departure, Wiggins had made just nine appearances for the club. He said he hoped to redeem himself in the eyes of those supporters who had been left with "a sour taste in [their] mouths" when he left for Charlton Athletic five years before. Having joined the club to provide cover for
Charlie Daniels, Wiggins himself was plagued by fitness concerns throughout the 2015–16 season. He was an unused substitute four times but never took the field as his team retained their
Premier League status. Wiggins signed for Championship club
Birmingham City on 31 August 2016 on loan until the following January. He was carrying a hamstring injury when he arrived, and did not make his debut until 1 October, as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 win against
Blackburn Rovers. With regular left-back
Jonathan Grounds suspended, Wiggins made his second appearance, and first start, in the
Second City derby against
Aston Villa on 30 October. After what manager
Gary Rowett dubbed an "absolutely brilliant" performance, he was stretchered off in stoppage time with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. Despite several operations, the injury forced his retirement from football some 18 months later. ==International career==