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David Alexander Edwards (born 3 February 1986) is a
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...
who plays as a
midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for Cymru Premier club Bala Town. Edwards began his career at hometown club Shrewsbury Town, making his professional debut in 2003. After three full seasons with the team in League Two he moved to Luton Town of League One in July 2007. Due to Luton's financial situation he moved the following January to
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club' ...
for a fee believed to be £675,000. Edwards was part of the Wolves teams that won the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
in 2009 and League One in 2013, and also played three seasons with the club in the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
. He totalled 307 games and 44 goals for the club before transferring to
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spell ...
in August 2017. In January 2019, he returned to Shrewsbury and after being released went part-time to join Bala Town in the Cymru Premier. He was
capped In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...
by the Welsh national team 43 times from 2007 to 2017, scoring three goals. Edwards represented the nation at
UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
, in which Wales reached the semi-finals.


Club career


Shrewsbury Town

Born in
Pontesbury Pontesbury is a village and civil parish in Shropshire and is approximately eight miles southwest of Shrewsbury. In the 2011 census, the village had a population of 1,873 and the parish had a population of 3,227. The village of Minsterley is ju ...
, Shropshire, Edwards started as an apprentice at his hometown club,
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
, and made his professional debut in the final match of 2002–03 season as an 83rd-minute substitute for Jamie Tolley in a 2–1 defeat at home to
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The te ...
on 3 May 2003, as Shrewsbury were relegated from the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
. Shrewsbury secured an instant promotion back to the Football League in 2003–04, though Edwards did not play a large role, making just 16 appearances. Upon the club's return to the Football League, Edwards became a regular first-team player, a role he retained for three successive seasons at
Gay Meadow Gay Meadow was the home ground of Shrewsbury Town football club in Shropshire, England. Just outside the town centre, on the banks of the River Severn, it opened in 1910. The ground closed at the end of the 2006-07 Football League season and t ...
. Towards the end of the 2006–07 season, Edwards was the subject of transfer speculation, after rejecting an offered extension to his Shrewsbury contract. He was then controversially left out of the play-off final against
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...
by then-manager
Gary Peters Gary Charles Peters Sr. (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representa ...
, despite playing an important role in their run to the final. Shrewsbury lost the match 3–1 at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
and missed out on promotion to
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
.


Luton Town

On 26 June 2007, Edwards signed for Luton Town on a three-year contract. As he was under 24, Shrewsbury commanded a compensation fee to cover his youth development. The eventual fee was agreed at a
tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...
, but clubs reported differing figures; Luton claiming it was £250,000, with Shrewsbury reporting £250,000 as the initial payment, plus a further £150,000 based on appearances. He made his debut on the opening day of 2007–08, starting in Luton's 2–1 home win over
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...
. Edwards scored his first goal for Luton with the equaliser in a 2–1 away defeat to
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
a week later. Edwards made 19 league appearances for Luton Town in League One and scored four goals. However, the club was struggling financially and were only able to pay their players' weekly wages twice in three months, hence a 10-point deduction. He became linked with
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
teams
Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
and Nottingham Forest after a strong performance in an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
third round match at home to
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
. Luton accepted a £675,000 offer from
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club' ...
.


Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 14 January 2008, Edwards signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Five days after signing, Edwards made a goalscoring debut for the club in a 2–0 win away to Scunthorpe United. However, injuries kept him from playing a regular role in the remainder of the season. He returned fit for the following season, but found new signing David Jones often preferred alongside captain Karl Henry in central midfield; however, Edwards still started half the season's games as they won promotion to the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
. Following the conclusion of the season, Edwards signed a new three-year contract with the club. The midfielder became a regular in the team after promotion, and contributed the winning goal against
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswor ...
in the first home win of the season on 20 September 2009. He suffered ankle ligament damage that December which kept him out for four months, but he recovered to make five appearances in the closing months as the club retained their top-flight status. Edwards' contribution to Wolves in the 2010–11 season was severely hampered by injuries. He signed a new three-year contract with the club, including an option of a one-year extension, and made 12 appearances, scoring once in a 2–1 victory at home to
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, where he scored past his former Shrewsbury teammate, and lodger,
Joe Hart Charles Joseph John Hart (born 19 April 1987) known professionally simply as Joe Hart is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Celtic. He began his career at his hometown club Shrewsbury T ...
. Edwards suffered two injury setbacks during the 2012–13 season, when he firstly tore his hamstring in December in a 4–1 win away to
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
, and after returning to first-team action, suffered a broken foot in the reverse fixture. Edwards remained with the club after they suffered a second consecutive relegation, scoring nine goals as the team won promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt as League One champions. On 13 June 2014, Edwards signed a new two-year contract with the club. On 8 August 2015, he scored the winning goal in Wolves' first game of the 2015–16 season away to
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
, finishing Nouha Dicko's cross with his hand. Manager
Kenny Jackett Kenneth Francis Jackett (born 5 January 1962) is a former professional football player and manager, who is currently Director of Football at club Gillingham. A skilful left-footed player, able to play in defence or midfield, Jackett was cappe ...
said after the game that the goal was scored by Edwards' hand, albeit not deliberately. Five days later, he signed a one-year contract extension to last until 2017. On 23 January 2016, Edwards broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot during a 1–1 draw away to
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
, ruling him out for three months. He returned to first-team football on 5 April as a 92nd-minute substitute for Joe Mason in a 2–1 win away to
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
.


Reading

On 26 August 2017, Edwards signed for fellow Championship club
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spell ...
on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee, reported by the ''
Express & Star The ''Express & Star'' is a regional evening newspaper in Britain. Founded in 1889, it is based in Wolverhampton, England, and covers the West Midlands county and Staffordshire. Currently edited by Martin Wright, the ''Express & Star'' publish ...
'' as £1 million. He made his debut as a 63rd-minute substitute for Liam Kelly in a 1–0 defeat at home to Bristol City on 9 September. Edwards scored his first goal for Reading on 26 September in a 2–1 defeat away to
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
. On 3 April 2018 he was sent off for the first time in his 539-game career, after half an hour of a 3–0 loss at
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, ...
.


Return to Shrewsbury Town

Edwards re-signed for League One club Shrewsbury Town on 7 January 2019 on a two-and-a-half-year contract. Four days later he made his second debut in a 3–0 home loss to
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
, replacing Oliver Norburn for the final 12 minutes. In his next game on 9 February, he was shown a straight red card for a foul on
Chris Lines Christopher John Lines (born 30 November 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Bath City. Lines turned professional at Bristol Rovers, and made his first team debut in January 2006. He played in the ...
in a 1–1 draw at Bristol Rovers. Shrewsbury unsuccessfully appealed the dismissal. His season ended in April after six games with an ankle injury in training, and manager
Sam Ricketts Samuel Derek Ricketts (born 11 October 1981) is a professional football coach and former player. As a player, his favoured position was at full back, where he was able to play either side as well as being able to operate at the centre of def ...
said that Edwards would improve following a pre-season. On 12 May 2021 it was announced that he would leave Shrewsbury at the end of the season, following the expiry of his contract.


Bala Town

Following his release from Shrewsbury, Edwards expressed a desire to drop into part-time football. On 10 June 2021, he signed for Cymru Premier side Bala Town. Edwards made a flying start to his Bala Town career, notching 4 goals in his first 6 Cymru Premier matches and establishing himself as a key player for the Lakesiders.


International career

Edwards qualifies for Wales through his father from
Welshpool Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...
. He had previously played for the Wales U17 and U19 teams making his U21 debut against
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
on 16 May 2006. He had been selected for the under-21 squad for an earlier friendly against
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
on 28 February 2006, but missed the match through injury. His first experience with the senior team was under
John Toshack John Benjamin Toshack (born 22 March 1949) is a Welsh former professional football player and manager. He began his playing career as a teenager with his hometown club Cardiff City, becoming the youngest player to make an appearance for the ...
on 12 September 2007, remaining an unused substitute against
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
. He made his full international debut on 17 November against the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...
at the
Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national r ...
as a 37th-minute substitute for
Carl Robinson Carl Robinson (born 13 October 1976) is a retired Welsh international footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is currently the assistant coach for Major League Soccer club D.C. United. Club career Wolverhampton Wanderers Robinson s ...
in a 2–2 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match. On 10 October 2008, Edwards scored the opening goal in a 2010 World Cup qualifier against
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German language, German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constit ...
, and against
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
on 6 June 2009. He ended the campaign with two goals. Following Wales' disappointing qualifying campaign, he was called up again for 14 November 2009 friendly against Scotland, a 3–0 win, and opened the scoring with a volley from
Aaron Ramsey Aaron James Ramsey (born 26 December 1990) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Nice and the Wales national team. Ramsey mainly plays as a box-to-box midfielder, but has also been deployed on the left ...
's assist in the 16th minute. He retired from international football on 15 March 2018.


Personal life

Edwards attended Pontesbury's
Mary Webb School and Science College Mary Webb School and Science College is a coeducational secondary school located in Pontesbury, Shropshire, England. Founded in 1957, it was originally titled Pontesbury Secondary Modern School. In 1977, following the abolition of the tripartit ...
and shared a house with
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
international Joe Hart during their days at Shrewsbury Town. Edwards still resides in Pontesbury with his wife Emma and their two children. In 2015, Edwards and a friend opened a children's indoor soft play centre in
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
called Little Rascals. In 2017, Edwards launched his charity, The Little Rascals Foundation, aiming to help children with disabilities. The charity launch event, hosted by Jacqui Oatley with guest speaker
Kit Symons Christopher Jerry "Kit" Symons (born 8 March 1971) is a professional association football manager and former Welsh international footballer. As a professional player, he had lengthy spells at Portsmouth, Manchester City and Fulham as well as ea ...
, in the absence of
Wales national football team ) , Association = Football Association of Wales (FAW) , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , Coach = Rob Page , Captain = Gareth Bale , Most caps = Gareth Bale (111) , Top scorer = Garet ...
manager Chris Coleman, was held at the New Meadow, the home of Edwards' hometown club Shrewsbury Town, and raised just under £13,000. He was the first active professional footballer to endorse the Offside Trust, founded after the reveal of the United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal in 2016. Edwards wrote an autobiography, ''Living My Dream'', which was released in December 2017. All proceeds went to his foundation. In December 2021 Edwards, with his ex
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
teammates Sam Aiston and Gavin Cowan, launched the podcast, In The Stiffs.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Wales score listed first, score column indicates score after each Edwards goal.''


Honours

Shrewsbury Town *
Football Conference The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...
play-offs:
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
Wolverhampton Wanderers *
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
: 2008–09 *
Football League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
: 2013–14


References


External links


Profile
at the Shrewsbury Town F.C. website {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, David 1986 births Living people People from Pontesbury Sportspeople from Shropshire English footballers Welsh footballers Wales youth international footballers Wales under-21 international footballers Wales international footballers Association football midfielders Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Luton Town F.C. players Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Reading F.C. players Bala Town F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Premier League players UEFA Euro 2016 players English people of Welsh descent Cymru Premier players