Craig John Roddan (born 22 April 1993) is an English
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, rugby lea ...
who played as a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
.
Club career
Career in England
In 2007, he joined
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
academy from
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
. While at the academy, Roddan attended Maricourt Catholic School. While in the academy, Roddan revealed he play alongside then-club captain,
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and a former player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players,League One club
Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
They have played their ...
on a month-long loan, due to last until 4 January 2014. He made his football league debut on 14 December 2013, coming on as a substitute in the 72nd minute for
Paul Thirlwell
Paul Thirlwell (born 13 February 1979) is an English former professional footballer who is assistant manager at Harrogate Town. He is also a former England U21 international.
Career
Thirlwell was born in Washington, Tyne and Wear, and began hi ...
against
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
. On 2 January 2014, Roddan went back to Liverpool, following the expiry of his loan.
On 4 January 2014, it was announced Roddan had joined League Two side
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...
for an initial month loan. Unfortunately the loan was cut short before Roddan had made a first team appearance after he suffered an injury in training. Following this, Roddan was released from Liverpool at the end of the 2013–14 season.
On 7 November 2014, Roddan signed for
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...
on a short-term deal. However, he left the club on 6 January 2015 upon the expiry of his contract and made just one appearance in the FA Cup during his time at Accrington Stanley.
On 14 February 2015, Gornell signed for
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...
team Witton Albion, making his debut the same day in the 2–2 home draw against Barwell. Roddan went on to make five appearances for the club before being released on 5 January 2016.
Sligo Rovers
On 27 January 2016, Rodan moved to Ireland by signing for
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
team
Sligo Rovers
Sligo Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional association football, football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland.
The club was founded in 1928 and have been in ...
. Upon joining the club, he stated the move to Sligo Rovers was to suit his playing style.
Roddan made his Sligo Rovers debut in the opening game of the season against
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...
, but was sent-off in the 75th minute after a second bookable offence, in a 2–0 loss. After serving a two match suspension, he returned to the starting line–up, in a 1–1 draw against
Finn Harps
Finn Harps Football Club is an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their ho ...
on 19 March 2016. Roddan then captained his first match as a Sligo Rovers player and went on to draw 1–1 against
St Patrick's Athletic
St Patrick's Athletic Football Club, commonly known as Pat's or The Athletic, is a professional List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland, Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the League ...
on 8 April 2016. Since joining the club, he established himself in the starting line–up, playing in the midfield position, as well as, being the captain. However, Roddan continued to face on two occasions later in the 2016 season, including a sending off against
Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...
on 6 September 2016. Despite this, he helped Sligo Rovers finish fifth place in the league.
At the start of the 2017 season, Roddan continued to regain his first team place, playing in the midfield position, as well as, retaining his captaincy. Halfway through the season, he found himself placed on the substitute bench, due to injury sustained. But Roddan managed to regain his first team place until he was suspended on two occasions, including a sending off for a second bookable offence, in a 1–0 win against
Cork City
Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...
on 18 August 2017. Despite this, Roddan scored his first goal for Sligo Rovers, in a 3–0 win against Derry City on 21 October 2017. His contributions for the club saw them avoid relegation, finishing ninth place in the league. At the end of the 2017 season, he went on to make twenty–five appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2018 season, Roddan confirmed his stay at the club for another season. He found himself alternating between a starting and a substitute role. It was announced on 15 April 2018 that Roddan left Sligo Rovers by mutual consent. By the time he departed the club, Roddan made six appearances in the 2018 season/
Return to England
After being a free agent for over a year, Roddan returned to England and joined
Mossley
Mossley (/ˈmɒzli/) is a town and civil parish in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, in the upper River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame Valley and the foothills of the Pennines, south-east of Oldham and east of Manchester.
The town grew ...
on 13 August 2019. He went on to make six appearances before being released by the club.http://www.mossleyweb.com/PlayerProfiles201920/CraigRoddanProfile.html