Gareth Richard Sheldon (born 31 January 1980) is a former professional

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 ...

, who last played for

Midland Football Combination The Midland Football Combination was an English football league covering parts of the West Midlands. It comprised five divisions, a Premier Division, Divisions One and Two and two Reserves Divisions. The league was one of three official feeder le ...

Division Two side Polesworth, where he played as a striker.

Playing career

Exeter City

On 22 May 2002, Sheldon signed a two-year deal with Third Division side

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

Kidderminster Harriers

Sheldon's career at Exeter had alerted the attentions of

Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed ...

manager

Stuart Watkiss Stuart Watkiss (born 8 May 1966) is an English football coach and former professional player who is the assistant coach of Indian Super League club Jamshedpur. As a player, he was a defender and notably played in the Football League with Wolv ...

following the club's relegation to the Conference, and on 13 July 2005 they moved to sign him on a free transfer. The move failed to bring out the best in Sheldon, and following a disappointing season and the dismissal of Watkiss, he was released from his contract on 23 June 2006, having made 34 appearances and scored two goals.

Hereford United

He was picked up on the free transfer the same day by newly promoted

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Le ...

side

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...

. However, Sheldon was unable to secure a regular first-team place. He made eight league appearances for the club, scoring once against

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and y ...

, and his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 27 February 2007.

Tamworth

On 16 May 2007, Sheldon signed for Tamworth of the

Conference North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sys ...

division for the 2007–08 season. Playing in an advanced left-sided midfield position, he won player-of-the-year honours in an under-achieving side. Towards the end of the season, he was played in a central attacking position and his success here was carried over into Tamworth's encouraging start to the 2008–09 season.

Bolehall Swifts

Following his recovery from his long-term injury, Sheldon joined former Adders manager Daren Fulford at his new club Bolehall Swifts.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheldon, Gareth 1980 births Living people English men's footballers Scunthorpe United F.C. players Exeter City F.C. players Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players Hereford United F.C. players Halesowen Town F.C. players Tamworth F.C. players King's Lynn F.C. players Atherstone Town F.C. players Bolehall Swifts F.C. players Bardon Hill F.C. players England men's semi-pro international footballers Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands Men's association football forwards East Midlands Counties Football League players English Football League players