David Edwards (footballer, born 1986)

Born in Pontesbury, Shropshire,[2] Edwards started as an apprentice at his hometown club, Shrewsbury Town,[4] 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 on 3 May 2003,[5] as Shrewsbury were relegated from the Football League.[6]

Shrewsbury secured an instant promotion back to the Football League in 2003–04,[7] though Edwards did not play a large role, making just 16 appearances.[8] 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.

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 by then-manager Gary Peters, despite playing an important role in their run to the final.[9] Shrewsbury lost the match 3–1 at Wembley Stadium and missed out on promotion to League One.[10]

On 26 June 2007, Edwards signed for Luton Town on a three-year contract.[11] As he was under 24, Shrewsbury commanded a compensation fee to cover his youth development. The eventual fee was agreed at a tribunal, but clubs reported differing figures; Luton claiming it was £250,000,[12] with Shrewsbury reporting £250,000 as the initial payment, plus a further £150,000 based on appearances.[13][14] He made his debut on the opening day of 2007–08, starting in Luton's 2–1 home win over Hartlepool United.[15] Edwards scored his first goal for Luton with the equaliser in a 2–1 away defeat to Swindon Town a week later.[16]

Edwards made 19 league appearances for Luton Town in League One and scored four goals.[16] 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.[17] He became linked with Championship teams Watford and Nottingham Forest after a strong performance in an FA Cup third round match at home to Liverpool.[18] Luton accepted a £675,000 offer from Wolverhampton Wanderers.[19]

Edwards playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2014

On 14 January 2008, Edwards signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers.[20] Five days after signing, Edwards made a goalscoring debut for the club in a 2–0 win away to Scunthorpe United.[21] 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.[22][23] Following the conclusion of the season, Edwards signed a new three-year contract with the club.[24]

The midfielder became a regular in the team after promotion, and contributed the winning goal against Fulham in the first home win of the season on 20 September 2009.[25] He suffered ankle ligament damage that December which kept him out for four months,[26] but he recovered to make five appearances in the closing months as the club retained their top-flight status.[27] 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,[28] and made 12 appearances, scoring once in a 2–1 victory at home to Manchester City,[29] where he scored past his former Shrewsbury teammate, and lodger, Joe Hart.[30]

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,[31] and after returning to first-team action, suffered a broken foot in the reverse fixture.[32] Edwards remained with the club after they suffered a second consecutive relegation,[33] scoring nine goals as the team won promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt as League One champions.[34][35] On 13 June 2014, Edwards signed a new two-year contract with the club.[36]

On 8 August 2015, he scored the winning goal in Wolves' first game of the 2015–16 season away to Blackburn Rovers, finishing Nouha Dicko's cross with his hand.[37] Manager Kenny Jackett said after the game that the goal was scored by Edwards' hand, albeit not deliberately.[37] Five days later, he signed a one-year contract extension to last until 2017.[38] On 23 January 2016, Edwards broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot during a 1–1 draw away to Queens Park Rangers,[39] ruling him out for three months.[40] 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.[41]

On 26 August 2017, Edwards signed for fellow Championship club Reading on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee,[42] reported by the Express & Star as £1 million.[43] 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.[44] Edwards scored his first goal for Reading on 26 September in a 2–1 defeat away to Millwall.[45] 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.[46][47]

Edwards re-signed for League One club Shrewsbury Town on 7 January 2019 on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[48] Four days later he made his second debut in a 3–0 home loss to Charlton Athletic, replacing Oliver Norburn for the final 12 minutes.[49] In his next game on 9 February, he was shown a straight red card for a foul on Chris Lines in a 1–1 draw at Bristol Rovers.[50] Shrewsbury unsuccessfully appealed the dismissal.[51] His season ended in April after six games with an ankle injury in training, and manager Sam Ricketts said that Edwards would improve following a pre-season.[52]

On 12 May 2021 it was announced that he would leave Shrewsbury at the end of the season, following the expiry of his contract.[53]

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.[54] 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.

As of end of 2020–21 season

Edwards playing for Wales in 2008

Wales score listed first, score column indicates score after each Edwards goal.[81]

List of international goals scored by David Edwards

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	11 October 2008	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	8	Liechtenstein	1–0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification	[58]
2	6 June 2009	Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan	14	Azerbaijan	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification	[59]
3	14 November 2009	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	18	Scotland	1–0	3–0	Friendly	[60]