James Hardy (footballer)

James Paul Hardy (born 11 May 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Buxton.[2]

James Hardy
Personal information
Full name James Paul Hardy[1]
Date of birth (1996-05-11) 11 May 1996
Place of birth Stockport, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Ashton United
(on loan from Macclesfield)
Youth career
2005–2011 Oldham Athletic
2012–2015 Manchester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2019 AFC Fylde 91 (16)
2019 → FC Halifax Town (loan) 6 (0)
2019–2020 Walsall 11 (1)
2020–2021 AFC Telford United 17 (1)
2021 Altrincham 11 (1)
2021–2022 Chester 10 (2)
2022 → Buxton (loan) 5 (0)
2022–2023 Buxton 6 (0)
2022–2023 → Macclesfield (loan) 8 (1)
2023– Macclesfield 15 (1)
2023– → Ashton United (loan) 0 (0)
International career
2016–2019 England C 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:16, 26 September 2023 (UTC)

Club career

Born in Stockport, Hardy signed for Oldham Athletic as a nine-year-old and spent six years with the club before being released in 2011. Following his release, Hardy was offered a trial by boyhood club Manchester City and signed a contract with the club in May 2012.[3]

Hardy joined AFC Fylde in October 2015 and quickly became one of the brightest prospects in non-league football.[4] He scored eight goals to help Fylde to the National League North title in 2016–17[5] but faced injury problems throughout the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons, limiting his game time.[4][5] A hernia injury ruled Hardy out for four months in the 2018–19 season. On his return he joined FC Halifax Town on loan for a month in February 2019.[6] Hardy played six times for the Shaymen before returning to Fylde.[7] In total Hardy made 91 league appearances for Fylde, scoring 16 goals.[5]

Hardy signed for Walsall in June 2019 after his contract expired at Fylde.[8] He scored a late equaliser on his professional debut in a 1–1 draw against Forest Green on 10 August 2019.[9]

He was released by the club at the end of the 2019–20 season,[10] and signed for AFC Telford United in August 2020.[11] On 20 February 2021, Hardy left the club by mutual consent.[12]

On 22 February 2021, Hardy signed for National League side Altrincham.[13]

On 15 June 2021, Hardy joined Chester on a one-year deal.[14]

On 18 March 2022, Hardy joined Northern Premier League Premier Division side Buxton on loan for the remainder of the 2021–22 season.[15] On 19 June 2022, Hardy joined the club on a permanent basis following their promotion.[16]

In October 2022, Hardy joined Northern Premier League Division One West club Macclesfield on an initial one-month loan deal.[17] This was later extended until the 8 January,[18] becoming permanent upon the end of this extension.[19] During his time at the club he was a part of the squad that won the 2022–23 Division One West title.[20] In September 2023, he joined Ashton United on an initial one-month loan deal.[21]

International career

Hardy made his England C debut in November 2016, providing the assists for both goals in a 2–1 win against Estonia U23s.[22]

He was awarded FA England C Player of the Year at the National Game Awards in May 2019[23] and earned five caps in total before entering the professional game.

References
  1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Walsall" (PDF). English Football League. p. 74. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  2. James Hardy at Soccerbase
  3. "James Hardy: In Development". Man City. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  4. "Massive summer facing Hardy says Fylde boss Challinor". Blackpool Gazette. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  5. James Hardy at Soccerway. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  6. "James Hardy joins Halifax Town on loan". AFC Fylde. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  7. "Hardy returns to Fylde". AFC Fylde. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  8. "Walsall: Liam Kinsella signs new deal, James Hardy joins from AFC Fylde". BBC Sport. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  9. "Walsall 1–1 Forest Green Rovers". BBC Sport. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  10. "Club Statement: Released & Retained List". www.saddlers.co.uk.
  11. Cox, Lewis. "AFC Telford United complete statement signing of former Walsall attacker James Hardy". www.shropshirestar.com.
  12. "James Hardy". AFC Telford United. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  13. "Laurels for Hardy! Phil praises new signing James". Altrincham FC. 22 February 2021. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  14. "Chester FC Sign James Hardy!". www.chesterfc.com. 15 June 2021.
  15. @Buxton_FC (18 March 2022). "Hardy is a Buck" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. Buxton F.C. [@Buxton_FC] (19 June 2022). "Hardy signs for 2022/23 🖊💙 The Bucks are pleased to announce James Hardy has signed for the Bucks ahead of our first season in the @TheVanaramaNL North following his loan spell last season ⚽️ All Buxton Aren't We 💥💪🏻 #UptheBucks #TeamBuxton" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 June 2022 – via Twitter.
  17. "National League Midfielder Joins Silkmen On Loan". www.thenpl.co.uk. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  18. Buxton F.C. [@Buxton_FC] (25 November 2022). "📰⚽️ | 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 Also confirmation that James Hardy's loan with @thesilkmen has been extended to 8th January. All the best, James! 👍🏻⚽️ #UpTheBucks | #TeamBuxton" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 September 2023 – via Twitter.
  19. Macclesfield F.C. [@thesilkmen] (23 December 2022). "✍️ | Macclesfield FC are delighted to confirm that attacking midfielder James Hardy will become a permanent addition to our squad once his loan period from Buxton expires. Full story and interview ➡️ bit.ly/3FPLo0a" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 September 2023 – via Twitter.
  20. "NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE – WEST DIVISION CHAMPIONS". macclesfieldfc.com. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  21. "JAMES HARDY DEPARTS ON LOAN". macclesfieldfc.com. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  22. "FC client James Hardy makes England C debut". Full Contact. 15 November 2016. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  23. "Buildbase National Game Awards: The FA England C Player of the Year – James Hardy". Non-League Paper. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
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