Gwion Dafydd Rhys Edwards (born 1 March 1993) is a Welsh 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 le ...

who plays as a winger for club

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

. He is a former Wales Under-21 international. Edwards joined the

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...

academy in 2007, having previously spent three years at

Aberystwyth Town Aberystwyth Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-Droed Tref Aberystwyth) is a Welsh semi-professional Association football, football team, currently playing in the Cymru Premier, the top tier of football in Wales. They are the only top flight men ...

. He spent seven years at Swansea, having graduated from the club's academy. During his time at Swansea he spent two spells out on loan at Scottish side

St Johnstone St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...

and one with English side

Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team co ...

, before joining the later permanently in 2014. He spent two years at Crawley before joining

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...

in 2016, where he spent two seasons. In 2018, Edwards signed for

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

. He has represented Wales at youth level, winning caps at U19 and U21 levels. He has been called up to the senior Wales squad in 2014 and 2018.

Club career

Swansea City

After spells with clubs including Aberystwyth Town and Cardiff City, Edwards joined Swansea City Football Club as an U15. Rising up through the Swansea youth system, Edwards signed his first professional contract, a 3-year deal, with Swansea City after a successful 2010–11 season. He went on to help Swansea win the

FAW Welsh Youth Cup The FAW Welsh Youth Cup is a competition contested by teams affiliated to the Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; cy, Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the Governing bodies of sports in Wales, governing body o ...

and was a permanent fixture in Swansea Reserve team, winning Reserve Team Player of the Year in 2011–12. On 9 May 2012, Edwards signed a new three-year contract with Swansea, keeping him at the club until June 2015. He featured on the bench for the first team on 13 May 2012, in a 1–0 win over

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

at the

Liberty Stadium The Swansea.com Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Swansea.com; formerly Liberty Stadium) is an all-seated sports stadium and conferencing venue located in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium opened in 2005 and was named the Liberty Stadium. It ...

. He was called by Swansea manager

Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Leicester City. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed un ...

to be subbed on during stoppage time but did not make it onto the field due to the ball not going out of play before the final whistle.

St Johnstone (loans)

On 31 January 2013, Edwards moved to

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football' ...

side

on loan for the remainder of the 2012–13 season. He made his professional debut by coming off the bench in the 72nd minute in a 2–0 defeat to St Mirren in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,SPL SPL may refer to: Association football * Saudi Professional League * Scottish Premier League * SportPesa Premier League, Kenya * Singapore Premier League * RoboCup Standard Platform League, matches between autonomous robots Computing Program ...

debut by coming off the bench in a 1–1 draw with

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

on 19 February. Edwards made a return to St Johnstone in July 2013, joining on loan until January 2014. Edwards made his Europa League debut in St Johnstone's 1–0 victory away vs Rosenborg on 18 July 2013 coming on in the 66th minute. In the third round of the second leg of the Europa League against

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

, Edwards was among two players to see their penalty successfully converted, which Minsk won, eliminating St Johnstone from the competition. Edwards then scored his first professional goal in a 3–0 win for St Johnstone against

Hamilton Academical Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish association football, football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire who currently compete in the Scottish Championshi ...

in the

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

. By the end of his second loan spell with St Johnstone, Edwards had made a total of 24 appearances in all competitions, scoring 1 goal.

Crawley Town

On 27 March 2014, Edwards joined

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 ...

side

on a one-month loan. On 15 April 2014, Edwards enjoyed a goalscoring-debut for Crawley as a 76th-minute substitute in their 2–0 win against

Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adop ...

. In his second appearance, Edwards scored again for Crawley in their 2–1 victory against

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...

. After impressing Crawley manager John Gregory, Edwards' loan was extended to the end of the 2013–14 season. On 11 July 2014, Edwards signed for

on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee. Edwards' first game after signing for the club on a permanent basis came in the opening game of the season, as Crawley Town beat

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

1–0. He went on to make 93 appearances in all competitions over three seasons at the

Broadfield Stadium The Broadfield Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Crawley, England. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Crawley Town F.C. The stadium has a capacity of 6,134 people, and is owned by Crawley Borough Counc ...

, scoring 15 goals.

Peterborough United

On 24 June 2016, Edwards joined League One side

on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He scored the winner on his debut in a 3–2 win over

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

on 6 August 2016. He won the club's goal of the season award for the 2016–17 season for an individual effort in a 2–0 win over

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 C ...

on 17 December. Edwards made 74 appearances for Peterborough during two seasons at the club, scoring 16 goals,

Ipswich Town

On 17 July 2018, he signed a two-year deal (plus an option for a further year) with

, for a reported fee of £700,000. Edwards scored his first goal for the club on his debut in a 2–2 draw with

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. T ...

Portman Road Portman Road is a football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly internatio ...

, on the opening day of the season. Edwards went on to score 6 goals in 34 appearances in his debut season at

, including scoring in the

East Anglian Derby The East Anglian derby is a sobriquet used to describe football matches held between Norwich City and Ipswich Town, the only fully professional football clubs in the neighbouring East Anglian counties of Norfolk and Suffolk respectively. In rece ...

at Portman Road on 2 September 2018. He scored his first goal of the 2019–20 season on 24 August, netting the second goal in a 0–5 away win against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

at the

University of Bolton Stadium The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England. Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming righ ...

. He featured regularly throughout the season, often filling in at

right wing-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

and

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

due to an injury to

Kane Vincent-Young Kane Vincent-Young (born 15 March 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Wycombe Wanderers. He can play on the left or right side of defence. Vincent-Young progressed through the Academy at Tottenham Hotspur, s ...

. On 18 May 2020, Ipswich took up the one-year option in his contract, extending his stay at the club until 2021. Edwards scored in the opening game of the 2020–21 season, scoring the second goal in a 2–0 home win over

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

. He continued his goal scoring form throughout September and October, scoring 5 goals in the opening 6 games of the season, including a brace in a 4–1 away win over

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

on 10 October. With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, Ipswich reportedly entered negotiations to extend Edwards's deal, but were unable to come to an agreement and he left the club.

Wigan Athletic

On 10 June 2021, Edwards completed a move to

, signing a two-year deal with the club. He scored on his debut for Wigan in a 2–1 defeat at

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

on 7 August 2021. Edwards was loaned to Scottish club Ross County in January 2023. He was released by Wigan at the end of the 2022–23 season.

Morecambe

On 3 January 2024, Edwards signed for

on a contract until the end of the 2023-2024 season. On 17 May 2024, Edwards signed a new two-year deal with the option for a further year.

International career

Edwards has won 2 caps for the Wales under-19 team, featuring in matches against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

in 2011. In September 2012, he made his Wales under-21 debut in a 5–0 defeat by the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. He scored his first international goal for the Wales under-21 team on 19 May 2014, in a 3–1 loss to

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 b ...

at the

. Edwards won 6 caps for Wales' under-21 side between 2012 and 2014, scoring 1 goal. He received his first senior international call up in October 2014, being called into the

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

senior squad for the Euro-2016 qualifying matches versus

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

and

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 geo ...

. He was an unused substitute in both matches. On 12 October 2018, Edwards was called up by Wales manager

Ryan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; 29 November 1973) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Giggs played his List of one-club men in association football, entir ...

for the squad to face 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. A ...

in the

2018–19 UEFA Nations League The 2018–19 UEFA Nations League was the inaugural season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. The league phase of the competition ...

four days later. He was an unused substitute as Wales emerged 1–0 winners in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Career statistics

Honours

Wigan Athletic *

EFL 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 ...

: 2021–22 Individual *

Goal of the Season: 2016–17

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Gwion 1993 births Living people Sportspeople from Ceredigion Welsh men's footballers Men's association football wingers Wales men's youth international footballers Wales men's under-21 international footballers Swansea City A.F.C. players St Johnstone F.C. players Crawley Town F.C. players Peterborough United F.C. players Ipswich Town F.C. players Wigan Athletic F.C. players Ross County F.C. players Morecambe F.C. players Scottish Premier League players Scottish Professional Football League players English Football League players