Gareth Charles Evans (born 26 April 1988) is an English 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

Radcliffe Radcliffe or Radcliff may refer to: Places * Radcliffe Line, a border between India and Pakistan United Kingdom * Radcliffe, Greater Manchester ** Radcliffe Tower, the remains of a medieval manor house in the town ** Radcliffe tram stop * ...

. He can also play as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

and at

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 ...

. Evans began his career as a youth player with both

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

and

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...

. He went professional in 2006, but struggled to break into the Crewe first team and went on loans to

Leigh RMI Leigh Genesis Football Club, formerly known as Horwich Railway Mechanics Institute F.C. (Horwich RMI) and Leigh Railway Mechanics Institute F.C. (Leigh RMI), is an English amateur association football club that currently plays in the South Lancas ...

in 2006, and Alsager Town in 2007, then moved to his hometown club,

Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially kno ...

in that same year. He signed for

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

in 2009, before he left them to sign for Yorkshire rivals

Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...

in June 2011. Evans joined Fleetwood Town on the opening day of the 2013 January transfer window following his departure from Rotherham. Evans signed for Portsmouth FC on 28 July 2015.

Career

Crewe Alexandra

Born in

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

, Evans started his career with

as part of the youth setup. Despite being touted as a future star by

Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...

he decided to re-join

under

Dario Gradi Dario Gradi, MBE (born 8 July 1941) is an Italian-English former amateur football player, coach and manager. He was associated for more than 36 years with Crewe Alexandra, where he was variously manager, director of football and director of t ...

due to their excellent record for mentoring youth players. He had previously been with Crewe from the age of seven before joining Manchester United where he stayed until 14 years of age. Due to the relegation of Crewe in 2005–06 season and the judgement of the new Manager, Steve Holland, Evans was released by the club.

Macclesfield Town

After leaving Crewe, Evans played in the PFA exit trials and joined

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

under

Martin Foyle Martin John Foyle (born 2 May 1963) is an English former professional footballer and manager who is the Head of Recruitment at club St Mirren. In his 20-year playing career he played 533 League games, scoring 155 goals. As a manager, he took ...

. He scored and impressed in pre-season for them and went on the pre-season tour, but as Foyle had already signed several players that summer, no budget was available for younger inexperienced players. As a result, however, he was recommended to Ian Brightwell at

so that he could gain experience of league football. Evans signed for the

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 Lea ...

side during the 2007–08 season. He was given the number 26 jersey. Still just 20, he became a first team regular scoring twelve goals and with a number of assists including a goal at West Ham in the League Cup. His energy and work rate made him a big hit with the Macclesfield fans.

Bradford City

On 1 July 2009,

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

signed Evans from Macclesfield for an undisclosed fee believed to be £30,000. He made his debut on the opening day of the season, coming on as a second-half substitute against eventual league winners

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...

. He scored his first Bradford goal in a 5–4 away win to

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

. In November during a 1–1 home draw against

Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...

, Evans missed a last minute penalty, that hit a fan in the lower tier of the stand behind the goal, knocking them to the ground. He finished his first season with the Bantams with 11 goals, including two braces in wins against

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

and

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

. The first goal in the match against Northampton was nominated for Mitre Goal of the Year and finished in the top 10. His finished his second season with three goals, coming in wins against

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...

and

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

. He was released by Bradford at the end of the season, and signed for

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

neighbours and

rivals

on 3 June 2011.

Rotherham United

He scored two goals on his debut for the Millers against

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, as Rotherham won 4–1. He scored again in two home wins against Gillingham and

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Forest ...

, and then in successive away draws against

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 ...

and Northampton. He returned to face former club Bradford for the first time in November, however he was injured after just 12 minutes and had to be substituted. On 28 April 2012, he scored a penalty in a 2–2 draw against

Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spring ...

. His first two goals of the following season came against former club Bradford on 1 September 2012.

Fleetwood Town

On 1 January 2013, Evans moved to League Two side

Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...

on a free transfer. He scored his first goal for the club on 23 March, in a 2–1 win against Dagenham & Redbridge.

Portsmouth

On 28 July 2015, Evans completed a move to League Two side Portsmouth on a one-year deal. In his first season, Evans was a regular choice as the right-winger in

Paul Cook Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He was also called "Cookie" by his friends on the punk music scene. Early life and career Cook was raised in Hammersmith and atte ...

's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation; playing as a more traditional wide-player than Kyle Bennett on the opposite flank, hugging the touchline, getting crosses into the box and seeking to provide a goalscoring threat. Evans managed to scored 10 League goals as he racked up 48 appearances in all competitions. Despite a summer overhaul by the manager, during which Carl Baker was brought in to challenge for Evans' spot, and the resurgence of Kal Naismith, Evans remained a key member of the Portsmouth squad in the 2016/17 promotion campaign. Though the midfielder missed pre-season with an injury sustained in the previous campaign's playoff semi-final, upon his return Evans quickly established himself in the first-team in a new position: at right-back. Evans successfully kept natural right-back and summer signing Drew Talbot on the bench throughout the season, as Portsmouth claimed promotion via the League Two Championship, making more than 40 appearances across all competitions and establishing himself as the team's first-choice penalty taker. On 18 May 2017 Evans signed a new 2-year contract at Portsmouth, keeping him at the club until 2019. During the 2018–2019 season, Evans primarily has started as a

under manager

Kenny Jackett Kenneth Francis Jackett (born 5 January 1962) is a former professional football player and manager, who is currently Director of Football at club Gillingham. A skilful left-footed player, able to play in defence or midfield, Jackett was cappe ...

, playing behind wingers

Jamal Lowe Jamal Akua Lowe (born 21 July 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Queens Park Rangers on loan from Premier League club AFC Bournemouth and the Jamaican national team. Lowe was born in England and ...

and

Ronan Curtis Ronan Curtis (born 29 March 1996) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a left-winger for the Republic of Ireland national team. Curtis started his career with Derry City in 2015, spending four seasons there and amassing 100 appear ...

. In the 2017-18 league one season, Evans played vice-captain role to

Brett Pitman Brett Douglas Pitman (born 31 January 1988) is a footballer who plays as a forward for AFC Portchester. He has spent most of his career at AFC Bournemouth in two separate spells, totalling 102 goals in 301 games. After starting his career on ...

. In the 2018–19 season, with the inconsistent form of Pitman, Evans has become the squads' first-choice captain. On the 25 September 2020, Evans left Portsmouth by mutual consent, after spending 5 seasons at the club, appearing 173 times, (more than any other Portsmouth player since

Linvoy Primus Linvoy Stephen Primus MBE (born 14 September 1973) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in Forest Gate, England, to Caribbean-born parents, Primus began his professional career at Charlton Athletic, wh ...

in 2009), and netting 32 goals.

Return to Bradford City

Not long after leaving Portsmouth, on 25 September 2020, Evans returned to

on a free transfer after he left Portsmouth by mutual consent, signing a two-year contract. Evans departed the club upon the expiration of this contract, at the end of the 2021–22 season.

Radcliffe

On 10 September 2022, Evans signed for

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...

Premier Division club

Career statistics

Honours

Club

Rotherham United *

Football 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 Lea ...

runner-up: 2012–13 Fleetwood Town *

Football League Two play-offs The EFL League Two play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from fourth to seventh in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are part of the annual Engli ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Portsmouth *

EFL 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 Lea ...

: 2016–17 *

EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...

: 2018–19 *EFL League One Player of the Month November 201
Evans Wins PFA Award

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Gareth 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Macclesfield English footballers Association football forwards Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Leigh Genesis F.C. players Alsager Town F.C. players Macclesfield Town F.C. players Bradford City A.F.C. players Rotherham United F.C. players Fleetwood Town F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Radcliffe F.C. players English Football League players