Joseph Robert Edwards (born 31 October 1990) 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 for and captains side
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
, as a
full-back or
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 ...
.
Edwards began his career with
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
and then
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
, where he rose through the youth ranks to graduate from the club's academy. He made his professional debut for the club in February 2011 following a loan spell at
Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
side
Bath City
Bath City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset FA and currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club have ...
. He was again loaned out in the
2011–12 season to
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...
and
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
. Following a second loan spell with Yeovil in the
2012–13 season, he joined the club permanently in January 2013. He helped the club reach the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
for the first time in their history, but suffered relegation after just one season. He was appointed
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
for the
2014–15 season, but the club were relegated for the second season in succession. Following their relegation to
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 ...
, he 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
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
. Edwards went on to spend three seasons at Walsall, a spell which came to an end following his release and the Saddlers' relegation in 2019.
Career
Bristol City
Born in
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
, Edwards progressed through
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
academy from the age of ten, having spent the three years prior with
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
. Naturally a
full-back who could play on both the left or right, Edwards was awarded his first professional deal by the club in April 2009, and signed a 12-month contract extension with the club in May 2010.
Bath City loan
After what teammate
Cole Skuse
Cole Skuse (born 29 March 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Colchester United.
He started his footballing career at Bristol City, where he graduated from the club's academy and went on to make over 300 ...
described as a "fantastic pre-season" for Edwards, the club sent Edwards out on loan to
Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
side
Bath City
Bath City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset FA and currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club have ...
in September 2010. He made his debut for the club on 18 September in Bath's 2–2 draw with
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
before being replaced after 75 minutes by Hector Mackie. After making four appearances, his loan was extended for a further month in October. He made his first
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
appearance in the third qualifying round as Bath were knocked out by
Swindon Supermarine
Swindon Supermarine Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in South Marston, near Swindon, England. The club plays in the and is affiliated to the Wiltshire Football Association. The club plays at Webbswood Stadium on the nor ...
in a 4–3 home defeat.
After making nine league appearances for Bath,
Edwards returned to Bristol City in November after Conference emergency loan regulations ruled out an extension.
Return to Bristol City
An injury crisis meant that City
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
Keith Millen
Keith Derek Millen (born 26 September 1966) is an English football manager and former player who played as a centre back. He was most recently manager of Carlisle United.
Millen was appointed as Steve Coppell's successor, after Coppell chose to ...
needed to draft Edwards onto the substitutes bench for a number of games during January and February 2011. On 5 February, Edwards was brought on during a 4–0 away win over
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
in the 88th minute to make his professional debut. Following a further injury crisis, Millen decided to give Edwards his full debut in the final
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
game of the season, a home tie with
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
on 7 May. He played the full 90 minutes in the 3–0 win. After making his full debut, Edwards signed a new one-year contract extension with the club.
Stockport County loan
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...
signed Edwards in a one-month emergency loan deal on 28 September 2011. He made his debut in County's 2–1 home defeat to
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
on 1 October. He made eleven appearances for Stockport through to 1 January 2012 after having his loan deal extended.
Yeovil Town loan
![Gary Johnson (footballer)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Gary_Johnson_%28footballer%29.jpg)
Immediately after his Stockport loan, Edwards became
Gary Johnson
Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...
's first signing on 12 January 2012 since his return to the club. He scored on his debut for the club with his first professional goal, scoring from the edge of the area to level scores at 1–1 in a 2–1 home 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 ...
on 14 January. In the match, Edwards was utilised in a role higher up the pitch than his usual full-back role for the first time in a competitive game. After playing four
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 ...
games for Yeovil, Edwards returned to Bristol City after picking up an injury, but Johnson hoped the club would be able to re-sign him once he had recovered fully.
Second return to Bristol City
Once recovered, Edwards made the bench on numerous occasions for City before making his third league outing for the club. He was introduced as a 78th-minute substitute for
Hogan Ephraim
Hogan Phillip Ephraim (born 31 March 1988) is an English footballer who last played for National League South Whitehawk. He is a graduate of the West Ham United Academy, a former England Under-19 international, and made over 100 appearances for ...
during a 1–1 draw at
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
after
Ryan McGivern
Ryan McGivern (born 8 January 1990) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays for NIFL Championship club Newry City. He can play as a left-back or a central defender, and has represented Northern Ireland in international football.
He began his ...
was
sent off
In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
two minutes earlier. He then made his second and what would be final start for City on 28 April in their trip to face
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
. His first start in almost one year, Edwards played the full 90 minutes in the 1–1 draw. Edwards was again offered a one-year contract extension by the club in May 2012, which he finally signed in June.
Second Yeovil Town loan
Edwards joined Yeovil Town for a second loan spell on 21 September 2012, signing for an initial month. This came after manager Gary Johnson had ruled out a move for Edwards in August 2012, remarking that "we have got our cover for that position". He was brought on as a substitute for Sam Foley in Yeovil's 1–0 home defeat by
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
the following day. He received the first red card of his career on 13 October in Yeovil's 3–2 defeat at
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 ...
after collecting two yellow cards for clumsy fouls. He scored his first goal of the season on 10 November as Yeovil beat
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...
1–0 at
Huish Park
Huish Park is a football stadium located in Yeovil, Somerset, England. The stadium has been home to Yeovil Town F.C. since its completion in 1990, following their relocation from Huish. Huish Park has a capacity of 9,565 (of which two stands ...
. Having made 15 loan appearances for Yeovil and with the end of his loan edging closer, Edwards announced that he "would be happy to come back" to the club in January. Having been utilised across the defence and in the centre of
midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...
, Edwards' loan ended following the 4–1 win over
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic ...
on 22 December after making 16 League One appearances and one appearance in the
Football League 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 Leag ...
.
Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
signed Edwards from
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
for an undisclosed fee on 17 January 2013, where he signed an eighteen-month contract. The transfer fee offered by Yeovil was "five-figures". Edwards said that he was "delighted to sign at an exciting time for the club".
2012–13 season
Edwards made what was his third debut for the club on 29 January 2013, as a
Paddy Madden
Patrick Stephen Madden (born 4 March 1990) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Stockport County.
Club career Bohemians
Madden signed league forms with Bohemians on 8 July 2008, and scored several times for the ...
double sealed a 2–1 win over
Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
. He scored his second goal of the season on 20 April with a goal after 51 seconds in a 1–0 win over
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 helped Yeovil reach the
play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
at the end of the season, where they lost 1–0 to
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
at
Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United.
The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...
, but overcame the Blades 2–0 at
Huish Park
Huish Park is a football stadium located in Yeovil, Somerset, England. The stadium has been home to Yeovil Town F.C. since its completion in 1990, following their relocation from Huish. Huish Park has a capacity of 9,565 (of which two stands ...
on 6 May to send them into the
play-off final
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
. Edwards played start-to-finish in the game as his side beat
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
2–1 to earn promotion to the second tier of English football for the first time in Yeovil Town's history.
At the end of the season, having spent most of his time since his permanent move as a central midfielder, Edwards admitted that "I didn't know if it was the right move or if stepping down a division was going to help me, but it couldn't have worked out any better", after his former club were relegated to
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 ...
while Yeovil stepped up to the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
.
2013–14 season
Ahead of Yeovil's maiden season in the Championship, Edwards hoped that he could hold down a regular starting role in his new-found central midfield position. He began the season at full-back but returned to his now more familiar central midfield role towards the end of August 2013, before signing a new contract that would see him remain with the club until the summer of 2015. Edwards scored his only goal of the season in the dying moments of only his side's third win of the season on 30 November when they beat
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
3–0 at
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road is a stadium in Watford, England, and is the home stadium of championship club Watford. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 22,200.
History
It has been the home of Watford since 1922, when the club moved from Cassi ...
. He also provided an assist in the game. Despite suffering relegation back to League One at the end of the season, Edwards notched 50 appearances across the season for Yeovil.
He was awarded the
Western Gazette
The ''Western Gazette'' is a regional newspaper, published every Thursday in Yeovil, Somerset, England.
In 2012, Local World acquired owners Northcliffe Media from Daily Mail and General Trust. Trinity Mirror took control of Local World in ...
and the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust 'Player of the Season' award for the
2013–14 campaign.
2014–15 season
Despite having suffered relegation just days earlier, Edwards revealed his excitement at the prospect of the league fixtures against his former club Bristol City in the
2014–15 season.
Following the departure of
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Jamie McAllister
James Reynolds McAllister (born 26 April 1978 in Glasgow) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player, who is currently an assistant manager at Hibernian. McAllister played as a defender. McAllister played for Queen of the Sou ...
and vice-captain
Byron Webster
Byron Clark Webster (born 31 March 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Bromley.
Early and personal life
Webster was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire and raised in Sherburn in Elmet, North Yorkshire. He was e ...
, Edwards hoped to be named Yeovil's latest club captain after leading the team out for their pre-season friendly 1–1 draw with
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and 2–0 win over
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
. He was then revealed as club captain on 8 August ahead of their season opening game with
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
. With the club struggling for league form, an FA Cup run to the third round produced a dream tie for Edwards as Yeovil were drawn against
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 ...
at Huish Park.
Yeovil put in a valiant display, but lost 2–0 to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
side, with Edwards captaining the club and playing for the full match.
Following the cup tie with Manchester United, Edwards wanted to see his side transfer the performance they put in against the Premier League club into their own relegation battle. He described the 2–0 defeat by saying "we're massively disappointed but extremely proud of everyone... we tried our hardest". During the January 2015 transfer window, Edwards was linked with a move away from Huish Park, with Championship sides
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
and
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 ...
, and his boyhood club Bristol City all reportedly interested, with his contract set to expire in the summer. Manager Gary Johnson said "I can understand the interest but there's certainly no contact with our club".
With the club bottom of League One, Gary Johnson was dismissed as manager, and with
Terry Skiverton
Terence John Skiverton (born 26 June 1975) is an English former footballer who enjoyed a long playing career at Yeovil Town for 11 years, appearing 382 times in all competitions, before becoming their manager and subsequently, assistant manager ...
replacing Johnson, Edwards said that the players were backing the new management team. Edwards suffered an ankle injury during Yeovil's 1–0 defeat at
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 ...
on 10 February, requiring to be replaced at half-time. It was the first time that he had missed a
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
game in one-and-a-half seasons. After missing six matches, Edwards returned for the 3–0 defeat at
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 ...
on 14 March, before suffering another injury blow during a 2–0 defeat to
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
at the
Colchester Community Stadium
Colchester Community Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as the JobServe Community Stadium, is a football stadium in Colchester, England. It is the home of Colchester United Football Club. It has a capacity of 10,105 and opened in August 200 ...
three days later. He returned to action with Yeovil already relegated to
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 ...
and a new manager in the shape of
Paul Sturrock
Paul Whitehead Sturrock (born 10 October 1956) is a Scottish former association football, football coach and former player.
As a player, Sturrock spent his entire senior career with Dundee United, making more than five hundred appearances betwe ...
on 25 April as a half-time substitute in their 2–1 home defeat by
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 ...
.
Edwards admitted that he was not sure if he would remain with Yeovil following their relegation, with ambitions to play at the highest level possible. He started in the final game of the season on 3 May as his side were thrashed 5–1 against League One runners-up
Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
.
Days after the final game of the campaign, Edwards had held initial talks with the club over his contract, but decided to move on, leaving the club having made 132 appearances in all competitions including his previous loan spells.
Colchester United
On leaving
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
, Edwards was once more linked with a move to his boyhood club
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
on the back of their promotion to the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
, and then in July 2015, he teamed up with former manager
Gary Johnson
Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...
at
Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
in a bid to maintain his fitness. On 6 July, it was announced that
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
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
had signed Edwards on a free transfer, joining on a one-year contract with the option of a further year. He made his debut for the club on 8 August in Colchester's 2–2 home draw with
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 ...
.
In his 30th appearance for Colchester, Edwards scored his first goal for the club on 13 February 2016. His 64th-minute half-volleyed effort reduced Colchester's deficit in their 4–1 home defeat by
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
. He was shown a red card in Colchester's 3–0 home defeat to
Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
on 23 April for a challenge on
Matt Palmer, a result which saw Edwards experience his third successive relegation as Colchester were relegated to League Two. Edwards' red card was later rescinded on 26 April. After scoring two goals in 45 games for Colchester,
the club announced that Edwards would not be offered a new contract for the
2016–17 season following their relegation to League Two.
Walsall
He signed for
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
in June 2016. He had his most prolific season for the Saddlers in
2017–18, when he scored 7 goals in 30 league games, and earned a new contract at the club.
Edwards was released by Walsall at the end of the 2018–19 season, following the club's relegation to
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 ...
.
Plymouth Argyle
In June 2019 it was announced that he would sign for
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
on the expiry of his contract, who similar to Walsall had been relegated into
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 ...
. He was named as the club's Player of the Season for 2020–21.
Personal life
Edwards' father is from the
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
area, with his family originally from North Wales. He is a
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 ...
fan, with both his parents also fans of the club.
In July 2012, Edwards was banned from driving for 20 months and received a
£900 fine for
drink driving
Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash.
In the United States, alcohol is i ...
in June 2012, eleven days after signing a contract extension with
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
. He was found to a breath alcohol reading more than twice the legal limit. He pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates Court and said his actions left him "ashamed and embarrassed".
Career statistics
Honours
Yeovil Town
*
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
Football League One play-off final winner
Individual
*
Plymouth Argyle Player of the Season:
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*
Walsall Player of the Season:
2017–18
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Joe
1990 births
Living people
English footballers
English people of Welsh descent
Footballers from Gloucester
Association football fullbacks
Association football midfielders
Aston Villa F.C. players
Bristol City F.C. players
Bath City F.C. players
Stockport County F.C. players
Yeovil Town F.C. players
Colchester United F.C. players
Walsall F.C. players
Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Alumni of the University of Salford