Leigh Andrew Bedwell (born 8 January 1994) 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 played for

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 ...

between 2012 and 2014 as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

. After leaving Swindon Town, Bedwell dropped into non-league football with

Banbury United Banbury United Football Club is a football club based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Spencer Stadium. History The club was established in 1931 as Spencer Sports Club, a works team of the Sp ...

and Didcot Town, for whom he signed in June 2015.

Career

Bedwell joined

as a child, making his way through the youth ranks with the

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

club. Bedwell was given a first team squad number at the age of seventeen – when still a part of the youth set-up – acting as back-up to deputy Phil Smith, when first-choice keeper

Mattia Lanzano Mattia Lanzano (born 4 July 1990) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. Club career Early career Lanzano began his professional career with Piacenza Calcio, but doesn't make an appearance for the ''Biancorossi'' duri ...

and third-choice Mark Scott were both injured at the start of the 2011–12 season. The arrival of

Wes Foderingham Wesley Andrew Foderingham (born 14 January 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Sheffield United. He is a former England U19 international. Foderingham was with Fulham and Crystal Palace as a young p ...

prevented Bedwell from keeping his place in the starting sixteen but at the end of the season – though Smith, Lanzano and Scott were all released – Bedwell was offered his first professional contract, and he signed a one-year deal. Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Bedwell was given number 30 shirt. On 2 September 2012 Bedwell made his first team debut for Swindon in the 4–1 loss at

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 ...

. With Swindon losing 2–0 early into the game, Town manager

Paolo Di Canio Paolo Di Canio (born 9 July 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made over 500 league appearances and scored over one hundred goals as a forward. He primarily played as a deep-lying forward, ...

decided to substitute first-choice goalkeeper

for the rookie Bedwell. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Bedwell's contract was extended for a further season. Bedwell was loaned out to

in September 2013 to gain first-team experience. After making thirteen appearances, Bedwell returned on loan. In late April, Bedwell rejoined

Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane. Worcester City's ...

on loan for the second time this season. Bedwell was among ten players to be released by Swindon Town on 2 May 2014. After his release by Swindon Town, Bedwell rejoined

on a permanent deal and was an ever-present in the side. However, following Banbury's relegation from the Southern Premier Division in 2015, he joined

Southern League Division One South & West The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English foot ...

side Didcot Town in June 2015.

Career statistics

References

Living people People from Wantage English footballers Swindon Town F.C. players Banbury United F.C. players Worcester City F.C. players Didcot Town F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players National League (English football) players 1994 births Association football goalkeepers {{England-footy-forward-1990s-stub