Edwards began his career at hometown club Shrewsbury Town, making his professional debut in 2003. After three full seasons with the team in League Two he moved to Luton Town of League One in July 2007. Due to Luton's financial situation he moved the following January to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee believed to be £675,000. Edwards was part of the Wolves teams that won the Championship in 2009 and League One in 2013, and also played three seasons with the club in the Premier League. He totalled 307 games and 44 goals for the club before transferring to Reading in August 2017. In January 2019, he returned to Shrewsbury and after being released went part-time to join Bala Town in the Cymru Premier.
He was capped by the Welsh national team 43 times from 2007 to 2017, scoring three goals. Edwards represented the nation at UEFA Euro 2016, in which Wales reached the semi-finals.
Shrewsbury secured an instant promotion back to the Football League in 2003–04,[7] though Edwards did not play a large role, making just 16 appearances.[8] Upon the club's return to the Football League, Edwards became a regular first-team player, a role he retained for three successive seasons at Gay Meadow.
Towards the end of the 2006–07 season, Edwards was the subject of transfer speculation, after rejecting an offered extension to his Shrewsbury contract. He was then controversially left out of the play-off final against Bristol Rovers by then-manager Gary Peters, despite playing an important role in their run to the final.[9] Shrewsbury lost the match 3–1 at Wembley Stadium and missed out on promotion to League One.[10]
Luton Town
On 26 June 2007, Edwards signed for Luton Town on a three-year contract.[11] As he was under 24, Shrewsbury commanded a compensation fee to cover his youth development. The eventual fee was agreed at a tribunal, but clubs reported differing figures; Luton claiming it was £250,000,[12] with Shrewsbury reporting £250,000 as the initial payment, plus a further £150,000 based on appearances.[13][14] He made his debut on the opening day of 2007–08, starting in Luton's 2–1 home win over Hartlepool United.[15] Edwards scored his first goal for Luton with the equaliser in a 2–1 away defeat to Swindon Town a week later.[16]
Edwards made 19 league appearances for Luton Town in League One and scored four goals.[16] However, the club was struggling financially and were only able to pay their players' weekly wages twice in three months, hence a 10-point deduction.[17] He became linked with Championship teams Watford and Nottingham Forest after a strong performance in an FA Cup third round match at home to Liverpool.[18] Luton accepted a £675,000 offer from Wolverhampton Wanderers.[19]
On 14 January 2008, Edwards signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers.[20] Five days after signing, Edwards made a goalscoring debut for the club in a 2–0 win away to Scunthorpe United.[21] However, injuries kept him from playing a regular role in the remainder of the season. He returned fit for the following season, but found new signing David Jones often preferred alongside captain Karl Henry in central midfield; however, Edwards still started half the season's games as they won promotion to the Premier League.[22][23] Following the conclusion of the season, Edwards signed a new three-year contract with the club.[24]
The midfielder became a regular in the team after promotion, and contributed the winning goal against Fulham in the first home win of the season on 20 September 2009.[25] He suffered ankle ligament damage that December which kept him out for four months,[26] but he recovered to make five appearances in the closing months as the club retained their top-flight status.[27] Edwards' contribution to Wolves in the 2010–11 season was severely hampered by injuries. He signed a new three-year contract with the club, including an option of a one-year extension,[28] and made 12 appearances, scoring once in a 2–1 victory at home to Manchester City,[29] where he scored past his former Shrewsbury teammate, and lodger, Joe Hart.[30]
Edwards suffered two injury setbacks during the 2012–13 season, when he firstly tore his hamstring in December in a 4–1 win away to Bristol City,[31] and after returning to first-team action, suffered a broken foot in the reverse fixture.[32] Edwards remained with the club after they suffered a second consecutive relegation,[33] scoring nine goals as the team won promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt as League One champions.[34][35] On 13 June 2014, Edwards signed a new two-year contract with the club.[36]
On 8 August 2015, he scored the winning goal in Wolves' first game of the 2015–16 season away to Blackburn Rovers, finishing Nouha Dicko's cross with his hand.[37] Manager Kenny Jackett said after the game that the goal was scored by Edwards' hand, albeit not deliberately.[37] Five days later, he signed a one-year contract extension to last until 2017.[38] On 23 January 2016, Edwards broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot during a 1–1 draw away to Queens Park Rangers,[39] ruling him out for three months.[40] He returned to first-team football on 5 April as a 92nd-minute substitute for Joe Mason in a 2–1 win away to Milton Keynes Dons.[41]
Reading
On 26 August 2017, Edwards signed for fellow Championship club Reading on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee,[42] reported by the Express & Star as £1million.[43] He made his debut as a 63rd-minute substitute for Liam Kelly in a 1–0 defeat at home to Bristol City on 9 September.[44] Edwards scored his first goal for Reading on 26 September in a 2–1 defeat away to Millwall.[45] On 3 April 2018 he was sent off for the first time in his 539-game career, after half an hour of a 3–0 loss at Aston Villa.[46][47]
Return to Shrewsbury Town
Edwards re-signed for League One club Shrewsbury Town on 7 January 2019 on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[48] Four days later he made his second debut in a 3–0 home loss to Charlton Athletic, replacing Oliver Norburn for the final 12 minutes.[49] In his next game on 9 February, he was shown a straight red card for a foul on Chris Lines in a 1–1 draw at Bristol Rovers.[50] Shrewsbury unsuccessfully appealed the dismissal.[51] His season ended in April after six games with an ankle injury in training, and manager Sam Ricketts said that Edwards would improve following a pre-season.[52]
On 12 May 2021 it was announced that he would leave Shrewsbury at the end of the season, following the expiry of his contract.[53]
Bala Town
Following his release from Shrewsbury, Edwards expressed a desire to drop into part-time football. On 10 June 2021, he signed for Cymru Premier side Bala Town.[54] Edwards made a flying start to his Bala Town career, notching 4 goals in his first 6 Cymru Premier matches and establishing himself as a key player for the Lakesiders. Edwards left Bala Town after two years.[55]
Edwards qualifies for Wales through his father from Welshpool.[56] He had previously played for the Wales U17 and U19 teams making his U21 debut against Cyprus on 16 May 2006. He had been selected for the under-21 squad for an earlier friendly against Northern Ireland on 28 February 2006, but missed the match through injury.
On 10 October 2008, Edwards scored the opening goal in a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein,[59] and against Azerbaijan on 6 June 2009.[60] He ended the campaign with two goals. Following Wales' disappointing qualifying campaign, he was called up again for 14 November 2009 friendly against Scotland, a 3–0 win, and opened the scoring with a volley from Aaron Ramsey's assist in the 16th minute.[61]
He retired from international football on 15 March 2018.[62]
Personal life
Edwards attended Pontesbury's Mary Webb School and Science College[4] and shared a house with England international Joe Hart during their days at Shrewsbury Town.[63] Edwards still resides in Pontesbury with his wife Emma and their two children.[64]
In 2015, Edwards and a friend opened a children's indoor soft play centre in Shrewsbury called Little Rascals.[65] In 2017, Edwards launched his charity, The Little Rascals Foundation, aiming to help children with disabilities. The charity launch event, hosted by Jacqui Oatley with guest speaker Kit Symons, in the absence of Wales national football team manager Chris Coleman, was held at the New Meadow, the home of Edwards' hometown club Shrewsbury Town, and raised just under £13,000.[66] He was the first active professional footballer to endorse the Offside Trust, founded after the reveal of the United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal in 2016.[67]
Edwards wrote an autobiography, Living My Dream, which was released in December 2017. All proceeds went to his foundation.[68]
Samuel Derek Ricketts is a professional football coach and former player.
Sylvan Augustus Ebanks-Blake is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Asa Philip Hall is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Southern League club Tiverton Town.
Robert Owen Edwards is a professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back and is the manager of EFL Championship club Luton Town. Born in England to Welsh parents, he represented Wales internationally.
Leon Marvin Clarke is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Akenhaton Carlos Edwards CM is a Trinidadian former professional footballer who plays as a winger or right-back for Hadleigh United.
Juliou Scott Golbourne is an English former footballer who played as a defender.
Kevin Patrick Foley is a professional football coach and former player who is currently a transition coach for Luton Town.
Elliott Bennett is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Midland League Premier Division club Shifnal Town. He is the elder brother of footballer Kyle Bennett.
David Lowell Davis is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for National League North club Kidderminster Harriers.
James Steven Collins is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Derby County. Starting his career at Aston Villa, he did not break through to the first team and has since represented a number of teams in the English Football League and the Scottish Premiership.
Connor Lambert Goldson is an English professional footballer who plays for Aris Limassol. His preferred position is at centre-back, although he has also been utilised at right-back, and as a central midfielder.
Jordan Charles Clark is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Luton Town.
Ethan Reid Ebanks-Landell is a professional footballer who plays as a defender and captains National League club Rochdale.
Bradley Paul Walker is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL League Two club Tranmere Rovers.
Jack Alexander Price, is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Shrewsbury Town.
The 2013–14 season was Shrewsbury's second consecutive season back in League One after achieving a 16th-placed finish the previous season. Veteran manager Graham Turner resigned following six consecutive home defeats in January 2014, and was replaced by former player and coach Michael Jackson who could not prevent subsequent relegation to League Two.
The 2016–17 season was Shrewsbury Town's 131st year in existence and their second consecutive season in League One after finishing in 20th place the previous season.
Niall Nathan Michael Ennis is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Stoke City.
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