Craig Gardner

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For the American author (born 1949), see Craig Shaw Gardner.
Craig Jason Gardner
Image:Gardner, Craig.jpg
Personal information
Full name Craig Gardner
Date of birth November 25, 1986 (1986-11-25) (age 21)
Place of birth    Solihull, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position central midfielder/Right Back
Club information
Current club Aston Villa
Number 26
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2005– Aston Villa 44 (5)   
National team2
2007– England U21 06 (0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 15:37, 12 April 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 21:43, 5 February 2008 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Craig Jason Gardner (born November 25, 1986 in Solihull) is an English footballer, who plays for the English Premiership club Aston Villa as a midfielder. He grew up in the Yardley area of Birmingham, and attended Cockshut Hill Technology College.

Gardner turned professional on January 31, 2005.

Contents

[edit] Aston Villa

Gardner warming up for Aston Villa.
Gardner warming up for Aston Villa.

Before Gardner made his Premiership debut on December 26, 2005 he played for the youth team Yardley Kings before joining Aston Villa's youth system which then later took him to his debut, when he came on as a substitute for Steven Davis against Everton F.C. at Villa Park. He scored his first professional goal for Villa in the 3–1 away win on April 14 against Middlesbrough. He also netted a contender for goal of the month on the last day of the season away to Bolton Wanderers. Craig Gardner along with team mates Gabriel Agbonlahor are currently crowd favourites at Villa Park, mainly because they were all Aston Villa fans in their youth. After a series of impressive performances Villa Manager Martin O'Neil entered contract talks with Gardner.[1]

In August 2007, Gardner signed a new four year deal, which keeps him at Aston Villa until June 2011.

On 1st October 2007 he scored two goals in two games with two free-kicks. First he scored away to Tottenham Hotspur in a 4–4 draw and then the winner against West Ham 5 days later with a deflected free-kick. This is the biggest impact so far that he has made for the Aston Villa first team.

On 1 December 2007, Gardner scored the opener in a home match against Arsenal. Villa went on to lose the match 2–1.

Due to Villa's lack of defensive depth Gardner has often played in the right-back slot during the season and has impressed both his manager, Martin O'Neill, and captain, Gareth Barry, who says Gardner could be a key player for years to come.

[edit] Career Statistics

Last Updated 26/02/08

Career Statistics[2]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup European International Total
App Goals App Goals App  Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
Aston Villa 07-08 20 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 22 3
06-07 13 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 2
05-06 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Career Total 41 5 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 44 5

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Gardner ready to sign Villa deal
  2. ^ "Craig Gardner: Player Profile", Aston Villa F.C.'s official website, 2008-02-26. Retrieved on 2008-02-26. 

[edit] References

v • d • e
Aston Villa F.C. – current squad

3 Bouma • 5 Laursen • 6 Barry • 7 Young • 9 Harewood • 10 Carew • 11 Agbonlahor • 13 Taylor • 14 Delfouneso • 15 Davies • 16 Knight • 17 Salifou • 18 Routledge • 19 Petrov • 20 Reo-Coker • 26 Gardner • 27 Osbourne • 28 Maloney • 29 O'Halloran • Manager: O'Neill