David Edwards: 2011/2012 Biography & Statistics

Shrewsbury Town

Born in Shrewsbury, Edwards started as an apprentice at his hometown club, Shrewsbury Town and made his debut on the final match of 2002'03 season, coming on as a substitute in a 2'1 defeat at home to Scunthorpe United on 3 May as the Shrews were relegated from The Football League.

He did not play a large role in Shrewsbury's promotion-winning campaign from the Football Conference, but did enjoy a run of games in the second half of the season. Upon the club's return to the Football League, he became first choice, 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. The Shrews went on to lose 3'1 and missed out on promotion to League One.

Luton Town

On 26 June 2007, Edwards signed for Luton Town on a three-year deal. 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, with Shrewsbury reporting £250,000 as the initial payment, plus a further £150,000 based on appearances.

Edwards made 19 league appearances for Luton Town in League One. 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.He became linked with Championship sides Watford and Nottingham Forest after some good performances in the FA Cup tie against Liverpool. Luton accepted a £675,000 offer from Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 16 January, he signed a two and a half year deal.

Wolves

Two days after signing, Edwards made a goalscoring debut for Wolves on 18 January, in a 2'0 win at Scunthorpe United, the club he had faced in his Shrewsbury debut. 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.

Edwards became a regular in the team after promotion, with a string of good performances including the winning goal against Fulham. He suffered ankle ligament damage in December 2009 which kept him out for four months, but he recovered to make a handful of appearances in the closing months as the club retained their top flight survival. Edwards' contribution to Wolves in the 2010-11 season was severely hampered by injuries. He did however, make 12 appearances, scoring once, in a 2-1 victory against Manchester City, where ironically he scored past his former Shrewsbury team-mate, and lodger, Joe Hart.

He is contracted to the club until Summer 2014.

International career

Despite his English birthplace, Edwards chose to represent Wales at international level, qualifying through his Welsh father.

Edwards 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. He made his full international debut on 17 November 2007 against the Republic of Ireland as a substitute in a 2'2 Euro 2008 qualifier.

On 10 October 2008, Edwards scored the opening goal in a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein, and against Azerbaijan on 6 June 2009.[13] He ended the campaign with two goals. Following Wales' disappointing qualifying campaign, he was called up again for the 14 November friendly against Scotland, a 3'0 win, and opened the scoring with a close-range finish from Aaron Ramsey's assist.