Craig Gardner
Encyclopedia
Craig Gardner is an English footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Sunderland. A versatile midfielder, Gardner can play in many different positions, although central midfield is his preferred position. Gardner began his career at Aston Villa
, before switching to city rivals Birmingham City
in 2010.
, West Midlands, Gardner turned professional on 31 January 2005. Before Gardner made his Premier League debut on 26 December 2005 he played for the youth team Arden Forest. This was 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
at Villa Park
. He scored his first professional goal for Villa in the 3–1 away win on 14 April against Middlesbrough. He also netted a contender for goal of the month on the last day of the season away to Bolton Wanderers. After a series of appearances Villa Manager Martin O'Neill
entered contract talks with Gardner.
In August 2007, Gardner signed a new four year deal, which ran until June 2011. On 1 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
.
On 1 December 2007, Gardner scored the opener in a home match against Arsenal
. Villa went on to lose the match 2–1. Gardner has often played in the right-back slot, and impressed both his manager, Martin O'Neill
, and captain, Gareth Barry
, who said that Gardner could be a key player for years to come.
Gardner made just one appearance for Villa in the 2009–10 due to a groin injury. On 4 January 2010 it was announced that Birmingham City were preparing a £3.5 million bid. However it was revealed that Aston Villa had turned down the bid for the player. However, the club later offered a second deal including add-ons that was accepted by Aston Villa. He made exactly 80 appearances for Villa in all competitions.
on 26 January 2010 for a fee reported as £3m plus £500,000 in add-ons. He made his debut on 7 February as a 68th-minute substitute, and set up the first of Kevin Phillips
' goals as Birmingham came back to beat Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers
2–1. He scored his first goal for the club against Everton on 13 March. Towards the end of the season Gardner was preferred to Sebastian Larsson
on the right of midfield. Restored to his favoured central position, he scored twice in the first home game of the 2010–11 season as Birmingham came from behind to beat Blackburn Rovers 2–1, and scored again in the next game away at Bolton Wanderers. Gardner's winning goal in extra time against West Ham United
took Birmingham City through to the 2011 Football League Cup Final
. He was the club's top goalscorer in the 2010–11 season with eight League goals, ten in all competitions, as Birmingham were relegated to the Championship
.
for an undisclosed fee, believed by BBC Sport
to be about £6 million, on 30 June 2011. He made his debut for Sunderland during a pre-season friendly against York City
on 13 July. His first goal came in a pre-season friendly against Darlington. Gardner made his league debut as a substitute in Sunderland's home defeat to Newcastle on 20th August. He scored his first competitive goal in a 4-0 home win over Stoke City
as Sunderland won their first match of the season.
also played for England at youth level and turned professional with Aston Villa.
! rowspan=2|Season !! rowspan=2|Club !! rowspan=2|Division
! colspan=2|League
! colspan=2|FA Cup
! colspan=2|League Cup
! colspan=2|Europe
! colspan=2|Total
! colspan=2|Discipline>
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>
Aston Villa
Premier League
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! 59 !! 5 !! 6 !! 0 !! 3 !! 0 !! 12 !! 1 !! 80 !! 6 !! 14 !! 0>Birmingham City
Premier League
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1
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Sunderland total
7 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 8 1 2 0
! 108 !! 15 !! 10 !! 0 !! 10 !! 2 !! 12 !! 1 !! 140 !! 18 !! 27 !! 2>
Birmingham City
England
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, before switching to city rivals Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in 2010.
Aston Villa
Born in SolihullSolihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, West Midlands, Gardner turned professional on 31 January 2005. Before Gardner made his Premier League debut on 26 December 2005 he played for the youth team Arden Forest. This was 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
Steven Davis
Steven Davis is a Northern Irish association footballer who currently plays for Scottish Premier League club Rangers and the Northern Ireland national team...
against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
at Villa Park
Villa Park, England
Villa Park is an association football stadium in the district of Witton, Birmingham, England with a seating capacity of 42,786. It has been the home of Aston Villa Football Club since 1897. The team previously played at Aston Park from 1874 to 1876 and Perry Barr from 1876 to 1897...
. He scored his first professional goal for Villa in the 3–1 away win on 14 April against Middlesbrough. He also netted a contender for goal of the month on the last day of the season away to Bolton Wanderers. After a series of appearances Villa Manager Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
entered contract talks with Gardner.
In August 2007, Gardner signed a new four year deal, which ran until June 2011. On 1 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
West Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
5 days later with a deflected free-kick
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
.
On 1 December 2007, Gardner scored the opener in a home match against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. Villa went on to lose the match 2–1. Gardner has often played in the right-back slot, and impressed both his manager, Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
, and captain, Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry is an English footballer who plays for Manchester City and the England national football team.Barry moved to Aston Villa from Brighton & Hove Albion as a youngster, and spent 12 years at the club. He captained Aston Villa, and, at the end of his career with the club, lay eighth in...
, who said that Gardner could be a key player for years to come.
Gardner made just one appearance for Villa in the 2009–10 due to a groin injury. On 4 January 2010 it was announced that Birmingham City were preparing a £3.5 million bid. However it was revealed that Aston Villa had turned down the bid for the player. However, the club later offered a second deal including add-ons that was accepted by Aston Villa. He made exactly 80 appearances for Villa in all competitions.
Birmingham City
Gardner signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Birmingham CityBirmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
on 26 January 2010 for a fee reported as £3m plus £500,000 in add-ons. He made his debut on 7 February as a 68th-minute substitute, and set up the first of Kevin Phillips
Kevin Phillips (footballer)
Kevin Mark Phillips is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Blackpool.Phillips was the Premier League top scorer in the 1999–2000 season with 30 goals for Sunderland, a tally which won him the European Golden Shoe. He remains the only Englishman to win the trophy...
' goals as Birmingham came back to beat Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
2–1. He scored his first goal for the club against Everton on 13 March. Towards the end of the season Gardner was preferred to Sebastian Larsson
Sebastian Larsson
Sebastian Bengt Ulf Larsson is a Swedish footballer who plays for Premier League club Sunderland and the Sweden national team. Larsson is renowned for being a set piece specialist.-Arsenal:...
on the right of midfield. Restored to his favoured central position, he scored twice in the first home game of the 2010–11 season as Birmingham came from behind to beat Blackburn Rovers 2–1, and scored again in the next game away at Bolton Wanderers. Gardner's winning goal in extra time against West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
took Birmingham City through to the 2011 Football League Cup Final
2011 Football League Cup Final
The 2011 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2010–11 Football League Cup, the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and the Football League. The match was contested by Arsenal and Birmingham City, at Wembley Stadium in...
. He was the club's top goalscorer in the 2010–11 season with eight League goals, ten in all competitions, as Birmingham were relegated to the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
.
Sunderland
Gardner signed a three-year deal with SunderlandSunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
for an undisclosed fee, believed by BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
to be about £6 million, on 30 June 2011. He made his debut for Sunderland during a pre-season friendly against York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
on 13 July. His first goal came in a pre-season friendly against Darlington. Gardner made his league debut as a substitute in Sunderland's home defeat to Newcastle on 20th August. He scored his first competitive goal in a 4-0 home win over Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
as Sunderland won their first match of the season.
Personal life
Gardner said he was a lifelong Birmingham City supporter. He had previously claimed (while playing for Aston Villa) to have been a Villa fan since childhood. His younger brother Gary GardnerGary Gardner
Gary Gardner is an English footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Coventry City on loan from Aston Villa. An attacking centre midfielder, he is yet to make a first team league appearance for Aston Villa but has made numerous international appearances at different international levels for...
also played for England at youth level and turned professional with Aston Villa.
Career statistics
! colspan=2|League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
! colspan=2|FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
! colspan=2|League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
! colspan=2|Europe
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
! colspan=2|Total
! colspan=2|Discipline>
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
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Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
| 13
> 4
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...
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2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League is the twentieth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2011–12 fixtures were announced on 17 June 2011 at 9:00 BST. The season began on 13 August 2011 and is due to end on 13 May 2012...
>
> 2
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! 108 !! 15 !! 10 !! 0 !! 10 !! 2 !! 12 !! 1 !! 140 !! 18 !! 27 !! 2>
Honours
Aston Villa- FA Youth CupFA Youth CupThe Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
: runner-up 2003–04
Birmingham City
- Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
: winner 20112011 Football League Cup FinalThe 2011 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2010–11 Football League Cup, the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and the Football League. The match was contested by Arsenal and Birmingham City, at Wembley Stadium in...
England
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: runner-up 2009