Gareth Evans (footballer, born 1981)

Gareth Evans
Personal information
Full name Gareth Joseph Evans
Date of birth (1981-02-15) 15 February 1981
Place of birth Leeds, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position Full back
Youth career
– Leeds United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2001 Leeds United 1 (0)
2001–2003 Huddersfield Town 35 (0)
2003–2006 Blackpool 45 (0)
Total 81 (0)
National team
– England U18
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Gareth Joseph Evans (born 15 February 1981)[1] is a former professional footballer who played in the Football League as a full back for Leeds United,[2] Huddersfield Town[3] and Blackpool.[4] He was forced to retire at the age of 24 because of a longstanding knee injury.[5]

Career

Evans started his career as a trainee at his hometown club Leeds United. In 1997, he was an unused substitute as a Leeds side including future internationals Jonathan Woodgate, Paul Robinson and Harry Kewell won the FA Youth Cup,[6] and he went on to be capped by England at under-18 level.[7] He made his first-team debut in the Olympic Stadium in Munich, as a substitute in a Champions League qualifier against 1860 Munich in August 2000,[8] but made only one more first-team appearance for Leeds before leaving to join Huddersfield Town on a free transfer in August 2001.[9] He assisted the Terriers in finishing in sixth place in Division Two, thus reaching the play-offs.[10] Injury kept him out for the whole of the 2002–03 season,[11][12] at the end of which he was released.[13]

After a trial with the club, Evans then signed for Blackpool, initially on a monthly contract, then on a one-year deal with an option for a further year.[14] He missed the Seasiders' victory in the 2004 Football League Trophy with a broken foot which cut short his season, but the club still took up the option on his contract.[15] Once he regained his place in the 2004–05 season, he played in a 10-match unbeaten run, but in February 2005 he sustained a knee injury which required surgery. His contract was extended for another year in May 2005,[15] but he never played again for the club, and retired from the professional game in 2006.[5] He went on to work in marketing for electronics distributor Premier Farnell.

References

  1. ↑ "Gareth Evans". leeds-fans.org. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  2. ↑ "Leeds United : 1946/47–2008/09". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  3. ↑ "Huddersfield Town : 1946/47–2008/09". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  4. ↑ "Blackpool : 1946/47–2008/09". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Blackpool defender retires". Sky Sports. 7 February 2006. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  6. ↑ Bright, Christian (16 May 1997). "Matthews secures Leeds' triumph". The Independent. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  7. ↑ Shaw, Phil (9 August 2000). "Depleted Leeds face battle for elite credibility". The Independent. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  8. ↑ Shaw, Phil (24 August 2000). "Smith swoops to put Leeds in elite company". The Independent. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  9. ↑ Marshall, Adam (9 August 2001). "Terriers Sign Leeds defender". Sky Sports. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  10. ↑ "Games played by Gareth Evans in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  11. ↑ "Evans facing surgery". Huddersfield Town F.C. 8 August 2002. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  12. ↑ Higham, Paul (15 January 2003). "Evans set for further op". Sky Sports. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  13. ↑ "Retained List". Huddersfield Town F.C. 21 May 2003. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  14. ↑ Buckingham, Mark (31 October 2003). "Evans earns Blackpool deal". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  15. 1 2 "Evans Extends Bloomfield Road Stay". Blackpool F.C. 24 May 2005. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
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