James Hardy (footballer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Hardy
Personal information
Full name James Paul Hardy[1]
Date of birth (1996-05-11) 11 May 1996 (age 25)
Place of birth Stockport, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Chester
Number 7
Youth career
2005–2011 Oldham Athletic
2012–2015 Manchester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2019 AFC Fylde 91 (16)
2019 → FC Halifax Town (loan) 6 (0)
2019–2020 Walsall 11 (1)
2020–2021 AFC Telford United 17 (1)
2021 Altrincham 11 (1)
2021– Chester 0 (0)
National team
2016–2019 England C 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:54, 15 June 2021 (UTC)

James Paul Hardy (born 11 May 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chester.[2]

Club career[]

Born in Stockport, Hardy signed for Oldham Athletic as a nine-year-old and spent six years with the club before being released in 2011. Following his release, Hardy was offered a trial by boyhood club Manchester City and signed a contract with the club in May 2012.[3]

Hardy joined AFC Fylde in October 2015 and quickly became one of the brightest prospects in non-league football.[4] He scored eight goals to help Fylde to the National League North title in 2016–17[5] but faced injury problems throughout the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons, limiting his game time.[4][5] A hernia injury ruled Hardy out for four months in the 2018–19 season. On his return he joined FC Halifax Town on loan for a month in February 2019.[6] Hardy played six times for the Shaymen before returning to Fylde.[7] In total Hardy made 91 league appearances for Fylde, scoring 16 goals.[5]

Hardy signed for Walsall in June 2019 after his contract expired at Fylde.[8] He scored a late equaliser on his professional debut in a 1–1 draw against Forest Green on 10 August 2019.[9]

He was released by the club at the end of the 2019–20 season,[10] and signed for AFC Telford United in August 2020.[11] On 20 February 2021, Hardy left the club by mutual consent.[12]

On 22 February 2021, Hardy signed for National League side Altrincham.[13]

On 15 June 2021, Hardy joined Chester on a one-year deal.[14]

International career[]

Hardy made his England C debut in November 2016, providing the assists for both goals in a 2–1 win against Estonia U23s.[15]

He was awarded FA England C Player of the Year at the National Game Awards in May 2019[16] and earned five caps in total before entering the professional game.

References[]

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Walsall" (PDF). English Football League. p. 74. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  2. ^ James Hardy at Soccerbase
  3. ^ "James Hardy: In Development". Man City. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Massive summer facing Hardy says Fylde boss Challinor". Blackpool Gazette. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b c James Hardy at Soccerway. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  6. ^ "James Hardy joins Halifax Town on loan". AFC Fylde. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Hardy returns to Fylde". AFC Fylde. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Walsall: Liam Kinsella signs new deal, James Hardy joins from AFC Fylde". BBC Sport. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  9. ^ "Walsall 1–1 Forest Green Rovers". BBC Sport. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Club Statement: Released & Retained List". www.saddlers.co.uk.
  11. ^ Cox, Lewis. "AFC Telford United complete statement signing of former Walsall attacker James Hardy". www.shropshirestar.com.
  12. ^ "James Hardy". AFC Telford United. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Laurels for Hardy! Phil praises new signing James". Altrincham FC. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Chester FC Sign James Hardy!". www.chesterfc.com. 15 June 2021.
  15. ^ "FC client James Hardy makes England C debut". Full Contact. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Buildbase National Game Awards: The FA England C Player of the Year – James Hardy". Non-League Paper. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
Retrieved from ""