James Hardy (footballer)

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

James Hardy
Personal information
Full name James Paul Hardy[1]
Date of birth (1996-05-11) 11 May 1996
Place of birth Stockport, England
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Walsall
Number 17
Youth career
2005–2011 Oldham Athletic
2012–2015 Manchester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2019 A.F.C. Fylde 91 (16)
2019 → F.C. Halifax Town (loan) 6 (0)
2019– Walsall 11 (1)
National team
2016–2019 England C 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:51, 29 December 2019 (UTC)

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 A.F.C. 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 F.C. 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]

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.[10]

He was awarded FA England C Player of the Year at the National Game Awards in May 2019[11] 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. "Massive summer facing Hardy says Fylde boss Challinor". Blackpool Gazette. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  5. James Hardy at Soccerway. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  6. "James Hardy joins Halifax Town on loan". A.F.C. Fylde. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  7. "Hardy returns to Fylde". A.F.C. 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. "FC client James Hardy makes England C debut". Full Contact. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  11. "Buildbase National Game Awards: The FA England C Player of the Year – James Hardy". Non-League Paper. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
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