Gary Gardner

Gary Gardner (born 29 June 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Championship club Birmingham City.

Gary Gardner
Gardner playing for Aston Villa in 2012
Personal information
Full name Gary Gardner[1]
Date of birth (1992-06-29) 29 June 1992[2]
Place of birth Solihull,[2] England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Birmingham City
Number 20
Youth career
2005–2011 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2019 Aston Villa 42 (1)
2011 → Coventry City (loan) 4 (1)
2014 → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 3 (0)
2014 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 17 (2)
2015 → Nottingham Forest (loan) 18 (4)
2016 → Nottingham Forest (loan) 20 (2)
2017–2018 → Barnsley (loan) 29 (2)
2018–2019 → Birmingham City (loan) 40 (2)
2019– Birmingham City 53 (6)
National team
2009 England U17 6 (0)
2009–2011 England U19 2 (1)
2009 England U20 2 (0)
2011–2012 England U21 5 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:23, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

A product of the Aston Villa Academy, Gardner made his senior debut while on loan at Coventry City. He first played competitively for Aston Villa in late 2011, and went on to spend time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, Brighton & Hove Albion, Nottingham Forest, Barnsley and Birmingham City, before joining Birmingham on a permanent contract in 2019.

He has made a number of appearances at under-age levels for England, including five for England U21. He is the younger brother of Birmingham City player Craig Gardner.

Club career

Youth career

Gardner started his career at Aston Villa with older brother Craig. His development was interrupted by an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained in December 2009. On his return, he became an important member of Aston Villa's under-18 and reserve sides.[3]

Gardner scored twice in Aston Villa reserves' 10–1 win over Arsenal on 10 January 2011, firstly catching out Gunners' goalkeeper James Shea to break the deadlock before scoring another from the penalty spot. He also claimed assists for Andreas Weimann's and Jonathan Hogg's goals.[4] The midfielder first played for Aston Villa's first team in a pre-season friendly, coming on as a substitute for captain Stiliyan Petrov in the 2011 Barclays Asia Trophy final loss to Chelsea.[5]

He also represented Aston Villa in the inaugural season of the NextGen series, a European competition for younger footballers similar in format to the UEFA Champions League. During the group stage, Gardner scored single goals against Fenerbahçe[6] and Rosenborg.[7] In Villa's last group match, Gardner scored all three goals in a 3–0 victory over Ajax.[8] He scored a last-minute equaliser in the quarter-final match against Marseille, but Villa went on to lose the tie 2–1 in extra time.[9] Gardner's six goals made him the competition's joint second-highest goalscorer that year and the highest-scoring midfielder, alongside Rosenborg's Mushaga Bakenga and Betinho of Sporting CP.

Senior debut

Gardner joined Coventry City in later November 2011 on a month's loan.[10] He scored just 9 minutes into his début in a 2–1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion on 26 November.[11] After making four appearances for the Sky Blues in the Championship in his first 28 days, Gardner was recalled by his parent club who were suffering injury problems.[12]

On 31 December, Gardner made his first senior appearance for Villa in a 3–1 away win at Chelsea, as a 78th-minute substitute for Marc Albrighton.[13] He came off the bench again a week later as Villa beat Bristol Rovers in the third round of the FA Cup, and made his first start on 21 January 2012, in a 3–2 win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers.[14][15] Gardner maintained his place in the team as the season progressed due to major injury concerns and the illness of captain Stiliyan Petrov.

Gardner suffered another ACL injury in August 2012, this time in his right knee.[16] He returned to the Villa first team as an unused substitute against Chelsea on 11 May 2013 and made his playing comeback on the final day of the season against Wigan Athletic.[17][18]

Loan spells

He made four starts for Sheffield Wednesday during a month's loan in February and March 2014,[19][20] and signed a two-year contract with Villa at the end of the season.[21]

Over the course of those two years, Gardner made no further appearances for Villa but spent three spells out on loan at Championship level. He played 20 matches in all competitions for Brighton & Hove Albion in the first half of the 2014–15 season and scored twice, a winner against Wigan Athletic in early November that broke a 12-match winless run and took Albion out of the relegation places, and a goal in a 1–1 draw with Blackburn Rovers a few days later.[22][23] Gardner spent the second half of the season at Nottingham Forest, scoring 4 goals from 18 league appearances; he "thundered home a 30-yard drive via the bar" against Reading in February that was voted Sky Sports News' #goaloftheday.[24][23][25] On his return, he was offered and signed a three-year contract.[26] Gardner returned to Forest for the second half of the 2015–16 season, scoring twice from 22 appearances.[27][28]

Return to Villa and more loans

After Villa's relegation from the Premier League, Gardner became a regular member of their first-team squad. He made 26 Championship appearances for the club in the 2016–17 season, and scored his first senior goal for Villa on 30 October to open the scoring against local rivals Birmingham City. According to BBC Sport's reporter, he "ran the length of the field to celebrate with 1,988 away fans after superbly heading the visitors in front", but the match ended as a 1–1 draw.[29][30] The arrival of several midfielders pushed him out of contention for the first team, and at the end of August 2017 he joined Championship club Barnsley on loan for the remainder of the 2017–18 season.[31] He made 29 league appearances and scored twice, in a 3–2 win against Sheffield United on 7 April and a 2–2 draw with Bolton Wanderers a week later, as Barnsley were unable to avoid relegation.[32][33]

Gardner joined yet another Championship club, Birmingham City, on 9 August 2018 on loan for the 2018–19 season.[34] He made his debut in the starting eleven for the 2–0 defeat away to Reading in the EFL Cup first round,[35] and retained his place for the rest of the season. He missed only four matches: those against his parent club, for which he was ineligible – although Birmingham did ask Villa if they would allow him to participate[36] – the 3–3 draw with Hull City in November for which he was suspended,[37][38] and the final match of the season, when several first-team regulars were left out.[39]

Birmingham City

Gardner signed a three-year contract with Birmingham City on 5 June 2019. On the same day, Jota moved in the opposite direction; the fees were undisclosed.[40]

International career

Gardner has played for England at numerous international levels, including under-17s, under-18s, under-20s and the under-21s.

On 10 November 2011, Gardner came on as a substitute, replacing Jason Lowe in the 62nd minute, and scored his first two goals for the England under-21s against Iceland under-21s.[41]

Personal life

Gardner is the brother of fellow professional footballer Craig Gardner, also a product of the Aston Villa youth system. The siblings contribute funds to a boxing gym in their home town of Birmingham, which was featured on an episode of Soccer AM in 2011.[42]

Career statistics
As of match played 2 February 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Aston Villa 2011–12[14] Premier League1402000—160
2012–13[17] Premier League200000—20
2016–17[30] Championship2610010—271
2017–18[32] Championship000010—10
Total 4212020—461
Coventry City (loan) 2011–12[14] Championship410000—41
Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 2013–14[19] Championship301000—40
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 2014–15[23] Championship1720030—202
Nottingham Forest (loan) 2014–15[23] Championship1840000—184
2015–16[28] Championship2022000—222
Total 3862000—406
Barnsley (loan) 2017–18[32] Championship29210——302
Birmingham City (loan) 2018–19[38] Championship4021010—422
Birmingham City 2019–20[43] Championship3544000—394
2020–21[44] Championship1820000—182
Total 9385010—998
Career total 2262011060—24320

    References
    1. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Aston Villa" (PDF). English Football League. p. 2. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
    2. "Gary Gardner". Aston Villa F.C. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    3. "Reserves profile: Gary Gardner". Aston Villa F.C. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
    4. Harrison, Dan (10 January 2011). "Match report: Villa Res 10–1 Arsenal Res". Aston Villa F.C. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
    5. Brown, Paul (30 July 2011). "Villa in Hong Kong report: McLeish's men fall in final to Chelsea". Aston Villa F.C. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
    6. "MatchReport: Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce". NextGen Series. 28 September 2011. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
    7. "Aston Villa – Rosenborg". NextGen Series. 2 November 2011. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
    8. Harrison, Dan (22 November 2011). "NextGen Series report: Villa U19s 3–0 Ajax U19s". Aston Villa F.C. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
    9. Harrison, Dan (25 January 2012). "NextGen Series quarter-final match report: Villa 1–2 Marseille [AET]". Aston Villa F.C. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
    10. "Gary Gardner joins Coventry on loan from Aston Villa". BBC Sport. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    11. "Brighton 2–1 Coventry". BBC Sport. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    12. "Aston Villa recall Gary Gardner from Coventry City loan spell". Coventry Telegraph. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    13. Bishop, Rob (31 December 2011). "Match report: Chelsea 1–3 Villa". Aston Villa F.C. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    14. "Games played by Gary Gardner in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
    15. "Path to the Villa side is bumpy one for Gary Gardner". Express & Star. Wolverhampton. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    16. "Aston Villa midfielder Gary Gardner faces long lay-off". BBC Sport. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    17. "Games played by Gary Gardner in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
    18. "Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 2 – match report". Express & Star. Wolverhampton. 11 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    19. "Games played by Gary Gardner in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
    20. "Transfer news: Sheffield Wednesday sign Gary Gardner from Aston Villa on loan". Sky Sports. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    21. "Aston Villa: Gary Gardner signs new contract". BBC Sport. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    22. Szczepanik, Nick (4 November 2014). "Brighton 1 Wigan 0: Gary Gardner's first-minute goal steers hosts clear of Championship drop zone". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    23. "Games played by Gary Gardner in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
    24. "Nottingham Forest sign Gary Gardner on loan from Aston Villa". PA Sport. 10 January 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    25. @SkySportsNews (28 February 2015). "POLL RESULT: Nottingham Forest's Gary Gardner wins the #goaloftheday poll with 35 percent of the votes. #SSNHQ" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 May 2019 – via Twitter.
    26. "Gary Gardner has been given a new contract by Aston Villa". Sky Sports. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    27. "Gary Gardner: Aston Villa midfielder joins Forest on loan". BBC Sport. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    28. "Games played by Gary Gardner in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
    29. Scott, Ged (30 October 2016). "Birmingham City 1–1 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
    30. "Games played by Gary Gardner in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
    31. Wobschall, Leon (31 August 2017). "Barnsley swoop to bring in out-of-favour Aston Villa midfielder". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
    32. "Games played by Gary Gardner in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
    33. "Derby 4–1 Barnsley: Rams secure play-off spot but Tykes are relegated". Sky Sports. PA Sport. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
    34. "Gary Gardner: Birmingham City sign Aston Villa midfielder on loan". BBC Sport. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
    35. Dicken, Alex (15 August 2018). "Birmingham City stitched up again – Findings from Blues' Carabao Cup exit at Reading". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    36. "Boss – It was a short conversation with Villa about Gary Gardner". Birmingham City F.C. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    37. "Birmingham vs Hull preview". Sky Sports. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    38. "Games played by Gary Gardner in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
    39. Dick, Brian (5 May 2019). "This is the Birmingham City team Garry Monk has picked to face Reading". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
    40. "Jota: Aston Villa sign Birmingham forward as Gary Gardner goes in opposite direction". BBC Sport. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
    41. "England U21 5–0 Iceland U21". BBC Sport. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
    42. "The gloves are on!". Soccer AM. 8 April 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
    43. "Games played by Gary Gardner in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
    44. "Games played by Gary Gardner in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
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