JOE EDWARDS

Full Name: Joseph Robert Edwards

Born: 31 October 1990

Came from: Walsall   Went to:

First game: 03 August 2019   Last game: 26 October 2024

Appearances: 234 (203/31)   Goals: 24

Born in Gloucester, Edwards went to school at Newent Community School in the Forest of Dean. He began his footballing career as a trainee at Aston Villa, and then moved closer to home to progress through Bristol City's academy, where he won his first professional contract in April 2009. Over the following four years, he made just four first-team appearances for City, but also enjoyed four spells on loan at other clubs.

In September 2010 he was loaned to Conference Premier side Bath City for two months (nine games, no goals), and in September 2011 he spent three months at Stockport County, also in England's fifth tier (11 games, no goals). Then in 2012 he stepped up to League One with two loan spells at Yeovil Town: for a month in January (4 games, 1 goal) and three months in September (17 games, 1 goal).

Leaving Bristol, his move to The Huish was made permanent in January 2013, when he was signed by manager Gary Johnson, who had given him his first contract at Bristol City when Johnson was in charge at Ashton Gate. Edwards went on to enjoy a League One Playoff win that season, and was an ever-present during Yeovil's Championship season of 2013-14, but was unable to help his side avoid the drop after their single campaign in the second tier.

After their second consecutive relegation to send Yeovil back to League Two, Edwards left the club at the end of the 2014-15 season. In his final month, he played for former Argyle manager Paul Sturrock, who in April 2015 took on the Glovers' rebuilding role for the following season. Including his loan spells, Edwards had made 132 appearances for Yeovil, scored five times, and left with fond memories of his Huish days.

In July 2015 Edwards signed for Colchester United in League One (45 games, two goals), only to suffer a third successive relegation. Then in June 2016 he joined Walsall for three seasons in League One (103 games, 12 goals) before moving to Home Park in the summer of 2019, having accumulated over 300 senior appearances in his ten-year career as a full-back or in midfield. He had also landed Walsall's Player of the Season award for 2017-18 during his time at the Bescot.

Arriving at Home Park after those three seasons with Walsall, Edwards became the first signing of the Ryan Lowe era, joining up with former Yeovil teammate Joel Grant and with Ryan Taylor, who he was with at Bristol City. He had dropped to League Two for the first time in his career, but his maiden campaign saw an immediate promotion, secured by the points-per-game measure of the COVID-curtailed 2019-20 season.

Already vice-captain, the 2020-21 season saw a career-ending injury to Gary Sawyer, which allowed Edwards to take on the role of club captain. At the end of that season, which was played mostly behind closed doors due to the continuing impact of COVID-19, he was named as Argyle's Player of the Season, having scored a career high of nine goals across all competitions.

In May 2021, under Lowe, he signed a contract extension until the summer of 2023. With the transition from Lowe to Steven Schumacher at Home Park, Edwards' popularity and reputation continued to grow, and that confidence in him was further demonstrated in October 2022 when he signed a new contract until the summer of the 2025, with an agreement in principle to allow him to phase into a coaching capacity at the club when his playing career came to an end.

'Captain Fantastic' then played a key role in Schumacher's title-wining 2022-23 season, as Argyle romped to the EFL League One title with 101 points, but missed out on a 'double' after finishing runners-up in the EFL Trophy final against Bolton Wanderers at Wembley that April. Edwards also scored in the final game of the season, helping Argyle confirm the League One title in a pulsating 3-1 win at Port Vale in front of a buoyant, sold-out Green Army on a baking hot, early May day.

In November 2023 he made his 200th appearance for Argyle in a Championship defeat at Coventry City. However, with Schumacher having left for Stoke City and the subsequent appointment of Ian Foster, Argyle wobbled and Edwards was cast aside. Foster started Edwards in only four of his 17 matches in charge, and suggestions of a move to Bristol Rovers soon spread.

Foster's dismissal, ending one of the shortest and most unsuccessful managerial appointments at the club, resulted in Kevin Nancekivell and Neil Dewsnip taking temporary charge, as they did after Schumacher's departure three months before. Tellingly, one of their first acts was to recall Edwards. With the club galvanised, the fans back onside and after a commendable all-round effort, he fittingly scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Hull City on the final day of the season, securing his club's continued presence in the Championship.

Edwards continued to flourish after the arrival of Wayne Rooney, but having started the 2024-25 season in favour, a hamstring tendon injury in October 2024 ruled him out for months to come.