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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Ian Edwards | ||
| Date of birth | (1955-01-30)30 January 1955 (age 71) | ||
| Place of birth | Rossett, Wales | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1971–1973 | Rhyl | ||
| 1973–1976 | West Bromwich Albion | 16 | (3) |
| 1976–1979 | Chester | 104 | (36) |
| 1979–1982 | Wrexham | 76 | (20) |
| 1982–1983 | Crystal Palace | 18 | (4) |
| 1983–198? | Mold Alexandra | ||
| Porthmadog | |||
| International career | |||
| 1977–1980 | Wales | 4 | (4) |
| 1977–1978 | Wales U-21 | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1994–1995 | Porthmadog | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert Ian Edwards (born 30 January 1955) is a Welsh former footballer who played as aforward. He was capped byWales and played inThe Football League for four clubs.
Born inRossett, Edwards began his playing days with non-league sideRhyl, before joiningWest Bromwich Albion in February 1973. He marked his league debut two years later by scoring in a 4–0 win overSheffield Wednesday.[1] But he found first-team opportunities at West Brom limited and in November 1976 he joinedChester for £18,000.[2] A debut goal againstNorthampton Town followed and Edwards went on to score a hat-trick in the club's 4–0 win atSouthend United and a last minute winner againstLuton Town as Chester reached theFA Cup fifth round.[2] Unfortunately he was injured scoring againstRotherham United in March 1977, with a knee injury that was to have lasting repercussions for the player.[1]
The1978–79 season saw Edwards back in regular action, scoring in aFootball League Cup giantkilling win overCoventry City. In October 1978, Edwards made history by becoming only the fourth player to score four times forWales in a 7–0 win againstMalta and then followed it up with a hat-trick in his next Chester appearance againstBrentford.[3] 12 months later he moved toWrexham for £125,000, having scored in his final Chester appearance atBarnsley.[4] His move led toIan Rush successfully becoming Chester's regular centre-forward.[4]
Edwards made his Second Division debut for Wrexham in a 1-0 defeat at West Ham on 3 November 1979, and went on to spend three years at Wrexham, during which time he was disappointingly plagued with niggling injuries, but he did score a cracking volley at Derby County in September 1980 that was voted the BBC's Match of the Day goal of the month. However, he just missed out on the Goal of the Season to Aston Villa's Tony Morley. Edwards played in the Wrexham side that beat FA Cup holders West Ham United in the FA Cup in Third Round in January 1981. It was the first time ever that the FA Cup holders had been knocked out of the competition at the first time of asking to defend the trophy. Edwards also played in another memorable FA Cup match when Wrexham beat Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest 3-1 to set up another mouth-watering tie with Chelsea, losing 2-1 in the second replay. Edwards' last game for Wrexham, who by then had suffered relegation, was a 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace in May 1982 when Edwards was sent off. Ironically, he then joined.....Crystal Palace under the guidance of new managerAlan Mullery for a largely unsuccessful spell.[5] However, Edwards struck the decisive winner for Palace in their final game of the season againstBurnley to save them from relegation toDivision Three with his final touch for the club.[5] This was to also mark the end of his professional career as he retired due to his injuries and he played briefly forMold Alexandra andPorthmadog. Outside of football he worked as amilkman in theWrexham area and then became the owner of a hotel nearCriccieth.[1] He also had a spell as manager ofPorthmadog before being replaced byMickey Thomas.[6]
Chester