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Carlos Edwards

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Carlos Edwards
Personal information
Full name Carlos Akenhaton Edwards
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s) Right winger
Team information
Current team
Sunderland
Number 7
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 November 2008

Carlos Akenhaton Edwards (born 24 October 1978 in Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago) is a Trinidadian football player who plays for Sunderland.

Club career

Edwards, a right-winger also adept at right-back, started his professional career at Defence Force in his native Trinidad and Tobago, where he had attended the same school (St Anthony's College in Westmoorings) as future team-mate Kenwyne Jones.[1] He was later signed by Wrexham for £250,000 in 2000, along with Dennis Lawrence and Hector Sam, after a successive trial.

He helped the club win promotion to the Second Division in 2002/03, scoring 10 goals and winning Wrexham’s Player of the Year award and being selected for the PFA Third Division Team of the Year along the way.[2] He then added a further five goals the following season as the club finished mid-table, with Edwards again voted into the PFA Team of the Year.

However, he suffered a knee injury while on international duty in 2004 that put him on the sidelines for most of the 2004/05 season. The campaign ended in relegation for the club but Edwards did win his first silverware in English football in the form of the 2005 Football League Trophy.

With his Wrexham contract having expired, Edwards joined Championship side Luton Town in 2005 in a three-year deal on a Bosman transfer.[3] At Luton, he became popular with the fans with his flair and ability, winning the Young Members Player of the Season award for a strong first season with the club.[4]

Edwards' form attracted a £1.5 million bid from Sunderland whom he joined on 2 January 2007, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract.[5] Edwards began his Sunderland career brightly and netted 5 times in the remainder of the campaign. It was his spectacular 80th-minute winner against Burnley that confirmed Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League, after Derby failed to beat Crystal Palace the following day.

His first season in the top flight was ruined by injury problems though. He suffered a hamstring injury in only the second game and after returning, had a leg fracture that again put him on the sidelines. He managed to return for the final months of the campaign that saw Sunderland retain their Premier League status.

After a spree of summer signings left Edwards largely out of contention at his parent club, he joined Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2008 on a three-month loan.[6] However, he was recalled early by the Black Cats on 20 November after six appearances for Wolves.

International career

Edwards made his international debut for the Trinidad and Tobago national team on 5 June 1999 against Grenada in the 1999 Caribbean Cup, despite never having appeared at any youth level for his country before.[7]

After playing his part in winning that tournament, he went on to become an established international and was part of the team that reached the World Cup Finals for the first team in the country's history and was duly selected for the squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He played every minute of their participation during the competition, against Sweden, England and Paraguay, respectively.

Edwards plays alongside fellow Trinidad and Tobago internationals Dwight Yorke and Kenwyne Jones at Sunderland.

Honours

References

  1. ^ "Football- Soca Warriors 2005". St Anthonys.
  2. ^ "Carlos Edwards". Lutonfc.com.
  3. ^ "Edwards poised to sign for Luton". BBC Sport. 2005-05-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Carlos Edwards". Lutonfc.com.
  5. ^ "Sunderland sign Edwards for £1.5m". BBC Sport. 2007-01-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Wolves complete Edwards loan deal". BBC Sport. 2008-10-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Carlos Akenhaton Edwards". Socawarriors.net.