Neal Eardley

Oldham Athletic

Born in Llandudno, Eardley graduated from the youth system at Oldham Athletic to make his first team debut under Ronnie Moore in a 1–1 draw with Scunthorpe United at Boundary Park on 6 May 2006. In the 2006–07 season, Eardley became a regular starter under new manager John Sheridan, initially starting in a more attacking role before being shifted to defence. However, his season got off to a rough start, when he was sent off in the opening game on 5 August shortly after teammate Chris Taylor was also red carded, as Oldham lost 1–0 to Tranmere Rovers. In September he was given his first professional contract, which was due to run until June 2009. He scored his first goal with a free kick in a 2–1 loss at Chesterfield on 9 December. In his first season as a regular starter, Eardley made 41 appearances, scoring twice, as the "Latics" qualified for the League One play-offs, but were beaten by Blackpool at the semi-final stage. The following season Eardley cemented his place as an integral member of the Oldham defence and was named captain during Sean Gregan's absence. He signed a one-year extension to his contract in October, extending it until 2010. On 11 March, he scored a brace from penalty kicks in a 2–0 win over AFC Bournemouth. Almost two months later, he again scored a brace in a 4–1 victory over Crewe Alexandra. In total, he made 49 appearances and scored six goals as Oldham posted an eighth-place finish. Eardley earned praise from manager Joe…

Youth level

Eardley made three appearances for Wales at under–17 level in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, he played once for the Welsh under–19s before making his debut with the under-21 side in 2007. In March 2009, Eardley played in Wales under–21s' opening two games in qualifying for the 2011 European Championships, both against Luxembourg under–21s. The first game, on 27 March, was a 0–0 draw at Deich, Ettelbruck, then four days later he scored the first goal, from a penalty kick, in a 5–1 win at Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli. He started Wales under-21s' 2–1 win against Italy, also a Euro 2011 qualifier, which was their first ever victory over Italy at under-21 level.

Senior level

Eardley earned his first senior cap for Wales under John Toshack in a 1–0 win over Bulgaria on 22 August 2007, coming on as a substitute in the 46th minute. He also played twice in Wales' unsuccessful Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, in a 2–1 win over San Marino on 17 October 2007 and a 2–2 draw with Republic of Ireland on 17 November. On 6 June 2009, Eardley made his first appearance in a World Cup match, as Wales beat Azerbaijan 1–0 in their 2010 qualifier at the Tofik Bakhramov Stadium in Baku. He failed to win a cap following Chris Coleman's appointment as manager in January 2012; he had been called up by Coleman in 2013 but was forced to pull out due to the first of one of the numerous injuries that afflicted him during his time at Birmingham.

Speaking in December 2007, Eardley told FourFourTwo magazine that he felt his strength was his attacking ability, though he needed to improve on his heading skills.

He played alongside his brother at Oldham Athletic, who went on to coach at hometown club Llandudno.