Craig Gardner

Craig Gardner (born 25 November 1986) is an English footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Sunderland. A versatile midfielder, Gardner can play in many different positions, although central midfield is his preferred position. Gardner began his career at Aston Villa, before switching to city rivals Birmingham City in 2010.

Playing career

Aston Villa

Born in Solihull, West Midlands, Gardner turned professional on 31 January 2005. Before Gardner made his Premier League debut on 26 December 2005 he played for the youth team Arden Forest. This was before joining Aston Villa's youth system which then later took him to his debut, when he came on as a substitute for Steven Davis against Everton at Villa Park. He scored his first professional goal for Villa in the 3–1 away win on April 14 against Middlesbrough. After a series of appearances Villa Manager Martin O'Neill entered contract talks with Gardner.

In August 2007, Gardner signed a new four year deal, which ran until June 2011. On 1 October 2007 he scored two goals in two games with two free-kicks. First he scored away to Tottenham Hotspur in a 4–4 draw and then the winner against West Ham 5 days later with a deflected......
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