The summer is here, and I've just remembered that I had a few CCF articles ready to be published, so the feature returns today with a look at former Dale loanee Ryan Edwards.

After making his first, fledgling steps in professional football on loan at Rochdale in 2012/2013, Ryan Edwards has since gone on to make a fine career for himself in the game.

Arriving as a very highly-rated youngster from Blackburn in 2012, it's fair to say Edwards was still finding his feet somewhat in his six-month spell with Dale although he did show some of his potential at times.

Another Liverpudlian signed by John Coleman, Edwards had made a name for himself within the youth ranks at Ewood Park, captaining the U18 side to the 2011/2012 FA Youth Cup final, where they eventually fell to a 1-4 defeat to Chelsea.

Having signed his first contract on the back of those displays in the summer of 2012, Edwards found himself on loan at Rochdale for an initial six-month spell and heading straight into the starting eleven immediately, as he started the first game of the season at home to Northampton alongside his namesake Phil at the heart of the defence.

It seemed at first that the two Edwards may compliment each other rather well, as Ryan's pace and height made him the ideal physical specimen at centre back, while Phil's experience and cool-headedness made up for the younger player's inexperience.

Despite some shaky performances, the Blackburn loanee kept his place in the starting eleven for the majority of Coleman's spell in charge that season and although he was capable of making some naïve mistakes, his commitment and bravery in the challenge were obvious from the beginning.

At 19, he was always likely to make those mistakes during his time at Spotland, but frustratingly they seemed to become more of an issue as the season stretched on. Although clearly a natural defender and very strong in the air, he was clumsy with the ball at his feet and would often get dragged out of position by the more wily strikers of the fourth tier.

He had been a near ever-present by the time he left the club after a 1-2 home defeat to Rotherham United on New Year's Day, which meant that some fans were surprised to hear assistant manager Jimmy Bell claim that a decision on whether to extend his loan for the remainder of the season had yet to be made.

Rhys Bennett was preferred at centre-back for the next few games, but he too couldn't do anything to arrest Dale's slump in form and before a decision had been made on Edwards' return to the club, Keith Hill had replaced John Coleman as manager and he would move to bring in a more experienced loanee at the heart of the defence in the shape of the Australian Shane Cansdell-Sherriff.

Edwards did remain in League Two for the rest of the season however as he joined Fleetwood Town, making nine appearances there, before spells at Tranmere, Cheltenham and Morecambe in 2013/2014. After failing to break into the team at all at Prenton Park, he played five times for the Robins before impressing enough in a nine-game spell with the Shrimps to convince boss Jim Bentley to hand him a permanent deal upon his release from Blackburn Rovers.

After some injury problems in his early months as a permanent fixture at the Globe Arena, Edwards soon settled and became a key member of Bentley's side that continued to fight hard to stave off relegation out of the Football League. Over three seasons with the Shrimps, Edwards racked up 110 appearances, with his only goal coming in a 2-0 home win over Portsmouth in 2016.

He left Lancashire in the summer of 2017 to join Plymouth Argyle, who had just been promoted into League One and he was an ever-present in his first six months with the Pilgrims, before the horrendous news was reported that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer in January of 2018.

Incredibly, after surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Edwards was back playing by the beginning of the 2018/2019 season and he marked his first appearance after beating cancer with a goal at Walsall on the opening day of the campaign.

He featured regularly for the Pilgrims again that year, but would be returning to Lancashire in the following summer to join Blackpool having made scored eight goals in 61 appearances for Argyle - a much more impressive record than he'd had in front of goal at Morecambe!

After 21 appearances and one goal in the 2019/2020 COVID-affected season for the Seasiders, Edwards made a long-mooted move north of the border in the summer of 2020 to join Dundee United. He spent three seasons with the Terrors, a spell that included 89 appearances and six goals. Despite being club captain, he was released in the summer of 2023 following the club's relegation from the Scottish Premiership.

It seems with time and experience, the limitations in Edwards' game have been worked on and improved and there can be little doubt that the bravery he showed as a young defender in his loan spell at Dale has stood him in good stead for challenges both on and off the field in his subsequent career.

Photo: Action Images

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