Ryan Hedges

Ryan Hedges
Hedges in 2019
Personal information
Full name Ryan Peter Hedges[1]
Date of birth (1995-07-08) 8 July 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Northampton, England
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Blackburn Rovers
Number 19
Youth career
2003–2010 Everton
2010–2013 Flint Town United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Flint Town United 24 (2)
2013–2017 Swansea City 0 (0)
2015 → Leyton Orient (loan) 17 (2)
2016 → Stevenage (loan) 6 (0)
2016–2017 → Yeovil Town (loan) 21 (4)
2017–2019 Barnsley 52 (2)
2019–2022 Aberdeen 66 (11)
2022– Blackburn Rovers 80 (7)
International career‡
2013–2014 Wales U19 5 (1)
2014–2016 Wales U21 11 (0)
2017– Wales 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:41, 5 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 March 2019 (UTC)

Ryan Peter Hedges (born 8 July 1995) is a professional footballer who plays for EFL Championship club Blackburn Rovers. Born in England, he plays for the Wales national football team.

He made his professional debut for Leyton Orient in January 2015, on loan from Swansea City. After further loan spells at Stevenage and Yeovil Town, Hedges signed permanently for Barnsley in 2017. He joined Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen in June 2019 and later signed for EFL Championship club Blackburn Rovers in January 2022.

Early life

Hedges attended Hawarden High School in Hawarden, Flintshire, North Wales.[2] Michael Owen, Andy Dorman, Gary Speed and Danny Ward are fellow ex-pupils from the school who became professional footballers. Hedges spent seven seasons at Everton as a schoolboy, eventually being released at under-16 level.[citation needed]

Professional career

Swansea City

Hedges joined Swansea City from Flint Town in July 2013 following some impressive performances for the Welsh Schools Under-18 team.[3] Hedges linked up with the Swansea City Under-21 team in the 2013–14 season, and was rewarded for his progress with a new one-year contract until June 2014.[4]

In June 2015, Hedges signed a three-year contract extension at Swansea.[5][6]

Leyton Orient loan

On 16 January 2015, Hedges joined League One team Leyton Orient on a one-month loan deal.[7] He made his professional debut for Leyton Orient against Colchester United on 24 January 2015.[8] After an impressive start, Hedges' loan was extended until the end of the 2014–15 season.[9] Hedges scored his first professional goal for Leyton Orient, and then set up a goal for Chris Dagnall, in a 2–0 win over Walsall on 28 February 2015.[10] Weeks later on 14 March 2015, Hedges scored his second goal for Leyton Orient in a 3–0 win over Yeovil Town.[11] Hedges went on to make seventeen appearances, scoring twice, as Orient were relegated to League Two.

Stevenage loan

In February 2016, Hedges joined Stevenage on a one-month emergency loan.

Yeovil Town loan

On 8 July 2016, Hedges signed for League Two side Yeovil Town on a six-month loan deal.[12]

Barnsley

On 31 January 2017, Hedges was recalled from his loan spell at Yeovil,[13] and signed permanently for EFL Championship side Barnsley for an undisclosed fee on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[14] He scored his first goal for Barnsley in a 3–1 loss at Bristol City on 5 August 2017.[15]

Aberdeen

Hedges was offered a new contract by Barnsley at the end of the 2018–19 season,[16] but he instead opted to sign a three-year contract with Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen.[17] On 27 August 2020, he scored a hat-trick as Aberdeen won 6–0 at home against NSÍ Runavík in the Europa League first qualifying round, having only come on as a half-time substitute.[18]

Blackburn Rovers

On 30 January 2022, Hedges joined Blackburn Rovers on a three-and-a-half-year deal, with an optional 12 month extension, for an undisclosed fee.[19] He scored his first goal for the club on 13 September 2022 in a 2–0 win against Watford.[20] Almost 12 months later he scored one of the contenders for goal of the season against Watford away to secure a 0–1 win.[21]

International career

Prior to joining Swansea City, Hedges scored twice and claimed an assist as captain of the Welsh Schools Under-18s team in a 4–1 win over England.[2] Hedges has represented Wales at under-19 and under-21 level.[22]

He made his debut for the senior side on 14 November 2017 as a substitute during a 1–1 draw with Panama.[23]

Career statistics

As of match played 17 August 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Flint Town United 2012–13 Cymru Alliance 24 2 — — — 24 2
Swansea City 2013–14[24] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014–15[25] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2015–16[26] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2016–17[27] Premier League 0 0 — — — 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Leyton Orient (loan) 2014–15[25] League One 17 2 — — — 17 2
Stevenage (loan) 2015–16[26] League Two 6 0 — — — 6 0
Yeovil Town (loan) 2016–17[27] League Two 21 4 2 1 2 0 3[a] 0 28 5
Barnsley 2016–17[27] Championship 8 0 — — — 8 0
2017–18[28] Championship 23 2 0 0 3 1 — 26 3
2018–19[29] League One 21 0 2 0 0 0 2[a] 1 25 1
Total 52 2 2 0 3 1 2 1 59 4
Aberdeen 2019–20[30] Scottish Premiership 22 4 2 0 2 0 6[b] 0 32 4
2020–21[31] Scottish Premiership 28 5 0 0 1 0 3[b] 4 32 9
2021–22[32] Scottish Premiership 16 2 1 1 1 0 4[c] 2 22 5
Total 66 11 3 1 4 0 13 6 86 18
Blackburn Rovers 2021–22[33] Championship 11 0 — — — 11 0
2022–23[34] Championship 43 4 4 0 1 0 — 48 4
2023–24[35] Championship 17 2 0 0 1 0 — 18 2
2024–25[36] Championship 2 1 0 0 0 0 — 2 1
Total 73 7 4 0 2 0 — 79 7
Career total 259 28 11 2 11 1 18 7 299 38
  1. ^ a b Appearances in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ a b Appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League

Honours

Club

Barnsley

References

  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Barnsley" (PDF). English Football League. p. 4. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Ryan Hedges puts on a show to help Welsh Schools FA beat England". dailypost.co.uk. Daily Post. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Ryan Hedges signs for Swansea". Pitchero.com. Pitchero. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Eight young Swans pros offered contract extensions". swanseacity.net. Swansea City. 30 May 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  5. ^ "Youngsters offered pro contracts". Swansea City A.F.C. 15 April 2015.
  6. ^ "PHOTO: @RyanHedges95 puts pen to paper on a contract extension at the Liberty Stadium. #swans". swansofficial Twitter. 9 June 2015.
  7. ^ "Hedges joins Orient on loan". swanseacity.net. 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 16 January 2015.
  8. ^ "Colchester v Leyton Orient". BBC Sport. 24 January 2015.
  9. ^ "Hedges extends Leyton Orient loan". swanseacity.net. 2 February 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015.
  10. ^ "Walsall 0 - 2 Leyton Orient". BBC Sport. 28 February 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Yeovil Town 3 - 0 Leyton Orient". BBC Sport. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  12. ^ "Ryan Hedges: Yeovil Town sign Swansea City winger on loan". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Hedges loan cut short". Yeovil Town F.C. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  14. ^ "Barnsley sign Swansea forward Ryan Hedges and Leicester defender Callum Elder". BBC Sport. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  15. ^ "Bristol City 3–1 Barnsley". BBC Sport. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  16. ^ "Adam Davies & Ryan Hedges: Barnsley offer Wales duo new deals". BBC Sport. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  17. ^ "Ryan Hedges joins Aberdeen from Barnsley after taking Danny Ward advice". BBC Sport. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  18. ^ Campbell, Andy (27 August 2020). "Aberdeen 6–0 NSÍ Runavík". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  19. ^ Third, Paul (30 January 2022). "Aberdeen winger Ryan Hedges joins Blackburn". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Blackburn 2-0 Watford". BBC Sport. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Watford 0-1 Blackburn Rovers: Hedges strike makes Hornets pay for missed chances". BBC Sport. 27 August 2023.
  22. ^ "Busy international period for Swans stars". Swansea City A.F.C. 14 September 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  23. ^ "Wales 1–1 Panama". BBC Sport. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  24. ^ "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  25. ^ a b "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  26. ^ a b "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  27. ^ a b c "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  28. ^ "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  29. ^ "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  30. ^ "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  31. ^ "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  32. ^ "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  33. ^ "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  34. ^ "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  35. ^ "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  36. ^ "Games played by Ryan Hedges in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  37. ^ "League One: 2018/19: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
    "Barnsley: Squad details: 2018/19". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2019.