Radcliffe sign ex-Pompey, Man Utd, Macclesfield, Bradford, Rotherham, Fleetwood, Crewe player

Northern Premier League club Radcliffe sign ex-Man Utd, Macclesfield, Bradford, Rotherham, Fleetwood, Pompey, Crewe player Gareth Evans.

Evans, who can play as a winger, midfielder and at right back, began his career as a youth player with both Manchester United and Crewe Alexandra.

He went professional in 2006, but struggled to break into the Crewe first team and went on loans to Leigh RMI in 2006, and Alsager Town in 2007, then moved to his hometown club, Macclesfield Town in that same year.

He signed for Bradford City in 2009, before he left them to sign for Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United in June 2011.

Evans joined Fleetwood Town on the opening day of the 2013 January transfer window following his departure from Rotherham. Evans signed for Portsmouth on the 28th of July 2015.

Then went back to Bradford in 2020 until summer 2022. To date, he has made over 600 appearances in all competition, scoring nearly 100 goals between 2006 and 2022.

✍️ Radcliffe FC are pleased to announce the signing of midfielder, 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘀!

The 34-year-old adds a plethora of experience to the side, having most recently been at Bradford City.

🗞 Read more – https://t.co/DderdlhPjn#WeAreRadcliffe #UTB pic.twitter.com/z4CIxDcV5G

— Radcliffe FC (@radcliffeboro) September 10, 2022

CLUB STATEMENT:

Bobby Grant has added versatile midfielder Gareth Evans to the side.
Radcliffe FC are pleased to announce the signing of midfielder, Gareth Evans. The 34-year-old adds a plethora of experience to the side, having made over 600 appearances for six different clubs across the English Football League.

Gareth becomes our sixteenth signing of a busy Summer over the past few months, joining us having been released by Bradford City last May. He is able to play in a number of different positions across the pitch, most notably as a wide midfielder, but can also fare as an attacking midfielder or at right back.

Favouring his right foot, Gareth began his career at Crewe Alexandra before joining Manchester United, and was touted as a ‘future star’ by Alex Ferguson when he was a teenager.

He gained his first experience as a professional under former Manchester City defender Ian Brightwell at Macclesfield Town. Double-figure goals and an abundance of success in his first season at the club saw him join Bradford City for an undisclosed fee at the age of 21.

Two years with the Bantams then saw him sign for Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United for two seasons, before putting pen-to-paper with Fleetwood Town in 2013. Gareth then notably swapped the West Coast for the South Coast in the Summer of 2015, signing for current League One outfit, Portsmouth.

He would go on to become a club legend amongst the Pompey faithful, making nearly 200 appearances in a 5-year spell at Fratton Park. Gareth finished as the top goalscorer in his first season at the club, and would cement his place in the starting XI for years to come, as well as becoming their club captain in the 2018-19 season.

A return to Bradford City followed in September 2020, leaving behind an incredible 5-year stint on the South Coast, in which he became a Champion of League Two, and won the Checkatrade Trophy (more commonly known as the EFL Trophy) at Wembley, scoring his spot kick in a 5-4 penalty shootout win against Sunderland.

In his first interview after signing for the club, Gareth said – “I’m delighted to be here, I’m excited by the project that’s been put to me and it’s an exciting time at the club so I’m looking forward to getting going.

I think the main aim this season is to get promoted, but my short term goals are to be playing regularly, scoring goals and enjoying my football as much as I possibly can.”

Welcome to the Neuven Stadium, Gareth!

Interviewer: So Gareth, welcome to Radcliffe, first of all are you happy to have signed?

GE: Yeah, delighted to be here, excited by the project that’s been put to me and there’s a lot of things going on both with the football club and with the town, on and off the pitch so that’s an exciting time and I’m looking forward to getting going

Interviewer: Obviously you’ve played all over the Football League in your career, most notably with Portsmouth, how do you think this experience will help on and off the pitch with the cropper lads

GE: Yeah it’s obviously a different sort of surroundings to what I’ve had before, playing for 20,000 people at Fratton Park on a regular basis for five and a half years for example and getting promotions and winning cups, this and that, and the other I feel like I’d be an elder statesman in the changing room and I can pass on a lot of the experience that I’ve that I’ve had in my career to some of the younger lads and really help bring them on as players and as people going on from that

Interviewer: What are your ambitions for this season and beyond with Radcliffe?

GE: Ultimately it’s promotion as soon as I came in and met the manager it was the main word that came about in conversation was with promotions so obviously just playing regularly scoring goals in the short term and enjoying my football as much as I possibly can but obviously the goal at the end of the season is to get up into the into the Conference North

Interviewer: What can we expect to see from you on the pitch?

GE: Hard-working, I like to come into come into pockets and turn and try and make things happen, ultimately it’s goals and assists I think is my strongest point in the game so I like to think that i’m going to bring that to the table

HIS CAREER

Youth career
1994–1995 – Crewe Alexandra
1995–2002 – Manchester United
2002–2006 – Crewe Alexandra

Senior career
2006–2007 – Crewe Alexandra
2006 → Leigh RMI (loan)
2007 → Alsager Town (loan)
2007–2009 – Macclesfield Town
2009–2011 – Bradford City
2011–2013 – Rotherham United
2013–2015 – Fleetwood Town
2015–2020 – Portsmouth
2020–2022 – Bradford City

Radcliffe’s 22/23 squad (according to club website)

GOALKEEPERS
Alex Gibbons
Tom Stewart

DEFENDERS
Jack Evans
David Fitzpatrick
Callum Grogan
Zak Lee
Courtney Meppen-Walter
Ben Rydel
Olly Thornley

MIDFIELDERS
Nicky Adams
Ste Carter
Matthew Crothers
Luke Joyce
Jem Karacan
George Mercer
Keyni Mills
Luca Navarro
Jake Thompson
Gareth Evans

ATTACKERS
Bobby Grant
Dominic McHale
Nivaldo

Fans gave their reaction as Radcliffe sign ex-Pompey, Man Utd, Macclesfield, Bradford, Rotherham, Fleetwood, Crewe player Gareth Evans…

@OffTheLineBlog: Crikey, talk about a good squad! Meppen-Walter, Fitzpatrick, Adams, Joyce, Karacan, Grant and McHale. Big pressure on to do well this season.

@Stephen54761593: Great signing.

@PFCAlf: Modern day pompey legend. He will smash it

@Jake_PFC: Best of luck to him, absolute legend

@silkmenarmy: MILES too good for that level wow.

@ChrisOverthrow: Will always give 100% its why he’s still so loved and respected at @Pompey.

@foreverayellow: now this is class to see, always refreshing to see efl players drop down into non league for the love of the game