James Paul Hardy (born 11 May 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Buxton.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Paul Hardy[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1996-05-11) 11 May 1996 (age 26) | ||
| Place of birth | Stockport, England | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Buxton | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2011 | Oldham Athletic | ||
| 2012–2015 | Manchester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2019 | AFC Fylde | 91 | (16) |
| 2019 | → FC Halifax Town (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Walsall | 11 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | AFC Telford United | 17 | (1) |
| 2021 | Altrincham | 11 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Chester | 10 | (2) |
| 2022 | → Buxton (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2022– | Buxton | 0 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2016–2019 | England C | 5 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:45, 20 March 2022 (UTC) | |||
Born in Stockport, Hardy signed for Oldham Athletic as a nine-year-old and spent six years with the club before being released in 2011. Following his release, Hardy was offered a trial by boyhood club Manchester City and signed a contract with the club in May 2012.[3]
Hardy joined AFC Fylde in October 2015 and quickly became one of the brightest prospects in non-league football.[4] He scored eight goals to help Fylde to the National League North title in 2016–17[5] but faced injury problems throughout the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons, limiting his game time.[4][5] A hernia injury ruled Hardy out for four months in the 2018–19 season. On his return he joined FC Halifax Town on loan for a month in February 2019.[6] Hardy played six times for the Shaymen before returning to Fylde.[7] In total Hardy made 91 league appearances for Fylde, scoring 16 goals.[5]
Hardy signed for Walsall in June 2019 after his contract expired at Fylde.[8] He scored a late equaliser on his professional debut in a 1–1 draw against Forest Green on 10 August 2019.[9]
He was released by the club at the end of the 2019–20 season,[10] and signed for AFC Telford United in August 2020.[11] On 20 February 2021, Hardy left the club by mutual consent.[12]
On 22 February 2021, Hardy signed for National League side Altrincham.[13]
On 15 June 2021, Hardy joined Chester on a one-year deal.[14]
On 18 March 2022, Hardy joined Northern Premier League Premier Division side Buxton on loan for the remainder of the 2021–22 season.[15] On 19 June 2022, Hardy joined the club on a permanent basis following their promotion.[16]
Hardy made his England C debut in November 2016, providing the assists for both goals in a 2–1 win against Estonia U23s.[17]
He was awarded FA England C Player of the Year at the National Game Awards in May 2019[18] and earned five caps in total before entering the professional game.