With Lubomir Michalik finally confirming he would leave Brunton Park on a Bosman free transfer this afternoon, United have brought in a replacement for that vacant centre-half spot with the signing of Edwards. The Beverley-born defender having made 291 starts and 13 substitute appearances for the Magpies, while scoring 22 goals in the process. Edwards having signed for the Meadow Lane club on a free transfer from Grimsby Town in the summer of 2004.
The now 32-year old having penned four two-year deals on the bounce in his eight years with the Magpies before finally deciding the time was right to move on from Notts County, having this time only been offered a fresh one-year contract with the club. Back at the start of his career meanwhile Edwards started as a trainee at Hull City in 1997, that being the last year in which current Blues manager Greg Abbott was still a player at Boothferry Park, Edwards having been an under-16s schoolboy with the Tigers during Abbott's final campaign with Hull.
193 starts, 15 substitute appearances and eight goals came in his time with City, where he made his first-team debut as a 17-year old in a 5-4 defeat at Rotherham in December 1997. Edwards leaving the Tigers in March 2003 when he was released by the club, the defender then joining Colchester until the end of the 2002-03 season having gone through a successful reserve team trial spell with the U's.
Following his short stay in Essex after being let go by Colchester Edwards had another trial spell, this time at Boston United, before he had more success at Grimsby Town where he was taken on when signing a one-year deal. The centre-half making 35 starts and one substitute appearance while scoring one goal with the Mariners, before he was released at the end of the 2003-04 campaign following Town's relegation from the third tier of English football.
And so came Notts County when he was signed for the Magpies by then manager Gary Mills at the end of May 2004, occasional skipper Edwards having had two serious injuries during his time at Meadow Lane, firstly medial ligament damage to his knee soon after joining the Magpies and then a dislocation of his ankle in 2007. A total of 304 games played in eight years though says Edwards is a regular when not out injured and his two-year deal at Brunton Park, signed today, will take him up to the age of 34 as his career takes a fresh turn.
First Team Transfers 2012-13 : Click here