Joe Gardner (footballer)
Footballer (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Charles Gardner (born 6 June 2005) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Falkirk.[4] Born in England, he has represented Ireland at a youth level.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Charles Gardner[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 6 June 2005[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Nottingham, England[3] | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[2] | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Falkirk | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2016–2024 | Nottingham Forest | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024–2026 | Nottingham Forest | 0 | (0) |
| 2025 | → Lincoln City (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2025–2026 | → Mansfield Town (loan) | 14 | (1) |
| 2026– | Falkirk | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2025– | Republic of Ireland U21 | 3 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:28, 1 August 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 00:38, 7 June 2025 (UTC) | |||
Club career
While part of the Nottingham Forest youth academy, which he joined in 2016,[5] he featured for the club's U21 side in the EFL Trophy in the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons, and scored against Carlisle United in a 2–1 victory in September 2024.[6]
He made his first-team debut for Nottingham Forest against Bristol City in the FA Cup on 7 February 2024.[7] He later featured on the bench for Premier League matches without making his debut.[8] He scored six goals in Premier League 2 for Forest in the first half of the 2024–25 season.[9]
On 31 January 2025, he signed a new contract with Nottingham Forest and joined EFL League One side Lincoln City on a six-month loan.[9] Gardner made his debut coming off the bench against Cambridge United on 8 February 2025, where he received a straight red card 4 minutes into his debut.[10] He scored his first league goal for Lincoln against Crawley Town on 4 March 2025, scoring the fourth goal to round off a 4–1 win.[11]
Gardner joined divisional rivals Mansfield Town on 14 July 2025.[12] He was one of three Nottingham Forest youth players to sign for Mansfield, alongside Kyle McAdam and Jamie McDonnell.[13] He made his debut in the league game against Wycombe on 6 September 2025.[14] He scored his first goal in a 1–1 league draw against Stevenage on 13 September 2025.[15]
On 28 July 2026, Gardner signed with Scottish Premiership side Falkirk on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[16][5]
International career
In January 2023, he was called up by the Republic of Ireland national under-19 football team for a UK-based training camp ahead of their UEFA European U19 Championship qualifiers the following month.[17] On 13 March 2025, Gardner received his first Republic of Ireland U21 call up for their friendlies against Scotland U21 & Hungary U21 in Spain.[18] He made his debut for the side against Scotland U21 on 21 March, missing an 88th minute penalty in a 2–0 loss.[19]
Career statistics
- As of 2 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Nottingham Forest U21 | 2023–24[20] | — | — | — | 3[a] | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 2024–25[21] | — | — | — | 3[a] | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||||
| Total | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | |||||
| Nottingham Forest | 2023–24[20] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024–25[21] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26[22] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Lincoln City (loan) | 2024–25[21] | League One | 11 | 1 | – | – | – | 11 | 1 | |||
| Mansfield Town (loan) | 2025–26[22] | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 2[a] | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 35 | 3 | ||
- Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy