Aaron Morris (footballer)
{{short description|Welsh footballer}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Aaron Morris
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| fullname = Aaron John Morris{{cite book
| editor-first = Barry J.
| editor-last = Hugman
| title = The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11
| year = 2010
| publisher=Mainstream Publishing |location=Edinburgh |isbn=978-1-84596-601-0 |page=295}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|12|30|df=y}}
| birth_place = Rumney, Cardiff, Wales
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}}
| position = Defender / Midfielder
| currentclub =
| clubnumber =
| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2008 | youthclubs1 = Cardiff City
| years1 = 2008–2010 | clubs1 = Cardiff City | caps1 = 1 | goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2009–2010 | clubs2 = → Newport County (loan) | caps2 = 5 | goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2010–2013 | clubs3 = Aldershot Town | caps3 = 98 | goals3 = 2
| years4 = 2014 | clubs4 = AFC Wimbledon | caps4 = 17 | goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2014–2018 | clubs5 = Gillingham | caps5 = 58 | goals5 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2009–2010 | nationalteam1 = Wales U21
| nationalcaps1 = 8 | nationalgoals1 = 0
| club-update = 20:23, 3 June 2017 (UTC)
| nationalteam-update =
}}
Aaron John Morris (born 30 December 1989) is a Welsh professional footballer who last played as a midfielder for League One club Gillingham. He can also play as a defender and has represented the Wales national under-21 team.
Club career
=Cardiff City=
Morris was born in Rumney, Cardiff.
Joining Cardiff City as a youth player, he made his first-team debut in a 1–0 victory over Welshpool Town on 23 January 2007 in the FAW Premier Cup and went on to play in the semi-final penalty shoot-out defeat to Newport County three weeks later. The FAW Premier Cup matches would be the only matches he played for the first team during the 2007–08 season.
The start of the 2008–09 season saw Morris handed a full first-team squad number for the first time. In August 2008 Morris was set to join Bournemouth on loan, along with fellow Cardiff player Jonathan Brown. The move fell through later after both clubs overlooked the fact that Morris was still only an academy scholar at Cardiff and was ineligible to be loaned out.{{Cite web |url=http://www.bournemouth.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=121037 |title=Cardiff link up hits buffers |publisher=Vitalfootball.co.uk |access-date=3 September 2008 |archive-date=15 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915171220/http://www.bournemouth.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=121037 |url-status=dead }} On 26 August 2008, Morris came on as a substitute during Cardiff's 2–1 League Cup victory over Milton Keynes Dons after Darcy Blake suffered a hamstring injury.{{Cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/7576355.stm |title=Cardiff 2–1 MK Dons |publisher=BBC Sport |date=26 August 2008 |access-date=3 September 2008}}
In December 2009, Morris joined Conference South leaders Newport County initially on a one-month loan arrangement,{{Cite web |url=http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/sport/football/newportcounty/4818304.Deano_s_triple_swoop/ |title=Deano's triple swoop |publisher=South Wales Argus |date=23 December 2009 |access-date=23 December 2009}} making his debut in a 3–0 win over Dorchester Town on 28 December.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dorchestertownfc.co.uk/season/200910/reports/newportco-a-bss.shtml |title=Newport County 3–0 Dorchester Town |publisher=dorchestertownfc.co.uk |date=28 December 2009 |access-date=28 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420012248/http://www.dorchestertownfc.co.uk/season/200910/reports/newportco-a-bss.shtml |archive-date=20 April 2010 }} His loan period at Newport concluded 29 February 2010. After returning to Cardiff, Morris made his league debut for the club in the final league game of the 2009–10 season as a substitute in place of Solomon Taiwo during a 2–0 defeat to Derby County.{{Cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/8644971.stm |title=Derby 2–0 Cardiff |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2 May 2010 |access-date=2 May 2010}} At the end of the 2009–10 season Morris was released by Cardiff, having played 4 games for the club.
=Aldershot Town=
Following his release, Morris spent time on trial with Brighton & Hove Albion and Exeter City before joining League Two side Aldershot Town on 30 July.{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aldershot/8872340.stm |title=Aldershot manager Dillon completes quadruple signing |publisher=BBC Sport |date=30 July 2010 |access-date=30 July 2010}} In his first start, Morris was named sponsors Man of the Match following a 0–0 draw with Wycombe Wanderers on 18 September 2010. In his first season at Aldershot, Morris made 25 appearances in all competitions.{{Soccerbase season|49799|2010|name=Aaron Morris|access-date=10 January 2014}} The following season, he was a regular face in the first team squad, playing 45 games in all competitions{{Soccerbase season|49799|2011|name=Aaron Morris|access-date=10 January 2014}} and scoring his first career goal in a 1–0 victory at Macclesfield Town on 18 February 2012.{{cite web|title=Aldershot's Aaron Morris scored to condemn 10-man Macclesfield to their seventh successive defeat|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16995073|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=10 January 2014}} He scored his second career goal less than a month later on 13 March 2012, scoring after 4 minutes to give Aldershot a 1–0 lead at Crawley Town in a game that ended 2–2.{{cite web|title=Billy Clarke rescued a draw for fading Crawley as Aldershot missed a late chance to win all three points|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17267982|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=10 January 2014}} Morris's third season at Aldershot was also his final season with the club, he was everpresent in the side, making 44 appearances, before suffering cruciate ligament damage in the 18th minute of a 3–2 victory over Oxford United{{cite web|title=Jeff Goulding came off the bench to secure a last-gasp win over Oxford and keep Aldershot's survival hopes alive|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21921168|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=10 January 2014}} that ended his season.{{cite web|title=Aaron Morris: Aldershot Town player injures cruciate ligament|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22041512|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=10 January 2014}} He was released at the end of the season as his contract with Aldershot expired and the club was relegated from The Football League.{{cite web|title=Transfer window: Aaron Morris joins AFC Wimbledon|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25683291|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=10 January 2014}}
=AFC Wimbledon=
Morris once again linked up with Neal Ardley, who brought him through the ranks at Cardiff City, by signing for AFC Wimbledon on 10 January 2014.{{Cite news |url=http://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/article/dons-sign-defender-1286297.aspx |title=Dons swoop for defender |publisher=AFC Wimbledon |date=10 January 2014 |access-date=10 January 2014}} On the transfer, Ardley stated "I would have signed Aaron in the summer if he was not injured, Aaron can play in a number of positions, but he can be a very good centre-back in my eyes". Morris later tweeted "Been a tough road back but delighted to be back on track and to have signed at AFC Wimbledon, good things to come I'm sure".
=Gillingham=
Following the 2013–14 season, he signed for Gillingham on a two-year deal.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27626248|title=Gillingham sign Glenn Morris and Aaron Morris|publisher=BBC|date=29 May 2014|access-date=29 May 2014}} Morris was rewarded with another two-year contract at the conclusion of the 2015–16 season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36561540|title=Aaron Morris: Gillingham midfielder signs new contract|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=2016-06-18}}
International career
In June 2008, Morris was named as a stand-by player for the U19 squad for the Milk Cup tournament held in Northern Ireland.{{Cite web |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/football-in-wales/2008/06/19/city-duo-in-young-wales-squad-91466-21105230/ |title=City duo in young Wales squad |publisher=South Wales Echo |date=19 May 2008 |access-date=3 September 2008}} He received his first call-up to the Wales U21 side in February 2009,{{Cite web|url=http://www.faw.org.uk/news/1262 |title=Wales squad changes |publisher=faw.org.uk |date=6 February 2009 |access-date=14 February 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527210227/http://www.faw.org.uk/news/1262 |archive-date=27 May 2011 }} but the scheduled match against Northern Ireland U21s was called off due to adverse weather. Morris received his second call-up a month later for the qualifying matches against Luxembourg, being handed his first cap in the second meeting of the two sides when he played a full 90 minutes in a 5–1 win.{{Cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7972999.stm |title=Wales U21 5–1 Luxembourg U21 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=31 March 2009 |access-date=31 March 2009}}
Career statistics
{{updated|match played 30 April 2017}}
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan=2|Club
!rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|FA Cup !colspan=2|League Cup !colspan=2|Other !colspan=2|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan=3|Cardiff City
|2008–09{{Soccerbase season|49799|2008|name=Aaron Morris|access-date=10 January 2014}} |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10{{Soccerbase season|49799|2009|name=Aaron Morris|access-date=10 January 2014}}
|Championship |1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 1 | 0 | ||
| colspan=2|Total
!1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 2 | 0 | ||
| Newport County (loan)
|5 | 0 | colspan=2|— | colspan=2|— | 2{{efn|Appearance in FA Trophy}} | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
| rowspan=4|Aldershot Town
|22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1{{efn|name=FLT|Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy}} | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| 2011–12
|League Two |39 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 2 | |
| 2012–13{{Soccerbase season|49799|2012|name=Aaron Morris|access-date=10 January 2014}}
|League Two |37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2{{efn|name=FLT}} | 0 | 44 | 0 | |
| colspan=2|Total
!98 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 114 | 2 | |
| AFC Wimbledon
|2013–14{{Soccerbase season|49799|2013|name=Aaron Morris|access-date=10 January 2014}} |League Two |17 | 0 | colspan=2|— | colspan=2|— | colspan=2|— | 17 | 0 | ||||
| rowspan=4|Gillingham
|2014–15{{Soccerbase season|49799|2014|name=Aaron Morris|access-date=27 May 2015}} |23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| 2015–16{{Soccerbase season|49799|2015|name=Aaron Morris|access-date=6 June 2016}}
|League One |35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1{{efn|name=FLT}} | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 2016–17{{Soccerbase season|49799|2016|name=Aaron Morris|access-date=16 July 2017}}
|League One |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| colspan=2|Total
!58 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 1 | |
| colspan=3|Career total
!179 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 202 | 3 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20170716195055/https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/teams/first-team/defender/aaron-morris/ Aaron Morris profile] at the Gillingham F.C. website
- {{Soccerbase}}
{{Gillingham F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Aaron}}
Category:People from Rumney, Cardiff
Category:Footballers from Cardiff
Category:Wales men's under-21 international footballers
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Cardiff City F.C. players
Category:Newport County A.F.C. players
Category:Aldershot Town F.C. players
Category:AFC Wimbledon players
Category:Gillingham F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:National League (English football) players