He’s a steady Eddie in the Cymru North – happy birthday sir!

Happy birthday Eddie Maurice-Jones. Picture: GRESFORD ATHLETIC X/TWITTER ACCOUNT – many thanks

If he ran a football team on a really tight budget, could he be nicknamed Eddie Shoestring?

Well, it’s his birthday, so why not kick off with a quick quip for class act Eddie Maurice-Jones.

It’s a happy 35th to Eddie, who was born in St Asaph on February 20, 1989.

Brought up in Rossett, Eddie began playing regular football at the age of six, turning out for Penyffordd and Pulford junior sides and was soon signed up by the Wrexham School of Excellence.

Eddie spent three years with the Liverpool FC Academy. He is pictured with the Uefa Cup, FA Cup and League Cup which the Anfield club won under Gerard Houllier in 2000-01

Aged 11, he was recruited by the Liverpool FC Academy and spent three years with the club. He also represented Wales in his schoolboy years.

After a break from football, he began playing regularly again in his late teens for Gresford and Brymbo.

In 2009/10 Eddie signed for Caersws and made three Welsh Premier League appearances for the club.

He then moved to Denbigh Town, where his talents truly shone before a serious knee injury ended his playing days.

Eddie turned his hand to management, and on the back of two successful seasons in Sunday football took over as Gresford Athletic boss in 2014.

His impact was sensational. In his first season at the helm, he guided Gresford to the tier-three Welsh National League Premier Division title and League Cup double.

The Colliers were promoted to the Cymru Alliance and finished a very creditable sixth in their first season back at tier two level after a five-year absence.

In November 2016, Eddie was appointed manager of Denbigh Town, where he turned the club around from a bottom three to a mid-table outfit, achieving a 10th place finish in the Huws Gray Alliance.

The following season, Denbigh finished in an amazing, best-ever second position, defying all expectations.

Eddie was now in demand and became director of football at Rhyl FC for the 2018/19 campaign, the Lilywhites finishing fifth in the Cymru Alliance.

In 2019/20, Rhyl ended up in ninth place, but the club dissolved and Eddie opted to not apply for the manager’s position at the new phoenix club CPD Y Rhyl 1879, instead deciding to return to Gresford for the 2020/21 Cymru North campaign.

That season was cancelled due to Covid, but in his last two campaigns back with the Colliers, Eddie has led Gresford to 11th and 10th places and continues to do a steady job in Tier 2.