Huddersfield Town

Chris Maxwell arrives at Huddersfield Town with vast experience of the Sky Bet Championship and Sky Bet League One under his belt.

Chris was born in St Asaph, Wales, and started his professional career in the Wrexham Academy. Whilst a trainee, he was capped by his country at many age groups, and was part of the Wales Under-16 side that won the 2005 Victory Shield.

He signed his first professional contract in June 2008 and soon got his first taste of senior football through a loan spell in the Welsh Premier League with Connah’s Quay Nomads, playing 20 games.

Maxwell didn’t have to wait long for his senior Wrexham debut upon his return, starting the final few games of the Conference Premier season in April 2009 at just 18 years old.

2009/10 was Chris’ proper breakout year as he started 21 successive games for Wrexham, keeping 10 clean sheets and earning a new contract in the process. His good form continued, with five clean sheets in his final nine appearances. That form won him the club’s Young Player of the Season award for the next two years, and saw him called into the Wales Under-21 squad during the 2011/12 campaign.

Chris departed the club in the summer of 2012 having made 85 appearances, and immediately joined newly promoted Sky Bet League Two club Fleetwood Town as a free agent. He actually had a loan spell back at Wrexham the following January, where he played 23 games and helped his old club win the FA Trophy in the Wembley final and falling just short in the Play-Off Final at the same venue.

Another loan spell in the Conference Premier followed next season as he joined Cambridge United. He excelled again, being part of a 16-game unbeaten run and keeping a club record 11 clean sheets in that spell.

He returned to his parent club after 24 games for United, having kept a total of 18 clean sheets, conceded just 10 goals and being named Conference Premier Player of the Month in October. His Fleetwood debut followed in February 2014 and he soon cemented his position, keeping 11 clean sheets in 24 games as the team won the League Two Play-Off Final.

After penning a new two-year contract extension, Maxwell was a virtual ever-present in the 2014/15 Sky Bet League One campaign as Fleetwood finished 10th. Only three teams had a better defensive record, so it was no surprise when he was named Fleetwood’s Players’ Player of the Year, Supporters’ Player of the Year and the club’s Community Player of the Year.

After another full season between the sticks in League One, Maxwell was on the move in the summer of 2016, having made 123 Fleetwood appearances. He moved up the pyramid again, joining Sky Bet Championship side Preston North End on a three-year deal.

Breaking into the side in September, he played for the rest of his debut season, going on to make 83 appearances for PNE over four Championship seasons. He also had two loan spells; one with League One Charlton Athletic and a second with Scottish Premiership side Hibernian, where he played 17 times.

Chris joined Blackpool as a free agent in January 2020 and stood out again in the 2020/21 Sky Bet League One campaign as the Tangerines gained promotion back to the second tier. With 21 clean sheets, he won the division’s Golden Glove award and was named in the divisional Team of the Year.

He departed Blackpool at the end of the 2022/23 season having made 114 appearances for the club.