Aaron Martin

Aaron Martin (born 29 September 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Eastleigh.

He ended the 2008–09 season with three goals in 27 appearances, and played both legs of the club's play-off semi-final defeat to Hayes & Yeading United.

He began his career with non-League club Eastleigh, before turning professional with Southampton in November 2009.

He spent time on loan at Conference Premier club Salisbury City towards the end of the 2009–10 campaign, and then played 18 league games across the course of two successive promotions that took Southampton from League One into the Premier League.

He scored his first career goal on 27 January 2009, in a 2–0 win over Bath City at Ten Acres.

He scored again four days later, in a 4–0 victory at Dorchester Town, and agreed a new contract with the club.

He signed a new two-year contract in September 2009 and featured alongside Tom Jordan another 14 times in the early stages of the 2009–10 campaign, scoring one goal in a 6–1 win over Bromley.

Following a trial spell he joined League One club Southampton on 4 November 2009 for "an undisclosed five-figure sum, plus appearance and sell-on increments", and signed an 18-month contract; he was recommended to the club by Eastleigh manager Ian Baird, a former striker for the Saints.

The club were looking for a partner for established centre-back Radhi Jaïdi, and would also sign José Fonte and Danny Seaborne two months later.

The loan was extended to the end of the 2009–10 season, and Martin made 15 appearances and scored once for Tommy Widdrington's Whites, in a 3–1 win against Ebbsfleet United on 2 April, before returning to Southampton in late April.

On 1 May, Martin made his debut first-team appearance for the Saints, starting alongside Fonte in the centre of defence against Gillingham in the penultimate game of the season.

Southampton manager Alan Pardew said he thought Martin was his team's best player in the game, adding that "he passed it well and looked comfortable in the shirt".

He also started the final game of the season, against Southend United, playing alongside Jaïdi.

After playing in Southampton's reserve team, Martin signed on loan for Conference Premier side Salisbury City in March 2010.

Martin started just four league games in the 2010–11 campaign, as new manager Nigel Adkins preferred to partner Fonte and Jaïdi, with Seaborne as back-up.

Southampton went on to win promotion into the Championship as runners-up of League One.

He committed to a new three-year deal with Southampton ahead of the 2011–12 season.

Again partnering Fonte, he played the whole of Southampton's first game of the new season, against Leeds United.

His first goal in the Football League proved to be the matchwinner in a 2–1 victory over Coventry City in the third round of the FA Cup on 7 January, and in February, he came on as a half-time substitute against Derby County to score his first league goal, Southampton's second in a 4–0 win.

He made seven league starts and 17 appearances across all competitions as Southampton were promoted to the Premier League in second-place.

He spent the 2012–13 season on loan at Crystal Palace and Coventry City and after missing the first half of the 2013–14 season through injury, his Southampton contract was ended by mutual consent in January 2014.

After Japan international Maya Yoshida was signed, Martin then moved out to Championship club Crystal Palace on loan for the 2012–13 season.

Manager Dougie Freedman said that he had watched Martin since his time at Eastleigh and saw him "playing a major role in our continued progress".

He played five matches in his first month at Selhurst Park, but then played only once more after Ian Holloway replaced Freedman as the Crystal Palace manager, and the loan was cancelled by mutual agreement in January 2013.

The following month Martin was again loaned out, this time to League One side Coventry City, where he played regularly until the end of the season.

He impressed Coventry boss Steven Pressley, who named him as a top transfer target for the summer once the transfer embargo placed on the Ricoh Arena club was lifted.

Two days after his release, he joined Championship club Birmingham City on a short-term deal until the end of the 2013–14 season, after manager Lee Clark had Dan Burn and Kyle Bartley recalled from their loan spells.

He signed with Birmingham City and played eight Championship games, before joining Yeovil Town in June 2014.

He rejoined Coventry City on loan in October 2014 and signed permanently with the club three months later.

The signing of another centre-back, Dejan Lovren, pushed Martin down to fifth-choice centre-back at St Mary's and an injury sustained in pre-season kept Martin out of action until January 2014.

His contract with Southampton was ended by mutual consent on 28 January as he was not part of manager Mauricio Pochettino's first-team plans.

Released by Coventry, he signed with Oxford United in June 2016, where he would remain for two years before moving on to Exeter City.

He played for Exeter in the 2020 League Two play-off final, which ended in defeat.

He signed with Hamilton Academical of the Scottish Premiership in November 2020 and returned to England at the end of the 2020–21 campaign to sign for Port Vale.

He helped the club to win promotion out of League Two via the play-offs in 2022, before returning the South of England later in the summer to rejoin Eastleigh.

Martin was born in Newport, Isle of Wight, and attended Heathfield School and Itchen College in Southampton, Hampshire.

He represented the English Schools' under-18 football team on several occasions.

He had two unsuccessful trials with Southampton at under-12 level.

Martin began his career with Conference South club Eastleigh as a 14-year-old, having been tracked by the management team of Ian Baird and Mark Dennis.

He had a trial with AFC Bournemouth at the age of 19.