He made 40 appearances in all competitions for Cardiff, scoring once in the FA Cup against Chester City on 14 November 1998,[5] between his purchase and his sale to Aston Villa eight months later on 9 March 1999 for £500,000.

[6] Delaney had been travelling to an away match with Cardiff against Brighton & Hove Albion when he was informed of the transfer by manager Frank Burrows on their arrival.

[7] The day after his transfer was completed, Delaney's father drove him to Birmingham and he travelled with the first-team for their match against Derby County.

One month later, Delaney was handed his Premier League debut by manager John Gregory, replacing Steve Stone in the final ten minutes of a 3–1 victory over Nottingham Forest on 24 April 1999.

After a full pre-season with Villa, Gregory promoted Delaney to first choice right-back ahead of Steve Watson at the start of the following season.

Delaney's Aston Villa career was tempered with knee injuries, which he attributes to his willingness to fly into tackles as a youngster hoping to impress.

[15] On 7 September 2023, Delaney was appointed lead professional development phase coach at Coventry City, who will take charge of the under 18s.