He moved to South Wales where he signed for Cardiff City in 1996 for £30,000, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on his debut. He spent five years at Cardiff before moving to Newport County. He remained there for three years but was released in June 2004 despite finishing as the club's joint top goalscorer, winning the player of the season award and helping the club win promotion to the Conference South, with Eclhardt describing the club's decision as "disappointing". He joined Merthyr Tydfil. During the 2005 season he re-joined Newport on a short loan deal after the club appealed to any available players who would play for the club due to an injury crisis. He left Merthyr in 2006 and spent a brief spell with Gloucester City. He joined Risca as player-manager and at that point in his career Eckhardt had made over 800 appearances in all competitions for his various clubs.