Darran Rowbotham

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Darran Rowbotham

| image =

| fullname = Darran Rowbotham

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|10|22|df=y}}

| birth_place = Cardiff, Wales

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=10}}

| position = Striker

| youthyears1 = 1983–1984 | youthclubs1 = Plymouth Argyle

| years1 = 1984–1987 | clubs1 = Plymouth Argyle | caps1 = 46 | goals1 = 2

| years2 = 1987–1991 | clubs2 = Exeter City | caps2 = 118 | goals2 = 46

| years3 = 1991–1992 | clubs3 = Torquay United | caps3 = 14 | goals3 = 3

| years4 = 1992–1993 | clubs4 = Birmingham City | caps4 = 36 | goals4 = 6

| years5 = 1992 | clubs5 = → Mansfield Town (loan) | caps5 = 4 | goals5 = 2

| years6 = 1993 | clubs6 = → Hereford United (loan) | caps6 = 8 | goals6 = 2

| years7 = 1993–1995 | clubs7 = Crewe Alexandra | caps7 = 61 | goals7 = 21

| years8 = 1995–1996 | clubs8 = Shrewsbury Town | caps8 = 40 | goals8 = 9

| years9 = 1996 | clubs9 = → Exeter City (loan) | caps9 = 2 | goals9 = 1

| years10 = 1996–2000 | clubs10= Exeter City | caps10= 118 | goals10= 37

| years11 = 1999 | clubs11= → Leyton Orient (loan) | caps11= 6 | goals11= 0

| years12 = 2000–2002 | clubs12= Weymouth | caps12=

| goals12 =

}}

Darran Rowbotham (born 22 October 1966) is a Welsh former footballer who made more than 450 appearances in the Football League playing as a striker.

Career

Rowbotham was born in Cardiff, Wales. He began his career as a junior with Plymouth Argyle, and turned professional with the club in November 1984. Three years later he joined local rivals Exeter City.{{cite book |author=Matthews, Tony |title=Birmingham City: A Complete Record |year=1995 |page=121 |publisher=Breedon Books |location=Derby |isbn=978-1-85983-010-9}} A key player in Exeter winning the Fourth Division title in the 1989–90 season, his goalscoring had linked him with possible moves to top-flight football. However, he sustained a serious knee injury which kept him out of football for a year, after which his career was restricted to the lower divisions of the Football League.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/exeter_city/857219.stm |title=A game of two halves |publisher=BBC Sport |date=29 July 2000 |access-date=25 August 2015}}

After four years at Exeter, where he scored 58 goals in 142 games in all competitions, he joined Torquay United for a fee of £25,000. Only four months later he moved on again, following his former Exeter manager Terry Cooper to Birmingham City for a fee of £20,000.

Lack of goals for Birmingham resulted in loan spells at Mansfield Town and Hereford United before he left on a free transfer, signing for Crewe Alexandra before the 1993–94 season. He spent two years there, followed by an 18-month spell at Shrewsbury Town, before returning to Exeter in 1996. He remained at Exeter for four years, including a month on loan to Leyton Orient,{{cite web |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=6905 |title=Darren Rowbotham |work=Soccerbase |publisher=Centurycomm |access-date=25 August 2015 |archive-date=30 March 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050330180212/http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=6905 |url-status=live }} before being released at the end of the 1999–2000 season. He ended his career playing alongside brother Jason for Weymouth in the Southern League.{{cite news |url=http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/5404281.Jason_set_to_join_the_Terras/ |title=Jason set to join the Terras |newspaper=Bournemouth Daily Echo |date=25 January 2001 |access-date=25 August 2015}}

Honours

Individual

PFA Team of the Year: 1989–90 Fourth Division{{cite book |last=Lynch |title=The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes |page=148}}

References

;General

{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/darrenrowbotham.html |title=Darren Rowbotham |work=UK A–Z Transfers |publisher=Neil Brown |access-date=25 August 2015}}

;Specific