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Harry Darling

{{short description|English footballer (born 1999)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Harry Darling

| image =

| full_name = Harry Jack Darling{{cite web |url=https://www.efl.com/siteassets/image/201920/general-news/efl-squad-numbering-06.09.2019.pdf |title=Notification of shirt numbers|publisher=English Football League |access-date=15 October 2019}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1999|8|8|df=y}}

| birth_place = Cambridge, England

| height = {{convert|1.88|m|order=flip}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.cambridge-united.co.uk/teams/first-team/defender/harry-darling |title=Harry Darling – Defender – First Team – Cambridge United |access-date=9 November 2019 |archive-date=9 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109160836/https://www.cambridge-united.co.uk/teams/first-team/defender/harry-darling/ |url-status=dead }}

| position = Centre-back

| currentclub = Swansea City

| clubnumber = 6

| youthyears1 = 2011–2012

| youthclubs1 = Cambridge United

| youthyears2 = {{0|0000}}–2015

| youthclubs2 = Newmarket Town

| youthyears3 = 2015–2016

| youthclubs3 = Cambridge United

| years1 = 2016–2021

| clubs1 = Cambridge United

| caps1 = 55

| goals1 = 2

| years2 = 2017

| clubs2 = → Bishop's Stortford (loan)

| caps2 = 2

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2017

| clubs3 = → Hampton & Richmond Borough (loan)

| caps3 = 2

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 2017

| clubs4 = → Royston Town (loan)

| caps4 = 8

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 2018

| clubs5 = → East Thurrock United (loan)

| caps5 = 5

| goals5 = 0

| years6 = 2021–2022

| clubs6 = Milton Keynes Dons

| caps6 = 64

| goals6 = 7

| years7 = 2022–

| clubs7 = Swansea City

| caps7 = 108

| goals7 = 12

| club-update = 18:31, 21 April 2025 (UTC)

}}

Harry Jack Darling (born 8 August 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for {{English football updater|SwanseaC}} club Swansea City.

Career

= Cambridge United =

Darling joined Cambridge United at the age of 12, but left a year later. After being spotted again playing for Newmarket Town's youth team, he rejoined the club in 2015. Darling joined the first team for pre-season ahead of the 2016–17 campaign. On 8 November 2016, he made his debut in a 2–0 EFL Trophy defeat to Scunthorpe United.{{Cite web|url=http://www.espn.co.uk/football/match?gameId=464122|title=Cambridge United vs. Scunthorpe United – Football Match Summary – November 8, 2016 – ESPN|website=ESPN.com|access-date=14 August 2017}}

He signed his first professional contract with the club in October 2016.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cambridge-united.co.uk/news/2016/october/harry-darling-signs-three-year-professional-contract-with-us/|title=HARRY DARLING SIGNS THREE YEAR PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT WITH U'S|access-date=14 August 2017|language=en-gb}} On 8 August 2017, Darling started in a 4–1 EFL Cup defeat at Bristol Rovers.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40785767|title=Bristol Rovers 4–1 Cambridge United|date=8 August 2017|work=BBC Sport|access-date=14 August 2017|language=en-GB}} He made his full league debut for the club on 13 January 2018 in a 0–0 draw against Mansfield Town. On 17 August 2019, he scored his first professional goal, an 86th-minute winner against Colchester United.

=Milton Keynes Dons=

On 22 January 2021, Darling joined EFL League One club Milton Keynes Dons for an undisclosed fee,{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55773189 |title=Harry Darling: MK Dons sign Cambridge United defender |publisher=BBC |date=22 January 2021 |access-date=22 January 2021 }} and made his debut four days later in a 0–1 home defeat to Charlton Athletic.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55713920 |title=Milton Keynes Dons 0–1 Charlton Athletic |publisher=BBC |date=26 January 2021 |access-date=27 January 2021 }} Despite only being with the club since the January transfer window, he was named MK Dons' Young Player of the Year for the 2020–21 season having made just 21 appearances.{{Cite web |url=https://www.mkdons.com/news/2021/may/lewington-named-player-of-the-year/ |title=Lewington named Player of the Year! |publisher=Milton Keynes Dons |date=7 May 2021 |accessdate=7 May 2021 }}

On 31 August 2021, whilst captaining the side, Darling scored his first goal for the club, on his 100th start as a professional, in a 2–1 EFL Trophy group stage win away over Burton Albion.{{Cite web |url=https://www.mkdons.com/news/2021/august/report-burton-albion---mk-dons/ |title=Report: Burton Albion 1–2 MK Dons |publisher=Milton Keynes Dons |date=31 August 2021 |access-date=31 August 2021 }} He scored his first league goal on 27 November 2021, in a 4–0 away win over Morecambe.{{Cite web|title=Report: Morecambe 0–4 MK Dons|url=https://www.mkdons.com/news/2021/november/report-morecambe-v-mk-dons/|access-date=27 November 2021|website=www.mkdons.com|language=en-gb}}

After an impressive first full season at the club in which he scored 10 goals in all competitions from centre-back, Darling was named in both the EFL League One Team of the Season and PFA Team of the Year{{Cite web |date=9 June 2022 |title=PFA League One Team of the Year |url=https://www.thepfa.com/news/2022/6/9/pfa-awards-22-league-one-toty |access-date=9 June 2022 |publisher=Professional Footballers' Association}} for 2021–22 alongside teammate Scott Twine.{{Cite web |url=https://www.efl.com/news/2022/april/football-manager-efl-team-of-the-season-line-ups-announced/ |title=Football Manager EFL Team of the Season line-ups announced |publisher=EFL.com |date=24 April 2022 |access-date=24 April 2022 }}

=Swansea City=

On 18 June 2022, Darling signed for EFL Championship club Swansea City on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee, reuniting with former coach Russell Martin.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61854579 |title=Harry Darling: Swansea City sign defender from MK Dons |publisher=BBC |date=18 June 2022 |access-date=18 June 2022 }}

Career statistics

{{updated|13 January 2024}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

|+Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

! rowspan="2" |Club

! rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="3" |League

! colspan="2" |FA Cup

! colspan="2" |League Cup

! colspan="2" |Other

! colspan="2" |Total

Division

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

rowspan="6"|Cambridge United

|2016–17{{Soccerbase season|97122|2016|name=Harry Darling|accessdate=23 January 2021}}

|League Two

|0

000001Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy.010
2017–18{{Soccerbase season|97122|2017|name=Harry Darling|accessdate=23 January 2021}}

|League Two

|3

000101050
2018–19{{Soccerbase season|97122|2018|name=Harry Darling|accessdate=23 January 2021}}

|League Two

|12

0001040170
2019–20{{Soccerbase season|97122|2019|name=Harry Darling|accessdate=23 January 2021}}

|League Two

|24

2102030302
2020–21{{Soccerbase season|97122|2020|name=Harry Darling|accessdate=23 January 2021}}

|League Two

|16

0000041201
colspan="2"|Total

!55

21040131733
Bishops Stortford (loan)

|2016–17{{Cite web |url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/harry-darling/464706/ |title=H. Darling |publisher=Soccerway |access-date=23 January 2021 }}

|National League South

|2

0colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—20
Hampton & Richmond (loan)

|2017–18

|National League South

|2

0colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—20
Royston Town (loan)

|2017–18{{Cite web |url=https://www.roystontownfc.co.uk/first-team-team-info/appearancescorers/ |title=Appearances/Scorers |publisher=Royston Town |access-date=23 January 2021 }}

|Southern Premier

|8

0colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—2Two appearances and a goal in FA Trophy, one appearance in Southern League Cup.1101
East Thurrock United (loan)

|2017–18

|National League South

|5

0colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—50
rowspan="3"|Milton Keynes Dons

|2020–21

|League One

|23

0colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—00230
2021–22{{Soccerbase season|97122|2021|name=Harry Darling|access-date=16 June 2021}}

|League One

|41

722105Three appearances and a goal in EFL Trophy, two appearances in 2021–22 EFL League One play-offs.14910
colspan="2"|Total

!64

72210517210
rowspan="3" |Swansea City

|2022–23{{Soccerbase season|97122|2022|name=Harry Darling|access-date=18 June 2022 }}

|Championship

|31

41010colspan="2"|—334
2023–24{{Cite web |title=Harry Darling {{!}} Football Stats {{!}} Swansea City {{!}} Age 24 {{!}} Soccer Base |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=97122 |access-date=2024-01-13 |website=www.soccerbase.com}}

|Championship

|25

3002000273
colspan="2" |Total

!56

7103000607
colspan="3" |Career total

!192

16428020322421

{{reflist|group="lower-alpha"}}

Honours

Cambridge United

  • EFL League Two runners-up: 2020–21{{Cite news |date=8 May 2021 |title=League Two: Bolton and Cambridge earn promotion, Cheltenham take title |language=en-GB |work=The Observer, The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/08/league-two-bolton-and-cambridge-earn-promotion-cheltenham-take-title |access-date=8 April 2023 |issn=0029-7712}}

Individual

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{soccerbase|id=97122|name=Harry Darling}}

{{Swansea City A.F.C. squad}}

{{Navboxes

| title = Awards

| bg = gold

| fg = navy

| list =

{{2021–22 EFL League One Team of the Season}}

{{2021–22 EFL League One PFA Team of the Year}}

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darling, Harry}}

Category:English men's footballers

Category:1999 births

Category:Living people

Category:Footballers from Cambridge

Category:Men's association football defenders

Category:Cambridge United F.C. players

Category:Newmarket Town F.C. players

Category:Bishop's Stortford F.C. players

Category:Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. players

Category:Royston Town F.C. players

Category:East Thurrock United F.C. players

Category:Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players

Category:Swansea City A.F.C. players

Category:English Football League players

Category:Southern Football League players

Category:Isthmian League players

Category:National League (English football) players

Category:21st-century English sportsmen