Stephen Darby
{{short description|English footballer (born 1988)}}
{{about|the English footballer|the football coach|Steve Darby|the 14-century English politician|Stephen Derby}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Stephen Darby
| image = Stephen Darby Valley Parade 2022.jpg
| caption = Darby in 2022
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|10|6|df=y}}{{cite web |title=Stephen Darby |url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/first-team/player/32-stephen-darby |publisher=Liverpool F.C. |access-date=18 August 2022 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308084820/http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/first-team/player/32-stephen-darby |archive-date=8 March 2010}}
| birth_place = Liverpool, England
| height = {{convert|1.83|m|order=flip}}{{cite web |title=Stephen Darby: Overview |url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/3129/Stephen-Darby/overview |publisher=Premier League |access-date=18 August 2022}}
| position = Right-back
| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2008
| youthclubs1 = Liverpool
| years1 = 2008–2012
| clubs1 = Liverpool
| caps1 = 1
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2010
| clubs2 = → Swindon Town (loan)
| caps2 = 12
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2010–2011
| clubs3 = → Notts County (loan)
| caps3 = 22
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2011–2012
| clubs4 = → Rochdale (loan)
| caps4 = 35
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2012–2017
| clubs5 = Bradford City
| caps5 = 194
| goals5 = 0
| years6 = 2017–2018
| clubs6 = Bolton Wanderers
| caps6 = 3
| goals6 = 0
| totalcaps = 267
| totalgoals = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2007–2008
| nationalteam1 = England U19
| nationalcaps1 = 2
| nationalgoals1 = 0
}}
Stephen Mark Darby (born 6 October 1988) is an English former professional footballer who played as a right-back. Darby represented England at under-19 level. He began his career playing on the winning side of the Liverpool FA Youth Cup in 2006 and played competitively for Liverpool from 2008 to 2012. Darby then joined the Bradford team that reached the 2013 Football League Cup final, making over 200 appearances for the club and captaining the side for two seasons. Although he afterwards signed a two-year contract with Bolton Wanderers in 2017, Darby retired from his career just over a year later at the age of 29 after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Early life
Darby was brought up in Maghull, Merseyside, where he attended St. John Bosco Catholic Primary School and Maricourt Roman Catholic High School.
Club career
=Liverpool=
Darby played in Liverpool's FA Youth Cup winning teams in 2006 and 2007 that defeated Manchester City and Manchester United's academies in the finals respectively, captaining the team in the 2006 final. He was first selected for the Liverpool squad which played Turkish side Galatasaray in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League in December 2006, but he was an unused substitute in that match. After a four-hour flight from Istanbul to Liverpool, he went straight to The Hawthorns and played a full game, including extra-time, to help the youth team through to the fourth round.{{cite web |title=One to watch: Stephen Darby |publisher=Liverpoolfc.tv |date=5 June 2008 |url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2008/jun/5/N160131080605-1417.htm |access-date=1 December 2008}}{{Dead link|date=July 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.xtratime.org/forum/showthread.php?p=6405678|title=Reprint of aforementioned article|publisher=xtratime.org|date=6 June 2008|access-date=20 July 2014}}
During the 2007–08 season, Darby captained Liverpool's reserves team that ended the campaign as northern and national champions.{{cite web|title=Reserves crowned national champions |publisher=Liverpoolfc.tv |date=7 May 2008 |url=http://www.liverpoolfc.com/match/fixtures/reserves/liverpool-reserves-v-aston-villa-2008-05-07-19-45-00/last-match-report |access-date=20 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015140720/http://www.liverpoolfc.com/match/fixtures/reserves/liverpool-reserves-v-aston-villa-2008-05-07-19-45-00/last-match-report |archive-date=15 October 2014 }} His performances earned him praises from manager Gary Ablett calling him 'Mr. Consistency'.
His first appearance in a competitive match was as a substitute in Liverpool's League Cup fourth round defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in November 2008.{{cite web |title=FT: Tottenham 4 Liverpool 2 |publisher=Sky Sports |date=12 November 2008 |url=http://www.skysports.com/football/match_commentary/0,19764,11065_3075153,00.html |access-date=13 November 2008}}
He made his Champions League debut against PSV Eindhoven on 9 December 2008, coming on as a substitute alongside fellow homegrown players Jay Spearing and Martin Kelly.{{cite web |title=PSV 1 – Liverpool 3: match report |url=http://www.liverpoolfc.com/match/fixtures/first-team/p-s-v-v-liverpool-2008-12-09-20-45-00/last-match-statistics | publisher=Liverpoolfc.tv |date=9 December 2008 |access-date=20 July 2014}} On 5 July 2009, Darby secured a three-year extension to his contract along with fellow Melwood graduate Jay Spearing.
He made his first competitive start for Liverpool against ACF Fiorentina in the UEFA Champions League on 9 December 2009 in a 2–1 defeat.{{cite web|url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=283251&cc=5739&league=UEFA.CHAMPIONS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622065727/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=283251&cc=5739&league=UEFA.CHAMPIONS|archive-date=22 June 2011|title=Liverpool 1 – 2 Fiorentina|date=10 December 2009|work=ESPN|access-date=20 March 2010}} His second competitive start came against Reading in the FA Cup. The game finished 1–1. Darby was praised by Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher for his performance in the game.
Darby made his Premier League debut against Tottenham Hotspur on 20 January 2010, coming on as a substitute in the 90th minute for Philipp Degen.{{cite web|url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=270017&cc=5739&league=ENG.1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622065715/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=270017&cc=5739&league=ENG.1|archive-date=22 June 2011|title=Liverpool 2 – 0 Tottenham Hotspur|date=20 January 2010|work=ESPN|access-date=20 March 2010}}
He was included in Liverpool's 25-man squad for the 2010–11 Premier League season.
He was released by the club at the end of the 2011–12 season.{{cite web |title=Premier League Free Transfer List 2011/12 |url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/other/premier-league-released-list.pdf | publisher=Premier League |access-date=1 June 2012}}
==Swindon Town, Notts County, and Rochdale loans==
On 11 March 2010, Darby joined Swindon Town on loan for the remainder of the 2009–10 season.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/swindon_town/8562725.stm|title=Swindon Town sign Liverpool defender Stephen Darby|date=11 March 2010|work=BBC Sport|access-date=20 March 2010}} He started his first game on 13 March 2010 against Brighton & Hove Albion and played the full 90 minutes at right back.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_2/8547600.stm|title=Brighton 0 – 1 Swindon|date=13 January 2010|work=BBC Sport|access-date=20 March 2010}} He then took part in the play-off semi-final against Charlton Athletic, where he scored the decisive penalty in the shoot-out.
On 1 November, Notts County manager and ex-Liverpool player Paul Ince snapped up both Darby and Thomas Ince on a loan deal from Liverpool.{{cite web|title=Duo complete loan move|url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/duo-complete-loan-move|date=1 November 2010 |work=Liverpoolfc.tv}} He made his County debut on 6 November in an FA Cup 1st round match against Gateshead{{cite web |date=6 November 2010 |title=Notts County 2 – 0 Gateshead |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/9140357.stm |work=BBC Sport}} On 13 November, he started in County's 3–1 league defeat to Exeter City. A week later, he started again in the 1–0 home defeat to Tranmere Rovers. On 23 November, he started and was named Man of the Match in the 1–0 win against one of his former clubs, Swindon. Again he started on 11 December, this time in a win as County defeated Milton Keynes Dons at home, 2–0. After his loan spell completed on 3 January 2011 he returned to Liverpool. He rejoined County later in January for the remainder of the season, before returning to Liverpool in early May.
On 7 July 2011, Rochdale confirmed the signing of Darby on loan for the 2011–12 campaign.{{cite web |url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/defender-seals-loan-switch-2|title=Defender seals loan switch|publisher=Liverpool FC|date=7 July 2011|access-date=7 July 2011}}{{cite web|title=Dale tie up Darby loan |url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11719_7024774,00.html |date=7 July 2011 |work=SkySports.com}} He made his debut on 6 August 2011, against Sheffield Wednesday, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 defeat. He was the fans' man of the match in the 0–0 home draw against Carlisle United on 16 August 2011. He made 40 appearances for the club during his season-long loan.
=Bradford City=
On 4 July 2012, Darby signed for Bradford City on a two-year contract.[http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/news/article/darby-joins-bradford-137379.aspx "City complete Darby deal"] Bradford City F.C. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2014. He made his debut on 11 August 2012 in a 1–0 League Cup win against Notts County.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19123944 "Notts County 0–1 Bradford"] BBC Sport. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012. He made his league debut a week later against Gillingham.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19221411 "Gillingham 3–1 Bradford"] BBC Sport. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012. He made his home debut on 21 August, coming on as a substitute for Nahki Wells in a 1–0 win against Fleetwood Town.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19252358 "Bradford 1–0 Fleetwood"] BBC Sport. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012. On 25 September, he scored the only goal of his career in the 115th minute of a 3–2 win against Burton Albion in the League Cup third round.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19632333 "Bradford 3–2 Burton"] BBC Sport. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012. Bradford went on to reach the final, beating Premier League sides Wigan Athletic, Arsenal and Aston Villa in subsequent rounds.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20053638 "Wigan 0–0 Bradford"] BBC Sport. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2015.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20590500 "Bradford 1–1 Arsenal (3–2 pens)"] BBC Sport. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2015.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20880586 "Bradford City 3–1 Aston Villa"] BBC Sport. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2015.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21022502 "Aston Villa 2–1 Bradford (3–4)"] BBC Sport. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
Darby won seven awards at the Bradford City end-of-season dinner in May 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/news/article/darby-dominates-player-of-the-year-awards-1539746.aspx|title=DARBY DOMINATES PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS|date=7 May 2014|access-date=7 May 2014|publisher=Bradford City A.F.C.}} Darby was made club captain after Gary Jones joined Notts County, and signed a new three-year contract in June 2014.[http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/11266093.New_Bradford_City_captain_Darby_signs_for_three_more_years/ "New Bradford City captain Stephen Darby signs for three more years"] Telegraph and Argus. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2015. For the 2016–17 season, Darby was replaced by new signing Romain Vincelot as captain, under new manager Stuart McCall.{{cite news |url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/14799260.Remain_Vincelot__Bradford_City_skipper_stays_put_at_back/|title=Remain Vincelot: Bradford City skipper stays put at back|date=13 October 2016|access-date=14 October 2016|author=Simon Parker|newspaper=Telegraph & Argus}}{{cite news |url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/14800794.Darby_is_keen_to_give_Bradford_City_boss_more_headaches/|title=Darby aiming to give Bradford City boss more headaches|date=14 October 2016|access-date=14 October 2016|author=Simon Parker|newspaper=Telegraph & Argus}} In May 2017 it was announced that he would be released at the end of the season, when his contract expired.{{cite web|url=https://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/news/2017/may/retaining-list/|title=TRIO TO DEPART THE CLUB|date=24 May 2017|access-date=24 May 2017|publisher=Bradford City A.F.C.}}
=Bolton Wanderers and retirement=
On 7 July 2017, Darby signed a two-year contract at Bolton Wanderers, reuniting with former manager Phil Parkinson.
On 18 September 2018, Darby announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 29 after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45561264|title=Stephen Darby: Motor neurone disease diagnosis forces Bolton full-back to retire|publisher=BBC Sport|date=18 September 2018|access-date=18 September 2018}}
Personal life
Darby is married to Steph Houghton, former captain of Manchester City Women and former captain of the England women's national team. They married on 21 June 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.metro.news/disease-forces-stephen-darby-to-quit-football-at-29/1231904/|title=Disease forces Stephen Darby to quit football at 29|website=Metro Newspaper UK|access-date=1 May 2019}}
Darby set up the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation to fund support for families affected by motor neurone disease, and research a cure.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/stephen-darby-is-more-worried-about-his-friends-family-and-steph-than-himself-sqjxc80gn|title='Stephen Darby is more worried about his friends, family and Steph than himself'|first=Oliver Kay|last=Chief Football Correspondent|date=13 July 2019|newspaper=The Times}} In July 2019 two of his former clubs (Liverpool and Bradford City) held a fundraising match.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48983100|title=Bradford City v Liverpool play in front of 24,343 in aid of Stephen Darby Foundation|date=15 July 2019|publisher=BBC Sport}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/17770761.stephen-darbys-speech-ahead-bantams-v-liverpool-friendly/|title=Watch: Stephen Darby's speech ahead of Bantams v Liverpool friendly|website=Bradford Telegraph and Argus}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/17769885.bradford-city-liverpool-fans-support-darby-friendly/|title=Emotional day as fans pack out Valley Parade to honour Darby|website=Bradford Telegraph and Argus}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/bradford-city/liverpool-and-bradford-city-salute-valley-parade-hero-stephen-darby-1-9876470|title=Liverpool and Bradford City salute Valley Parade hero Stephen Darby|website=www.yorkshirepost.co.uk}} His final club, Bolton Wanderers, played a fund-raising match against a team consisting of legendary Bolton players on 12 November 2021 to help raise money for the recovery of the mother of Gethin Jones, a Bolton player, as she had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease; a quarter of the proceeds went to Darby's charity.{{cite news |url= https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/19600548.bolton-wanderers-play-all-star-game-ex-everton-star-gethin-jones-family|title= Bolton Wanderers to play All-Star game for ex-Everton star Gethin Jones family|work = Bolton News|date = 23 September 2021|access-date = 1 August 2022|author= Isles, Mark}}
In 2023, Darby along with former Bristol Rovers and Huddersfield Town player Marcus Stewart, another former footballer diagnosed with motor neurone disease, completed a 178 mile charity march from Anfield to Valley Parade in support of people suffering with motor neurone disease with £130,000 being raised from the march. The march was attended by Jamie Redknapp, Paul Scholes and Chloe Kelly, among other attendees.{{Cite news |date=2024-03-25 |title=Former footballers complete March of the Day trek for MND |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-68647460 |access-date=2024-03-28 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}
International career
Darby was part of England's squad for UEFA European U19 Championship qualifications in May 2007 and made two appearances alongside Liverpool teammates Jack Hobbs, Craig Lindfield and Adam Hammill.{{cite web |title=Lions grab consolation |publisher=TheFA.com |date=20 May 2007 |url=http://www.thefa.com/England/U19s/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2007/05/U19sEliteRound_CzechReport.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071029052657/http://www.thefa.com/England/U19s/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2007/05/U19sEliteRound_CzechReport.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 October 2007 |access-date=6 December 2008}}
Career statistics
{{notelist}}
Honours
Liverpool Youth
- FA Youth Cup: 2005–06, 2006-07{{Cite web|date=2009-06-15|title=Liverpoolfc.tv: Profile|url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/squad/antwi/|access-date=2021-05-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615161424/http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/squad/antwi/|archive-date=15 June 2009}}
Bradford City
- Football League Two play-offs: 2013{{cite web|url=https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=45724&season_id=142|title=Stephen Darby – Defender|website=www.soccerbase.com|access-date=30 December 2019}}
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2012–13
Individual
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://www.liverpoolfc.com/info/stephen-darby Profile] at the Liverpool F.C. website
- {{UEFA player}}
{{Bradford City A.F.C. Player of the Year}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Darby, Stephen}}
Category:Sportspeople from the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton
Category:Footballers from Merseyside
Category:Footballers from Liverpool
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football fullbacks
Category:Liverpool F.C. players
Category:Swindon Town F.C. players
Category:Notts County F.C. players
Category:Rochdale A.F.C. players
Category:Bradford City A.F.C. players
Category:Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
Category:Premier League players
Category:English Football League players
Category:England men's youth international footballers
Category:People with motor neuron disease