Stephen Darby
Birthdate: 6 October 1988
Birthplace: Liverpool, England
Other clubs: Swindon Town (loan 2010), Notts County (loan 2010-11), Rochdale (loan 2011-12), Bradford City (2012-)
Bought from: Local
Signed for LFC: 2002
|
Liverpool debut: 12.11.2008
Last appearance: 29.07.2010
Contract expiry: 01.06.2012
Win ratio: 50% W: 3 D: 1 L: 2
LFC league games/goals: 1 / 0
Total LFC games/goals: 6 / 0
|
Player profile
Right-back Darby was captain of the victorious Liverpool side in the FA Youth Cup in 2006. He made the move from the Academy to Melwood during the summer of 2006. His opportunity finally came in the closing minutes of a defeat to Tottenham in the League Cup at White Hart Lane in the middle of November 2008. Although ‘on the bench’ for four Premier League matches during the 2008/09 season, the only other game in which Darby got some playing time came in a European fixture against PSV Eindhoven in Holland when he replaced Álvaro Arbeloa. The official Liverpool Supporters Club handed Stephen Darby the “Ian Frodsham young player of the year” award in recognition of both the progress he had made on the pitch during 2009 and the excellent way he conducted himself off it. He signed a new contract with the club in July 2009, but following only three appearances in the ensuing season he was loaned to Swindon Town in League One in March 2010. He played in 12 League games as Swindon finished fifth and qualified to meet Charlton Athletic in the play-offs. Each club won its home leg 2-1 and the tie went to a penalty shoot-out in which Darby secured Swindon’s progress into the play-off final. Darby came on as a substitute for Swindon Town in the League One final against Millwall, but the Wiltshire club lost 1-0. The 23-year-old was released by Liverpool in the summer of 2012 and signed a two-year deal with Bradford City in League Two.
Darby was a regular for Bradford City'in 2012/13 and a member of the Bantams team that played against Swansea City in the League Cup final at Wembley in February. Although heavily defeated on that day, Bradford returned to Wembley in May in the League Two Play-off final and Darby again played from start to finish as Northampton were beaten 3-0 to ensure his club's promotion to League One.