Darren Byfield
Encyclopedia
Darren Asherton Byfield (born 29 September 1976) is an English
-born professional footballer of Jamaica
n descent who played for Walsall
. His predominant position is as a forward.
, Cambridge United
and Blackpool
to gain first team experience. It was at Preston that Byfield scored his first career goal, on his debut, in a 4–1 victory over local rivals Burnley on 7 November 1998.
During the summer of 2000, Byfield turned down a number of offers to join Walsall
on a permanent deal. While at Walsall
, Byfield scored the winning goal in the 109th minute in the 2001 Second Division play-off Final
, giving Walsall a 3–2 victory over Reading
.
Byfield's time at Walsall came to an end in March 2002 when Rotherham United
paid £50,000 for his services. 22 league goals in just under 2 years at Millmoor
earned Byfield a move to Sunderland in January 2004. He was sent to Sunderland, and Michael Proctor
was sent from Sunderland to Rotherham in a straight swap deal. Byfield scored 5 goals for Sunderland, helping them to the play-offs after finishing in 3rd place, but unfortunately losing to Crystal Palace in the Play Off semi-final on penalties. It was during this time that Byfield earned his 6 caps for Jamaica
.
Byfield was surplus to requirements at the Stadium of Light
, and Gillingham
were quick to snap up the striker in July 2004. Byfield scored 14 goals during Gillingham
's 2005–06 campaign, one short of the target set by manager Ronnie Jepson
. His contract with Gillingham was not renewed at the end of the season, and on 8 June, it was announced that he had rejected a deal to stay with the club and instead joined rivals Millwall
.
Byfield's 19 goals in League One for Millwall earned him a move to newly promoted Bristol City
. City performed above all expectations in 2007–08, with Byfield's 8 goals helping them to the play-offs. However, the final ended in defeat to Hull City
at Wembley. On 26 May 2008, Byfield and several other players were released by Bristol City
after failing to earn promotion to the Premier League. On 15 July, he joined Doncaster Rovers
on a two-year deal. He made his debut with the Rovers on 30 August 2008 in a 1–0 win versus Coventry City
.
After only four months with Doncaster, Byfield signed on loan with Oldham Athletic
on 14 November on a one month loan, though it was later extended until January 2009—a deal which excited Byfield. His Latics debut came in a 1–0 win versus Northampton
, in which Byfield received a yellow card. His first goal for Oldham on Boxing Day
against Crewe Alexandra
, scoring the opening goal in a 3–0 victory. He returned to Doncaster at the end of the season but was released from his contract on 7 May.
On the 6 August 2009, it was announced that Byfield had joined Oldham Athletic
on a short term deal. He made his debut for the club in the opening game of the 2009–10 season, coming on as a substitute in the 69th minute in a 0–0 draw. However, after four appearances with no goals, he was released from Oldham on 25 August.
Three days following his release from Oldham, Byfield returned to Walsall
on 28 August. He was given a contract through January 2010, with an option to extend it until the end of the 2009–10 season
. Byfield scored his first goal back at Walsall in a 3–2 win at Tranmere Rovers.
On 10 May 2011, Byfield announced on Twitter
that he has been released from his contract, along with left-back Aaron Lescott
.
, with whom he has a daughter named Tiani born 21 October 2005. To his embarrassment, she revealed on Soccer AM
that his nickname is "Baby Boy". On Tuesday, 9 October 2007 the couple announced their engagement.
On 3 November 2009 a statement came out saying that the couple were filing for divorce. They then reconciled and announced their engagement in December 2009.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born professional footballer of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n descent who played for Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
. His predominant position is as a forward.
Career
Byfield started his career at Aston Villa, coming through the ranks to make 10 first team appearances in all competitions. During his time at Villa Park Byfield went on loan to Preston, NorthamptonNorthampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
, Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
and Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
to gain first team experience. It was at Preston that Byfield scored his first career goal, on his debut, in a 4–1 victory over local rivals Burnley on 7 November 1998.
During the summer of 2000, Byfield turned down a number of offers to join Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
on a permanent deal. While at Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
, Byfield scored the winning goal in the 109th minute in the 2001 Second Division play-off Final
2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final
The 2001 Football League Division Two play-off Final was contested by Walsall and Reading. It was the first season that the play-off Finals were contested in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium following the demolition of Wembley.-Route to the Final:...
, giving Walsall a 3–2 victory over Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
.
Byfield's time at Walsall came to an end in March 2002 when Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
paid £50,000 for his services. 22 league goals in just under 2 years at Millmoor
Millmoor
Millmoor is a stadium in Rotherham, England. It was built and was used for football matches, and until the end of the 2007–08 season was the home ground of Rotherham United F.C., until a dispute over ownership forced them to move to the Don Valley Stadium in nearby Sheffield.The stadium was...
earned Byfield a move to Sunderland in January 2004. He was sent to Sunderland, and Michael Proctor
Michael Proctor
Michael Anthony Proctor is a former English footballer. He was born in Sunderland, England.-Sunderland:Proctor made his debut for Sunderland against Everton in the League Cup on 11 November 1998, which finished as a 1–1 draw. He was loaned to Danish side Hvidovre in 2000 to recuperate from a...
was sent from Sunderland to Rotherham in a straight swap deal. Byfield scored 5 goals for Sunderland, helping them to the play-offs after finishing in 3rd place, but unfortunately losing to Crystal Palace in the Play Off semi-final on penalties. It was during this time that Byfield earned his 6 caps for Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
.
Byfield was surplus to requirements at the Stadium of Light
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches...
, and Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
were quick to snap up the striker in July 2004. Byfield scored 14 goals during Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
's 2005–06 campaign, one short of the target set by manager Ronnie Jepson
Ronnie Jepson
Ronald Francis "Ronnie" Jepson is an English former footballer and manager, now working as development coach at Queens Park Rangers....
. His contract with Gillingham was not renewed at the end of the season, and on 8 June, it was announced that he had rejected a deal to stay with the club and instead joined rivals Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
.
Byfield's 19 goals in League One for Millwall earned him a move to newly promoted Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
. City performed above all expectations in 2007–08, with Byfield's 8 goals helping them to the play-offs. However, the final ended in defeat to Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
at Wembley. On 26 May 2008, Byfield and several other players were released by Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
after failing to earn promotion to the Premier League. On 15 July, he joined Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
on a two-year deal. He made his debut with the Rovers on 30 August 2008 in a 1–0 win versus Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
.
After only four months with Doncaster, Byfield signed on loan with Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
on 14 November on a one month loan, though it was later extended until January 2009—a deal which excited Byfield. His Latics debut came in a 1–0 win versus Northampton
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
, in which Byfield received a yellow card. His first goal for Oldham on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
against Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
, scoring the opening goal in a 3–0 victory. He returned to Doncaster at the end of the season but was released from his contract on 7 May.
On the 6 August 2009, it was announced that Byfield had joined Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
on a short term deal. He made his debut for the club in the opening game of the 2009–10 season, coming on as a substitute in the 69th minute in a 0–0 draw. However, after four appearances with no goals, he was released from Oldham on 25 August.
Three days following his release from Oldham, Byfield returned to Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
on 28 August. He was given a contract through January 2010, with an option to extend it until the end of the 2009–10 season
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...
. Byfield scored his first goal back at Walsall in a 3–2 win at Tranmere Rovers.
On 10 May 2011, Byfield announced on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that he has been released from his contract, along with left-back Aaron Lescott
Aaron Lescott
Aaron Anthony Lescott is an English professional footballer who currently plays as a defender for Halesowen Town...
.
Personal life
His ex-wife is the singer JameliaJamelia
Jamelia Niela Davis , best known mononymously as Jamelia, is an English singer-songwriter, model, entertainer, television presenter and actress. She is most famous for her use of a cappella and prolific work in the R&B genre...
, with whom he has a daughter named Tiani born 21 October 2005. To his embarrassment, she revealed on Soccer AM
Soccer AM
Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...
that his nickname is "Baby Boy". On Tuesday, 9 October 2007 the couple announced their engagement.
On 3 November 2009 a statement came out saying that the couple were filing for divorce. They then reconciled and announced their engagement in December 2009.