Darren Purse
| Date of birth | 14 February 1977 |
| Place of birth | Stepney |
| Nationality | English |
| Weight | 80 kg |
| Height | 1.88 m |
| Position | Defender/Centre back |
Darren Purse grew in stature to become an inspirational figure at the heart of the Birmingham City defence in 2000-01.
Entrusted with the vital injury-time penalty in the Worthington Cup Final against Liverpool, he kept his nerve to fire the ball home and then followed up with another penalty in the shoot-out.
A talented central defender, he attacks the ball in the air with power and determination and is very strong in the tackle.
Despite the disappointment of the Play-Off defeat by Preston North End, Darren finished the campaign on a personal high when he was voted as the Blues' Player of the Year.
Darren joined West Bromwich Albion in June 2004 with a three-year contract before joining Cardiff City in July 2005 in a three-year deal.
He joined Sheffield Wednesday in July 2009 with a two-year contract.
Darren joined Millwall in January 2011 with a contract to June 2011 that was extended to June 2012 in April 2011.
After a loan spell, he joined Plymouth Argyle in January 2012 with a contract to June 2012.
Darren was made available for transfer by Argyle in December 2012 before his contract was cancelled the following month.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leyton Orient | 22 Feb 1994 | 23 Jul 1996 | |
| Oxford United | 23 Jul 1996 | 17 Feb 1998 | |
| Birmingham City | 17 Feb 1998 | 18 Jun 2004 | |
| West Bromwich Albion | 18 Jun 2004 | 28 Jul 2005 | |
| Cardiff City | 28 Jul 2005 | 30 Jun 2009 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 02 Jul 2009 | 20 Jan 2011 | |
| Millwall | 21 Jan 2011 | 05 Jan 2012 | |
| Yeovil Town | 21 Oct 2011 | 21 Nov 2011 | L |
| Plymouth Argyle | 22 Nov 2011 | 03 Jan 2012 | L |
| Plymouth Argyle | 05 Jan 2012 | 04 Jan 2013 | |
| Port Vale | 07 Jan 2013 | 30 Jun 2013 | |
| IFK Mariehamn | 08 Aug 2013 | 31 Dec 2013 | |
| Chesham United | 01 Jan 2014 | 09 Jan 2015 | |
| Welling United | 19 Jan 2015 | 01 Mar 2015 | |
| Staines Town | 01 Mar 2015 | 24 Dec 2015 | |
| AFC Rushden and Diamonds | 24 Dec 2015 | 13 Jan 2016 | |
| Hayes and Yeading United | 13 Jan 2016 | 30 Jun 2016 | |
| Chesham United | 01 Jul 2016 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | Oxford United | League Cup | 1 |
||||
| 1997-98 | Oxford United | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Birmingham City | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Birmingham City | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Birmingham City | League Cup | 2 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2000-01 | Birmingham City | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Birmingham City | League Cup | 8 | 1 |
1 |
2
|
|
| 2000-01 | Birmingham City | League Division 1 | 34 | 3 |
3 |
8
|
1
|
| 2000-01 | Birmingham City | League Division 1 Play-Offs | 2 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Birmingham City | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Birmingham City | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Birmingham City | League Division 1 | 35 | 1 |
3 |
10
|
1
|
| 2001-02 | Birmingham City | League Division 1 Play-Offs | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2002-03 | Birmingham City | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Birmingham City | Premier League | 19 | 1 |
1 |
6
|
1
|
| 2003-04 | Birmingham City | FA Cup | 3 |
1
|
|||
| 2003-04 | Birmingham City | Premier League | 9 |
1
|
|||
| 2004-05 | West Bromwich Albion | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2004-05 | West Bromwich Albion | Premier League | 22 |
2
|
1
|
||
| 2005-06 | Cardiff City | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Cardiff City | League Championship | 39 | 5 |
8
|
2
|
|
| 2005-06 | Cardiff City | League Cup | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 2006-07 | Cardiff City | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Cardiff City | League Championship | 31 | 4 |
3
|
1
|
|
| 2007-08 | Cardiff City | League Championship | 12 | 6 |
1 |
3
|
|
| 2007-08 | Cardiff City | League Cup | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 2008-09 | Cardiff City | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2008-09 | Cardiff City | League Championship | 21 | 2 |
2
|
||
| 2008-09 | Cardiff City | League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2009-10 | Sheffield Wednesday | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2009-10 | Sheffield Wednesday | League Championship | 39 | 2 |
5
|
||
| 2009-10 | Sheffield Wednesday | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2010-11 | Millwall | League Championship | 9 | 4 |
1 |
1
|
|
| 2010-11 | Sheffield Wednesday | FA Cup | 3 |
1
|
|||
| 2010-11 | Sheffield Wednesday | Johnstones Paint Trophy | 4 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2010-11 | Sheffield Wednesday | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2010-11 | Sheffield Wednesday | League One | 22 |
6
|
|||
| 2011-12 | Millwall | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2011-12 | Plymouth Argyle | League Two | 24 | 2 |
2
|
1
|
|
| 2011-12 | Yeovil Town | League One | 5 | ||||
| 2012-13 | Plymouth Argyle | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2012-13 | Plymouth Argyle | League Two | 21 |
5
|
1
|
||
| 2012-13 | Port Vale | League Two | 17 | 2 |
3
|
||
| 2015-16 | Staines Town | FA Cup | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 2016-17 | Chesham United | FA Cup | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Sep 1996 | Norwich City v Oxford United | W |
2-3 Agg: 3-4 |
League Cup | 1st round 2nd leg |
| 03 Jan 1998 | Leeds United v Oxford United | L | 4-0 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | England | Toulon Under-21 | 2 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 May 1998 | France v England | D | 1-1 | Toulon Under-21 | Group A |
| 16 May 1998 | England v South Africa | W | 3-1 | Toulon Under-21 | Group A |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.