*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Darren Baxter
Appearances: 1 Goals: 0
Date / Year of birth: 26th October 1981
Position: Midfielder
Season of first appearance: 2005/06
Season of last appearance: 2005/06
Also played for: Brighton & Hove Albion (0), Chelsea (0), Heart of Midlothian (Scotland) (0), Worthing, St.Albans City, New York Freedoms (USA), Wealdstone, Toronto Lynx (Canada), Oakville Blue Devils (Canada) and Torquay United (0+1,0)
5' 7" tall left-sided midfielder born in Brighton who attended Hove Park School and played for Hove Park Colts as a youngster. Darren also had a spell on Brighton's books as a schoolboy.
He signed for Chelsea as a trainee ahead of the 1998/99 season and played in the club's youth sides until moving to Scotland to join Hearts towards the end of the 2000/01 campaign.
Darren was unable to play for Hearts' first team as the paperwork relating to his move was completed after the transfer deadline but he was a regular in the reserves before being released at the end of the 2000/01 season.
In the summer of 2001 Darren returned to his native Sussex and dropped into non-league football when he signed for Isthmian League Division 1 club Worthing. In October 2001 he made a one-off appearance for Isthmian League Premier Division side St.Albans before going back to Worthing and Darren scored once in 22 league appearances (two as sub) for them before joining St.Albans on a permanent basis in April 2002.
He made nine more appearances (four as sub) for St.Albans without scoring in the closing weeks of the 2001/02 campaign and Darren then left the club at the end of the season.
He spent the rest of 2002 in the USA where he played for New York Freedoms in the Pro Select division of the United Soccer Leagues.
Darren briefly returned to England in January 2003 and made a one-off appearance for Wealdstone before heading back to the USA to resume his spell with New York Freedoms.
In the Spring of 2004 he had an unsuccessful trial spell with Major League Soccer (MLS) club MetroStars and Darren also had an extended trial with MLS side Montreal Impact before eventually signing for Toronto Lynx. They played in the A-League, the second tier of football in the USA, and Darren scored four goals from 24 outings during the 2004 season. He was chosen as the club's 'Best Offensive Player' for the campaign and was also selected in the league's 'Team of the Week' on two occasions during the season.
Darren moved to Oakville Blue Devils of the Canadian Premier Soccer League for the 2005 campaign and in July 2005 he played for the league's 'All-Stars' side in a match against Glasgow Rangers in Toronto.
In September 2005 Darren returned to the UK and in November he signed for Margate. He made his debut in midfield in an Isthmian League Premier Division game at Windsor & Eton on 19.11.05 but although Margate won 1-0 the Thanet Times said "a shocking pitch never really gave him a chance to show what he could do". It turned out to be Darren's only appearance and he left the club soon afterwards.
He rejoined Toronto Lynx for the 2006 season and made eight appearances for them during the campaign before making a permanent return to England in January 2007.
Darren was signed by League Two club Torquay and on 30.1.07 he made his Football League debut when he came on as a half-time substitute in a 5-0 defeat at Mansfield. It was his only first team outing for Torquay and in February 2007 he was released.
In the summer of 2007 Darren played in some friendlies for Eastbourne Borough but wasn't signed by the club and he was last heard of when he made a one-off appearance for Dorchester in a friendly against Torquay in October 2007.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
ILC |
KSC |
| |
|
2005/06 (MFC) |
1 (51) |
0 |
0 |
ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (14TH OF 22) |
3QR |
2QR |
3R |
SF |