*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 Marsden
Appearances: 14 Goals: 2
Date / Year of birth: 17th January 1987
Position: Midfielder
Season of first appearance: 2010/11
Season of last appearance: 2010/11
Also played for: Herne Bay, Gillingham (0), Welling United, Lordswood, Folkestone Invicta and Faversham Town
Creative 5' 11" tall midfielder born in Sidcup, Kent who started out in Herne Bay's junior ranks before being signed by Gillingham in the summer of 2003.
Darren played in the Gills' youth teams during the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons and his team-mates included future Margate player Akwasi Edusei. The highlight of Darren's spell with the Gills came in November 2003 when he was part of the side that beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield in the FA Youth Cup with Edusei scoring the winning goal.
In the summer of 2005 Darren joined Welling but he was quickly on the move again, signing for Kent League club Lordswood.
In October 2006 he returned to Herne Bay and Darren spent the remainder of the 2006/07 campaign there.
He rejoined Lordswood in the summer of 2007 and then in July 2008 Darren went back to Herne Bay to start a third spell with the club.
He scored ten goals for the Kent League outfit during the 2008/09 season and then managed 14 goals during 2009/10.
Darren had a trial at Welling in the summer of 2010 and played for the Wings in a friendly against Charlton shortly before signing for Margate.
On 7.8.10 he scored in a 3-2 friendly defeat at Whitstable and on the eve of the 2010/11 season manager Iain O'Connell spoke about Darren to the Isle of Thanet Gazette and said "Joins us from Kent League Herne Bay and is a skilful midfielder. He's looking forward to playing at a higher level."
Darren made his debut in midfield on 21.8.10 as Margate drew 2-2 with visitors Canvey Island in the Isthmian League Premier Division and in his next outing on 28.8.10 he scored in a 2-1 defeat at Lowestoft. The Thanet Times said Darren's first half strike was a "cracker" as he brought a high ball under control before smashing home a shot from 25 yards.
The Thanet Times then praised Darren for "pulling the strings in midfield" in a 1-0 defeat at Kingstonian on 4.9.10 but he went off with a groin problem early in the second half and missed the next two games due to the injury. He returned to action in a 1-0 win over Wealdstone at Hartsdown Park on 18.9.10 and after playing once more Darren missed two matches due to attending a family wedding.
He was back in the Margate side for a 2-1 defeat at Sutton on 2.10.10 and for the next few weeks Darren was a regular once more. He got his second goal of the season in a 6-1 home win over Horsham on 9.10.10 but after a 2-1 defeat against AFC Hornchurch at Hartsdown Park on 30.10.10 Darren left the club. Work commitments were cited as the reason for his departure but internet rumours suggested there may have been an issue with Herne Bay seeking a fee / compensation relating to Darren's move to Margate. He'd scored twice from 14 outings before the abrupt end to his spell with the club.
Iain O'Connell told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "He's a good player - probably our best player in the first few weeks of the season" and added "I'm disappointed that Darren is going but I know he was going to find it impossible to do the travelling required in our league on a Saturday. I would like to thank Darren for his efforts at Margate and wish him well for the future."
Immediately after leaving Margate Darren rejoined Herne Bay and he was a fixture in their side for the remainder of the 2010/11 campaign.
In May 2011 he was announced as having signed for Faversham but in June 2011 Darren changed his mind and decided to stay at Herne Bay after going on the club's end of season trip to Magaluf.
He scored a hat-trick on the opening day of the 2011/12 season as Herne Bay won 4-2 at Beckenham in the Kent League and Darren also scored three times in a 4-3 win at his old club Lordswood on 8.10.11.
In November 2011 he was linked with a return to Hartsdown Park after watching Margate beat visitors East Thurrock 5-0 and manager Chris Kinnear told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "He's a good player who makes things happen but there's nothing to add at the moment." Early in December 2011 Kinnear told the Gazette that talks with Darren were progressing and that he'd trained with Margate. However shortly after Kinnear's comments Darren decided to join Folkestone - one of seven clubs who'd approached him - and Kinnear told the Gazette "I made him an offer and left it with him but Folkestone offered more. It's not a problem."
Darren signed an 18-month contract with Folkestone and a news item on Herne Bay's website said "Manager Simon Halsey said that this will be the last time he leaves as there will be no way back again. However, he acknowledges Darren's huge contribution to the club over the seasons and wishes him well in his future footballing career." He'd scored 12 times in 20 appearances (three as sub) for Herne Bay during 2011/12.
Darren went on to score four times in 21 Isthmian League Division 1 South outings for Folkestone before the end of the season and he stayed with the club until October 2012 when his contract was cancelled by mutual consent. He'd scored twice from nine league appearances by then. Manager Neil Cugley told the Folkestone Herald "He came to me and said he wasn't happy. He was the highest paid player at the club and it was a move that suited both parties. There's no point having a player that doesn't want to be at the club. There's been no falling out or anything like that. On his day he is a very, very good player. When he first came to us he was outstanding. We took a bit of a gamble by signing him last year and it paid off as he helped get us into the play-offs. Unfortunately he hasn't been able to kick on, which is a shame but you want people with the right ways about them."
A few days after leaving Folkestone Darren signed for Faversham and on 23.10.12 he scored on his debut as they won 5-3 in a Division 1 South game at Worthing. By the end of 2012/13 Darren had scored three times from 30 league outings for Faversham and he stayed with the club for the 2013/14 season too.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
ILC |
KSC |
| |
|
2010/11 (MFC) |
14 (49) |
0 |
2 |
ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (16TH OF 22) |
2QR |
2QR |
2R |
1R |
|