Darren Ambrose facts for kids
Darren Ambrose warming up for Birmingham City in August 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darren Paul Francis Ambrose | ||
| Date of birth | 29 February 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Harlow, England | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–2001 | Ipswich Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2003 | Ipswich Town | 30 | (8) |
| 2003–2005 | Newcastle United | 37 | (5) |
| 2005–2009 | Charlton Athletic | 112 | (13) |
| 2008–2009 | → Ipswich Town (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2009–2012 | Crystal Palace | 110 | (29) |
| 2012–2014 | Birmingham City | 7 | (0) |
| 2014 | → Apollon Smyrni (loan) | 11 | (6) |
| 2014–2015 | Ipswich Town | 6 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Colchester United | 25 | (4) |
| Total | 347 | (65) | |
| National team | |||
| 2005 | England U20 | 4 | (1) |
| 2003–2006 | England U21 | 10 | (2) |
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Darren Paul Francis Ambrose (born on February 29, 1984) is a retired English footballer. He played as a midfielder, helping his teams in both attack and defense.
Darren started his football journey at Ipswich Town when he was just eleven years old. He made his first-team debut in 2002. After playing well for Ipswich, he moved to Newcastle United in 2003. Later, he joined Charlton Athletic in 2005, where he played over 120 games.
He then moved to Crystal Palace in 2009, where he became a key player, scoring 29 goals in 110 league games. In 2012, he signed with Birmingham City. He also had a loan spell in Greece with Apollon Smyrni, scoring six goals in eleven matches. Darren returned to Ipswich Town for a third time in 2014 before finishing his career at Colchester United in 2016. He also played for England's under-20 and under-21 national teams.
Contents
Club Career
Ipswich Town
Darren Ambrose was born in Harlow, England. He joined the youth academy at Ipswich Town when he was eleven. He quickly moved up through the ranks, even helping the under-17 team win a league title.
His first game for the main team was on April 21, 2002, against Arsenal. Ipswich was relegated that season, but this gave Darren more chances to play. He scored in his first start for the club on August 10, 2002, against Walsall. He scored again just eight days later as Ipswich won 6–1 against Leicester City. He also scored in a big 8–1 win in the UEFA Cup.
After playing 37 games and scoring eleven goals, Darren was sold to Newcastle United in March 2003. Ipswich had some financial difficulties, so they had to sell him. Darren later said he was sad to leave Ipswich.
Newcastle United
Darren joined Newcastle United on March 24, 2003. He made his debut in the last game of that season, helping his team draw 2–2 against West Bromwich Albion.
He started the 2003–04 season by scoring in a 5–0 UEFA Cup win. His first Premiership goal came on Boxing Day against Leicester City, where he scored a late goal to make it a 1–1 draw. He played 37 games that season and scored three goals.
After Bobby Robson was no longer manager in August 2004, Darren didn't play as much. However, he scored his fourth Newcastle goal in October during a game against Bolton Wanderers. He also scored against Manchester United and Fulham later that season.
Charlton Athletic
Darren joined Charlton Athletic on July 8, 2005, signing a four-year contract. He made his debut on August 13, 2005, against Sunderland, but was sent off in that game.
He scored his first goal for Charlton in his third game, helping them win 2–1 against Portsmouth. He scored three more goals that season, playing 33 games. In his second season, he played 30 games and scored three goals, but the club was relegated from the Premiership.
Darren stayed with Charlton in the Championship. He played 42 games and scored nine goals, including two goals in one game against his old club, Ipswich Town.
Ipswich Town loan
Darren returned to Ipswich Town on loan in November 2008. He played nine games for Ipswich before going back to Charlton.
Return to Charlton
After returning to Charlton, Darren played twelve more games. He scored the only goal in an FA Cup game against Norwich City. Charlton was relegated again at the end of the season, and Darren's contract ended. He had played 128 games for Charlton and scored 17 goals.
Crystal Palace
Darren joined Crystal Palace on a free transfer in July 2009, signing a two-year deal. He made his debut on August 8 in a 1–1 draw. He scored his first goals for the club just three days later in a League Cup win.
He scored twelve goals in 20 games and was named the Championship Player of the Month for November 2009. He scored a very important goal in the final game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday. Crystal Palace needed to avoid losing to stay in the league, and Darren's goal helped them draw 2–2 and stay safe. He played 53 games that season.
Darren signed a new three-year contract with Crystal Palace in July 2010. He scored in the first game of the 2010–11 season.
One of Darren Ambrose's most famous moments at Crystal Palace was his amazing long-range goal against Manchester United in the League Cup Quarter Final on November 30, 2011. This goal was the first in a 2–1 win for Crystal Palace, and some people, like football expert Gary Neville, called it the best goal ever scored at Old Trafford.
Birmingham City
Birmingham City signed Darren Ambrose for about £250,000 on July 13, 2012. He scored in his first game for the club in a 5–1 League Cup win. He played in the first league game of the 2012–13 season against his old club Charlton.
After a difficult first season with Birmingham due to injuries, Darren hoped to play more in his second season. However, he only made two appearances before being allowed to go on loan to a Greek club.
Apollon Smyrni loan
Darren joined Apollon Smyrni in Greece on loan in January 2014. He made his debut on January 19. He scored his first goal for the club on February 5, a late goal to draw 1–1. He scored six goals in total during his eleven games in Greece.
Return to Ipswich Town
Birmingham released Darren at the end of the 2013–14 season. He started training with Colchester United and then with his former club, Ipswich Town.
On September 11, 2014, Darren signed a contract with Ipswich until January 2015. This was his third time playing for the club! He made his third debut on September 22, helping Ipswich win 2–1. He scored one goal during this time, helping Ipswich get a draw in an FA Cup game. He played eight games for Ipswich that season.
Colchester United
Darren signed a one-year deal with Colchester United on August 6, 2015. He made his debut on August 8, scoring Colchester's first goal in a 2–2 draw. He scored his second goal on October 24 in an exciting 4–4 draw. His performance in that game, where he also helped set up two goals, earned him a spot in the Football League 'Team of the Week'.
Darren helped Colchester get their first win in 19 league games on March 1, 2016, by scoring twice in a 2–1 victory. After playing 26 games that season, Darren was not offered a new contract as Colchester was relegated.
International Career
Under-20s
Darren made a great start for the England under-20 team in the 2005 Toulon Tournament. He scored England's first goal in a 2–0 win against Tunisia. He also played in games against South Korea, France, and Mexico, helping England finish third in the competition.
Under-21s
Darren made his England under-21 debut on February 11, 2003, in a friendly game against Italy. He played in several friendly matches before his first competitive game on March 29, 2005, in a European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Azerbaijan.
He scored his first goal for England at under-21 level against Denmark on August 16. He also scored his second goal in a play-off match against France on November 11, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Darren played his final England under-21 game on August 15, 2006, at his old club Ipswich Town's stadium.
Personal Life
After he stopped playing football, Darren Ambrose opened a barbershop in Ipswich in August 2016. He also planned to work with the Ipswich Town Academy.
Since retiring from playing, Darren has started his own podcast called "Not A Bad Effort with Darren Ambrose." You can also hear him on talkSPORT.
Darren also has a YouTube channel where he, his wife, and their children build amazing film sets and football stadiums using Lego.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ipswich Town | 2001–02 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | First Division | 29 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 37 | 11 | |
| Total | 30 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 11 | ||
| Newcastle United | 2002–03 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 37 | 3 | |
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 3 | |
| Total | 37 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 56 | 6 | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 2005–06 | Premier League | 28 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 33 | 4 | |
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 30 | 3 | ||
| 2007–08 | Championship | 37 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 42 | 9 | ||
| 2008–09 | Championship | 21 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| Total | 112 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 2 | — | 128 | 17 | |||
| Ipswich Town (loan) | 2008–09 | Championship | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Crystal Palace | 2009–10 | Championship | 46 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | 53 | 20 | |
| 2010–11 | Championship | 28 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 7 | ||
| 2011–12 | Championship | 36 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | — | 42 | 10 | ||
| Total | 110 | 29 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 5 | — | 124 | 37 | |||
| Birmingham City | 2012–13 | Championship | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | |
| 2013–14 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| Apollon Smyrni (loan) | 2013–14 | Super League Greece | 11 | 6 | — | — | — | 11 | 6 | |||
| Ipswich Town | 2014–15 | Championship | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Colchester United | 2015–16 | League One | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 4 |
| Career total | 347 | 65 | 20 | 7 | 24 | 9 | 19 | 2 | 410 | 83 | ||
Honours
Individual
- Football League Championship Player of the Month: November 2009
- Crystal Palace Goal of the Season: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
See also
In Spanish: Darren Ambrose para niños
