Darcy Blake
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Darcy James Blake (born 13 December 1988) is a Welsh former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
. During his career, he won 14 caps for
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
at international level, scoring once, and made more than 100 appearances in
the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
. He began his career as a youth player with
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
before making his professional debut at the age of 17 in 2006. During the 2009–10 season he spent time on loan with
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...
. After returning to Cardiff, he struggled to establish himself in the first team but went on to make over 100 appearances for the club. In 2012, he joined
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
for £350,000 but was released by the club after 18 months having made ten appearances. Blake received criticism from a number of former managers, including Dave Jones,
Malky Mackay Malcolm George Mackay (born 19 February 1972) is a Scottish professional association football, football coach and former player, who is the sporting director at Scottish Premiership club Hibernian F.C., Hibernian. Mackay, who played as a Defe ...
and Chris Coleman, during his career regarding his fitness levels. He later had a brief spell with Newport County before dropping out of the professional game at the age of 25, playing for local amateur teams and briefly converting to rugby.


Early life

Born in
New Tredegar New Tredegar () is a former mining town and community in the Rhymney Valley, Caerphilly county borough, Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. New Tredegar is now home to 'The Winding House', a county museum which opened in 20 ...
, Blake grew up in Phillipstown. As a teenager, Blake attended Blackwood Comprehensive School and was childhood friends with boxer
Nathan Cleverly Nathan Cleverly (born 17 February 1987) is a retired Welsh former professional boxing world champion who competed from 2005 to 2017. He is a two-time light-heavyweight world champion, having held the WBO title from 2011 to 2013, and the WBA ( ...
.


Club career


Cardiff City

Blake joined local youth side Jubilee Thistle at the age of nine where he played as a striker. At the age of 10, Blake joined the youth academy at
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
, the club he supported alongside
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, although he continued playing for Thistle until he was 12. After progressing through the club's youth system, he signed his first professional contract at the club in 2006 with a three-year deal, along with fellow academy graduate
Chris Gunter Christopher Ross Gunter (born 21 July 1989) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a defender. An attacking full back, he was capable of playing on both flanks but usually played on his preferred right side. Since 2023, he h ...
. Blake made his professional debut on 17 April 2006 against
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
in the
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
, following injuries to several first team players, replacing
Jeff Whitley Jeffrey Whitley (born 28 January 1979) is a former professional footballer who now works for the Professional Footballers Association as a player wellbeing executive. As a player he was a midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for M ...
as a late substitute during a 1–1 draw. The following season, Blake was involved in the first team early, making two appearances in the opening month of the season but made just four further appearances during the first half of the season. On 20 February 2007, Blake made his first league start for the club in a match against
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
; Cardiff lost the match 1–0. Able to play in several different positions, Blake gained a reputation as being a versatile player having played at centre back, right back, centre midfield and right wing for Cardiff in his first full season, commenting "I'm not sure where my best position is and I really don't mind where I play." Blake began the 2007–08 season in the reserve side but, after a number of injuries affecting the club, he was increasingly involved in first team matches, including coming on as a substitute for
Kevin McNaughton Kevin Paul McNaughton (born 28 August 1982) is a Scottish professional football player and coach who is a co-manager of club Dundee North End. A versatile player able to play anywhere in defence, McNaughton was also used in a defensive midfiel ...
during a 2–0 win over
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
quarter-final which was followed by his first league start of the season at right back in a 1–1 draw with
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...
. In total he made 13 appearances during the season, including featuring in three of the club's six matches as they reached the
FA Cup final The FA Cup Final is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official attendance of 89,472 ...
but was left out of the matchday squad for the match. At the start of the 2008–09 season, Blake was placed on a special training regime by the club to correct his posture in an attempt to remedy long-term injury problems after being substituted in the opening 20 minutes of a League Cup tie against
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...
.


Plymouth Argyle

On 28 August 2009, Blake signed for fellow Championship club Plymouth Argyle on loan until January 2010, making his debut the following day in a 3–1 defeat to
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
. In his fifth appearance for the side, he was sent off for the first time in his professional career during a 1–1 draw with
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
on 24 October 2009 following a foul on
Jonathan Walters Jonathan Ronald Walters (born 20 September 1983) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward. He is sporting director of Stoke City F.C., Stoke City. Walters started his seni ...
. Plymouth appealed the decision but the red card was upheld and he was subsequently suspended for three matches. Blake completed his loan at Plymouth on 31 December 2009 and returned to Cardiff. However, Plymouth manager
Paul Mariner Paul Mariner (22 May 1953 – 9 July 2021) was an English Association football, football player and Coach (sport), coach. A centre forward during his playing days, Mariner began his career with Chorley F.C., Chorley. He became a professional p ...
stated his desire for Blake to return to the club during the January transfer window. However, the club was placed under a transfer embargo that delayed the move and Blake was able to force his way into the first team at Cardiff again. Blake has cited his loan spell with Plymouth as a turning point in his career, stating "Looking back, I was immature and needed that loan move away." Prior to his move, Cardiff manager Jones had been critical of Blake's diet and subsequent fitness levels.


Return to Cardiff

On his return to Cardiff, Blake was immediately involved with the first team where he was named on the bench in an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
third round replay against
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
, where he came on to make his first appearance of the season, before making his first start of the season in the fourth round against
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
four days later. Injuries to club captain Mark Hudson and Gabor Gyepes allowed Blake to establish himself in the side as a centre-back alongside
Anthony Gerrard Anthony Gerrard (born 6 February 1986) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He made over 500 professional appearances in a career spent mainly in the English Football League, notably at Walsall where he won the 2006-0 ...
. He made a career-high 24 appearances and helped the team reach the Championship play-offs before losing 3–2 to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
in the play-off final. Blake missed Cardiff's 2011–12 pre-season schedule through injury but returned in a 1–1 draw with
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
on 20 August 2011, coming on as a substitute in place of Joe Mason. He made his 100th appearance for Cardiff against
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
on 27 August, which was also his first league start of the season. Despite being a regular at international level for
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, Blake struggled to establish himself in the first team at Cardiff, former Wales striker
Iwan Roberts Iwan Wyn Roberts (born 26 June 1968) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward from 1986 to 2005 for a number of clubs and the Wales national team. His footballing career started at Watford as a trainee before signin ...
to question his future at
Cardiff City Stadium The Cardiff City Stadium () is a stadium in the Leckwith, Cardiff, Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. It is the home of Cardiff City F.C., Cardiff City and the Wales national football team, Wales national team. Following expansion of the Ninian S ...
. Cardiff manager,
Malky Mackay Malcolm George Mackay (born 19 February 1972) is a Scottish professional association football, football coach and former player, who is the sporting director at Scottish Premiership club Hibernian F.C., Hibernian. Mackay, who played as a Defe ...
, replied to this saying Blake was "in his plans" but his injuries and fitness were a problem. The newly formed partnership of Mark Hudson and Ben Turner were preferred ahead of Blake, who later confirmed his desire to hold talks with boss Mackay over his future at Cardiff having not featured for the club in over a month. At the end of the season, he played in the
2012 Football League Cup Final The 2012 Football League Cup final was a association football, football match between Cardiff City F.C., Cardiff City and Liverpool F.C., Liverpool on 26 February 2012 at Wembley Stadium, London. It was the final match of the 2011–12 Football ...
, replacing McNaughton in extra time as Cardiff went on to lose to
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in a penalty shootout. On 9 August 2012, Blake rejected new terms at Cardiff, where he only had a year left on his contract following his time as a bit part player the previous season. On 22 August, Blake entered talks with
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
over a possible move.


Crystal Palace

With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Mackay accepted an offer of £350,000 from Crystal Palace in order to avoid Blake leaving on a free transfer the following summer, with the deal being completed on 24 August 2012. Although Blake was reluctant to leave Cardiff, he accepted the move in order to play first team football, stating "My dream has always been to play for the Bluebirds at Premier League level ..I thought hard about everything before leaving City. But it was time to make a decision." He made his debut for Palace on 25 August 2012 in a 2–1 defeat to
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
. After initially featuring in the first team, he was dropped from the side and did not make an appearance for Palace after December 2012. Wales manager Chris Coleman publicly criticised Blake's fitness levels after revealing that he had been deemed too unfit for Palace's reserve side and stated "Darcy has got to be fitter. He has lost his fitness and there is no easy way around it." He remained with Palace following the club's promotion to the Premier League but made no further appearances and, on 31 January 2014, his contract was terminated by mutual consent after making only 10 league appearances.


Newport County

On 20 March 2014, Blake joined Newport County on non-contract terms, having spent time training with
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
. His signing was branded a "transfer coup" by County manager
Justin Edinburgh Justin Charles Edinburgh (18 December 1969 – 8 June 2019) was an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and Association football, footballer who played as a left back. He played in the Premier League for Totten ...
and he made his debut for Newport in a League Two match against
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
on 22 March. He remained at Newport until the end of the 2013–14 season, making seven appearances. Although he held talks with the club regarding an extension, he was unable to agree a new contract with Edinburgh commenting "I don't think that we could make the offer they were looking for." Blake went on to train with Plymouth in July 2014, the club he was loaned to in 2009, but left on 28 August 2014 after failing to earn a permanent deal. The following month, he played for local amateur side Tredegar Arms in the
North Gwent Football League The North Gwent Football League (currently billed as The Swan EMS Limited North Gwent Football League for sponsorship reasons) is a football league in South Wales. The headquarters are located at The Ex-Servicemens Club, Ebbw Vale. Area The leag ...
after the club were short of players due to injuries, scoring a hat-trick while playing as a striker against Pantside. Pantside appealed to the league officials over his inclusion in the match but no action was taken after the league confirmed he was registered to play for the side. He returned to Newport briefly on trial but was not offered a contract although Edinburgh commented "It would be an absolute waste if the boy didn't get back into the pro game." He also played for amateur rugby team New Tredegar's seconds side in Division Two of the Gwent, Newport and Pontypool District League and appeared on an episode of the BBC Wales rugby show ''
Scrum V ''Scrum V'' (pronounced ''Scrum Five'') is the brand used by BBC Cymru Wales for its rugby union programming. The brand extends to BBC Wales' live coverage, ''Scrum V Live'', highlights and discussion programmes, radio discussion and website. T ...
'' with some of his teammates. In October 2015, he returned to football after being appointed as a
player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
for Aberbargoed Buds.


International career

Blake was a regular for the Wales under-17 and under-19 squads before he was called up to the under-21 team for the first time in 2006 by coach Brian Flynn and made his debut for the side against
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. Usually playing at right back, he was part of the team that finished top of their qualifying group for the
2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship The 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship began on 15 June 2009, and was the 17th UEFA European Under-21 Championship. This was the first tournament after the competition reverted to a two-year format, following the single-year 2006–07 comp ...
before losing in the playoff match against
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. In May 2008, he received his first call-up, alongside six other uncapped members of the Wales under-21 side, to the
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
team. Blake made his full international debut on 12 October 2010, being named in the starting line-up for a 4–1 defeat to
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
in
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
before being replaced by
Christian Ribeiro Christian Michael Ribeiro (born 14 December 1989) is a Welsh retired professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender. He began his career at Bristol City F.C., Bristol City, and turned dow ...
after 54 minutes. He played his second game against
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, in the Nations Cup, where Wales lost 3–1. On 10 August 2011, Blake scored his first senior career goal in a 2–1 defeat against
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and was named in the starting line-up in the side's following match against
Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...
due to James Collins being suspended. Despite being largely a reserve player for Cardiff at the time, he established himself in the side as a centre back under manager
Gary Speed Gary Andrew Speed (8 September 1969 – 27 November 2011) was a Welsh professional footballer and manager. As manager of Wales, Speed is often credited as being the catalyst for the change in fortunes of the national team and as setting t ...
, who described Blake as a player that could "shine in the Premier League," and kept his place in the side for the remainder of the
Euro 2012 qualifiers The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 was a series of parallel association football competitions held across Europe between 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012. The draw for the qualifying rounds was held on 7 Febru ...
, including a 1–0 defeat against
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
where he received praise for his performance.


Career statistics


Club


International goals

:''Scores and results list. Wales's goal tally first.''


Honours

Cardiff City *
Football League Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
runner-up: 2011–12


References


External links


Darcy Blake player profile
at cardiffcityfc.co.uk * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Darcy Living people 1988 births People from New Tredegar Footballers from Caerphilly County Borough Men's association football defenders Footballers from Caerphilly Cardiff City F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Newport County A.F.C. players Welsh men's footballers 21st-century Welsh sportsmen Wales men's youth international footballers Wales men's under-21 international footballers Wales men's international footballers English Football League players Aberbargoed Buds F.C. players