Darren Barnard
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Darren Sean Barnard (born 30 November 1971) is a 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 ...
Barnard played as both wing-back and
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
and played in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
for both Chelsea and
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
. He also played in the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
for
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
,
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 ...
, and
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
before playing in the
Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...
for
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...
and finishing his career with non-league Camberley Town. Born in
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, he was capped 24 times for the Wales national team and eight times for the England U18. In 2007, while a player with Camberley Town, he became the club's technical director before becoming first team manager in 2010. He stepped down from his role following the end of the 2011–12 season. He has since worked as the academy manager of
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...


Playing career


Chelsea

Chelsea paid non-league Wokingham Town £100,000 to seal the signature of 18-year-old Barnard in July 1990. He had to wait almost 2 years for his first-team debut as he was competing with the established first-team players Gareth Hall and
Frank Sinclair Frank Mohammed Sinclair (born 3 December 1971) is a former professional football player and manager who is a coach . He made 756 league and cup appearances in a 25-year playing career, scoring 27 goals. A defender, he began his career at Che ...
for a place in the team. During his time at Chelsea, Barnard played for Bobby Campbell,
Ian Porterfield John Ian Porterfield (11 February 1946 – 11 September 2007) was a Scottish professional footballer, and an experienced football coach who worked at both club and international level for almost 30 years. At the time of his death, he was the coa ...
and
Glenn Hoddle Glenn Hoddle (born 27 October 1957) is an English former football player and manager. He currently works as a television pundit and commentator for ITV Sport and TNT Sports. He played as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, Monaco, Chelsea and ...
, but was only given a regular run in the team by caretaker manager David Webb. Barnard was signed at a time when the Blues were attempting to boost their standing in the First Division with the expensive purchases of
Dennis Wise Dennis Frank Wise (born 16 December 1966) is an English former professional football player and manager who played as a central midfielder. He spent the majority of his career at Chelsea, from 1990 to 2001. Beginning his career at Wimbledon, ...
and
Andy Townsend Andrew David Townsend (born 23 July 1963) is a former professional footballer and sports co-commentator for Premier League Productions and CBS Sports. As a player he was a midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for Chelsea, Ast ...
, Barnard was forced to wait almost two years for his first-team debut. Comfortable playing anywhere along the left-flank, his first appearance was as a replacement for
Vinnie Jones Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is an English actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, C ...
in a 2–1 win over
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
towards the end of the 1991–92 season, and after two further substitute appearances he was rewarded with his first start, that ended with a 3–1 defeat at
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
. Manager
Ian Porterfield John Ian Porterfield (11 February 1946 – 11 September 2007) was a Scottish professional footballer, and an experienced football coach who worked at both club and international level for almost 30 years. At the time of his death, he was the coa ...
resisted the opportunity to include Barnard in his side at the beginning of the following campaign, preferring to play Gareth Hall out of position in the absence of regular left-back Frank Sinclair, and with the exception of an outing at
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
in October it wasn't until the final three months of the campaign – after David Webb was drafted in to replace Porterfield for the remainder of the season – that Barnard began to feature regularly. Given the freedom to roam on the left of Chelsea's midfield, he impressed with a number of cultured displays, the best of which came against
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 ...
when he scored his first goal for the club, in what was a 4–0 win, and ended with a record that season of eight starts resulting in five wins, two draws and just a single defeat. However, Barnard was restricted to only nine starts in 1993–94, primarily as a left-back. A mid-table league campaign was compensated for by a run to the final of 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 ...
, and although he did not feature in the final itself, Barnard did play in the semi-final victory over
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
after replacing the injured
Craig Burley Craig William Burley (born 24 September 1971) is a Scottish former professional footballer and sports television pundit and co-commentator for ESPN. As a player he was a midfielder from 1989 until 2004, notably playing in the Premier League for ...
late in the first half. He struck his only goal of the season in a 2–0 defeat of
West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...
in March, and his final appearance for the club came six weeks later when he was selected for in the side that was beaten by
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
as Hoddle chose to protect his likely cup final team. Despite remaining with the club for a further 18 months, Barnard failed to reappear in the first-team, eventually joining
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 ...
in October 1995 for a fee of £175,000, a move which proved to be a launching pad for his career as he went on to become a full international in the colors of
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 ...
.


Bristol City

Barnard transferred to
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 ...
for £175,000. Two seasons in Division Two culminated in losing in the playoff semi-finals to
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
. Bought from Chelsea, where he had made just a handful of first-team appearances, Barnard initially played on the left-wing for City. However, manager Joe Jordan started to play him at left wing-back shortly after his move to the club, and before long, Barnard was a fully-fledged left wing-back. His ability to run with the ball down the wing, overlap with Brian Tinnion and, of course, his free-kicks had earned him some plaudits. Barnard left the club soon after, to join
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, so this partnership was never seen in a competitive City side. Barnard scored 17 goals in 76 games for City.


Barnsley

Barnsley was looking to strengthen their squad after promotion to the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
for the 1997–98 season, signing Barnard for £750,000 as well as players like Eric Tinkler and Georgi Hristov. Barnard became a Welsh international during this season, making his debut for Wales in a 0–0 draw against
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
on 25 March 1998 and went on to collect 18 caps whilst at Barnsley. Unfortunately for Barnsley, the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
dream lasted only one season, but Barnard played on for them in the
First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...
for another four seasons and played in the 1999–00 playoff final defeat to
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 ...
, in which he missed the opening penalty in the match, the last missed penalty at the old Wembley Stadium, although Barnsley was awarded another which
Craig Hignett Craig Hignett (born 12 January 1970) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker and later in his career as a midfielder. Born in Whiston, he started his senior club career with Crewe Alexandra in 1988. After making ...
scored. In the 1998–99 season, Barnard turned down a move to go to Southampton in November, on his first game after he declined the move, he scored what possibly could be one of the all-time great goals for his club and himself, a left-footed volley from the corner of the penalty area after a fine pass by Nicky Eaden. The goal was in Barnsley's 7–1 win over Yorkshire rivals
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
on 27 November 1998, a game shown live on Sky Sports. Barnard scored 28 goals in 201 appearances for the club with many assists.


Grimsby Town

Barnard joined
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
for the start of the 2002–03 season along with fellow Barnsley player
Steve Chettle Stephen John Chettle (born 27 September 1968) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a defender from 1986 to 2005 and was best known for his time as a player at Nottingham Forest where he made 41 ...
. Barnard was used as a left-sided midfielder in his first season while under manager Paul Groves but was also used at left-back, the latter was primarily his main position after the departure of Tony Gallimore in the summer of 2003. In both Barnard's seasons at
Blundell Park Blundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and home to Grimsby Town Football Club. The stadium was built in 1899, but only one of the original stands remains. The current capacity of the ground is 9,05 ...
he suffered relegations in which Grimsby went from Division One to Division Three. Following the club's financial difficulties many of Barnard's colleagues had been inexperienced youngsters. Despite not having any luck at his club, Barnard collected another 6 Welsh caps, the last as a substitute against
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
on 27 May 2004, coincidentally alongside former Grimsby teammates Danny Coyne and
John Oster John Morgan Oster (born 8 December 1978) is a football coach and former professional player who played as a midfielder. Oster was a product of the youth team at Grimsby Town where he was added to the first team squad in 1994, however he didn't ...
.


Aldershot Town

The former Aldershot and Farnborough District schoolboy joined
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...
in August 2004 after leaving
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
. The Welsh international left-sided defender was a major signing by the Aldershot manager Terry Brown, becoming the club's penalty taker. In 2007 Barnard was made club captain as well as playing and captaining the Welsh semi Professional side. Barnard scored 24 goals in 127 appearances for Aldershot Town.


Coaching career

Barnard moved to sign for Camberley Town prior to his release from Aldershot in 2007. As well as being used as a player, Barnard was also appointed the
Director of Football A sporting director, or director of sport, is an senior management, executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many typ ...
for the club, and later the general manager. In May 2010 he was appointed joint first team manager alongside ex-
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
and
Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...
player Paul Miles. Barnard became sole Manager after Paul Miles resigned in October 2011. In 2010 Barnard started his 'A' Licence coaching badge in Manchester. Other players on the course run through the PFA included David Lee, Paul Williams, Paulo Wanchope and ex-teammate Shaun Goater. In May 2012, Barnard decided to move on from Camberley Town 1st team and stepped down as the Manager. In July 2011, Barnard become Director and Head Coach for Professional Footballers Soccer Academies. Based at a local 6th Form school and in conjunction with Camberley Town FC. The role included Players receiving daily training involving individual and team coaching focusing on the Roles and Responsibilities of the players within the team. Players received guidance on individual Football fitness, nutritional advice and a regular appraisal to monitor each player's development both on and off the pitch. Players had the opportunity to represent the Football club through the academy, youth, and college or reserve team, with the aim to progress into the first team or progress to higher placed teams. Barnard was appointed Academy Manager of
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...
in August 2013 just after the club had come out of administration following relegation from the Football League the previous season. Barnard was approached by Aldershot Town Football Club to reinstate the club's Youth Academy after coming out of administration. Barnard very quickly formed a squad of 30 players and although very successful on the pitch it was Barnard's organisational and man-management skills behind the scenes molding the players into a well-drilled unit both on and off the pitch that really stood out. With a vast amount of experience having played himself at the highest level, Barnard understood the welfare and player liaison duties that go with a modern managers position. Once the academy was established and running the decision was taken for Barnard to go and explore alternative routes in his football career. Barnard left Aldershot Town in December 2013.


Masters Football

Masters Football is a branded six-a-side game designed for older (35+) former professional footballers. Barnard also played for Chelsea in 2007 London masters. Chelsea won the trophy with Barnard collecting the Golden Boot award. Barnard also played for the PFA in the Hong Kong 2007 Sevens, losing in the Finals. Barnard collected the Golden Boot award for the second time in 2008 for Chelsea in the London Masters. In 2009 Barnard played for Wales in the Sky Masters, losing out in the final to Ireland. Barnard got his third Golden Boot award in 2010 for Chelsea in the London Masters. Barnard also scored his first hat trick for Chelsea old boys against Reading old boys in 2010.


References


External links


rsssf.com
– Welsh International Matches
sporting-heroes.net
– Player Profile (Chelsea)
Barnard's Wonder goal against Huddersfield (video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnard, Darren 1971 births Living people Sportspeople from Rinteln English men's footballers English people of Welsh descent England men's youth international footballers Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Grimsby Town F.C. players Chelsea F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players Reading F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players National League (English football) players Wokingham Town F.C. players Camberley Town F.C. players Welsh football managers Camberley Town F.C. managers Men's association football fullbacks Men's association football midfielders Footballers from Lower Saxony