Darren Paul Currie (born 29 November 1974) is an English former
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 ...
who made over 600 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 is assistant head coach of
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...
.
Club career
Currie, who is the nephew of former
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
,
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
and
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 ...
footballer
Tony Currie,
began his career as a trainee at
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 ...
in 1993 but did not play for the first team.
He had a loan spell at
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
before joining
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...
in February 1996 for a transfer fee of £70,000, for whom he made over 70 league and cup appearances in two seasons.
He was released by Shrewsbury in March 1998 and joined
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 ...
until the end of the 1997–98 season.
He then joined
Barnet in summer 1998 and made over 140 league and cup appearances in three seasons.
He was selected in the
PFA Team of the Season for
Division Three
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the Third Division become the fourth tier of English football. In 2 ...
for two consecutive seasons but after Barnet were relegated to the
Nationwide Conference at the end of the 2000–01 season, he left Barnet and joined
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 ...
for a transfer fee of £200,000. He left Wycombe by mutual consent at the end of the 2003–04 season after the club was relegated,
having made over 140 appearances for the club.
Currie impressed
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
manager
Mark McGhee
Mark Edward McGhee (born 25 May 1957) is a Scottish former professional football player and coach. A former forward, McGhee started his career at Greenock Morton in 1975 and had spells at clubs including Newcastle United, Aberdeen, Hamburg, ...
during pre-season trials in 2004 and was given a one-year contract,
with McGee saying, "Darren has skills comparable with any player at this level." A few months later in December 2004, Currie joined
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 ...
for a transfer fee of £250,000, which Brighton's financial position meant they could not turn down.
Currie made his debut for Ipswich in December 2004, scoring a goal and making another, as Ipswich beat
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
4–2 away from home. He made 26 appearances for Ipswich in the 2004–05 season, as Ipswich reached 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 ...
play-offs in May 2005.
Currie fell out of favour in the 2006–07 season, starting only six games before joining
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 ...
on loan in November 2006 when Ipswich manager
Jim Magilton
James Magilton (born 6 May 1969) is a Northern Irish former professional football player and current manager of NIFL Premiership side Cliftonville.
As a player, he was a midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for Southampton, Shef ...
could not guarantee him a place in the first-team. Currie had a two-week trial with the
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
club
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
early in 2007, for whom he made three substitute appearance, but was not offered a contract and returned to Ipswich.
He joined
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
in March 2007 on a loan until the end of the season,
which was extended until the end of May 2007 so he would be eligible for the 2006–07 season
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 ...
play-offs. He came on as a substitute in the second leg of the semi-final against Southampton as his side won on penalties, but he did not feature in the final. Currie scored once during his spell at Derby, his goal coming on a 2–0 win over Leeds United on 6 May 2007.
Currie joined
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 ...
on a free transfer from Ipswich in July 2007, signing a two-year contract, and scored on his debut against
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
They were founded in 190 ...
in August 2007. He made 38 league and cup appearances in the 2007–08 season as Luton went into administration, suffered a ten-point penalty and were relegated.
Following Luton's relegation to
League Two, Currie was one of several players to be offered a free transfer in May 2008, but declared that he would not leave the club until his demands were met. After negotiating terms with
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...
, Currie turned them down and signed a three-year contract with
League Two side
Chesterfield.
On 23 November 2009, Currie joined League Two side
Dagenham & Redbridge
Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club (), often known simply as Dagenham and abbreviated when written to Dag & Red, is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England that play in the , the sixth level of the En ...
on a month's loan,
making his debut on 24 November in a 0–0 away draw against
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
. He signed an 18-month contract with Dagenham on 19 January 2010. He made 16 appearances for the club in the
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
season as they won promotion to League One. The next season, Currie made a further 22 league appearances, scoring once, as Dagenham were relegated straight back to League Two. He left the club in May 2011.
Currie went on trial with League Two side
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...
in July 2011, though was not offered a contract.
On 5 August 2011, Currie joined
Conference South
The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 of the NLS and sixth-highest ti ...
side
Boreham Wood as both a player and the club's assistant manager.
On 11 November 2011, Currie joined
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs.
Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...
Premier Division side
Hendon
Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...
in a playing capacity.
In October 2012, Currie rejoined Dagenham & Redbridge as a development coach. He also registered as a player, taking squad number 29 and appearing on the substitutes bench in a 3–2 loss at
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 seas ...
on 20 October 2012.
He appeared again on the bench for the 1–1 draw with
Exeter City
Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
on 23 October 2012. Currie was promoted to assistant manager in February 2013, replacing
Wayne Burnett who was promoted to manager following the departure of
John Still
John Still (c. 1543 – 26 February 1607/1608) was Master of two Cambridge colleges and then, from 1593, Bishop of Bath and Wells. He enjoyed considerable fame as an English preacher and disputant. He was formerly reputed to be the author of an ...
to
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 ...
. In December 2015, Currie and
Warren Hackett became caretaker managers after Burnett was sacked. After two games in charge, Currie returned to his role as assistant after the return of Still.
Managerial career
Barnet
In June 2018, Currie returned to Barnet as assistant manager, once again as assistant to Still. Following Still's retirement on 28 December 2018, Currie took over as caretaker manager of the Bees. He was made permanent manager at Barnet on 23 January 2019. Currie's reign as Barnet manager got off to a good start following a 1–0 win away at Dagenham & Redbridge, a 1–1 draw at home to Boreham Wood and then beating Championship leaders
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
in the FA Cup at Bramall Lane. They also took
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 ...
to a replay in the next round of the cup after a 3–3 draw at The Hive. Currie then led Barnet to the National League play-offs in his first full season in management, beating
Yeovil Town 2–0 in the quarter-finals before losing by the same scoreline to
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
in the semi-finals. On 12 August 2020, Currie and his assistant
Junior Lewis left Barnet after failing to agree a new contract.
Sheffield United
Currie was appointed joint manager of the
Sheffield United U23 team, along with
Graham Coughlan
Graham Coughlan (born 18 November 1974) is an Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a centre back. He is manager of club Boston United F.C., Boston United.
Cou ...
, on 22 March 2021.
Southend United
On 20 October 2021, Currie joined National League side
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...
in the role of Assistant Head Coach to
Kevin Maher
Kevin Andrew Maher (born 17 October 1976) is a former professional footballer and coach who played as a midfielder. He is head coach of National League side Southend United. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland international ...
.
Career statistics
Managerial statistics
Honours
Dagenham & Redbridge
*
Football League Two play-offs
The EFL League Two play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from fourth to seventh in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are part of the annual Engli ...
:
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
Hendon
*
London Senior Cup
The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of ...
: 2011–12
Individual
*
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
:
1999–2000 Third Division,
2000–01 Third Division
References
External links
*
Hendon Statsat Greensnet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Currie, Darren
1974 births
Living people
Footballers from the London Borough of Camden
People from Hampstead
English men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Ipswich Town F.C. players
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players
Barnet F.C. players
Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
Leyton Orient F.C. players
Shrewsbury Town F.C. players
West Ham United F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Luton Town F.C. players
Coventry City F.C. players
Chesterfield F.C. players
Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. players
Boreham Wood F.C. players
Hendon F.C. players
Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. managers
Barnet F.C. non-playing staff
Barnet F.C. managers
Sheffield United F.C. non-playing staff
Southend United F.C. non-playing staff
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Isthmian League players
English Football League managers
National League (English football) managers
English football managers
English football coaches