Darren Byfield

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Darren Byfield : biography

29 September 1976 –

After Rotherham rejected a bid from Derby County, he signed with Sunderland in February 2004, after the two clubs agreed to a trade for Michael Proctor. Byfield scored five goals in 17 games for Mick McCarthy’s "Black Cats" in the latter half of the 2003–04 campaign, before departing the Stadium of Light at the end of the season.

Byfield signed a two-year contract with Championship club Gillingham in July 2004, after rejecting offers from former clubs Preston and Walsall. He hit just six goals in 39 appearances in 2004–05, despite maintaining an excellent work rate. The club suffered relegation into League One, as well as a merry-go-round of managers, with Andy Hessenthaler making way for Stan Ternent, who was in turn replaced by Neale Cooper and then Ronnie Jepson. Byfield told the press that his teammates should take the blame for Neale Cooper’s departure in November 2005, and should be "ashamed" of their performances. Byfield scored 14 goals during the 2005–06 campaign, becoming the club’s top-scorer, despite spending two months on the sidelines nursing a knee injury.

He joined Millwall in June 2006, despite manager Ronnie Jepson’s best efforts to keep him at Priestfield. Byfield later claimed he was not offered a new contract by the "Gills", something which chairman Paul Scally denied. Scally had previously accused Southend United manager Steve Tilson of making an illegal approach for Byfield. Having scored a hat-trick at the start of the month, he was nominated for the League One player of the month award for January, but lost out to Bristol City’s Enoch Showunmi. Despite missing the end of the campaign due to an ankle injury, he scored 16 goals in 31 League One games in 2006–07 to become the club’s top-scorer. However he seemed keen to move away from The Den, and did not appear in pre-season friendlies or photo opportunities. "Lions" boss Willie Donachie had previously rejected an offer of £165,000 from Brighton & Hove Albion chairman Dick Knight.

Byfield was signed by Bristol City for an undisclosed fee (in the region of £250,000) in August 2007. The Ashton Gate club exceeded all expectations in 2007–08, and top-scorer Byfield’s eight goals helped them to secure a place in the Championship play-offs. However, the play-off final ended in defeat to Hull City at Wembley; Byfield was a late substitute for Nick Carle. In May 2008, Byfield was released by the "Robins", having struggled to secure a place in Gary Johnson’s starting eleven after proving himself to be something of a "super-sub".

In July 2008, he joined Doncaster Rovers on a two-year deal. On 14 November, he joined Oldham Athletic on a one month loan, which was later extended until January 2009. His "Latics" debut came in a 1–0 win over Northampton Town. Manager John Sheridan described Byfield’s performance as "excellent", and stated that "he caused them a lot of problems with his pace and his touch". The only goal of his eight game spell came on Boxing Day against Crewe Alexandra; he scored the opening goal in a 3–0 victory at the Alexandra Stadium. He returned to the Keepmoat Stadium at the end of the 2008–09 season, though sat out the end of the campaign after undergoing a hernia operation. He was released from his contract by manager Sean O’Driscoll on 7 May, having failed to find the net in 16 appearances for "Donny".

On 6 August 2009, Byfield joined Oldham Athletic on a short-term deal. However, after four appearances with no goals, he left Boundary Park on 25 August. Byfield re-signed with Walsall three days after leaving Oldham – to the delight of manager Chris Hutchings. He was given a contract lasting until January 2010, with an option to extend it until the end of the 2009–10 season. He formed an effective partnership with Troy Deeney, and won praise from coach Mick Kearns. Appointed club captain, he missed much of the 2010–11 season due to a knee injury, and was released by new manager Dean Smith in May 2011.