Date of Birth - 06/10/88
Nationality - English
Position - Defender
Squad Number - 39
Cost -
Club Hons (Lpool) - FA Youth Cup 2006, 2007 Premier Reserve League North 2007/08, National Reserve Title 2007/08
Intnl Hons - None
Other Clubs - None
Mr Consistency, Stephen is a versatile performer who is comfortable playing anywhere across the back four. His natural position is right back, but in his Academy days he often played on the opposite flank and also had a successful spell at centre back.
'Darbs' is a great team player, who can always be heard encouraging his team-mates and keeping the lads going. He skippered the u18 side to youth cup success in 2006, and was one of the mainstays of the side, performing at a high level in every round.
Along with four of his team-mates from that side, Stephen was promoted from the Academy to Gary Ablett's reserve squad for the 2006/07 season, and was handed a call up to the first team squad for the trip to Galatasaray in the Champions League. Stephen was an unused sub that night, and upon his return to England he was whisked from the airport down to the Midlands so he could line up for the youth team at West Brom as they began their successful defence of the FA Youth.
Whilst he relinquished the captain's armband to Jay Spearing (Jay would have been skipper the previous season but for injury), Stephen is still a leader on the pitch and his displays in the youth cup were outstanding once more. Not least when he faced the highly rated Chelsea winger Scott Sinclair in the 4th round clash at Anfield, and never gave him a kick. His performance that day was superb, but it's very rare for an opponent to get the better of him.
In the summer of 2007 Stephen travelled to Switzerland with the first team for their pre-season training camp, and appeared in friendly games against Werder Bremen and Auxerre, and although he was unable to force his way into the senior side during the season, he was a mainstay in Gary Ablett's second string, and ended the campaign by lifting the national reserve title in front of a large crowd at Anfield.
'Darbs' featured heavily in the reds' pre-season fixtures this summer, and he will be hoping either for a loan spell with a Championship side, or possibly even some opportunities in the first team.
Video Clips of Stephen Darby in action
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