 Ambrose warming up forBirmingham City in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darren Paul Francis Ambrose[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-02-29)29 February 1984 (age 41)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Harlow, England | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–2001 | Ipswich Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2003 | Ipswich Town | 30 | (8) |
| 2003–2005 | Newcastle United | 37 | (5) |
| 2005–2009 | Charlton Athletic | 112 | (13) |
| 2008–2009 | →Ipswich Town (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2009–2012 | Crystal Palace | 110 | (29) |
| 2012–2014 | Birmingham City | 7 | (0) |
| 2014 | →Apollon Smyrnis (loan) | 11 | (6) |
| 2014–2015 | Ipswich Town | 6 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Colchester United | 25 | (4) |
| Total | 347 | (65) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005 | England U20 | 4 | (1) |
| 2003–2006 | England U21 | 10 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Darren Paul Francis Ambrose (born 29 February 1984) is an English retired professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder.
Ambrose began his career withIpswich Town when he joined the club's Academy at the age of eleven. He broke through to the first-team in April 2002 in a 2–0Premiership defeat toArsenal. After establishing himself as a regular during the2002–03 season, Ambrose was sold toNewcastle United for£1 million. He made over 50 appearances for Newcastle before joiningCharlton Athletic in 2005 for £1.5 million. A four-year stay atThe Valley saw Ambrose make over 125 appearances, while he also spent time away on loan at his former club Ipswich in the latter stages of his spell with the Addicks. He joinedCrystal Palace on a free transfer ahead of the2009–10 season, making 110 league appearances in three seasons. He signed forBirmingham City for a £250,000 fee in 2012, spending two seasons with theChampionship club, but failed to establish himself in the first-team. He was loaned to GreekSuper League sideApollon Smyrnis in January 2014, where he scored six goals in eleven outings. Ambrose was released by Birmingham in the summer of 2014, before he rejoined Ipswich on a permanent basis following a trial. He made just eight appearances for his boyhood club before being released the following summer. Ambrose then signed a one-year contract withLeague One clubColchester United in August 2015.
Ambrose has representedEngland atunder-20 andunder-21 level, scoring two goals in ten appearances between 2003 and 2006 for the under-21s,[3] and scoring one goal in four games for the under-20s at the 2005Toulon Tournament.[4]
Born inHarlow,[2] Ambrose joined the Academy atIpswich Town at the age of eleven, where he progressed through the club's Centre of Excellence before joining the Academy full-time in the summer of 2000. He broke into the reserve team during the2000–01 season after helping the under-17 team to the league title.[5] He made his first-team debut on 21 April 2002 whenmanagerGeorge Burley brought him on for the final five minutes of Ipswich's 2–0 defeat toArsenal atHighbury, replacingMartijn Reuser.[6]
Ipswich were relegated from thePremiership the same season, but this allowed Ambrose a place in the starting line-up for their openingFirst Division fixture of the2002–03 season againstWalsall on 10 August 2002. He scored on what was his first start for the club with the opening goal after 37 minutes.[7] He scored again as Ipswich thrashedLeicester City 6–1 atPortman Road on 18 August,[8] before scoring his third in five games in their 8–1UEFA Cup win againstAvenir Beggen on 29 August.[9]
After making 37 appearances across the season and scoring eleven goals,[10] Ambrose was sold toNewcastle United on 24 March 2003. With Ipswich in financial difficulty after falling intoadministration, the club were forced to sell Ambrose outside of the transfer window for a fee in the region of£1 million.[11] Ambrose would later say that he "did not want to go" when he was sold to Newcastle, and that he was "sad to leave" Ipswich.[12]
After signing forNewcastle United on 24 March 2003, Ambrose had to wait until the final game of the season to make his debut for the first-team. ReplacingNolberto Solano in the 76th minute, Ambrose helped his side to a 2–2 draw against relegatedWest Bromwich Albion on 11 May 2003.[13]
Ambrose made a scoring start to the2003–04 season with the last goal in the Magpies 5–0UEFA Cup first round win againstNAC Breda on 24 September 2003.[14] He scored his firstPremiership goal away toLeicester City on Boxing Day with a last gasp equaliser to earn a 1–1 draw for his side, five minutes after being introduced as a substitute.[15] He made his first start for the club after 18 first-team appearances on 31 January 2004 in Newcastle's 1–1 draw withBirmingham City atSt Andrew's. He was replaced byCraig Bellamy after 75 minutes of play.[16] He scored once more during the season when he sealed a late point away atSouthampton on 12 May during a 3–3 draw.[17] Ambrose made 37 appearances in all competitions over the course of the season, scoring three times.[18]
WithBobby Robson sacked by Newcastle at the end of August 2004, Ambrose found first-team opportunities limited during the early stages of the season. Under new managerGraeme Souness, Ambrose made his first appearance of the season in Newcastle's 5–1 UEFA Cup win againstBnei Sakhnin in Israel on 30 September 2004, replacingLaurent Robert on 62 minutes.[19] He scored his fourth Newcastle goal on 31 October during a 2–1 defeat toBolton Wanderers.[20] After making 10 appearances until 9 January 2005, Ambrose was out of action for three months, but made a return on 10 April in Newcastle's 1–0 defeat toTottenham Hotspur atWhite Hart Lane.[21] He then appeared in all of Newcastle's remaining Premiership games until the end of the season and scored two goals in the process;[22] the opener againstManchester United in an eventual 2–1 defeat atOld Trafford on 24 April,[23] and another opening goal in a 3–1 away win atFulham on 4 May.[24]
After finding first-team chances hard to come by, Ambrose joinedCharlton Athletic for an undisclosed fee on 8 July 2005 after Charlton had "made an offer that matches our valuation of the player" according to Newcastle chairmanFreddy Shepherd. He signed a four-year contract with the London club,[25] for an estimated fee of £1.5 million.[2][26]
Ambrose made his Charlton debut on 13 August 2005 when they defeatedSunderland 3–1 at theStadium of Light. However, despite the win, Ambrose wassent off after 55 minutes for a lunge on SunderlanddefenderStephen Wright.[27] He scored his first goal for the club in only his third game on 22 October with an equalising goal during a 2–1 win atPortsmouth.[28] He scored three further goals over the course of the season, going on to make 33 appearances.[29]
In his second season with the club, he made 30 appearances and scored three goals, but the club were relegated from the Premiership in 19th position.[30] Ambrose remained with the club in theChampionship, making 42 appearances and scored nine goals,[31] including braces against his boyhood club Ipswich Town on 8 December 2007[32] and two in two minutes in a 5–3 defeat toBlackpool on 23 February 2008.[33]
Ambrose missed the beginning of the2008–09 season after undergoing a hip operation. He made eleven appearances in the early stages of the season, but was made available for loan in order to bring in other reinforcements with the club in financial difficulty.[26]
Ambrose rejoinedIpswich Town on 11 November 2008 on loan until 2 January 2009 after being made available for loan by Charlton managerAlan Pardew.[26] He made his second debut for Ipswich on 15 November as a second-half substitute during a 1–0 defeat toDoncaster Rovers.[34] After nine games with the Blues, Ambrose returned to action with his parent club.[35]
On his return to Charlton, Ambrose made a further twelve appearances to the end of the season.[35] This included the only goal of the game in theFA Cup third round as the Addicks beatNorwich City.[36] The club were relegated toLeague One at the end of the season, and with his contract expiring in the summer, Charlton opted not to offer Ambrose a contract extension.[37] He had made 128 appearances for Charlton in all competitions and scored 17 goals during his four-year stay.[2]
With his contract set to expire on 1 July 2009, Ambrose agreed to join Charlton's south London rivalsCrystal Palace on a free transfer, signing a two-year deal.[37]
Ambrose made his club debut in a 1–1 draw withPlymouth Argyle atSelhurst Park on 8 August.[38] He scored his first goals three days later in a 2–1League Cup win overTorquay United,[39] before netting another brace against Ipswich in a 3–1 away win on 18 August.[40] After scoring twelve goals in 20 games, Ambrose was named as the ChampionshipPlayer of the Month for November 2009 byThe Football League, having found the back of the net in each of the four league fixtures he played during the month.[41] He scored a crucial goal in the final game of the season againstSheffield Wednesday during the sides 2–2 draw. With Wednesday requiring a win to stay up, Palace needed to draw or win to guarantee safety, having been deducted ten points for enteringadministration. With the scores at 1–1, Ambrose struck in the 63rd minute for his 20th goal of the season to hand Palace a two-goal buffer. Wednesday responded but Palace held on for a 2–2 draw and survived, while Wednesday were relegated.[42] Ambrose made 53 appearances during the season.[43]
With speculation surrounding his future at the club after being linked toQueens Park Rangers, Ambrose signed a new three-year contract with Crystal Palace on 26 July 2010 after it was announced that his former manager at IpswichGeorge Burley had been brought into the club.[44] Ambrose opened his goalscoring account in the first game of the2010–11 season, scoring Palace's second goal in a 3–2 win overLeicester City.[45] However, under new Burley, Ambrose found his chances limited, making just eleven appearances between the start of the season and Burley's dismissal on New Year's Day 2011. He had scored three goals in this time. Under new managerDougie Freedman, he returned to the starting line-up, making a further 18 appearances and scoring three goals.[46]
Darren Ambrose's career at Crystal Palace was most famous for his League Cup Quarter Final goal againstManchester United on 30 November 2011.[47] The long-range goal was the first in an eventual 2–1 win by Crystal Palace over Manchester United, and was said byGary Neville to be the best goal scored at Old Trafford.[48]
Birmingham City signed Ambrose for an undisclosed fee in the region of £250,000 on a two-year contract on 13 July 2012.[49] He scored on his competitive debut for the club in their 5–1 League Cup win overBarnet on 14 August,[50] and kept his place for the opening match of the2012–13 league season in a 1–1 draw with his former club Charlton.[51] Ambrose labelled his contribution to a poor team display during a 5–0 home defeat byBarnsley in September as "the worst performance of my career".[52] After assisting five goals in five games, a series of niggling injuries, including a sickness bug and a problematic knee, kept Ambrose out of contention. Following the defeat to Barnsley, he made just two further appearances all season.[53]
After a disrupted first season with Birmingham, Ambrose looked to push on in his second season, however, just two appearances in the first team followed,[54] before being allowed to leave on loan for GreekSuper League clubApollon Smyrnis, managed byLawrie Sanchez.[55]
Ambrose joinedAthens-based Super league club Apollon Smyrnis on loan until the end of the season on 14 January 2014.[56] He made his debut on 19 January in Apollon's 2–1 home defeat byAsteras Tripolis.[57] He scored his first goal for the club on 5 February in their 1–1 draw atLevadiakos with a late equaliser.[58] He also netted in 2–1 defeats toPanetolikos[59] andPanionios[60] before scoring a brace in a 3–1 home win overPlatanias on 9 March[61] before rounding off his scoring in a 3–1 defeat byPanathinaikos on 22 March.[62] He made a total of eleven appearances in Greece, scoring six times.[63]
Ambrose was released by Birmingham at the end of the2013–14 season, after a successful loan spell at Apollon Smyrnis despite the side being relegated from the Greek Super League. He began training withLeague One clubColchester United in July 2014, including playing in a pre-season friendly against his former clubIpswich Town.[64]
Ambrose began training with his former side Ipswich through August 2014 and featured twice for the club's under-21 side. On 11 September 2014, Ambrose signed a contract until January 2015 with the club, becoming one of five players to have had three or more spells at the club, joiningJohn Wark,Tommy Miller,Richard Wright andDaryl Murphy.[65][66] He made his third debut on 22 September as he helped Ipswich to a 2–1 win away atWigan Athletic.[67] He scored one goal during his stint with Ipswich, earning the club an FA Cup third round replay againstSouthampton after drawing 1–1 atSt Mary's Stadium on 4 January 2015.[68] Ambrose played just eight games for Ipswich across the2014–15 season,[69] and he remained with the club over the summer of 2015 with the intention of earning a new contract.[70]
Having previously spent the2014–15 pre-season on trial withColchester United, Ambrose signed a one-year deal with the League One club on 6 August 2015.[71] He made his debut for the club in their opening day 2–2 draw withBlackpool on 8 August, scoring Colchester's equaliser on 56 minutes before being substituted forDion Sembie-Ferris after 82 minutes.[72] He scored his second goal for the club on 24 October, putting his side 4–3 ahead in what would end up a 4–4 draw withWalsall at theColchester Community Stadium.[73] His performance in the match earned him a place in the Football League 'Team of the Week' after providing two assists in addition to his goal.[74]
Ambrose helped Colchester achieve their first victory in 19 League One games on 1 March 2016 by scoring twice in a 2–1 victory againstBradford City atValley Parade.[75]
After making 26 appearances during the campaign,[76] Ambrose was not offered a new contract at the end of the season as Colchester were relegated toLeague Two.[77][78]
Ambrose made a goalscoring debut for theEngland under-20 side during the 2005Toulon Tournament. He scored England's first goal during their 2–0 win against theirTunisian counterparts on 2 June 2005. He also appeared in a 3–0 defeat toSouth Korea on 6 June, a 5–4penalty shoot-out defeat toFrance following a 0–0 stalemate on 8 June, and in a 1–1 draw withMexico, which England won 3–2 on penalties on 10 June to finish third in the competition.[4]
Ambrose made hisEngland under-21 debut on 11 February 2003 when he replacedDavid Prutton during a 1–0 friendly defeat toItaly. He made his next appearance during another friendly on 2 June when he came on as a substitute forBobby Zamora in England's 3–2 win againstSerbia & Montenegro. He was again a substitute in England's 2–2 draw withSweden on 30 March 2004 before starting his first under-21 game during a 1–0 defeat inSpain.
Ambrose played his first competitive England under-21 game on 29 March 2005 in England's2006 European Under-21 Championship qualifier againstAzerbaijan at theRiverside Stadium. England won the match 2–0. He scored his first goal for England at under-21 level following his appearances in the under-20 Toulon Tournament in June 2005 with the only goal of the game againstDenmark on 16 August. He was again selected for the European Championship qualifies, featuring in England's 4–0 win overWales at theRacecourse Ground. Ambrose scored his second goal in England's qualifying play-off match first-leg againstFrance on 11 November, a game which finished 1–1. He also played in the 2–1 defeat in France four days later.
Ambrose made his final England appearance in the2007 European Under-21 Championship qualifier againstMoldova on 15 August 2006 at his former clubIpswich Town's home groundPortman Road. England drew the game 2–2.[3]
After calling time on his playing career, Ambrose opened abarbershop inIpswich in August 2016, while planning to work with the Ipswich Town Academy.[79]
Since his retirement, Ambrose has worked on his podcast, "Not A Bad Effort with Darren Ambrose"[80] and can be heard onTalksport.
After leaving football, Ambrose started aYouTube channel dedicated toLego, in which he, his wife and their children construct film sets and football stadiums.[81]
Darren is a Tottenham Hotspur supporter.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ipswich Town | 2001–02[82] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002–03[10] | First Division | 29 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4[a] | 1 | 37 | 11 | |
| Total | 30 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 11 | ||
| Newcastle United | 2002–03[10] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2003–04[18] | Premier League | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11[a] | 1 | 37 | 3 | |
| 2004–05[22] | Premier League | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 18 | 3 | |
| Total | 37 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 56 | 6 | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 2005–06[29] | Premier League | 28 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 33 | 4 | |
| 2006–07[30] | Premier League | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 30 | 3 | ||
| 2007–08[31] | Championship | 37 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 42 | 9 | ||
| 2008–09[35] | Championship | 21 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| Total | 112 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 2 | — | 128 | 17 | |||
| Ipswich Town (loan) | 2008–09[35] | Championship | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Crystal Palace | 2009–10[43] | Championship | 46 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | 53 | 20 | |
| 2010–11[46] | Championship | 28 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 7 | ||
| 2011–12[83] | Championship | 36 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | — | 42 | 10 | ||
| Total | 110 | 29 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 5 | — | 124 | 37 | |||
| Birmingham City | 2012–13[84] | Championship | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | |
| 2013–14[63] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| Apollon Smyrnis (loan) | 2013–14[63] | Super League Greece | 11 | 6 | — | — | — | 11 | 6 | |||
| Ipswich Town | 2014–15[69] | Championship | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Colchester United | 2015–16[76] | League One | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 4 |
| Career total | 347 | 65 | 20 | 7 | 24 | 9 | 19 | 2 | 410 | 83 | ||
Individual
