Darren Holden (footballer)

Darren Holden (born 27 August 1993) is an English-South African professional footballer who plays for Mossley,[4] as a defender.

Darren Holden
Holden with Hartlepool United in 2012
Personal information
Full name Darren Holden[1]
Date of birth (1993-08-27) 27 August 1993 (age 30)[2]
Place of birth Krugersdorp, South Africa
Height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[3]
Position(s) Left back
Team information
Current team
Mossley
Youth career
Hartlepool United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2015 Hartlepool United 58 (0)
2015–2016 Ross County 0 (0)
2016 Gateshead 7 (0)
2016 Jarrow Roofing 3 (0)
2016–2017 South Shields 10 (0)
2017 West Auckland Town
2017–2018 Guiseley 18 (0)
2018–2022 Consett 133 (11)
2022–2023 Clitheroe 37 (0)
2023– Mossley 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:28, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

Career edit

Born in Krugersdorp, South Africa,[2] Holden made his senior debut for English club Hartlepool United in April 2011 in a 1–1 draw, with other debutants Andy Rafferty and Josh Rowbotham, against Tranmere Rovers.[5]

After being a regular for the reserve and youth side, Holden was handed a professional deal with Hartlepool in April 2012.[6]

Holden was rewarded with a new contract in December 2012 to keep him at Victoria Park.[7] He went on to make 17 league appearances in the 2012–13 season which saw him challenging to keep the experienced left-back Evan Horwood out of the first-team.[8]

Holden became a regular in the second half of the 2013–14 season after an injury to Neil Austin, which led to him starting in Pools' final twenty games of the season. In May 2014, Holden signed a new contract with Hartlepool.[9]

He signed for Scottish club Ross County in June 2015,[10] making his debut on 25 August in a 2–0 Scottish League Cup victory over Ayr United.[11] He scored his first senior goal in a 7–0 Scottish League Cup win over Falkirk on 22 September.[12]

On 5 February 2016, Holden signed for National League side Gateshead.[13] He made his debut on 13 February as a substitute in a 0–4 defeat to Dover Athletic.[14] He made a further six appearances before being released at the end of the season.[15]

After a spell with Jarrow Roofing, he signed for South Shields in November 2016.[16] He then played with West Auckland Town before moving to National League side Guiseley in 2017.[3]

Following their relegation to the National League North, Holden was released from Guiseley and signed for Consett in 2018.[4] After making 44 appearances in his first season with Consett, Holden signed a new contract to keep him with the club for a further year.[17] He made a total of 133 appearances for Consett, scoring eleven times and also played for the club at Wembley Stadium in their 2020 FA Vase Final defeat.[18]

On 12 October 2022, he signed for Northern Premier League Division One West side Clitheroe, making his debut against Bootle[19] in a 4-0 win.[20]

In December 2023, Holden signed for fellow Northern Premier League Division One West side Mossley.[21]

Style of play edit

Holden is an attacking-minded left-back known for his long throws, fast pace,[5] and having a strong left foot.[7]

Career statistics edit

As of match played 16 June 2018
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hartlepool United 2010–11[22] League One 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2011–12[23] League One 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
2012–13[24] League One 17 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 18 0
2013–14[25] League Two 26 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 28 0
2014–15[26] League Two 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
Total 58 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 61 0
Ross County 2015–16[27] Scottish Premiership 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 1
Gateshead 2015–16[2] National League 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
Guiseley 2017–18[2] National League 18 0 3 0 0 0 21 0
Career total 83 0 3 0 3 1 2 0 91 1

Honours edit

South Shields

References edit

  1. ^ "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 18 May 2013. p. 36. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Darren Holden at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Darren Holden – Guiseley AFC". Archived from the original on 27 October 2017.
  4. ^ a b "The Consett AFC website has moved!". www.clubwebsite.com.
  5. ^ a b "Profiles: Darren Holden". Hartlepool United F.C. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  6. ^ "Darren Holden Handed Professional Deal With Pools".
  7. ^ a b "Young Defender Agrees New Deal".
  8. ^ "In The Mad Crowd". www.inthemadcrowd.co.uk.
  9. ^ "Darren Holden signs a new contract with Hartlepool United".
  10. ^ "Darren Holden: Ross County sign former Hartlepool left-back". BBC Sport. 16 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Ross County 2-0 Ayr United". BBC Sport. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Ross County 7-0 Falkirk". BBC Sport. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Defender Holden agrees Heed switch". Gateshead FC. 5 February 2016. Archived from the original on 10 February 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  14. ^ "Dover Athletic 4-0 Gateshead". BBC Sport. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  15. ^ "Retained list announced". Gateshead FC. 3 May 2016. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  16. ^ "South Shields complete signing of former Hartlepool and Gateshead full-back". www.shieldsgazette.com.
  17. ^ "Darren Holden".
  18. ^ "Darren Holden". Consett A.F.C.
  19. ^ "DARREN HOLDEN SIGNS UP". Clitheroe F.C. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Darren Holden". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
  21. ^ "Holden is a Lilywhite!". Mossley AFC. 2 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  22. ^ "Games played by Darren Holden in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  23. ^ "Games played by Darren Holden in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  24. ^ "Games played by Darren Holden in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  25. ^ "Games played by Darren Holden in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  26. ^ "Games played by Darren Holden in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  27. ^ "Games played by Darren Holden in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  28. ^ Association, The Football. "Cleethorpes Town 0–4 South Shields". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 10 February 2018.