Darren Byfield

Darren Asherton Byfield (born 29 September 1976) is a former professional footballer.

He is currently a first-team coach at Walsall.

He began his career with Aston Villa in 1997, and enjoyed loan spells with Preston North End, Northampton Town, Cambridge United, and Blackpool, before winning a move to Walsall in June 2000.

Byfield started his career at Aston Villa, and graduated through the club's Academy to make his Premier League debut on 28 December 1997, in a 1–1 draw with Leeds United at Elland Road.

Given his debut by outgoing boss Brian Little, he rarely featured under new "Villans" manager John Gregory.

He made six further substitute appearances in 1997–98.

He appeared in the UEFA Cup in a 3–2 win over Norwegian outfit Strømsgodset IF at Villa Park on 15 September 1998.

Byfield was loaned out to Preston North End in November 1998, and scored on his debut at Deepdale on 7 November, in a 4–1 win over Burnley.

He played four further Second Division games for David Moyes's "Lilywhites", and did not feature in the latter half of the 1998–99 season.

He joined Northampton Town on a six-week loan in August 1999, and scored twice in seven games for the "Cobblers".

After the departure of manager Ian Atkins, Kevin Wilson led the Sixfields outfit to promotion out of the Third Division.

Byfield meanwhile joined Cambridge United on loan immediately after leaving Northampton, and featured four times at the Abbey Stadium under manager Roy McFarland.

In March 2000 he joined Blackpool on loan, in his third such move of the 1999–2000 campaign.

He played three Second Division games for Steve McMahon's "Seasiders", in a brief stay at Bloomfield Road.

In June 2000, Byfield signed with Ray Graydon's Second Division side Walsall.

He hit 11 goals in 51 games in 2000–01, and scored the winning goal in the 109th minute of the play-off final, giving the "Saddlers" a 3–2 victory over Reading.

He scored the winning goal in the 2001 Second Division play-off final, and then made a £50,000 move to Rotherham United in March 2002.

He scored four goals in 37 First Division games in 2001–02, and left the Bescot Stadium soon after Colin Lee was appointed as manager.

He got off to a flying start to his Millmoor career, hitting two goals in three games at the back end of the 2001–02 campaign.

In March 2002, he joined Rotherham United in a £50,000 deal.

He scored 13 goals in 38 games in 2002–03, and told the media that "Even if the manager (Ronnie Moore) brought in Ruud van Nistelrooy and Alan Shearer it wouldn't bother me, I am very confident in my own abilities."

His tally included four goals against Millwall on 10 August in a "stunning display" on the opening day of the season when the Millers ran out 6-0 victors at The Den, for which Byfiel was awarded Man of the Match by the home team's fans.

Byfield won six caps for Jamaica in 2003, and has scored 110 goals in 484 appearances across all domestic competitions so far in his football career.

He was briefly married to pop star Jamelia, with whom he had one child.

He went on to bag eight goals in 33 appearances for the "Millers" in 2003–04.

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.

He was traded to Sunderland in February 2004, and then moved on to Gillingham five months later.

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 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 transferred to Millwall in June 2006, before joining Bristol City in August 2007.

He joined Millwall in June 2006, despite manager Ronnie Jepson's best efforts to keep him at Priestfield.

He moved on to Doncaster Rovers in July 2008, before linking up with Oldham Athletic in August 2009, having played on loan at the club during the previous season.

His stay at Oldham lasted only a handful of games, after which he returned to Walsall.

He left the Football League in June 2011 following an injury-hit 2010–11 campaign.

He joined non-league Solihull Moors for a brief spell in March 2012, before moving on to AFC Telford United six months later.

He joined Tamworth in January 2013.