Darren Freeman
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 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darren Barry Andduet Freeman[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 August 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Brighton, England | ||
| Positions | |||
| Youth career | |||
| 1988–1990 | Whitehawk[2] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1992 | Whitehawk[2] | ||
| 1992–1993 | Worthing[3] | ||
| 1993 | Littlehampton Town[4] | ||
| 1994–1995 | Horsham[5] | ||
| 1995–1996 | Gillingham | 12 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | → Glenavon (loan) | ||
| 1996–1998 | Fulham | 46 | (9) |
| 1998–1999 | Brentford | 22 | (6) |
| 1999–2001 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 54 | (12) |
| 2002–2003 | Margate | ||
| 2003–2004 | Worthing | ||
| 2004 | Three Bridges | ||
| 2005–2013 | Whitehawk | ||
| Total | 134 | (27) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009–2014 | Whitehawk | ||
| 2015 | Peacehaven & Telscombe | ||
| 2015–2019 | Lewes | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Darren Barry Andduet Freeman (born 22 August 1973) is an English football manager and former professional player who played as a winger and striker, making over 130 appearances in the Football League between 1995 and 2001.
Born in Brighton, Freeman played youth football for Whitehawk and Sussex County Youth, making his first team debut at the age of 16. He scored the winner as a 17 year old in the RUR Cup Final against Peacehaven & Telscombe in March 1991[6] while also appearing in the County Youth Cup Final later in the season, earning trials at Portsmouth, Southend United and Maidstone United.[2] After playing for Isthmian League Worthing and Horsham he was signed by Gillingham. Following a successful loan spell at Glenavon,[7] he went on to play in the Football League with Fulham, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion, making a total of 134 appearances.[8] He retired from professional football in August 2001 due to an ongoing hernia problem.[9]
He will always be remembered for two feats with the Seagulls – scoring a hat-trick in Albion's first ever competitive match at Withdean Stadium, when they beat Mansfield Town 6–0, and scoring the first English football league goal of the new millennium when he netted in an early kick-off against Exeter City on January 3, 2000.[10]
He returned to non-league football in June 2002 with Margate,[11][12] Worthing[13] and Three Bridges, the latter as player-coach,[14] before ending his playing career back at his first club Whitehawk, joining in 2005–06, before taking on a player-coaching role in 2008.[15][16] Freeman made 16 league and cup appearances in the 2007–08 season and a further 12 league and cup appearances in the 2009–10 season.[17] His final ever appearance was from the bench in a Sussex Senior Challenge Cup tie at Horsham on 26 November 2013.[18]