Darren Purse
Darren John Purse (born 14 February 1977) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back for National League South club Hayes & Yeading United.
He began his career at Leyton Orient, before winning a £100,000 move to Oxford United in July 1996. He continued to impress, and was bought by Birmingham City for £700,000 in February 1998. He played for the "Blues" in the Premier League and the 2001 Football League Cup Final, before switching to West Bromwich Albion for a £750,000 fee in June 2004. After a year with the "Baggies", he was transferred to Championship side Cardiff City for just under £1 million. Appointed as club captain, he was an unused substitute in the 2008 FA Cup Final, where they were defeated by Portsmouth. He joined Sheffield Wednesday in July 2009, and was again appointed as captain. The "Owls" suffered relegation into League One, and he moved on to Millwall in January 2011. Loaned out to Yeovil Town, he switched to Plymouth Argyle for a 12-month spell in January 2012. He left Plymouth for Port Vale in January 2013, and helped the club to secure promotion out of League Two in 2012–13. He left England in August 2013 to play for Finnish club IFK Mariehamn, before joining English non-League side Chesham United in January 2014. He later played for Welling United, Staines Town, AFC Rushden & Diamonds, and Hayes & Yeading United.
