| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darren Rowbotham | ||
| Date of birth | 22 October 1966 | ||
| Place of birth | Cardiff, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1983–1984 | Plymouth Argyle | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1984–1987 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | (2) |
| 1987–1991 | Exeter City | 118 | (46) |
| 1991–1992 | Torquay United | 14 | (3) |
| 1992–1993 | Birmingham City | 36 | (6) |
| 1992 | → Mansfield Town (loan) | 4 | (2) |
| 1993 | → Hereford United (loan) | 8 | (2) |
| 1993–1995 | Crewe Alexandra | 61 | (21) |
| 1995–1996 | Shrewsbury Town | 40 | (9) |
| 1996 | → Exeter City (loan) | 2 | (1) |
| 1996–2000 | Exeter City | 118 | (37) |
| 1999 | → Leyton Orient (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2000–2002 | Weymouth | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Darren Rowbotham (born 22 October 1966) is a Welsh footballer who played as a forward, making more than 450 appearances in the Football League.
Rowbotham was born in Cardiff, Wales. He began his career as a junior with Plymouth Argyle, and turned professional with the club in November 1984. Three years later he joined local rivals Exeter City.[1] A key player in Exeter winning the Fourth Division title in the 1989–90 season, his goalscoring had linked him with possible moves to top-flight football. However, he sustained a serious knee injury which kept him out of football for a year, after which his career was restricted to the lower divisions of the Football League.[2]
After four years at Exeter, where he scored 58 goals in 142 games in all competitions, he joined Torquay United for a fee of £25,000. Only four months later he moved on again, following his former Exeter manager Terry Cooper to Birmingham City for a fee of £20,000.[1]
Lack of goals for Birmingham resulted in loan spells at Mansfield Town and Hereford United before he left on a free transfer, signing for Crewe Alexandra before the 1993–94 season.[1] He spent two years there, followed by an 18-month spell at Shrewsbury Town, before returning to Exeter in 1996. He remained at Exeter for four years, including a month on loan to Leyton Orient,[3] before being released at the end of the 1999–2000 season.[2] He ended his career playing alongside brother Jason for Weymouth in the Southern League.[4]
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