Darcy Blake
Darcy James Blake (born 13 December 1988) is a Welsh former professional footballer. During his career, he won 14 caps for Wales at international level, scoring once, and made more than 100 appearances in the Football League.
|
Blake lining up for Wales in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darcy James Blake | ||
| Date of birth | 13 December 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | New Tredegar, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender, midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2005 | Cardiff City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2012 | Cardiff City | 90 | (0) |
| 2009 | → Plymouth Argyle (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Crystal Palace | 10 | (0) |
| 2014 | Newport County | 8 | (0) |
| Total | 115 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2005 | Wales U17 | 5 | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | Wales U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2006–2009 | Wales U21 | 14 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | Wales | 14 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He began his career as a youth player with Cardiff City before making his professional debut at the age of 17 in 2006. During the 2009–10 season he spent time on loan with Plymouth Argyle. After returning to Cardiff, he struggled to establish himself in the first team but went on to make over 100 appearances for the club.
In 2012, he joined Crystal Palace for £350,000 but was released by the club after 18 months having made ten appearances. Blake received criticism from a number of former managers, including Dave Jones, Malky Mackay and Chris Coleman, during his career regarding his fitness levels. He later had a brief spell with Newport County before dropping out of the professional game at the age of 25, playing for local amateur teams and briefly converting to rugby.