Darren Peacock

Darren Peacock

Personal information
Date of birth	3 February 1968 (1968-02-03) (age 43)
Place of birth	Bristol, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position	Centre defender
Youth career
1984–1986	Bristol Rovers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1986–1989	Newport County	28	(0)
1989–1990	Hereford United	59	(4)
1990–1994	Queens Park Rangers	126	(6)
1994–1998	Newcastle United	133	(2)
1998–2000	Blackburn Rovers	47	(1)
2000	→ West Ham United (loan)	0	(0)
2000	→ Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)	4	(0)
Total		397	(13)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Darren Peacock (born 3 February 1968 in Bristol) is an English former professional footballer who played as a central defender.

He made nearly 400 league appearances, beginning his career in the lower reaches of the Football League, before spending eight seasons in the Premier League for Queens Park Rangers, Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers. Injury forced his retirement at the age of 32.

Football career

After being released by Bristol Rovers, Peacock started his career in the lower leagues at Newport County, and when the club folded in 1989 he signed for Hereford United. In his first full season with the Bulls, he was voted player of the year, featuring regularly in the team that won the Welsh Cup in 1990.^[1]

Peacock's performances with Hereford earned him a move to First Division club Queens Park Rangers in 1990 for £200,000. He was a member of the QPR team that beat Manchester United 4–1 at Old Trafford in front of a live television audience on New Year's Day 1992.

After having made over 100 league appearances for QPR, Peacock was purchased by Kevin Keegan of Newcastle United on 24 March 1994, for £2.7 million, to strengthen their defence in their first season in the Premier League. A sell-on clause meant that Hereford received a total fee of £440,000 for the player, which remains, as of February 2010, their record transfer fee received.^[2][3] He helped the Magpies to a third-place finish, which earned the club qualification for the UEFA Cup.

Newcastle won their first six league games in the 1994–95 season, and there was talk of a first top-flight title since 1927, but they lost form and finished in sixth position, out of the European qualification zone. The following season, Peacock was part of the team that lost the Premier League title to Manchester United after having a 10-point lead at Christmas. He scored only twice for the Magpies, one of those coming in a 5–0 home defeat of Manchester United on 20 October 1996. This was Keegan's final season as club manager, and his replacement, Kenny Dalglish, gradually broke up his predecessor's team.

Peacock made 158 appearances for Newcastle in all competitions, and moved on to Blackburn Rovers in 1998, where his serious injury problems began.^[4] He scored one goal for Rovers, against Southampton in April 1999,^[5] but soon lost his place in the team and served loan spells at West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

While on loan at Wolves, Peacock collided with his own goalkeeper, Michael Oakes, in a match against Fulham, suffering damaged vertebrae in his neck and compression to his spine. He played on in the match despite being knocked unconscious, and it was only on his return to Blackburn that it became clear how close he had come to paralysis. He retired from football in December 2000.^[6][7]

References

1. ^ "Welsh Cup Final 1989/90". Welsh Football Data Archive. http://www.wfda.co.uk/welshcup_final_detail.php?id=103. Retrieved 4 February 2011. 
2. ^ Reeves, Michael (30 November 2007). "Hereford transfer record may go". Worcester News. http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/sport/1873461.hereford_transfer_record_may_go/. Retrieved 4 February 2011. 
3. ^ "Manset Moves To Reading". Hereford United F.C. 21 January 2011. http://www.herefordunited.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10835~2273133,00.html. Retrieved 4 February 2011. 
4. ^ "Pea-crock: Rovers hit by new injury blow". The Bolton News. 27 July 1999. http://archive.theboltonnews.co.uk/1999/7/27/763637.html. Retrieved 4 February 2011. 
5. ^ Atkin, Ronald (17 April 1999). "Fighting Saints cling to lifeline". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-fighting-saints-cling-to-lifeline-1087935.html. Retrieved 7 December 2009. 
6. ^ Smith, Paul (17 December 2000). "Peacock: I was nearly crippled" (reprint). Sunday Mirror (FindArticles). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20001217/ai_n14514952. Retrieved 4 February 2011. 
7. ^ "Darren's despair". Worcester News. 16 December 2000. http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/archive/2000/12/16/Worcestershire+Archive/7777985.16_12_00___Darren_s_despair/. Retrieved 4 February 2011. 

External links

• Darren Peacock career stats at Soccerbase

Persondata
Name	Peacock, Darren
Alternative names
Short description	Professional footballer
Date of birth	3 February 1968
Place of birth	Bristol, England
Date of death
Place of death