Then and Now | Kelly Darby

STARTING OUT

First team

I started playing when I was six-years-old. I remember I went to a friend’s house after school, and he happened to be having football practice later that evening with his local boys’ team, but I just went along with him considering I was already there. Since then, I was going every week and I played for that team from six until 11. Whilst I was playing for the boys’ team, I managed to get trials with Aston Villa too, so from eight to 11, I was playing for my local boys’ team and Villa at the same time.

First ground

If I remember rightly, when I was at Aston Villa it was just a field where we did the trials and younger age work. It wasn’t until maybe under-14 when we were able to train in the dome at Villa, so it was relatively later on, but it was great to move onto the better quality facilities for sure.

First icon

I must admit when I was younger, all my footballing idols were from the men’s game. The two that stick out were Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Maybe it was because my family were United fans at the time, I guess it might have rubbed off on me! But wanting to be a centre-back myself, those two were my idols for learning and influencing my love for defending I suppose.

First challenge

The facilities we got use were never on the same level of those that the lads used. Another challenge was because I was playing for a boys’ team, once I’d reached the age of 11, I had to stop with that team, and I found this really difficult at the time. Mainly because that was my first team with those lads, and I loved it there. I almost didn’t want to go and play for Villa afterwards. Of course, I got my fair share of abuse from the touchlines too for being a girl. “Girls shouldn’t be playing football” was probably the most common, and that started from as early as six, all the way until I was 11.

Progression

Honestly, the women’s game has progressed massively. I think it’s since the structure of the Women’s Super League was introduced too, it’s really opened the doors to women’s football, in a way that had never been seen before. The game is being taken a lot more seriously, you’re seeing more fans and more coverage. During Covid, I remember a load of our games were being streamed on YouTube and WolvesTV, and we got a load of fans off the back of that who have stuck with us and watch us till this day. Also, the facilities from the men’s clubs that we share helps a lot, and we’ve had great support from the Wolves men too, they really get behind us and I think it’s great.

CAREER

Best moment

It must be the game where we won the league, but not for the reason you might expect. I’d already won this league with West Brom about six years ago, and the feeling that everything you had worked for that season was finally worth it. But it was special for me because I got to watch the younger girls experience it for the first time, the likes of Tammy George and the Cross twins who have been at Wolves forever. Knowing that they were able to showcase themselves in these important play-off games was almost as good as winning the league for me.

Best result

I think the one game that stands out was a 1-1 draw, away at Fylde last season. Mainly because these were the types of games that almost directed the path of our season, and kickstarted us. We knew that Fylde were a tough team, and we actually changed our tactics from a three at the back to a four. To be able to scrape a result from a team as good as Fylde when we had Summer Holmes sent off, getting those points were the ones that really made a difference during our season.

Best opponent

Man City, in the quarter-final of the FA Cup when I was at West Brom. We actually played at Man City, at the academy ground and that was just incredible in itself. Coming up against the likes of Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton at the time was very difficult, but if I remember rightly, we only lost 2-0 so I think we’d take that in all honesty.

Best stadium

I’m going to have to say Molineux. Simple as that.

Advice

Any knockbacks that you face, any walls that you think you’re hitting, keep breaking through them. You see the girls who recently won the Euros and think that’s an impossible level to reach, but they were just like you, they had to break through their own barriers in order to reach the success that they have, and for people to begin taking women’s football more seriously. If you meet any hardship throughout your journey, play through it. It will only make you a better player in the end.