Ipswich Town vs Maidstone United: Darren Oxbrow reflects on his career

When Ipswich Town host Maidstone United in the FA Cup on Saturday, few people will be watching with more interest than Darren Oxbrow. The former Town defender went on to make a record number of league appearances for the Stones before forging a new career as a police officer.

"Devastating." That is how Oxbrow remembers the news back in 1989 that he was being released by Ipswich Town, the club he had supported since he was a boy.

But his career was soon back on track with Maidstone United, newly promoted to the Fourth Division of the Football League.

Playing for his hometown club had been a lifelong dream for the Ipswich-born centre-half, who stood on a milk crate at Portman Road to watch his first match, and cheered on the likes of George Burley, Mick Mills, Terry Butcher, Russell Osman and Paul Mariner through the Blues' late-70s and early-80s heyday.

Signing schoolboy forms as a 14-year-old, he trained with the club twice a week before playing for the Town youth team.

"I remember playing for them away at Portsmouth, and that was my first experience of playing for the Town - putting the shirt on... going to the game with the rest of the players," remembers Oxbrow, now 54.

"I remember coming on, playing right midfield... had a half-decent game, came back and thought that was it, I'm going to be a professional footballer.

"I was still in school, but eventually got offered a two-year apprenticeship with the club, which obviously I took up, and had two great years with the club as a young lad."

He signed a professional contract, but with players such as Chris O'Donnell, Mich d'Avray, Ian Atkins and Ian Cranson ahead of him in the pecking order, was unable to break into the first team.

"For me, all I wanted to do was just make one first-team appearance, but unfortunately that wasn't to be," he says.

Nevertheless, he has fond memories of playing for the reserves at grounds including Highbury, White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge.

When his first professional contract with Ipswich was ending, then-manager Bobby Ferguson watched him in a reserves match and was impressed.

Oxbrow was told he would be offered a new contract.

"But unfortunately, Mr Ferguson got the sack a few weeks later and so the Town job was up for grabs, and the two candidates that went for it were John Duncan and Keith Peacock, an ex-Charlton man," he says.

"John Duncan got the job, went through the playing staff and made the decision he was going to let me go.

"From having that euphoria, thinking 'I've got another year's contract' to then being released, it was devastating."

Soon after, however, Peacock became manager of Maidstone United. His first signing was Oxbrow, who turned down Leyton Orient and Burnley to sign for the Kent side.

Oxbrow made his Maidstone debut on 7 October 1989, holding his place as they made it to the play-offs in their first season in the Football League.

They lost in extra-time in the second leg of the semi-final against Cambridge United - and an incident from that match still rankles with Oxbrow.

"It was alleged that I brought down Dion Dublin for the penalty... and they converted it and went through, unfortunately," he says.

"I dispute it to this day. I definitely got the ball, cleared the ball and Dublin threw himself to the floor and got a penalty.

"I've never got the opportunity to talk to him about it, but he went on to great things."

Oxbrow, named Maidstone's young player of the year, became a fixture in the side, and his 85 league appearances, before financial pressures forced the club to fold in 1992, remain a Stones record.

"That won't get broken, I think, for quite a while," says Oxbrow.

He has happy memories of his time with the club, which after it folded, was reborn as Maidstone Invicta 10 tiers down the league pyramid before readopting the United name in 1995 and battling back up again.

The reformed club now plays in the Vanarama National League South.

"It was fantastic. They had such a great bunch of players as well - some real characters in the team that had obviously come up from the Conference with them," he says.

His contemporaries included Warren Barton, who went on to play for Wimbledon, Newcastle United and England, and Mark Beeney, who later played in goal for Brighton and Leeds United.

The club's collapse was another blow for newly-married Oxbrow, who moved back to Ipswich and signed for Colchester United.

He made 24 appearances for the U's, scoring four goals, but fell out with legendary player-manager "Red Card Roy" McDonough.

"It started off OK, but I wasn't his kind of player," Oxbrow says.

"I had different priorities at the time. I'd got a young family and I wasn't into all his, you can call them shenanigans, but he had a different culture to what mine was."

Next stop was Barnet under another legendary manager, Barry Fry. "He's some character," says Oxbrow.

"He tells you straight - no messing with him at all. I remember sitting down with him... and it was 'this is what you're going to get paid, this is what you're going to have for your bonus', and it was all laid out."

But Barnet were also struggling financially, and Oxbrow remembers the players going to chairman Stan Flashman's house each week to pick up their wages.

Although he was offered another contract, Oxbrow wanted more security and joined non-League Kettering Town.

In his first season, they finished three points behind Kidderminster Harriers, who won the Conference but missed out on promotion as their ground was not up to standard.

Kettering hoped they could be promoted in their place, but were denied the chance.

Had they entered the League, Oxbrow says he would have stayed as a pro, but, needing more security, he decided to join Suffolk Police as a constable.

The force was "quite accommodating" and allowed him to continue playing for Kettering, but juggling the two careers and travelling between Suffolk and Northamptonshire was difficult and ultimately Oxbrow opted to quit football and focus on the police.

"It was a huge decision to stop something you absolutely love and that's all you ever want to do, but you have to make those judgements," he says.

"I've been very fortunate that things have worked out for myself."

Oxbrow rose to the rank of sergeant and worked in the drugs squad and in plain clothes for a while during nearly 25 years in the force.

"I don't think I can remember a day when I minded going in - I thoroughly enjoyed the work," he says.

His football background gave him "transferable skills", he says.

"When you talk about teamwork, trust, honesty, being aware of yours and your colleagues' strengths and weaknesses - all that came from football.

"I've had a bit of disappointment; I've had a bit of failure, so there are things that enabled me to become a good police officer.

"I believe I was a very good copper. I was able to talk to people; to communicate."

Oxbrow also worked for a while as an Academy coach at Ipswich Town, working with players including Cameron Humphreys and Bailey Clements.

Now he works for Suffolk Youth Justice Service, helping young people who have offended or are at risk of doing so.

"I really enjoy it. We've got a fantastic team - real dedicated people that are determined to support young people," he says.

"It's another environment which I enjoy. I've been very fortunate with football, with the police and now youth justice."

And his love of Ipswich Town has not diminished.

At 6ft 1in (1.85m) he does not need a milk crate any more, and watches the Blues from the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.

His son and three daughters are all Town fans, too, and often accompany him to matches.

He is full of praise for current Town manager Kieran McKenna.

"We've had many, many years of mediocrity and some dire football, and I've been watching it all but McKenna's come in and what a breath of fresh air," he says.

"A young, talented manager; got his way of playing, his style, sticks with it, won't change it for anybody and I completely agree with what his philosophy is.

"I just enjoy going down, as do the vast majority of people now. It's a great experience, it's a great vibe down there at the moment. The support is fantastic. I think it's brilliant."

He thinks an exciting game is in prospect against his old club.

"Maidstone will come here, they'll have a huge backing with a good three, four-thousand fans behind them, and they'll give it a right go," he says.

"I'm looking forward to it - can't wait for the game. It'll be a great occasion for both clubs."

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