Darren Ambrose

Darren Ambrose was revered for having one of the most lethal shots in the Football League throughout his career. But, there was far more to his game than simply a brilliant shooting ability. He played in over 340 professional games throughout his career and made 65 appearances. Ambrose played for some massive clubs during his career, such as Newcastle United, Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace.

It was at Charlton where Ambrose made his name following his arrival from Newcastle for a fee of £1.5m. He played an essential role in the club’s maintenance of their Premier League status before they succumbed to relegation. The club was in financial ruin and was desperately trying to get him off the books, despite his wonderful goalscoring ability: he was loaned to Ipswich Town before Crystal Palace signed him in 2009.

Ambrose made over 100 appearances for the Eagles and scored 29 goals, the most famous of which was a long-range strike against Manchester United at Old Trafford that earned Palace a shock cup upset. Birmingham City signed Ambrose for £250,000 in the summer of 2012, before moving onto Ipswich and then ending his career after a season with Colchester United in 2016. After retiring, he was determined to give back to the community: Ambrose now runs a local barbershop in Ipswich, while also working with the Tractor Boys as a coach.