Stephen Darby Leaves Liverpool on Loan for League One Side Rochdale

Liverpool's former reserve captain, right-back Stephen Darby, has completed a year-long loan deal to Rochdale of League One. The strong and dependable full back is a local-produced player who has been on the fringes of the Liverpool side for the past three seasons, though he has made only a total of six appearances for the first team since his debut against Tottenham Hotspur in 2008.

Darby was loaned out to Swindon Town for part of the 2009-10 season where he helped them into the playoffs, and last season he turned out for Notts County on loan during the second half of the season.

He was named as one of several back-up players that Blackpool might have been interested in taking on loan as part of the deal to take Charlie Adam to Liverpool, and this week also was linked with Doncaster Rovers and MK Dons, as well as Rochdale.

With just one year left on his current contract and turning 23 years of age this season, it was always likely that Darby was going to struggle to impose himself on the first team squad.

So it has proved as firstly Martin Kelly and then later John Flanagan that both gave good accounts of themselves at right-back, Darby's preferred position.

His biggest game for Liverpool came against Fiorentina in the Champions League, though Darby committed a mistake near the end which led to a goal for the Italians. His finest performance in a Reds shirt came a month later against Reading in the FA Cup. His final appearance in a Red shirt was in last season's Europa League qualifying match against Macedonian side Rabotnicki.

Several players including the likes of Paul Konchesky, Christian Poulsen, Milan Jovanovic and potentially Maxi Rodriguez and Joe Cole are set to exit the Anfield club this summer and Darby becomes the first one to officially sign with another club, albeit on a temporary deal.

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