Lewis Kenneth Dark (born 10 April 1989) is an English semi-professional footballer who is manager of Grays Athletic. A central midfielder or defender as a player, Dark began his career at Brentford, for whom he made appearances in the Football League, before dropping into non-League football upon his release in 2008. He entered management with Grays Athletic in 2022.
![]() Dark captaining Heybridge Swifts in 2017. | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Lewis Kenneth Dark[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1989-04-11) 11 April 1989 (age 33) | ||
Place of birth | Harlow, England | ||
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Central midfielder, defender | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Grays Athletic (manager) | ||
Youth career | |||
Tottenham Hotspur | |||
2005–2007 | Brentford | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2007–2008 | Brentford | 3 | (0) |
2007 | → Farnborough (loan) | 6 | (1) |
2008 | → Ramsgate (loan) | 2 | (0) |
2008 | Wivenhoe Town | 1 | (0) |
2008 | Crawley Town | 1 | (0) |
2008 | Fisher Athletic London | 5 | (0) |
2009 | Grays Athletic | 0 | (0) |
2009–2011 | Stansted | ||
2011–2012 | Redbridge | 34 | (4) |
2012–2014 | Maldon & Tiptree | 32 | (1) |
2014–2015 | Grays Athletic | 4 | (0) |
2015 | Witham Town | 22 | (0) |
2015 | VCD Athletic | 0 | (0) |
2015–2016 | Thamesmead Town | ||
2016–2018 | Heybridge Swifts | 62 | (0) |
2018 | Bishop's Stortford | 10 | (1) |
2018–2019 | Maldon & Tiptree | 20 | (0) |
2019–2022 | Grays Athletic | 49 | (0) |
Teams managed | |||
2022– | Grays Athletic | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:58, 25 April 2022 (UTC) |
Dark began his career in the academy at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, before joining the Centre of Excellence at League One club Brentford during the 2005 off-season.[3] Towards the end of a disastrous 2006–07 season in League One, manager Scott Fitzgerald left the club after a 3–0 defeat to Crewe Alexandra on 9 April 2007 confirmed the club's relegation to League Two.[4] Head of Youth Barry Quin took over as caretaker manager until the end of the season and named Dark in his first squad for a match versus Doncaster Rovers on 21 April.[5] Dark made his professional debut when he came on for Charlie Ide after 80 minutes of the 3–0 defeat.[6] He made a total of three appearances during the 2006–07 season.[6]
In June 2007, it was announced that Dark had signed a one-year professional contract with Brentford, with the option for a further year.[7] Under new manager Terry Butcher for the 2007–08 season, Dark found himself out of favour and failed to receive a call into the first team squad during the first half of the campaign.[8] He joined Southern League First Division South & West club Farnborough on a one-month loan on 26 October 2007.[9] Butcher was replaced by his assistant manager Andy Scott in December 2007 and called Dark into the first team squad for a league match versus Dagenham & Redbridge on 1 January 2008.[8][10] He remained an unused substitute during the 2–1 victory.[8] It was Dark's only involvement in the first team during the 2007–08 season and he moved to Isthmian League Premier Division club Ramsgate on a one-month loan on 1 February 2008.[9] He made two appearances before returning to Brentford when his loan expired.[11] Dark was released by Brentford at the end of the 2007-08 season.[12]
Dark signed for Eastern Counties League Premier Division club Wivenhoe Town in September 2008.[13] He only made a single appearance for the club, which came in a 2–1 defeat to Mildenhall Town on 27 September.[14] His stay with the Dragons was brief and he departed the club on 3 October.[9]
Dark joined Conference Premier club Crawley Town on 3 October 2008.[9] He made his debut as an injury time substitute for goalscorer Glenn Wilson in a 4–0 win over Barrow eight days later.[15] It proved to be his only appearance for the Red Devils.[2]
Dark dropped to the Conference South to club for Fisher Athletic London in November 2008 and made five appearances for the club.[16]
Dark joined Conference Premier club Grays Athletic on non-contract terms in February 2009.[17] He failed to make an appearance for the club and spent a period out injured.[18][19]
Dark moved to Essex Senior League club Stansted in August 2009.[19] He won the first silverware of his career during the 2009–10 season, with the Blues winning the division title.[20] Dark signed a new deal with the club during the 2010 off-season.[21] Though Stansted finished runners up to Enfield 1893 in the league (after having three points deducted for fielding an ineligible player),[22][23] the Blues won the Essex Senior League Challenge Cup by defeating the new champions 3–0 in the final.[23] Dark left the club at the end of the 2010–11 season.[24]
Dark joined Isthmian League First Division North club Redbridge on 27 May 2011.[24] He made his competitive debut for the club against AFC Sudbury on 20 August 2011 and scored the Motormen's first goal in a 2–2 draw.[25] Dark made 34 appearances and four goals before departing at the end of the 2011–12 season.[26]
Dark signed for Isthmian League First Division North club Maldon & Tiptree during the 2012 off-season.[27] He was a virtual ever-present during the 2012–13 season,[28] a campaign which saw the Blues finish second in the league and lose to Thamesmead Town in the playoff final.[29][30] Dark made 28 appearances during the 2013–14 season,[31] a campaign in which the Jammers finished out of the playoffs.[30] In June 2014, Dark signed for a third season at the Wallace Binder Ground,[32] but after making five early-season appearances,[33] he departed the club in mid-September 2014.[34]
Dark re-signed for Isthmian League Premier Division club Grays Athletic in mid-September 2014.[34] He made eight appearances before departing in January 2015.[18]
Dark signed for Isthmian League Premier Division strugglers Witham Town in January 2015.[35] He made 22 appearances in Town's unsuccessful attempt at retaining their Premier Division status and left at the end of the 2014–15 season.[36]
In May 2015, Dark joined Isthmian League Premier Division club VCD Athletic.[37] He left the club before the beginning of the 2015–16 season and instead began the campaign with Isthmian League First Division North club Thamesmead Town.[38] He remained at Bayliss Avenue until February 2016.[39]
In late February 2016, Dark signed for Isthmian League First Division North club Heybridge Swifts.[39] During the remainder of the 2015–16 season, he made eight appearances and was a part of the team which lost 1–0 to Concord Rangers in the 2016 Essex Senior Cup Final.[40][41] During the 2017 off-season, Dark was announced as the new club captain and remained a regular in the team until he lost his place in February 2018, due to a foot injury.[42][43][44][45] After making 101 appearances for the club,[45][46] Dark's contract was terminated by mutual consent in April 2018.[43]
On 8 June 2018, it was announced that Dark had joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Bishop's Stortford.[47] He made 10 appearances and scored one goal before departing Woodside Park on 12 October 2018.[48][49]
In mid-October 2018, Dark returned to Isthmian League North Division club Maldon & Tiptree on a contract until the end of the 2018–19 season.[50] He made 24 appearances and helped the club to the 2019 Isthmian League North Division play-off Final, in which the Jammers were defeated on penalties by Heybridge Swifts.[50][51] Dark left the club at the end of the season.[52]
On 4 June 2019, Dark returned to Isthmian League North Division club Grays Athletic for the third time and was announced as club captain.[52] He made 41 appearances during the COVID-19-affected 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons and 18 during 2021–22.[53][54][55][56][57]
On 25 April 2022, Dark was appointed manager of Isthmian League North Division club Grays Athletic.[58]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Brentford | 2006–07[6] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
2007–08[59] | League Two | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
Ramsgate (loan) | 2007–08[11] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
Wivenhoe Town | 2008–09[14] | Eastern Counties League Premier Division | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
Crawley Town | 2008–09[60] | Conference Premier | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
Fisher Athletic London | 2008–09[16] | Conference South | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
Redbridge | 2011–12[26] | Isthmian League First Division North | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 34 | 4 | |
Maldon & Tiptree | 2013–14[31] | Isthmian League First Division North | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | |
2014–15[33] | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||||
Total | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |||
Grays Athletic | 2014–15[18] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 4 | 0 | — | — | 4[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
Witham Town | 2014–15[36] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 22 | 0 | — | — | — | 22 | 0 | |||
Heybridge Swifts | 2015–16[40] | Isthmian League First Division North | 7 | 0 | — | — | 1[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
2016–17[44] | 33 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 38 | 1 | |||
2017–18[45] | Isthmian League North Division | 22 | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | 13[lower-alpha 4] | 0 | 42 | 1 | ||
Total | 62 | 1 | 10 | 1 | — | 16 | 0 | 88 | 2 | |||
Bishop's Stortford | 2018–19[48] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | |
Maldon & Tiptree | 2018–19[50] | Isthmian League North Division | 20 | 0 | — | — | 4[lower-alpha 5] | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
Total | 52 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 57 | 0 | |||
Grays Athletic | 2019–20[53] | Isthmian League North Division | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8[lower-alpha 6] | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
2020–21[54] | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 1[lower-alpha 7] | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
2021–22[57] | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[57] | 0 | 18 | 0 | |||
Total | 49 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | 67 | 0 | |||
Career total | 225 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 272 | 7 |
Stansted
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Grays Athletic F.C. – managers | |
---|---|
|