Cod Almighty | Article

by Chris Mills

5 August 2010

"Ain't too cut up about it"
"No ambition, money grabber"
"Gone to his level, good riddance"
"Had limitations, prone to errors"

One of the most striking attributes of Darran Kempson at first glace is his size. He is a big, shaven-headed centre-half. There is literally no denying either of those two facts. Basically the long and the short of John Deehan's scout report read thusly: he will head anything that enters our box, whether it be friend or foe, and doesn't mind kicking things really far now and again either. Which is good if you've missed Justin Whittle's subtle approach to the game.

Digging further than cruel stereotyping, we find that Darran was born in Blackpool in 1984, making him twenty-five and fond of the sea air. He was signed as a trainee at Preston North End in 2003 and spent two seasons at Deepdale, but never actually played for the first team. This was probably due to the fact that, in the eyes of then manager Craig Brown, he was never a promising footballer as such, but he was big and strong so could probably 'do a job' if required.

During that time, however, he had loan spells at Morecambe and future employer Accrington. In fact he impressed Morecambe boss Jim Harvey so much that he went on to sign him an amazing three more times – back with the Shrimps following his release from Preston in 2005 and then again at Forest Green and Wrexham. Since then he has also had spells with Bury, Crewe and Shrewsbury but at all seven clubs he has failed to stay put for longer than a year – perhaps a little worrying taking into account he's signed a two-year deal with us.

In 2009 the weary DK tour bus rolled back into Accrington for its penultimate stop and fast embarked on its most consistent season yet, playing over 40 times and by and large putting a faltering 18 months to bed. However, if the above quotes taken from a supporters' messageboard on the day of his exit are to be believed, perhaps not all was well at Stanley. Accrington fans' beef with Kempson appears to be centred mainly around their FA cup tie against Fulham last January in which he was naughtily sent off. The scores were still level at the time and many say he single-handedly 'sabotaged' the club's chances of progressing with rash tackling. They went on to lose 3-1 but, lest we forget, Fulham went on to play in the UEFA Cup final and finish twelfth in the Premier League so was it really that much of a disgrace?

Nevertheless, Kempson gladly became one of Woods' first signings this summer, temporarily filling a massive gaping hole in central defence. Many see him as the necessary evil that will provide much-needed experience at this level and allow a partner to flourish alongside him: Atkinson, Garner or now even Watt. At the very least he will provide competition for places, something we have lacked in recent years, inexplicably allowing the likes of Paul Linwood first-team football.

He may look and play like a bouncer but all the signs are pointing towards Darran Kempson becoming a bit of a regular at the heart of this season's back four, so you might as well get used to the idea. In the meantime, let's just hope he ignores any calls from Jim Harvey.