Where Are They Now?                                   Profiles of ex-Luton players

Darren Salton

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Height: - Weight: - Born: Edinburgh, 16.03.1972. Nationality: Scotland. International Honours: Scotland U-21, 6 caps.

Darren suffered one of the cruelest fates of any professional sportsman - having his career cut short due to a terrible injury.  However, unlike most sportsman who are forced to retire through injury, Darren's injuries weren't sustained whilst participating in the sport...

It is difficult to think of another talented young player who has been the victim of such bad luck - and as hard as you may think, you probably won't find a single professional footballer who has suffered more harshly than this ex-Luton youngster.

Darren came through the youth ranks at Kenilworth Road, joining Luton from Salveson Boys.  A strong and dominant central defender, he gradually progressed through the Hatters' youth system and then into the reserve team after signing professional forms along with ex-Hatter Paul Telfer on his 17th Birthday.  Darren was considered to be the pick of the Luton youngsters on the books at the time, and all those behind the scenes at Kenilworth Road predicted that he would go right to the very top.

He made his first-team debut for Luton as a substitute in an Old First Division game at Kenilworth Road against Leeds United on February 29th 1992, but the Hatters were beaten 0-2 and were eventually relegated after losing 1-2 at Notts County on the final day of the season.

Darren Salton in action for the Hatters.

Despite the club's relegation from the Old First Division, Darren was still considered as a young defender with a great future ahead of him, and he was expected to be the next in a long line of money-making homegrown talents.  Not particularly tall, he was a good reader of the game and he showed maturity beyond his years.  He was, in fact, so highly-rated, that he was called up to the Scotland Under-21 squad, making his U-21 debut against Denmark in 1992, and he also played against the United States, Portugal and Yugoslavia during the same year.

In 1992, Scotland played Portugal in an Under-21 match at McDairmid Park.  Salton travelled to Perth to play alongside two of Dundee United’s most famous young stars - who were soon to become two of Scotland's biggest stars - Christian Dailly and Duncan Ferguson.

However, just a few months later, Darren and his Luton teammate Paul Telfer were involved in a dramatic car crash.  Returning from a game of golf at Beadlow Manor in Telfer's Mercedes, they were involved in a head on crash on the A 507.  The inquest report intimated that Telfer was changing a cassette and took his eyes from the road.  Telfer, who was driving the car, survived unscathed, and went on to move to Coventry City in a big-money transfer and then to Southampton.  Still a Premiership player to date, Telfer has also represented Scotland at full international level, but, unfortunately, it was a different story for Darren...

Darren received severe head injuries and various broken bones and it was obvious he would never play again, and these injuries meant that he had to call it a day as a professional footballer and retire from the game.

Although the accident had serious consequences for Darren, it also had a big psychological effect on Telfer.  Former Scotland manager Craig Brown said, "Paul went into his shell after that.  He's a religious boy and didn't ever want to play football again. Then he realised that it was his living and that he had to get on with it. But he wanted to do so as quietly as possible and we respected that decision.

"The car crash affected him as it would anybody. His pal, Darren Salton, was hurt so badly he never played again and he was upset by that. Paul is a sensitive lad and just wanted to go into his shell."

Darren made a total of 18 League appearances for the Hatters, his last outing for Luton coming in a Division One match against Millwall on November 21st 1992 - the game ending 1-1.  He also played in 3 League Cup games for the Hatters, as well as featuring in a Full Members Cup penalty shoot-out defeat at Ipswich and draws with Watford and Bristol City in the Anglo-Italian Cup.

Having been forced to retire from professional football, Darren had a spell with Luton's Non-League neighbours Hitchin Town in the late 90's, assisting Andy Melvin at Top Field, while also attracting his younger brother Keith Salton to play for the Canaries.  However, Keith Salton left to join St. Albans City two years later, and Darren soon left Hitchin, too.

His career cruelly ended by a terrible accident, and Darren could be found working at 'Storage Mens Wear' shop in Chapel Street, Luton.

In April 2004, Darren was, to everyone's delight, back in football as he joined Ryman Premier League Hitchin Town once again, coaching and setting up centres of excellence at Top Field.

Darren said, "Of course I will miss the shop; I have worked there a long time. But it is time to move on and I look forward to my new challenge and getting back into football full-time.

"I gained my UEFA B licence a few years ago and kept in touch with Robbie O'Keefe at Hitchin.

"He asked me to come and coach the reserves and when he moved to Stevenage recently, Hitchin asked me to coach the youth side instead.

"A lot of the current Luton Town players and staff shop at Storage so I used to see them when they came in, but I will be busy coaching on Saturdays now, so I won't be able to go to any games," he added.

"I start on July 1 2004 and I am really looking forward to it. It has been a long time coming but now I am back in the game I love – football."

Profile By:  James Garley

With thanks to:  Luton Town Football Club