Fordyce Concludes Eighteen-Year Career, Staying In The Game
Excerpts of the following post from the Northern Tribune by John Jacques on January 21, 2022, https://northerntribune.ca/valour-fc-daryl-fordyce-retire/ are courtesy of the Northern Tribune.
Valour FC Captain Daryl Fordyce has announced his retirement following a career on the pitch that has spanned some eighteen years, though his next career steps will see him remain at IG Field.
The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland made 59 appearances for Valour FC across all competitions. He arrived to Winnipeg in 2020, with the versatile veteran ready to adopt a utility man role wherever the club needed him. Establishing himself as a leader both on and off the pitch, he co-captained the side through two more seasons before his body told him it was time to hang up his boots.
“I was crying my eyes out,” he explained to Valour’s Ed Tait after his retirement became official. “I’ve been a pro for twenty years and so this obviously not an easy thing to do. It was twenty years of emotions from all the mental and physical work I’ve put in and realizing, ‘that’s it.”
Fordyce had considered retiring prior to his final 2022 CPL season, but had been convinced to undergo ‘one last dance‘ as the club sought its first-ever playoff appearance. Valour finished one spot below the playoff qualification, with Fordyce’s final appearance seeing him receive a red card against his former side FC Edmonton.
It was an unceremonious end to a storied career that saw the versatile professional play for a variety of clubs across England, Northern Ireland, and North America, rising through the Rangers academy before his playing career saw him land with the likes of Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Glentoran, Linfield, FC Edmonton, FC Cincinnati, Sligo Rovers, and Valour FC.
He finishes with over 350 professional appearances to his name, and will go down in history as FC Edmonton’s top goalscorer of all time with 34. It was during his time with the Eddies when he earned his permanent residency, a move that further opened the doors for him to return to Canada when he signed with Valour from the Sligo Rovers in 2020.
For the remainder of the story by John Jacques on the retirement of Daryl Fordyce and his new role in player development with Valour FC in the Northern Tribune on January 21, 2023, please go to https://northerntribune.ca/valour-fc-daryl-fordyce-retire/.