Aaron Terence Downes (born 15 May 1985) is a former Australian
soccer player
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
defender. He is currently assistant manager at
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
.
Club career
Born in
Mackay, Queensland
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Mackay () is a city in the Mackay Region on the eastern or Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River.
Mackay is described as being in either Central Queensland or North Queensland ...
and raised in
Mudgee
Mudgee is a town in the Central West (New South Wales), Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It is in the broad fertile Cudgegong River valley north-west of Sydney and is the largest town in the Mid-Western Regional Council Local gover ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Downes was signed for
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
on 1 August 2004 by ex
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
manager
Roy MacFarland after having trials at
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
and a short spell at non league outfit
Frickley Athletic
Frickley Athletic Football Club is a football club based in South Elmsall, West Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Westfield Lane.
History
Although the club itself claims it was formed in 1910, the team was activ ...
. Before moving to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
he was a player at the
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
.
At the end of the 2006–07 season following his side's relegation to
Football League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
not only did he sign an extension to his current contract at
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
but he also was made team captain of
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
following the departure of ex captain
Mark Allott
Mark Stephen Allott (born 3 October 1977) is an English former footballer.
Career
Oldham Athletic
Allott initially came through the youth ranks and was highly rated as a centre forward, scoring on his debut as a substitute in a defeat agai ...
. Downes was at that time a valued member of the squad and as well as his defensive qualities he has an eye for goal, mainly from set pieces.
On 22 April 2009, Downes signed a new 2-year contract extension with
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
, despite the defender picking up a serious knee injury before the contract was signed. He was released by the club at the end of the 2011–12 season having suffered further serious injuries during his tenure.
In July 2012 Downes signed a one-year contract with Torquay United. Manager,
Martin Ling
Martin Ling (born 15 July 1966) is an English football manager and former player currently director of football for Leyton Orient. He played in over 100 Football League matches for each of Exeter City, Southend United, Swindon Town and Leyton ...
said of Downes, "He needs someone to take a punt and that is the right word for a player who has suffered two cruciates". He enjoyed a successful season, striking up a strong defensive partnership with
Brian Saah
Brian Ebo Saah (born 16 December 1986) is an English former professional footballer, who is currently an academy coach for Football League Two side Leyton Orient.
Club career Leyton Orient
Saah was born in Hornchurch, London. He started his car ...
, culminating in him being voted the supporters' "Player of the season".
In June 2013, he signed a new two-year contract to keep him at Torquay United until 2015.
On 11 May 2015, Gary Johnson made Downes his first signing at
Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
. Although sidelined by a knee injury for a large part of 2016, he captained the side to the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
title and continued to lead them in their first season back in the
English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
.
Downes retired from football at the end of the
2017–18 season.
On 13 December 2018, Downes was appointed assistant manager at former club
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
.
International career
Over the years he has worked his way up at international level starting at the 2005
FIFA World Youth Championship
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when ...
in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. He was also called up by the Olyroos – the
Australia national under-23 football team
The Australia national under-23 soccer team represents Australia in international under-23 soccer and at the Olympic Games. The team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia (FA), which is currently a member ...
.
Honours
Club
;
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
*
Football League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
:
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
;
Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
*
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
:
2015–16
International
;
Australia national football team Australia national soccer team may refer to:
* Australia men's national soccer team
** Australia men's national under-23 soccer team
** Australia men's national under-20 soccer team
** Australia men's national under-17 soccer team
** Australia ...
*
OFC U-20 Championship
The OFC U-19 Championship is a tournament held once every two years to decide the under-19 champions of Oceania and also decides who will represent Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) at the biennial FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Between 1974 and 2012, ...
:
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
Individual
*
Chesterfield Player of the Year: 2006–07
*
Torquay United Player of the Year:
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Downes, Aaron
1985 births
Living people
People from Mudgee
Australian soccer players
Australian expatriate soccer players
Australian expatriate sportspeople in England
Men's association football defenders
Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. players
Frickley Athletic F.C. players
Chesterfield F.C. players
Bristol Rovers F.C. players
Torquay United F.C. players
Cheltenham Town F.C. players
Torquay United F.C. non-playing staff
English Football League players
Isthmian League players
Northern Premier League players
Sportsmen from New South Wales
Soccer players from New South Wales