Dean Gerken
{{short description|English footballer (born 1985)}}
{{use British English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Dean Gerken
| image = DeanGerkenNoFIps1.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Gerken playing for Ipswich Town in 2015
| fullname = Dean Jeffery Gerken{{cite web |url=https://www.efl.com/siteassets/efl-documents/202021/efl-squad-numbering-11.09.2020.pdf |title=Notification of shirt numbers: Colchester United |publisher=English Football League |page=21 |access-date=20 September 2020}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1985|5|22}}
| birth_place = Rochford, England{{cite book|editor1-first=Glenda|editor1-last=Rollin|editor2-first=Jack|editor2-last=Rollin|title=Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2010–2011|year=2010|publisher=Headline|location=London|isbn=978-0-7553-6107-6|edition=41st}}
| height = {{convert|1.83|m|order=flip}}{{cite web |url=https://www.cu-fc.com/fixtures/first-team/goalkeeper/dean-gerken/ |title=Dean Gerken |publisher=Colchester United F.C. |access-date=27 September 2019 |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128080228/https://www.cu-fc.com/fixtures/first-team/goalkeeper/dean-gerken/ |url-status=dead }}
| position = Goalkeeper
| currentclub = Bath City (goalkeeping coach)
| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2002
| youthclubs1 = Southend United
| youthyears2 = 2002–2004
| youthclubs2 = Colchester United
| years1 = 2004–2009
| years2 = 2009
| years3 = 2009–2013
| years4 = 2013–2019
| years5 = 2019–2022
| clubs1 = Colchester United
| clubs2 = → Darlington (loan)
| clubs3 = Bristol City
| clubs4 = Ipswich Town
| clubs5 = Colchester United
| caps1 = 109
| goals1 = 0
| caps2 = 7
| goals2 = 0
| caps3 = 53
| goals3 = 0
| caps4 = 104
| goals4 = 0
| caps5 = 69
| goals5 = 0
| totalcaps = 342
| totalgoals = 0
| club-update = 18:20, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
}}
Dean Jeffery Gerken (born 22 May 1985) is an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently goalkeeping coach at Bath City.
He started his career as a youth player at Southend United. He has previously played for Colchester United, Darlington, Bristol City and Ipswich Town.
Club career
=Colchester United=
Gerken was born in Rochford. He started his career at Southend United as a youngster before moving to Essex rivals Colchester United.{{cite news|url=http://archive.thurrockgazette.co.uk/2003/11/14/138278.html |title=Soccer: Gerken Attracts Attention From England Coach |work=Thurrock Gazette |date=14 November 2003 |access-date=16 December 2008 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} As a teenager he attracted the attention of England goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence. He made his first-team debut against Brentford in League One in 2004, as a stand-in for Simon Brown and Richard McKinney.{{cite web|url=http://www.cu-fc.com/page/MatchReport/0,,10424~23761,00.html |title=Brentford vs Colchester |publisher=Colchester United F.C. |date=12 April 2004 |access-date=16 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717011815/http://www.cu-fc.com/page/MatchReport/0%2C%2C10424~23761%2C00.html |archive-date=17 July 2011 }} In the 2004–05 season, replacing first-choice goalkeeper Aidan Davison, Gerken kept four clean sheets in 17 appearances.{{cite web|url=http://www.cu-fc.com/page/Press/0,,10424~538095,00.html |title=Deano Ready For Call Up |publisher=Colchester United F.C. |date=7 July 2004 |access-date=16 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717011837/http://www.cu-fc.com/page/Press/0%2C%2C10424~538095%2C00.html |archive-date=17 July 2011 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=33809&season_id=134 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202223720/http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=33809&seasonid=134 |url-status=live |archive-date=2 February 2013 |title=Games played by Dean Gerken in 2004/2005 |work=Soccerbase |access-date=16 December 2008 }}
More appearances in Colchester's successful 2005–06 campaign gave Gerken another four clean sheets,{{cite web |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=33809&season_id=135 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912025443/http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=33809&seasonid=135 |url-status=live |archive-date=12 September 2012 |title=Games played by Dean Gerken in 2005/2006 |work=Soccerbase |access-date=16 December 2008 }} including the crucial 0–0 draw at Yeovil Town that clinched Colchester's promotion to the Football League Championship.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/4957590.stm |title=Yeovil 0–0 Colchester |publisher=BBC Sport |date=6 May 2006 |access-date=16 December 2008}}
Gerken made the number one position his own{{cite web|url=http://www.cu-fc.com/page/News/0,,10424~1073071,00.html |title=Exclusive: Stopper Signs New U's Deal |publisher=Colchester United F.C. |date=14 July 2007 |access-date=16 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717011853/http://www.cu-fc.com/page/News/0%2C%2C10424~1073071%2C00.html |archive-date=17 July 2011 }} as the over-achieving{{cite news |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:WDPB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=11778BE7AA315C70&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0d0cb57ab53df815 |title=Colchester have earned right to be respected |work=Western Daily Press |location=Bristol |publisher=NewsBank |format=reprint |date=20 February 2007 |access-date=16 December 2008}} U's ended the 2006–07 season in tenth place.{{cite web |url=https://www.fchd.info/COLCHESU.HTM |title=Colchester United |work=Football Club History Database |publisher=Richard Rundle |access-date=16 December 2008}} Gerken was crowned Colchester's Young Player of the Year for 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.cu-fc.com/page/News/0,,10424~1290019,00.html |title=Who Is Your Young Player of the Year? |publisher=Colchester United F.C. |date=15 April 2008 |access-date=16 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717011925/http://www.cu-fc.com/page/News/0%2C%2C10424~1290019%2C00.html |archive-date=17 July 2011 }} He signed an extended contract in July 2007, and played 40 League games during the 2007–08 season,{{cite web |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=33809&season_id=137 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913082855/http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=33809&seasonid=137 |url-status=live |archive-date=13 September 2012 |title=Games played by Dean Gerken in 2007/2008 |work=Soccerbase |access-date=16 December 2008 }} at the end of which Colchester were relegated back to League One.
==Darlington (loan)==
On 15 January 2009, Gerken signed a one-month loan deal with League Two side Darlington.{{cite web |url=http://www.darlington-fc.net/page/NewsDetail/0,,10339~1521683,00.html |title=Dean Gerken brought in on loan |publisher=Darlington F.C. |date=15 January 2009 |access-date=22 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704224117/http://www.darlington-fc.net/page/NewsDetail/0,,10339~1521683,00.html |archive-date=4 July 2010 |url-status=dead }} He went straight into the starting eleven for their next game, a 5–1 defeat of Luton Town.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/7816209.stm |title=Darlington 5–1 Luton |publisher=BBC Sport |date=17 January 2009 |access-date=22 January 2009}}
Gerken returned to his parent club soon after, due to Darlington going into administration.
=Bristol City=
On 30 June 2009, it was confirmed that Bristol City had completed the signing of Gerken for an undisclosed fee, to end his seven-season stay with Colchester United. Gerken was arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure in the early hours of 25 October 2009 after he was allegedly spotted urinating in public.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/8330037.stm |title=Goalkeeper arrested over exposure |publisher=BBC News |date=28 October 2009 |access-date=29 October 2009}}
Gerken made his final game for City on 12 January 2013, in a 4–0 defeat at home to Leicester City. His manager, Derek McInnes, was sacked after the same match due to a recent run of poor results. On 8 May 2013, Gerken was released by Bristol City along with third-choice keeper Lewis Carey.
=Ipswich Town=
On 12 July 2013 Gerken joined Ipswich Town on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract.{{cite news|url=http://www.itfc.co.uk/news/article/dean-gerken-signs-911148.aspx|title=Dean Joins Blues|publisher=Ipswich Town Football Club|date=12 July 2013|access-date=12 July 2013}}
He made his debut for Ipswich Town in a 0–2 loss against Stevenage in the League Cup on 6 August 2013. Soon after he joined Ipswich he replaced Scott Loach as the first choice goalkeeper, starting 41 league games in his debut season at the club, keeping 10 clean sheets. However, with the arrival of fellow keeper Bartosz Białkowski in 2014, Gerken's first team play time would decrease gradually. Bialkowski's form would keep him out of the team for the next few seasons. On 28 June 2017, he signed a new two-year contract with Ipswich.{{Cite web|url=https://www.itfc.co.uk/news/2017/june/new-deal-for-dean-gerken/|title=New Deal for Gerken|website=Ipswich Town F.C.|language=en|access-date=2020-05-23}}
He made just 1 league appearance in the 2017/18 season.{{soccerbase season|33809|2017|access-date=21 July 2017}} However the following season, in a surprise move he was called back up to the starting lineup on 2 September 2018 in a match against Norwich and he remained in goal for a further 7 games before once again being dropped back to the bench following a mistake that led to a goal against QPR.{{cite web|url=https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/ipswich-town-1-norwich-city-1-five-observations-1-5677353|title=Five observations following Ipswich Town's 1-1 draw with Norwich City|date=2 September 2018|access-date=23 December 2018|archive-date=24 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224073836/https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/ipswich-town-1-norwich-city-1-five-observations-1-5677353|url-status=dead}} He would make 10 further appearances in net during the season. After making 113 appearances for the Tractor Boys, it was announced on 20 May 2019 that his contract would not be renewed and he was released at the end of the season.{{cite news |url=https://www.itfc.co.uk/news/2019/may/town-announce-retained-list/ |title=Gerken Included in Released Blues|publisher=Ipswich Town Official Website|date=20 May 2019 |access-date=20 May 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2019-05-20/dean-gerken-and-grant-ward-among-10-players-released-by-ipswich-town/|title=Dean Gerken and Grant Ward among 10 players released by Ipswich Town|website=ITV News|date=20 May 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-09-27}}
=Return to Colchester United=
Following his release by Ipswich Town, Gerken re-signed for his first club Colchester United on 13 July 2019 on a free transfer.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48975242|title=Dean Gerken: Colchester United re-sign keeper after Ipswich Town release|publisher=BBC Sport|date=13 July 2019|access-date=15 July 2019}} He made his return debut on 3 August in their 1–1 League Two draw with Port Vale.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49135917 |title=Colchester United 1–1 Port Vale |date=3 August 2019 |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=5 August 2019 }} On 24 January 2020, Gerken made his 300th career appearance in a league match against Bradford City, which ended in a 0–0 draw.{{Cite web | url=https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/sport/18182796.colchester-united-keeper-dean-gerken-achieves-landmark/ | title=Gerken praised after reaching career milestone }} Gerken was released by the club at the end of the 2021–22 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.cu-fc.com/news/2022/may/retained-list/|title=Retained And Released List 2021/22|website=cu-fc.com|date=12 May 2022|access-date=13 May 2022}}
Coaching career
In August 2022, following his retirement, Gerken returned to former club Bristol City as the club's academy head of goalkeeping. {{cite web|url=https://www.bristolworld.com/sport/football/bristol-city/former-bristol-city-and-ipswich-town-player-returns-to-ashton-gate-in-new-coaching-capacity-3824877|title=Former Bristol City and Ipswich Town player returns to Ashton Gate in new coaching capacity|publisher=Bristol World|last=MacGregor|first=Gregor|date=31 August 2022|accessdate=2 December 2024}} In July 2023, in addition to his role with the Championship club, he joined National League South side Bath City as goalkeeping coach. {{cite web|url=https://www.bathcityfc.com/staff-news-dean-gerken/|title=Staff News - Dean Gerken|website=www.bathcityfc.com|date=21 July 2023|accessdate=2 December 2024}}
Career statistics
{{updated|match played 28 September 2021}}
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
Honours
Colchester United
- Football League One runner-up: 2005–06{{cite web |url=http://www.Coludaybyday.co.uk/Statistics/Player%20Stats/PlayerHonours/PlayerLeagueOne.html |title=Tier Three (League One) Honours |work=Coludaybyday.co.uk |access-date=14 March 2022 |archive-date=26 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026080100/http://www.coludaybyday.co.uk/Statistics/Player%20Stats/PlayerHonours/PlayerLeagueOne.html |url-status=dead }}
Individual
- Colchester United Young Player of the Year: 2006–07
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerbase}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerken, Dean}}
Category:Footballers from Rochford
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football goalkeepers
Category:Colchester United F.C. players
Category:Darlington F.C. players
Category:Bristol City F.C. players
Category:Ipswich Town F.C. players
Category:English Football League players