Kevin Dearden

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Kevin Dearden

| image =

| fullname = Kevin Charles Dearden

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1970|3|8}}

| birth_place = Luton, England{{Cite book |title=The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2005/2006 |publisher=Queen Anne Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-85291-662-6 |editor-last=Hugman |editor-first=Barry |page=105}}

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=11}}

| currentclub = Luton Town (goalkeeping coach)

| position = Goalkeeper

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Luton Town

| youthyears2 = 1986–1988

| youthclubs2 = Tottenham Hotspur

| years1 = 1988–1993

| clubs1 = Tottenham Hotspur

| caps1 = 1

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1989

| clubs2 = → Woking (loan)

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1989

| clubs3 = → Cambridge United (loan)

| caps3 = 15

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 1989

| clubs4 = → Hartlepool (loan)

| caps4 = 10

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 1989

| clubs5 = → Oxford United (loan)

| caps5 = 0

| goals5 = 0

| years6 = 1990

| clubs6 = → Swindon Town (loan)

| caps6 = 1

| goals6 = 0

| years7 = 1990

| clubs7 = → Peterborough United (loan)

| caps7 = 7

| goals7 = 0

| years8 = 1991

| clubs8 = → Hull City (loan)

| caps8 = 3

| goals8 = 0

| years9 = 1991

| clubs9 = → Rochdale (loan)

| caps9 = 2

| goals9 = 0

| years10 = 1992

| clubs10 = → Birmingham City (loan)

| caps10 = 12

| goals10 = 0

| years11 = 1992

| clubs11 = → Portsmouth (loan)

| caps11 = 0

| goals11 = 0

| years12 = 1993–1999

| clubs12 = Brentford

| caps12 = 205

| goals12 = 0

| years13 = 1999

| clubs13 = → Barnet (loan)

| caps13 = 1

| goals13 = 0

| years14 = 1999

| clubs14 = → Huddersfield Town (loan)

| caps14 = 0

| goals14 = 0

| years15 = 1999–2001

| clubs15 = Wrexham

| caps15 = 81

| goals15 = 0

| years16 = 2001–2005

| clubs16 = Torquay United

| caps16 = 100

| goals16 = 0

| years17 = 2006

| clubs17 = Boreham Wood

| caps17 =

| goals17 =

| totalcaps = 438

| totalgoals = 0

}}

Kevin Charles Dearden (born 8 March 1970) is an English former professional footballer who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League, playing as a goalkeeper for many clubs. He later became a coach, and is currently goalkeeper coach at his home-town club Luton Town.{{Cite web |title=First Team Staff – Luton Town |url=https://www.lutontown.co.uk/teams/first-team-staff/ |access-date=18 February 2018 |website=www.lutontown.co.uk |language=en-gb}}

Playing career

He began his career as an apprentice with Tottenham Hotspur, turning professional on 5 August 1988.{{Hugman|4955|access-date=18 February 2018}} In need of first-team experience, he joined Cambridge United on loan on 9 March 1989,{{Soccerbase|id=1986}} making his league debut two days later in a 3–0 away win against Exeter City.

The next season, he joined Hartlepool United on loan in August 1989, moving to Oxford United on loan on 14 December, with a third loan move that season when he joined Swindon Town on 23 March. He moved to Peterborough United on loan on 24 August 1990, with a further loan spell at Hull City, which began on 10 January 1991.

The following season, he was still no closer to gaining a first team place at White Hart Lane, joining Rochdale on loan on 16 August 1991, and Birmingham City on loan on 19 March. He played 12 games for the St. Andrews side, but returned to Tottenham Hotspur, starting the next season on loan to Portsmouth, whom he joined on 6 August 1992. He finally made his debut for Tottenham later that season, coming on as a substitute for the injured Erik Thorstvedt in a 2–1 defeat against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.{{Cite web |last=Long |first=Dan |title=You felt you'd done the hard yards for seven months and then couldn't finish the job off |url=https://www.brentfordfc.com/news/2020/march/kevin-dearden-interview/ |access-date=7 July 2020 |website=www.brentfordfc.com |language=en-gb}}

He left White Hart Lane in September 1993, joining Brentford on a free transfer and quickly becoming a regular at Griffin Park, acquiring the nickname "The Flying Pig".{{Cite web |date=31 May 2012 |title=Brentford {{!}} News {{!}} Latest News {{!}} Latest News {{!}} WHERE ARE THEY NOW? |url=http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk.p.preprod.performgroup.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10421~2785488,00.html |access-date=18 February 2018 |website=brentfordfc.co.uk}} He played at Wembley for Brentford, but was on the losing side as Crewe Alexandra won the Second Division play-off final in May 1997.{{Soccerbase season|id=1986|season=1996|access-date=18 February 2018}} He lost his place in 1998–99 season,{{Soccerbase season|id=1986|season=1998|access-date=18 February 2018}} joining Barnet on loan on 4 February 1999, before moving to Huddersfield Town on a free transfer on 11 March, having played 213 league games for Brentford.

He failed to appear in the Huddersfield league side and moved to Wrexham on a free transfer on 2 June 1999. He was the first-choice goalkeeper for the following season, missing only one game.{{Soccerbase season|id=1986|season=1999|access-date=18 February 2018}} He lost his place at the start of the following season to Kristian Rogers, and although he fought back to make 20 league appearances he was released at the end of the season,{{Soccerbase season|id=1986|season=2000|access-date=18 February 2018}} his final game for Wrexham being in the winning FAW Premier Cup Final side.{{Cite news |date=14 May 2001 |title=Wrexham champions again |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/wales/1329831.stm |access-date=18 February 2018}}

He signed on non-contract terms for Torquay United on 9 August 2001 to enable him to be registered in time to play in the opening game of the season away to Bristol Rovers. He soon signed a one-year contract in the knowledge that he would be Roy McFarland's first choice goalkeeper for the 2001–02 season. He began helping manager Leroy Rosenior with the coaching and Plainmoor and although a knee injury forced him into retirement in March 2005, he stayed on until the end of the season as a voluntary coach.{{Cite news |date=15 March 2005 |title=Keeper Dearden forced to retire |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/4350789.stm |access-date=18 February 2018}}

In February 2006 he signed as a player for non-league Boreham Wood.{{Cite book |last=Goodwin |first=Bob |title=The Spurs Alphabet |date=16 August 2017 |isbn=978-0-9540434-2-1 |pages=119–120 |publisher=Lulu.com |language=en}}

Coaching

In July 2006 he joined the coaching staff at Brentford briefly for a matter of days before deciding instead to take a full-time post at Millwall.{{Cite web |date=4 July 2006 |title=Brentford {{!}} News {{!}} Latest News {{!}} Latest News {{!}} DEARDO RETURNS |url=http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk.p.preprod.performgroup.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10421~855534,00.html |access-date=12 February 2018 |website=brentfordfc.co.uk}}{{Cite web |date=18 July 2006 |title=Brentford {{!}} News {{!}} Latest News {{!}} Latest News {{!}} DEARDO DEPARTS |url=http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk.p.preprod.performgroup.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10421~869346,00.html |access-date=12 February 2018 |website=brentfordfc.co.uk}} After coaching for Luton, Stevenage and Leyton Orient, he took on a full-time role as goalkeeping coach and chief scout at Leyton Orient in June 2008. When manager Martin Ling and assistant Dean Smith left Orient by mutual consent on 18 January 2009 he was appointed as assistant to Kevin Nugent, caretaker manager for the home match against Southend United on 20 January.{{Cite web |title=O's chief scout and goalkeeping coach Dearden resigns |url=http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/sport/leytonorient/11652232.O_s_chief_scout_and_goalkeeping_coach_Dearden_resigns/ |access-date=18 February 2018 |website=East London and West Essex Guardian Series |date=8 December 2014 |language=en}} He resigned from the club on 8 December 2014 for personal reasons.{{Cite web |date=8 December 2014 |title=Kevin Dearden resigns |url=http://www.leytonorient.com/news/article/kevin-dearden-leyton-orient-resigns-2130524.aspx |access-date=17 July 2015 |publisher=Leyton Orient F.C.}}

On 24 December 2014, Dearden joined home-town club Luton Town as goalkeeping coach.{{Cite web |date=24 December 2014 |title=Kevin Dearden joins Luton Town as goalkeeping coach |url=http://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/article/kevin-dearden-joins-luton-town-as-goalkeeper-coach-2163550.aspx |access-date=17 July 2015 |publisher=Luton Town F.C.}}