Dean Beckwith

Dean Beckwith

Personal information
Full name	Dean Stuart Beckwith[1]
Date of birth	18 September 1983 (1983-09-18) (age 28)
Place of birth	Southwark, London, England
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Playing position	Central defender
Club information
Current club	Luton Town
Number	5
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2005	Gillingham	1	(1)
2003	→ Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)	4	(1)
2004	→ Margate (loan)	5	(0)
2005–2009	Hereford United	130	(5)
2009–2011	Northampton Town	75	(3)
2011–	Luton Town	8	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:50, 17 September 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Dean Stuart Beckwith (born 18 September 1983) is an English footballer who plays as a central defender. He plays for Luton Town, signing for them in June 2011 having reached the end of his contract with Northampton Town.

Career

Early career

Beckwith was born in Southwark, London and came through the youth system at Gillingham. He turned professional in July 2003 but was to make only two first team appearances for the Gills. He went out on loan to Dagenham & Redbridge where he scored his first senior goal against his future club Hereford in a televised 1–1 draw at Edgar Street.^[2] He captained Gillingham reserves in the 2004–05 season and made his debut for the first team in the FA Cup defeat to Portsmouth. He also had a loan spell at Margate of the Conference South, making five appearances. After making his Football League debut on 5 March 2005 against Rotherham United, he was released at the end of the season.

Hereford United

He signed for Hereford on 12 July 2005 and scored on his league debut in the 4–0 win over Scarborough. As the season progressed he became a first team regular at centre-back and scored the equaliser in the 2–2 draw at Grays Athletic, preserving Hereford's then unbeaten run in the Conference. Promotion to the Football League followed at the end of the season, and Beckwith signed a new contract shortly after Hereford's playoff triumph.

With both Richard Rose and Phil Gulliver competing for places alongside captain Tamika Mkandawire, Beckwith made less appearances than in the previous season. He was also sent off twice in the season, his second red at Walsall was extremely questionable and prompted rare criticism of the referee by Graham Turner.^[3]

He was the first choice centre back in the 2007–08 season, starting 46 out of a possible 55 first team matches. A broken jaw sustained against Chester City sidelined him for six matches, and he made his 100th league appearance for Hereford in the 2–0 win over Wrexham. Third place and promotion was secured with a match to spare, and Beckwith remained with Hereford during their solitary season in League One. He got the Bulls off to an initial good start, scoring the opening goal of the season against Leyton Orient,^[4] but this was a rare highlight in a season that saw Hereford finish bottom.

Beckwith's last match for the Bulls saw him come on as a substitute against Northampton Town in a 2–1 defeat. At the end of the season newly appointed Hereford manager John Trewick chose not to offer Beckwith a new contract, stating that Beckwith was in need of a change of club.^[5]

Beckwith made a total of 153 appearances for Hereford United in the Conference, Football League, FA Cup, League Cup, FA Trophy, Football League Trophy and play-off matches. He scored five goals and was the final player of the 2006 play-off winning team to depart.

Northampton Town

On 29 June 2009, Beckwith joined Northampton Town and was released in 2011 after he made 75 appearances and 3 goals for the Cobblers.^[6]

Luton Town

On 14 June 2011, Beckwith became the second signing of the summer for Luton Town after Gary Brabin took over as full time manager of the Hatters.^[7] He made his Luton debut on 17 August 2011 against Forest Green Rovers, scoring the equalising goal in a 1–1 draw.^[8]

Career statistics

As of 1 November 2011

Club	Division	Season	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Gillingham	Division One	2003–04	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Championship	2004–05	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Dagenham & Redbridge	Conference	2003–04	4	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	5	1
Margate	Conference South	2004–05	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Hereford United	Conference National	2005–06	32	2	0	0	0	0	8	0	40	2
	League Two	2006–07	32	0	3	0	2	0	1	0	38	0
	League Two	2007–08	38	2	5	0	2	0	1	0	46	2
	League One	2008–09	26	1	2	0	1	0	1	0	30	1
Northampton Town	League Two	2009–10	25	0	1	0	1	0	2	0	29	0
	League Two	2010–11	37	3	2	0	2	0	1	0	42	3
Luton Town	Conference National	2011–12	8	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	9	1
Career totals			203	9	14	0	8	0	15	0	250	9

References

1. ^ Hugman, Barry J., ed (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. p. 39. ISBN 9781845964740. 
2. ^ Dean Beckwith Hereford Times, 11 August 2005. Retrieved on 9 July 2008.
3. ^ Turner's frustration at bizarre decisions BBC Hereford & Worcester, 13 April 2007. Retrieved on 5 May 2008.
4. ^ Leyton Orient 2-1 Hereford BBC Sport, 9 August 2008, retrieved 24 May 2009.
5. ^ JT "I Want People To Give Everything They've Got" Hereford United Official Website, 23 May 2009, retrieved 24 May 2009.
6. ^ Cobblers sign defender Beckwith Northampton Chron
7. ^ [1] Luton Town F.C
8. ^ "Luton 1-1 Forest Green". BBC Sport. 2011-08-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14532921.stm. Retrieved 2011-08-17. 

External links

• Dean Beckwith player profile at ntfc.co.uk
• Dean Beckwith career stats at Soccerbase

Persondata
Name	Beckwith, Dean
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	18 September 1983
Place of birth	Southwark, London, England
Date of death
Place of death