Dean Austin
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| Dean Austin | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dean Austin | |
| Date of birth | April 26, 1970 | |
| Place of birth | Hemel Hempstead, England | |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |
| Playing position | Defender | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1987-1989 | Watford St Albans |
|
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1989-1990 1990-1992 1992-1998 1998-2002 2002-2003 |
St Albans Southend United Tottenham Crystal Palace Woking |
? (?) 96 (2) 124 (0) 142 (6) 17 (2) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Dean Austin (born April 26, 1970 in Hemel Hempstead) is a former English football (soccer) defender. He started his career at St Albans and went on to play for Southend United, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace. He retired after the 2002-03 season while at Woking.
Contents |
[edit] Early Career
At the age of 12, Dean managed to get on the Watford F.C. books and also played for Sunday League side Forest United. At the age of 17, he came back to Watford and played for the under-18s. He then joined non-league side St Albans City.
[edit] Southend
He was signed by then Southend manager David Webb from St Albans for £14,000 in 1990 and made his debut on April 10, as the Shrimpers held Burnley to a 0-0 draw.[1]He went on to play the last 7 games of the 1989/90 season as Southend were automatically promoted to the Third division [2] after defeating Peterborough 2-0 on the final day of the season. He scored his first goal for the club on September 4, 1990 in the Rumblelows Cup against Aldershot. In the 1990/91 season he received an injury and was forced to miss out on the beginning of the season, but after recovering he became an integral part of the team as Southend just missed out on the Division 3 title. He scored 2 more goals for Southend in the 1991/92 season, both in the league. His form attracted interest from bigger clubs and midway through the season Derby County approached Austin, Dean feeling he could hold out for bigger clubs. He ended up being signed by Tottenham Hotspur, the club he supported as a child by manager Terry Venables for £350,000. In all competitions, he made 109 appearances for Southend, scoring 3 goals.
[edit] Tottenham
Dean made his debut on August 22, 1992. His first season at Spurs was rather successful, Tottenham finished in 8th place. But then, in 1993 Osvaldo Ardiles took over and with his 5-man attacking line-up Austin wasn't given much of a chance in the team and Spurs only just avoided relegation. However, next season he was back in the team and under Gerry Francis Tottenham reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, only to lose to eventual winners Everton 4-1 [3]. However, in 1996 he had serious knee injuries which limited his appearances in the team and in 1998 he was sold to Crystal Palace. In all competitions, he made 154 appearances for Tottenham and did not score a single goal. His spell there was not viewed positively by the Spurs fans due to his limited ability. In a Times online article in 2007, he was named #35 on the list of 50 worst Premiership footballers.[4]
[edit] Crystal Palace
He linked up with former manager Terry Venables at Palace, although Venables only stayed for six months. After not playing for 18 months, Austin failed to find his place in the team until several players left because of the Eagles' financial troubles [5], opening the door for Austin. He marked his return to the club by scoring the winner against Norwich City[6]. The club, however went into administration in 1999 and defied the odds, staying up in Division 1 despite being tipped to go down. He was later named club captain and then joined Woking. There were also rumours of him returning to Roots Hall.
[edit] Woking
Dean spent the last season of his career with Woking. He was appointed club captain by manager Glenn Cockerill as the club narrowly avoided relegation from the Nationwide Conference. At the age of 33 he was unable to sign a new deal[7] and retired shortly after.
[edit] Coaching career
In 2007 Austin rejoined his old club Southend United as a coach [8].
[edit] References
- ^ ShrimperZone.com.
- ^ 1989-90 in English football.
- ^ ToffeeWeb Match Report: Tottenham v Everton, 1994-95 (FA Cup SF).
- ^ The 50 worst footballers - Football - Times Online.
- ^ Season Reviews - 98/99.
- ^ Crystal Palace FC Fixtures/Results 1998/99.
- ^ Austin exits Woking - BBC SPORT.
- ^ COACH AUSTIN REJOINS SHRIMPERS.
[edit] External links
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