Dean Christopher Holdsworth (born 8 November 1968) is an English former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player and manager. As a
striker he scored 193 goals in 610 league games over a 22-year career. Despite playing for 16 clubs in 19 spells the majority of his goals and appearances came at
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
,
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
, and
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 ...
. He is the twin brother of
David Holdsworth
David Gary Holdsworth (born 8 November 1968) is an English former professional footballer turned manager.
As a player, he was a defender who played between 1986 and 2005 for Watford, Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Walsall, Bolton Wanderers ...
.
As a player, he started his career at
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
in 1986, where he spent three years before signing with
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
, following a short loan spell. A highly successful three years followed before he was signed by
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
in 1992. After an impressive five-year spell he transferred to
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 ...
. He spent six years at Bolton, before in 2003 joining
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
,
Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town.
The cl ...
and then back to Wimbledon. In 2004, he signed with
Havant & Waterlooville
Havant & Waterlooville Football Club is a professional football club based in Havant, Hampshire, England. The club participates in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football, after relegation from the National League in the 20 ...
, where he spent one season before joining
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
as player–assistant manager. In 2006, he dropped out of
the 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 Engla ...
for the final time, joining
Weymouth. Short spells followed at
Heybridge Swifts
Heybridge Swifts Football Club is a football club based in Heybridge, near Maldon, Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at Scraley Road.
History
The club was established in 1880 as Heybridge Football Club. After joining t ...
,
Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...
, and
Newport County.
His management career started at
Redbridge in 2007. After one season there he took the reins at Newport County. In his second season with the club he took them to the
Conference South
The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
title with 28 points to spare. In January 2011 he switched clubs to take charge at League Two side
Aldershot Town
Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area i ...
until his dismissal in February 2013. He took charge at
Chelmsford City
Chelmsford City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chelmsford, Essex, England. Currently members of they play at the Melbourne Stadium.
History Chelmsford
Chelmsford Football Club was established in 1878 by members o ...
in May 2013, before resigning five months later. He returned to management for a five-month spell with
Brentwood Town
Brentwood Town Football Club is a football club based in Brentwood, Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Brentwood Centre Arena.
History
A Brentwood Football Club was established in the 19th century, and played ...
in June 2015. In March 2016, he led a consortium to purchase Bolton Wanderers.
Playing career
Watford
Holdsworth primarily played as a striker, although in the latter part of his career he tended to play off the front man. He was a pacey striker with good shooting ability. He started his career at
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
, who finished ninth in the
First Division in
1986–87 under
Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (15 September 1944 – 12 January 2017) was an English football player, manager, pundit and chairman of Watford Football Club. He was the manager of the England national football team from 1990 to 1993, and also managed Lincoln C ...
's stewardship, before suffering relegation in
1987–88 under
Dave Bassett
David Thomas Bassett (born 4 September 1944 in Stanmore) is an English football manager and a former player. During his career he has managed Wimbledon, Watford, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Barnsley, Leicester City and ...
and then
Steve Harrison. He was loaned out to
Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
towards the end of the campaign, and scored once in four
Fourth Division
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
games for
Clive Middlemass.
He joined
John Rudge
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
's
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
in March, and scored twice at
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It has been the home ground of Port Vale F.C. since 1950.
The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool, although a club record 49, ...
in six
Third Division appearances.
He started
1988–89 on loan at
Terry Yorath
Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence or Terrier (masculine).
People
Male
* Terry Albritton (1955–2005), A ...
's
Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
, and returned to
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road is a stadium in Watford, England, and is the home stadium of championship club Watford. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 22,200.
History
It has been the home of Watford since 1922, when the club moved from Cassi ...
after one goal in five Third Division games.
He then joined
Steve Perryman
Stephen John Perryman MBE (born 21 December 1951) is an English former professional footballer who is best-known for his successes with Tottenham Hotspur during the 1970s and early 1980s. He has won the FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup all twi ...
's
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
on loan, before joining the club permanently for £125,000 in September 1989.
Brentford
He was to prove himself as a prolific goalscorer for the "Bees", as the club moved from 13th in
1989–90 to the play-offs in
1990–91, before Holdsworth scored 38 goals in the Third Division championship winning season of
1991–92, in a fruitful partnership with
Gary Blissett.
For this achievement he was named on the
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premie ...
.
Phil Holder
Philip Holder (born 19 January 1952) is an English former association football player and manager. As player, he made more than 150 appearances in the Football League representing Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth, and playe ...
was unable to keep him at
Griffin Park
Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...
following these exploits.
Wimbledon
He signed for
Joe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick Kinnear (born 27 December 1946) is an Irish former football manager and player. Kinnear played as a defender, spending the majority of his career—ten seasons—with Tottenham Hotspur. With Tottenham he won the FA Cup, the EFL ...
's
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
in the middle of 1992 for £650,000. He made an immediate impact in
his first season at the "Dons", becoming the
club's top scorer and the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
's third highest scorer with 19 goals,
after forming a solid partnership with
John Fashanu
John Fashanu (, born 18 September 1962) is an English television presenter and former professional footballer.
In his former career, he was a centre-forward from 1978 until 1995, most notably in an eight-year spell at Wimbledon in which he wo ...
. During his time at
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international footba ...
, eccentric club chairman
Sam Hammam
Sam, SAM or variants may refer to:
Places
* Sam, Benin
* Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Iran
* Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place
People and fictio ...
promised to buy Holdsworth a
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
sports car and even a
camel
A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
if he managed to score 20 league goals in a season. However, Holdsworth never quite managed to reach that target. He hit 17 league and seven cup goals in
1993–94, including a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
against
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic ...
on 26 April 1994.
He was less prolific in
1994–95,
though Wimbledon still finished in ninth place. He hit 16 goals in
1995–96, to become the club's joint-top scorer, along with strike partner
Efan Ekoku
Efangwu Goziem Ekoku (born 8 June 1967) is a former Nigerian professional footballer, and sports commentator.
As a player, he was a striker who notably played in the Premier League for Norwich City and Wimbledon and in Switzerland for Grassho ...
.
He hit nine goals in
1996–97, before he was signed to
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 ...
in October 1997 for £3.5million, which was a
record signing for Bolton at that time.
Bolton Wanderers
He scored just three goals in 17 Premier League starts in
1997–98,
as
Colin Todd
Colin Todd (born 12 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Esbjerg fB. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, ...
's side slipped out of the top-flight after finishing 18th, behind 17th place
Everton on goal difference. He rediscovered his scoring touch in the First Division, hitting 12 goals in 26 starts in
1998–99.
He then hit 14 goals from 24 league starts in
1999–2000, as
Sam Allardyce
Samuel Allardyce (; born 19 October 1954), colloquially referred to as Big Sam, is an English association football, football manager and former professional player.
Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent most ...
led Bolton to the semi-finals of the play-offs, the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
and the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
.
He scored 15 goals from 29 starts in
2000–01, including a hat-trick past
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
in a 5–1 win at the
Reebok Stadium
The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England.
Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming righ ...
.
The "Trotters" reached the
play-off final, and beat
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
3–0 at the
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
to regain their top-flight status. He was restricted to nine league starts and 22 substitute appearances in
2001–02, scoring once each against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
and
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
.
He made 10 goalless appearances in
2002–03,
though was briefly joined in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
by his brother
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
for the first time since leaving Watford.
Later career
He joined
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
on loan in December 2002, making six goalless appearances, before he signed permanently for the club the following month.
He scored once in the FA Cup against
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
, but failed to find the net in his 11 league games and moved on to
Brian Talbot
Brian Ernest Talbot (born 21 July 1953) is an English former football player and manager. He was capped six times for the England national team.
Talbot played in midfield for Ipswich Town, Arsenal, Watford, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, ...
's
Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town.
The cl ...
in March.
Diamonds topped the Third Division in
2002–03, though Holdsworth left
Nene Park
Nene Park was a sports stadium situated at Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England, along the bank of the River Nene, which could accommodate 6,441 spectators, with 4,641 seated and 1,800 standing. It formerly hosted football matches but at ...
in the summer. He returned to Wimbledon for the
2003–04 campaign, as the club
relocated to Milton Keynes. He scored three goals in 28 games in
2003–04.
He then spent the
2004–05 season with
Havant & Waterlooville
Havant & Waterlooville Football Club is a professional football club based in Havant, Hampshire, England. The club participates in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football, after relegation from the National League in the 20 ...
in the
Conference South
The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
.
He then joined
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
, where he was appointed as assistant manager, but played as a striker during an injury crisis,
leaving the club when manager
Phil Brown was sacked in January 2006. He finished the 2005–06 season with spells in
non-league football
Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...
at
Weymouth and
Heybridge Swifts
Heybridge Swifts Football Club is a football club based in Heybridge, near Maldon, Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at Scraley Road.
History
The club was established in 1880 as Heybridge Football Club. After joining t ...
.
Holdsworth returned to Havant & Waterlooville for the opening months of the
2006–07 season,
before joining
Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...
in the new year.
Holdsworth joined
Newport County on a short-term contract in February 2007 and was released by manager
Peter Beadle
Peter Clifford William James Beadle (born 13 May 1972) is an English football manager and former player who was recently manager of club Yate Town.
A former player, Beadle played as a forward and he scored some 83 goals in 355 league games, ...
at the end of the 2006–07 season,
after playing in the
2007 FAW Premier Cup Final
The 2007 FAW Premier Cup Final was the final of the 10th season of the FAW Premier Cup. The final was played at Newport Stadium in Newport on 21 March 2007 and marked the first time the final has been staged at the stadium. The match was contested ...
defeat to
The New Saints
The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club, also known as The New Saints ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed y Seintiau Newydd) or TNS, are a professional football club that currently play in the Cymru Premier. They are the most successfu ...
.
International career
Holdsworth earned an
England B cap in the 4–2 win against
Northern Ireland B on 10 May 1994 at
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is a 39,732-capacity association football stadium located in Owlerton, a north-western suburb of Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. It has been the home of Sheffield Wednesday since its opening in 1899.
The ground has been sub ...
,
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
, scoring the opening goal for England's B team.
Managerial career
Redbridge
Holdsworth was appointed as player-manager of
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs.
Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...
Division One North club
Redbridge in July 2007. The club finished third in
2007–08, before losing to
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office ...
in the play-off final, following a penalty shoot-out.
Newport County
He made a return to
Newport County in May 2008 as their new manager in succession to
Peter Beadle
Peter Clifford William James Beadle (born 13 May 1972) is an English football manager and former player who was recently manager of club Yate Town.
A former player, Beadle played as a forward and he scored some 83 goals in 355 league games, ...
, after handing in his resignation at Redbridge.
He also relocated to
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
to accommodate his new role at Newport. After a poor start to the
2008–09 season, Newport improved in the second half of the season to finish tenth in the league. Holdsworth was awarded the
Conference South
The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
Manager of the Month award for April 2009.
His signings included
Craig Reid,
Danny Rose,
Paul Bignot
Paul Junior Bignot (born 14 February 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender.
He played in the Football League with Crewe Alexandra, Blackpool, Plymouth Argyle and Grimsby Town and Newport County, and in ...
,
Jamie Collins,
Charlie Henry,
Sam Foley and
Gary Warren.
In September 2009 Holdsworth was again named the Conference South Manager of the Month after Newport County started the
2009–10 season with a run of 13 league matches unbeaten. He also won the awards for November 2009
and February 2010.
On 15 March 2010, Newport County achieved promotion to the
Conference National
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...
as champions with seven matches remaining and completed the season with a record 103 points, 28 points ahead of second placed
Dover Athletic
Dover Athletic Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 198 ...
.
In June 2010, Holdsworth signed a new two-year contract with Newport, and was also awarded the Conference South Manager of the Year Award. Holdsworth was selected as Conference National Manager of the Month for September 2010 after a run of five consecutive wins for Newport County. He left the club in January of the
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 ...
campaign, with Newport County lying in the play-off zone of the Conference National. The "Exiles" finished the season in ninth place under
Anthony Hudson's stewardship.
Aldershot Town
In January 2011 he was announced as the new manager of
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 ...
side
Aldershot Town
Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area i ...
. Holdsworth wasted no time making his mark on the team, bringing in forwards
Peter Vincenti
Peter Ian Vincenti (born 7 July 1986) is a professional footballer from Jersey who plays for Jersey Football Combination club St. Peter. He primarily plays as a winger, although he has also been deployed in attacking midfield, and as a forwar ...
,
Tim Sills
Timothy Sills (born 10 September 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is currently manager of Wimborne Town.
Sills was a product of Millwall's youth system and was a regular in the club's youth team ...
,
and
Alex Rodman – as well as defender
Simon Grand
Simon Grand (born 23 February 1984) is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Lancaster .
He notably played in the Football League for Rochdale, Carlisle United, Grimsby Town, Morecambe and Aldershot Town, and in non-league footb ...
on loan from
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census.
Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830 ...
– before the end of the month. There were also players leaving the club during this period of transition, with both
Glen Little
Glen Matthew Little (born 15 October 1975) is an English footballer. Born in Wimbledon, London, he also previously played for Burnley, Derry City, Glentoran, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United, Wrexham and Aldershot Town. He has also appeared in ...
and
Wesley Ngo Baheng
Wesley Ngo Baheng (born 23 September 1989) is a French footballer of Cameroonian descent who plays for UJA Alfortville.
Biography
Baheng began playing at the youth system of Le Havre, and was offered a contract with Newcastle United in January ...
being released, whilst
Anthony Straker and
Damian Spencer were sent out on loan. Holdsworth's first game in charge resulted in a creditable 1–1 draw away to high-flying
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
, and he also improved on Aldershot's poor home form; winning his first game at "
The Rec" 1–0 against
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
,
whilst a last-minute
Luke Guttridge
Luke Horace Guttridge (born 27 March 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He previously played for Torquay United, Cambridge United, Southend United, Leyton Orient, Colchester United, Northampton Town, A ...
free-kick gave the "Shots" a second consecutive home win 3–2 against
Crewe
Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...
.
He continued attempting to strengthen the squad throughout February, with loan signings
Albert Jarrett
Albert Ojumiri Jarrett (born 23 October 1984) is a Sierra Leonean Association football, footballer who last played for Dulwich Hamlet and has represented the Sierra Leone national football team.
Club career
Jarrett was born in Freetown to Cre ...
and
Luke Medley
Luke Anthony Cleve Medley (born 21 June 1989) is an English footballer who plays as a striker, most recently for Lordswood.
As a junior, he was on the books of Welwyn Garden City, Barnet and Tottenham Hotspur. He joined Bradford City in 200 ...
from
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln ...
and
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
respectively, though neither had a large impact on the team with only a handful of appearances between them. Holdsworth also signed former "Shots" goalkeeper
Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz, who made 62 appearances in a previous spell at the club.
On the pitch, Aldershot went on a run of five consecutive draws, the first away to league leaders
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 ...
who required a late equaliser to rescue a point.
His team went unbeaten throughout March to virtually ensure the club's survival in
the 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 Engla ...
. The upturn in form prompted speculation that the team could mount a charge for the play-offs.
Though the club could only draw in their final game of the month at home to
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete history ...
, Aldershot were left only seven points behind seventh placed
Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
. March also saw defender
Jamie Vincent
Jamie Roy Vincent (18 June 1975 – 16 January 2022) was an English professional association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), defender.
Career
Vincent was spotted by Mick Beard then Wimbledon F.C., Wimbledon ...
released from the club after not featuring in Holdsworth's first team plans,
as well as a first team opportunity for youth team winger
Adam Mekki.
The "Shots" continued their unbeaten run into the first half of April, before defeat finally came at home to
Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
.
At the end of
the campaign Aldershot posted a comfortable mid-table finish, and Holdsworth handed out contracts to young players Adam Mekki,
Doug Bergqvist
Jan Douglas Bergqvist (born 29 March 1993) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Allsvenskan club Degerfors.
Career
Born in Stockholm, Bergqvist moved with his family to England when he was seven years old. He pl ...
and Henrik Breimyr.
He also released nine players in
Ben Harding,
John Halls
John Halls (born 14 February 1982) is a model and former English footballer.
Halls began his career with Arsenal making three appearances in the League Cup for the "Gunners" before spending time out on loan at Colchester United, Belgian club ...
,
Marvin Morgan, Damian Spencer, Tim Sills, Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz,
Wade Small,
Clayton Fortune
Clayton Alexander Fortune (born 10 November 1982) is an English former footballer who played as a defender.
He spent the first six years of his career at Bristol City, between 2001 and 2006. He then began a two-year spell with Leyton Orient, ...
, and
Jack Randall.
He assembled a number of free signings to replenish his squad: strikers
Bradley Bubb and
Michael Rankine
Michael Lee Rankine (born 15 January 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played in the Football League for Scunthorpe United, AFC Bournemouth, Aldershot Town and York City.
Rankine began his career ...
; midfielders
Anthony Pulis
Anthony James Pulis (born 21 July 1984) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Miami FC in the USL Championship.
A Journeyman (sports)#British English, journeyman for much of his ca ...
and
Graeme Montgomery; defenders
Aaron Brown and
Jamie Collins; and goalkeeper
Ross Worner
Ross Nicholas Worner (born 3 October 1989) is an English semi-professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for National League South club Havant & Waterlooville F.C., Havant & Waterlo ...
.
He also brought in a total of eight loanees in the first half of the season:
Jake Taylor,
Jordan Brown,
Bruno Andrade,
Adam Smith
Adam Smith (baptized 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the thinking of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as "The Father of Economics"——— ...
,
Scott Davies,
Jamie Day,
Greg Pearson
Greg Edward Pearson (born 3 April 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward.
His previous clubs include West Ham United, Barnet, Lincoln City, Canvey Island, Rushden & Diamonds, Hucknall Town, Bishop's Stortfo ...
and
Charlie Henry. His team proved to be inconsistent, though they did reach the Fourth Round of the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
, where they were beaten 3–0 by a
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
side that included
Dimitar Berbatov
Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov ( bg, Димитър Иванов Бербатов; born 30 January 1981) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer. A striker, he captained the Bulgaria national team from 2006 to 2010, and is the country's all-ti ...
,
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, as well as for the England national team. Since r ...
, and
Antonio Valencia
Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, known as Antonio Valencia (; born 4 August 1985), is an Ecuadorian former professional footballer who played primarily as a right-sided player throughout his career, initially as a right winger, before developing ...
. In the January transfer window he released Graeme Montgomery and Anthony Pulis, whilst making four new loan signings in defenders
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown (born July 2, 1971) is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers and kick returners coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a wide receiver and ki ...
and
Sonny Bradley
Sonny Bradley (born 13 September 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Derby County.
He has formerly played for Hull City, Harrogate Town, IK Frej, Aldershot Town, Portsmouth, Crawley Town and Plymouth ...
, midfielder
Josh Payne
Joshua James Payne (born 25 November 1990) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder. He has previously played for West Ham United, Cheltenham Town, Colchester United, Wycombe Wanderers, Doncaster Rovers, Oxford United, Aldershot Town ...
, and striker
Charlie Collins. He also recruited defender
Chris Doig
Christopher Ross Doig (born 13 February 1981) is a Scottish former professional footballer who was most recently assistant manager of Grimsby Town
As a player, he was a defender who played from 1996 until 2015. He started his career with Que ...
, and attempted to bolster his side's poor goalscoring record by paying a five figure fee for Cameroonian striker
Guy Madjo
Guy Bertrand Madjo (born 1 June 1984) is a Cameroonian former footballer who played as a striker.
Following a spell playing football in his native Cameroon, Madjo moved to England and played for Petersfield Town of the Wessex League. He attrac ...
. He also signed
Stefan Payne,
Wilko Risser
Wilko Rudi Risser (born 11 August 1982, in Windhoek) is a Namibian-German footballer who plays for Chippa United in the South African Premier Soccer League.
Club career
Wilko Risser began his career with Ramblers Windhoek to kick-start his foo ...
and Josh Payne, as well as loanees
Ben Smith,
Darren Murphy
Darren Murphy (born 28 July 1985) is an Irish football manager and former footballer who played as a midfielder. Murphy started his playing career at Cobh Ramblers, progressing through the club's youth system before breaking into the first te ...
,
Michael Doughty, and
Rob Sinclair. To make room for these signings he offloaded
Jermaine McGlashan
Jermaine Dave McGlashan (born 14 April 1988) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and can play on either wing or behind the striker in an attacking midfield role. He also played up front on numerous occasions. ...
, Jamie Collins, Luke Guttridge, Chris Doig and Aaron Brown. The "Shots" finished
the season just outside the play-offs.
Holdsworth signed a new one-year extension to his contract with the club in June 2012, tying him to the club until summer 2014. The next month he rejected the opportunity to take over as manager of
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
club
Crawley Town
Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team co ...
. Over the summer he signed goalkeeper
Glenn Morris
Glenn Edgar Morris (June 18, 1912 – January 31, 1974) was a U.S. track and field athlete. He won a gold medal in the Olympic decathlon in 1936, setting new world and Olympic records. He attended Colorado A&M
— now known as Colorado State U ...
, defenders
Olly Lancashire
Oliver James Lancashire (born 13 December 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Southampton.
Lancashire began his career as a youth player for Crystal Palace before joining Southampton's academy. He capta ...
and
Guy Branston
Guy Peter Bromley Branston (born 9 January 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He was most recently PDP Loans Manager at Leicester City.
He has played in the Football League for Colchester United, ...
, and midfielders
Craig Stanley and
Harry Cooksley. Holdsworth targeted the play-offs for the
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 ...
season, though said that "our aim is, first and foremost, staying in the division." Over the course of the season he also added Sonny Bradley (on loan),
Danny Rose (on loan),
Kieron Cadogan
Kieron James Nathan Cadogan (born 16 August 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays for Sevenoaks Town as a right winger or forward.
Club career Crystal Palace
Cadogan came through the Crystal Palace Academy where he caused a ...
,
Oliver Risser
Oliver Hanjorge Risser (born 17 September 1980) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He represented Namibia national football team, Namibia internationally as well as having spells playing in Nor ...
,
Asa Hall
Asa Philip Hall (born 29 November 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Torquay United.
Hall turned professional with Birmingham City, but never played for their first team. He went on to play in the Fo ...
(on loan), and
Anthony McNamee
Anthony McNamee (born 13 July 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a left-sided midfielder, and current football manager.
Career
Watford
Born in Kensington, England, McNamee began his career at Watford. He quickly p ...
to his squad. He led Aldershot to the Fourth Round of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
for the first time in the club's history. On 20 February 2013 he was sacked by Aldershot, three days after his twin brother
David Holdsworth
David Gary Holdsworth (born 8 November 1968) is an English former professional footballer turned manager.
As a player, he was a defender who played between 1986 and 2005 for Watford, Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Walsall, Bolton Wanderers ...
was sacked as manager of Lincoln City, and one day after Aldershot recorded a 1–0 victory over
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 ...
.
At the time of his sacking Aldershot were in 20th position in League Two having taken only seven points from the last seven games.
Chelmsford City
Holdsworth was appointed manager at Conference South side
Chelmsford City
Chelmsford City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chelmsford, Essex, England. Currently members of they play at the Melbourne Stadium.
History Chelmsford
Chelmsford Football Club was established in 1878 by members o ...
in May 2013. However, after eight defeats in 13 league games his contract with Chelmsford was ended by mutual consent in November 2013.
Brentwood Town
He was appointed director of football at
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs.
Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...
Premier club
Brentwood Town
Brentwood Town Football Club is a football club based in Brentwood, Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Brentwood Centre Arena.
History
A Brentwood Football Club was established in the 19th century, and played ...
in June 2015, and also took up the vacant management role at the club. He resigned in November 2015 due to his growing business commitments. His primary focus was as a business consultant for Sport Shield Consultancy, a consortium seeking to buy into
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 ...
.
Stratford Town
On 19 May 2022, Holdsworth was appointed manager of
Stratford Town of the
Southern League Premier Central, where the chairman noted that he had "a lot of managerial experience on budget constraints".
Football administration
Holdsworth is a former chairman of the
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members.
The aims of ...
and founder of the Non League Footballers Association (NLFA).
Bolton Wanderers
In March 2016, Holdsworth led a consortium to purchase
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 ...
, who were lying bottom of the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
table and heading for
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
, and upon completion of the takeover appointed himself as
chief executive
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
. However, he moved to the position of
Director of football
A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...
before the start of the
2016–17 season, but left the role less than a month later. He had a public falling out with chairman Ken Anderson over the sale of
Zach Clough
Zach Paul John Clough (born 8 March 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Adelaide United.
Clough started his career at Bolton Wanderers, having played for them since the age of eight. He establishe ...
in January 2017, and sold out his share of the club to Anderson two months later. He resigned his directorship of the club in August 2017.
Outside football
Holdsworth was involved in tabloid scandal in 1996 when he had a highly publicised extramarital affair with topless model
Linsey Dawn McKenzie
Linsey Dawn McKenzie (born 7 August 1978) is an English glamour model, pornographic performer, and television personality who made her topless modelling debut in the ''Sunday Sport'' tabloid newspaper on her 16th birthday in 1994. Known for he ...
, who was then aged 17. In December 1999 he was sentenced to 18 months probation for punching his wife Samantha Holdsworth.
Holdsworth appeared in reality television series ''
Deadline
Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to:
* Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain
* ''Deadline'' (magazine), a Britis ...
'' where ten celebrities had to produce their own weekly celebrity magazine. He was the sixth celebrity to be sacked by
Janet Street-Porter
Janet Vera Street-Porter (''née'' Bull; born 27 December 1946) is an English broadcaster, journalist, writer, and media personality. She began her career as a fashion writer and columnist at the ''Daily Mail'' and was later appointed fashion e ...
. He also participated in the second series of
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
reality TV series ''
Cirque de Celebrité
''Cirque de Celebrité'' is a celebrity reality television show broadcast on Sky One. The show features celebrities training for and then performing various circus acts. The winner of the series of 2006 was Grace Adams-Short.
A second series ...
''. He was voted out by the judges in the first episode on 7 October 2007. Tamara (another contestant) joined him in the bottom two, but was voted to stay in the competition by the three judges. However, because of a technical fault with the voting, Dean was asked to re-join the show.
Holdsworth married Susanna Cobham in June 2010.
David Holdsworth
David Gary Holdsworth (born 8 November 1968) is an English former professional footballer turned manager.
As a player, he was a defender who played between 1986 and 2005 for Watford, Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Walsall, Bolton Wanderers ...
, who was also a professional footballer is Dean's twin brother. On 18 September 2010, they became the first twins to manage against each other in the top five divisions of English football, when Dean was manager of
Newport County and David manager of
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
– Newport won the match 1–0.
Career statistics
Managerial statistics
Honours
Player
Brentford
*
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the f ...
:
1991–92
Bolton Wanderers
*
Football League First Division playoffs:
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
Rushden & Diamonds
*Football League Third Division:
2002–03
Newport County
*
FAW Premier Cup
The FAW Premier Cup (until 1998 the FAW Invitation Cup) was a Welsh football cup competition, organised annually by the Football Association of Wales from 1997 to 2008. Since the FAW excluded clubs playing in English leagues (including six Welsh c ...
runner-up:
2006–07
Individual
*
Football League Third Division PFA Team of the Year:
1991–92
*
Conference South Manager of the Month: April 2009,
September 2009, November 2009,
February 2010
*
Conference South Manager of the Year:
2009–10
*
Conference National Manager of the Month: September 2010
*
League Two Manager of the Month: March 2011
*
Brentford Hall of Fame (inducted 2013)
Manager
Newport County
*
Conference South
The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
:
2009–10
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holdsworth, Dean
1968 births
Living people
People from Walthamstow
Footballers from Walthamstow
English footballers
England B international footballers
Association football forwards
Watford F.C. players
Carlisle United F.C. players
Port Vale F.C. players
Swansea City A.F.C. players
Brentford F.C. players
Wimbledon F.C. players
Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
Coventry City F.C. players
Rushden & Diamonds F.C. players
Havant & Waterlooville F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Weymouth F.C. players
Cambridge United F.C. players
Heybridge Swifts F.C. players
Newport County A.F.C. players
Redbridge F.C. players
English Football League players
Premier League players
National League (English football) players
Isthmian League players
Association football player-managers
English football managers
Newport County A.F.C. managers
Aldershot Town F.C. managers
Chelmsford City F.C. managers
Brentwood Town F.C. managers
Stratford Town F.C. managers
National League (English football) managers
English Football League managers
Isthmian League managers
Southern Football League managers
Association football coaches
Derby County F.C. non-playing staff
Bolton Wanderers F.C. non-playing staff
Twin sportspeople
English twins
English sports executives and administrators
English trade unionists