Dean Leacock (born 10 June 1984) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays for
Lowestoft Town. He is primarily a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
, but he can also play as a
right back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
or a
defensive midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
.
Career
Fulham
Born in
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
, London, Leacock signed his first professional contract on a three-year deal. At the time, he was known as an up-and-coming central defender, tipped by many to become the new
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and is now a television pundit for BT Sport. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and was ...
.
Leacock made his professional debut as an eighteen-year-old for
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
in a
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 ...
defeat against
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
on 4 December 2002. After playing in another League Cup defeat by Wigan on 23 September 2003, Leacock made his
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 ...
debut in a 2–0 win over
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
on 28 September 2003. He made four consecutive league appearances for Fulham before his run in the team was cut short when he tore knee ligaments in the pre-match warm up before Fulham's 3–1 over
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 ...
on 25 October 2003. The injury ruled him out for the season. Despite the injury, Leacock signed a new deal with Fulham until 2006.
Leacock returned to fitness in time for the start of the
2004–05 season. On 10 September 2004, 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 a loan for a month, in a deal that was later extended to the end of the year. He made his debut for Coventry in a 3–0 defeat by
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
on 11 September 2004. He made 1 cup and 8 league appearances for Coventry before injury prompted an early return to Fulham. He returned to Coventry on loan in January 2005 and made a further 5 league and 2 cup appearances before his spell with the club was again cut short by injury. Leacock then made 5 league and 2 cup appearances for Fulham during the
2005–06 season, signing a new contract at the end of the season.
In July 2006, Leacock was poised to join
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 ...
side
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 ...
in a £375,000 deal, but the deal collapsed at the last minute. However, on 10 August 2006, it was announced that he would join
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 ...
in a £375,000 transfer.
Derby County
![Dean Leacock](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Dean_Leacock.png)
Leacock made his Derby debut in a 2–1 win over
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
on 12 August 2006. He was a regular first team player in his first season at the East Midlands club, playing 38 league games and playing in all 3 games of the
Championship playoffs
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 ...
as Derby were promoted to the Premiership as
playoff winners.
Leacock played his first Premier League game for Derby on 18 August 2007, in a 4–0 defeat by
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 ...
. In what would be a disastrous season for Derby that would end in relegation, Leacock played 26 League games,
captaining Derby for the first time in a 2–1 defeat by
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 ...
on 26 December 2007 and scoring an own goal in a 2–2 draw against his former employers Fulham on 29 March 2008.
Leacock was out of the first team picture at the start of the
2008/09 season with manager
Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell (born 28 September 1964) is an English football manager and former player, who was most recently director of football at Swindon Town.
Jewell began his playing career with Liverpool, continued at Wigan Athletic and concluded in a t ...
telling Leacock he would listen to any offers for him. However, following Derby's disappointing start to the season, and with the retirement of Derby captain
Alan Stubbs
Alan Stubbs (born 6 October 1971) is an English football manager and former professional footballer
As a player he was a centre-back who played top flight football for every club he played for. He played in the Premier League with Bolton Wand ...
, he found himself brought back into the first eleven, and taken off the transfer list. He made his first appearance of the season in a 1–0 defeat by
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
on 23 August 2008. Leacock subsequently started seven of Derby's eight game unbeaten run that took them from the bottom of the table to within reach of the playoffs by the start of October, forming a good partnership with
Martin Albrechtsen
Martin Albrechtsen (born 31 March 1980) is a Danish football player. He can play in any position across the back four and has played four games for the Danish national team. He is the older brother of Jacob Albrechtsen.
Career
Akademisk Bol ...
. On 18 October 2008 he was rewarded with a new contract to keep him at the club until 2012. After suffering a hamstring injury in Derby's 4–1
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 ...
win over
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
on 4 November 2008, Leacock went on to miss the rest of the season, and was ultimately out for eight months through hamstring and pelvis injuries that at times left him unable to walk.
Leacock made his first appearance of the
2009/10 season in a 1–0 defeat by
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
on 12 September 2009. He went on to play 12 out of 17 league games, before bruising his kneecap in a 2–1 defeat against
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
on 12 December 2009. After sitting out three games as a precaution, Leacock was ruled out for four to six weeks. After undergoing knee surgery, his comeback was delayed until the end of February and he returned to full training and reserve team action at the start of March. Leacock returned to first team action on 16 March, coming on as a substitute in a 2–2 draw against
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
, making two more substitute appearances before starting his first game in over three months, in a 1–0 win over
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
on 27 March. In Derby's next game, against
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 ...
a week later, Leacock was forced off at half time with knee ligament damage, and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Leacock returned to full training in time for Derby's pre-season campaign and started the
2010/11 season as Derby's first choice centre back (alongside
Shaun Barker
Shaun Barker (born 19 September 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Career
Rotherham United
Born in Trowell, Nottinghamshire, Barker started his career at Rotherham as a junior making his debut in March ...
) and played the full 90 minutes of each of the opening eight league and cup games of the campaign, even notching the first goal of his 9 year senior career, on 18 September 2010, against
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
at
Oakwell
Oakwell is a multi-purpose sports development in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England used primarily by Barnsley Football Club for playing their home fixtures, and those of their reserves.
While the name 'Oakwell' generally refers to the main s ...
in a 1–1 draw. He made his 100th career league appearance in a 5–0 win over
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
on 25 September 2010 but sustained a hamstring injury which ruled him out for several weeks. He returned to the first team ahead of schedule on 16 October 2010, reuniting with Barker at the heart of the Derby defence as they ran out 3–0 winners over
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 ...
. Leacock held his place in the team over the next two months but came in for severe criticism from Derby manager Nigel Clough after his performance in a 5–2 defeat by
local rivals Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
. After this, Leacock made only three starts over the next 12 months before it was announced that had left the club by mutual consent and was set to sign for
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 ...
side
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...
.
Leyton Orient
On 14 January 2012, Leacock joined League One side
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...
on a contract until the end of the 2011–12 season.
Notts County
On 26 June 2012, Leacock joined League One side
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
on a two-year contract. He made his first competitive appearance in a 2–1 win over
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
.
Crawley Town
Leacock joined
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 ...
on 17 July 2014, after the expiration of his contract with Notts County.
Whitehawk
Leacock joined
Whitehawk
Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton, England, south of Bevendean and north of Brighton Marina. The area is a large, modern housing estate built in a downland dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was originally ...
on 2 October 2015, after Crawley failed to renew his initial one-year contract deal, making his debut in a 6–0 home win against St. Albans City the following day.
References
External links
Dean Leacock profileat the Football Association website
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leacock, Dean
1984 births
Living people
Footballers from Croydon
English men's footballers
England men's youth international footballers
Men's association football defenders
Men's association football midfielders
Men's association football utility players
Fulham F.C. players
Coventry City F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Leyton Orient F.C. players
Notts County F.C. players
Crawley Town F.C. players
Whitehawk F.C. players
Welling United F.C. players
Billericay Town F.C. players
Lowestoft Town F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players