Dean Leacock
Encyclopedia
Dean Leacock is an English
footballer of Barbadian
descent. He currently plays for Championship
side Derby County
, primarily as a centre back, but he can also play as a right back or a defensive midfielder.
Leacock made his professional début as an eighteen year old for Fulham
in a League Cup
defeat against Wigan Athletic
on 4 December 2002. After playing in another League Cup
defeat to Wigan on 23 September 2003, Leacock made his Premier League début in a 2–0 win over Blackburn Rovers
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
on 25 October 2003. The injury ruled him out for the season.
Leacock returned to fitness in time for the start of the 2004–05 season. On 10 September 2004, he joined Coventry City
on a loan for a month, in a deal that was later extended to the end of the year. He made his début for Coventry in a 3–0 defeat to Leeds United 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 1 side Swansea City
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
in a £375,000 transfer.
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 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 to Tottenham Hotspur
. 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 to Liverpool
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
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
, 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 to Southampton
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
. 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
win over Brighton 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 to Sheffield United
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
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
, making two more substitute appearances before starting his first game in over three months, in a 1–0 win over Leicester City
on 27 March. In Derby's next game, against Coventry City
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 season as Derby's first choice centre back (alongside Shaun Barker
) 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 1/2 year senior career, on 18 September 2010, against Barnsley
at Oakwell in a 1–1 draw. He made his 100th career league appearance in a 5–0 win over Crystal Palace
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
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer of Barbadian
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
descent. He currently plays for Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
side Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, primarily as a centre back, but he can also play as a right back or a defensive midfielder.
Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
in a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
defeat against Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
on 4 December 2002. After playing in another League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
defeat to Wigan on 23 September 2003, Leacock made his Premier League début in a 2–0 win over Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
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 United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
on 25 October 2003. The injury ruled him out for the season.
Leacock returned to fitness in time for the start of the 2004–05 season. On 10 September 2004, he joined Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
on a loan for a month, in a deal that was later extended to the end of the year. He made his début for Coventry in a 3–0 defeat to Leeds United 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 1 side Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
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 F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
in a £375,000 transfer.
Derby County
Leacock made his Derby début in a 2–1 win over Hull CityHull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
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 as Derby were promoted to the Premiership as playoff winners
2007 Football League Championship play-off final
The 2007 Football League Championship play-off Final, also known as the 2007 Coca-Cola Championship play-off Final due to sponsorship from Coca-Cola, was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 28 May 2007, at the end of the 2006–07 season...
.
Leacock played his first Premier League game for Derby on 18 August 2007, in a 4–0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. 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 to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
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
Paul Steven Jewell is a former English footballer who is currently the manager of Ipswich Town.His playing career started with Liverpool before moving to Wigan Athletic and then a ten-year spell with Bradford City...
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
Alan Stubbs is a retired English footballer who played as a centre back. He was forced to retire from professional football due to a troublesome knee injury on the 20 August 2008. The final match of his career was against Doncaster Rovers on 9 August 2008...
, 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 to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
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
Martin Albrechtsen is a Danish professional football player, currently playing for the Danish superliga team FC Midtjylland. He can play in any position across the back four and has played four games for the Danish national team...
. 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
League Cup
In 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 to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish...
win over Brighton 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
Derby County F.C. season 2009–10
The 2009–10 season was Derby County's 111th season in the Football League. It is their 42nd season in the second division of English football and their second consecutive season in the second tier following an 18th placed finish in the previous campaign...
in a 1–0 defeat to Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
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 F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
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 F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
, making two more substitute appearances before starting his first game in over three months, in a 1–0 win over Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
on 27 March. In Derby's next game, against Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
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 season as Derby's first choice centre back (alongside Shaun Barker
Shaun Barker
Shaun Barker is an English footballer who plays for Derby County as a defender, where he is also captain.-Rotherham United:...
) 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 1/2 year senior career, on 18 September 2010, against Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
at Oakwell in a 1–1 draw. He made his 100th career league appearance in a 5–0 win over Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
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 F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
.
External links
- Dean Leacock player profile at dcfc.co.uk