John Steele Deary is an English

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...

 former professional football player. He played as a midfielder

Midfielder

A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

.

Deary began his career with Alan Ball's young Blackpool

Blackpool F.C.

Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

 team in 1980. Unlike the rest, however, he went on to appear in over 300 games for the club. He started as an apprentice, signing for the Seasiders in March 1980. He made his debut on September 5, 1980, in a 2–1 victory at 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...

. The management seemed uncertain whether to play Deary in the heart of defence or deep in midfield, but he eventually established himself in the latter position.

Deary scored his first league goal on September 29, 1982, in a 2–1 victory at Chester City

Chester City F.C.

Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...

. The following season, 1983–84

Blackpool F.C. season 1983-84

The 1983-84 season was Blackpool F.C.s 77th season in the Football League. They competed in the 24-team Division Four, then the bottom tier of English league football, finishing sixth....

, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 victory over Hereford United

Hereford United F.C.

Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...

 at Bloomfield Road

Bloomfield Road

Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...

 on April 28, 1984.

A tough tackler who enjoyed pushing forwards, Deary was Blackpool's top scorer during their 1984–85

Blackpool F.C. season 1984-85

The 1984-85 season was Blackpool F.C.s 78th season in the Football League. They competed in the 24-team Division Four, then the bottom tier of English league football, finishing second...

 promotion season, with fifteen goals in all competitions.

At the end of the 1988–89

Blackpool F.C. season 1988-89

The 1988-89 season was Blackpool F.C.s 82nd season in the Football League. They competed in the 24-team Division Three, then the third tier of English league football, finishing nineteenth....

 season, Deary decided to move on, his place now coming under pressure. Blackpool's neighbours, Burnley

Burnley F.C.

Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...

, snapped him up for £30,000.

After six years at Turf Moor

Turf Moor

Turf Moor is a football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire. It is the home ground of Burnley Football Club, which has played there since moving from its Calder Vale ground in 1883. The stadium, which is situated on Harry Potts Way, named so after the club's longest serving Manager, has a capacity of...

, Deary spent two years with Rochdale

Rochdale A.F.C.

Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...

, before finishing his career with a short spell at Southport

Southport F.C.

Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...

. He scored a goal in each of his first four games for Southport, but was sent off in his fifth and final game for the club, before injury forced him to retire.

Personal life

Deary was previously married, now divorced. He has one daughter. He also has a twin brother, Frank. He currently owns a large double glazing firm in Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

.