Kevin Charles Dearden is an English former professional football who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League

The Football League

The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

, playing as a goalkeeper for a large number of clubs. He later became a coach.

Playing career

He began his career as an apprentice with 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....

, turning professional on 5 August 1988. In need of first-team experience, he joined Cambridge United

Cambridge United F.C.

Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...

 on loan on 9 March 1989, making his league debut two days later in a 3–0 away win against Exeter City

Exeter City F.C.

Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...

.

The next season he joined Hartlepool United

Hartlepool United F.C.

Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...

 on loan in August 1989, moving to Oxford United

Oxford United F.C.

Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...

 on loan on 14 December, with a third loan move that season when he joined Swindon Town

Swindon Town F.C.

Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...

 on 23 March. He moved to Peterborough United

Peterborough United F.C.

Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...

 on loan on 24 August 1990, with a further loan spell at Hull City

Hull 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...

, which began on 10 January 1991.

The following season he was still no closer to gaining a first team place at White Hart Lane

White Hart Lane

White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....

, joining Rochdale on loan on 16 August 1991, and Birmingham City

Birmingham City F.C.

Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...

 on loan on 19 March. He played 12 games for the St. Andrews side, but returned 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....

, starting the next season on loan to Portsmouth

Portsmouth F.C.

Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...

, whom he joined on 6 August 1992. He finally made his debut for Tottenham later that season, coming on as a substitute for the injured Erik Thorstvedt

Erik Thorstvedt

Erik Thorstvedt is a former Norwegian professional football goalkeeper. He won 97 caps for the Norwegian national team, and was the starter in goal at the 1994 FIFA World Cup....

 in a 2–1 defeat against Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest F.C.

Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...

 at the City Ground.

He left White Hart Lane in September 1993, joining Brentford

Brentford F.C.

Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....

 on a free transfer and quickly becoming a regular at Griffin Park

Griffin Park

Griffin Park is a football ground situated in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It has been the home ground of League One side Brentford since it was built in 1904. It is known for being the only English league football ground to have a pub on each corner, and is situated in a...

. he played at Wembley

Wembley Stadium

The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...

 for Brentford, but was on the losing side as Crewe Alexandra

Crewe Alexandra F.C.

Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...

 won the Second Division play-off final

1997 Football League Second Division play-off Final

The 1997 Football League Second Division play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 1997, at the end of the 1996–97 season. It was the 11th play-off final in all at the third level of English football...

 in May 1997. He lost his place in 1998–99 season, joining Barnet

Barnet F.C.

Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....

 on loan on 4 February 1999, before moving to Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield Town F.C.

Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

 on a free transfer on 11 March, having played 213 league games for Brentford.

He failed to appear in the Huddersfield league side and moved to Wrexham

Wrexham A.F.C.

Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...

 on a free transfer on 2 June 1999. He was the first-choice goalkeeper for the following season, missing only one game. He lost his place at the start of the following season to Kristian Rogers

Kristian Rogers

Kristian Rogers is an English footballer currently playing for Welsh Premier League side Port Talbot Town.-Wrexham:...

, and although he fought back to make 20 league appearances he was released at the end of the season, his final game for Wrexham being in the winning FAW Premier Cup Final side.

He signed on non-contract terms for Torquay United

Torquay United F.C.

Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...

 on 9 August 2001 to enable him to be registered in time to play in the opening game of the season away to Bristol Rovers

Bristol Rovers F.C.

Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....

. He soon signed a one-year contract in the knowledge that he would be Roy McFarland

Roy McFarland

Roy Leslie McFarland is an English football manager who was also a player, notably at Derby County where he played 434 league games helping him to earn 28 caps for England.-Playing career:...

's first choice goalkeeper for the 2001–02 season. He began helping manager Leroy Rosenior

Leroy Rosenior

Leroy Rosenior is a professional football coach and pundit. He is a former professional footballer whose clubs included Fulham, Queens Park Rangers , Bristol City and West Ham United.As one of the few black football managers in England, Rosenior has spoken openly about the racism...

 with the coaching and Plainmoor

Plainmoor

Plainmoor is a suburb of Torquay, Devon, but is best known as the name of the stadium in which Torquay United Football Club currently play.-History:...

, and although injury forced him into retirement in March 2005, he stayed on until the end of the season as a voluntary coach.

In February 2006 he signed as a player for non-league Boreham Wood

Boreham Wood F.C.

Boreham Wood F.C. are a football club based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, at Meadow Park football ground. They were established in 1948, and have reached the FA Cup 2nd Round proper twice in their history. For 2011-12 they will play in Conference South...

.

Coaching

In July 2006 he joined the coaching staff at Brentford

Brentford F.C.

Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....

 briefly for a matter of days before deciding instead to take a full time post at Millwall

Millwall F.C.

Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

. After coaching for Luton, Stevenage and Leyton Orient, he took on a full time role as goalkeeping coach and chief scout at Leyton Orient in June 2008.

When manager Martin Ling

Martin Ling

Martin Ling is an English football manager and former player, who is currently manager of Torquay United in League Two. He played in over 100 Football League matches for Exeter City, Southend United, Swindon Town and Leyton Orient, before moving into management where he led Orient for over five...

 and assistant Dean Smith

Dean Smith

Dean Edwards Smith is a retired American head coach of men's college basketball. Originally from Emporia, Kansas, Smith has been called a “coaching legend” by the Basketball Hall of Fame. Smith is best known for his successful 36-year coaching tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel...

 left Leyton Orient by mutual consent on 18 January 2009 he was appointed as assistant to Kevin Nugent

Kevin Nugent (footballer)

Kevin Patrick Nugent is an English former professional footballer and current assistant manager of Leyton Orient.-Playing career:...

 Caretaker Manager for the home match against Southend United on 20 January.