 Beasant in 2003 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David John Beasant | ||
| Date of birth | (1959-03-20)20 March 1959 (age 66) | ||
| Place of birth | Willesden, London, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978–1979 | Edgware Town | (0) | |
| 1979–1988 | Wimbledon | 340 | (0) |
| 1988–1989 | Newcastle United | 20 | (0) |
| 1989–1993 | Chelsea | 133 | (0) |
| 1992 | →Grimsby Town (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 1992 | →Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 1993–1997 | Southampton | 88 | (0) |
| 1997 | →Nottingham Forest (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 1997–2001 | Nottingham Forest | 128 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Portsmouth | 8 | (0) |
| 2001 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | (0) |
| 2002 | Portsmouth | 19 | (0) |
| 2002 | Bradford City | 0 | (0) |
| 2002 | Wigan Athletic | 0 | (0) |
| 2003 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 16 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Fulham | 0 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Nottingham Forest | 0 | (0) |
| 2013 | North Greenford United | 1 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Stevenage | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 774 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1989–1991 | England B | 7 | (0) |
| 1989 | England | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
David John Beasant (/ˈbɛsənt/; born 20 March 1959) is an English football coach and formergoalkeeper.
As a player, he was agoalkeeper, who notably played top-flight football forWimbledon,Newcastle United,Chelsea,Southampton andNottingham Forest. He also was on the books atPremier League teamsTottenham Hotspur,Wigan Athletic andFulham, but failed to make an appearance for either. He spent the rest of his career in theFootball League withGrimsby Town,Wolverhampton Wanderers,Portsmouth,Bradford City andBrighton & Hove Albion, as well as with non-league sidesEdgware Town andNorth Greenford United. He played in Wimbledon's 1988FA Cup victory, during which he became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final, and the first goalkeeper since1875 to lift the cup as captain of the winning team. He made two appearances for theEngland national football team. On 10 May 2015, Beasant became the oldest individual to be selected in the squad for a match in Football League history while representingStevenage, as a substitute againstSouthend United in theLeague Two play-off semi-final second leg, at the age of 56.
Since retiring, Beasant has worked as a goalkeeping coach for Fulham,Northern Ireland, theGlenn Hoddle Academy,Bristol Rovers, Stevenage andReading.
Beasant entered theFootball League in 1979 at the age of 20 whenWimbledon, newly promoted to theThird Division, signed him from his local non-league clubEdgware Town. He made his debut for Wimbledon againstBlackpool on 12 January 1980 and played once again that season, in which Wimbledon were relegated. He became a regular first team player the following campaign, when they were promoted, and he stayed loyal to the club even when they were relegated again in 1982. He was a key player in the side that then won the Fourth Division title in 1983, won promotion from the Third Division a year later, and completed a four-season rise to the First Division in 1986 in only their ninth season as aFootball League team.[2] After their promotion in 1986, Wimbledon rose to the top of the First Division in early September before finishing sixth at the end of the1986–87 season.
He became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in anFA Cup final when he blockedJohn Aldridge's spot-kick forLiverpool in1988, and in doing so helpedWimbledon secure a 1–0 win.[3] He was also the first goalkeeper to captain his team in an FA Cup final since Major William Merriman in 1875.[4] His ability to kick the ball some considerable distance fitted in well with the "long ball" style of play Wimbledon were known for in the 1980s, nor was he afraid to move out of the area and upfield before kicking the ball, or to take free kicks.
However, the 1988 FA Cup final was the last game that Beasant played for Wimbledon. A month later he was sold to Newcastle United for £850,000.[5]
Beasant's spell onTyneside was brief as the Magpies struggled and were finally relegated from the First Division in bottom place. Beasant had left in January 1989 to joinChelsea.[6] He immediately became first choice keeper, replacingRoger Freestone. Between 1981 and 1990 (across most of his time with Wimbledon, the season at Newcastle and the start of his Chelsea spell) he made 394 consecutive league appearances, the second-highest sequence in English football history.[7]
In September 1992, two mistakes in a match againstNorwich City led to Chelsea managerIan Porterfield telling the media that Beasant would never play for the club again, although in fact he returned to the side when Porterfield was sacked later that season.[8]
During the 1993–94 season Beasant sustained an unusual injury when, while making a sandwich in his kitchen, he dropped a 2 kg glass bottle ofsalad cream on his foot,[9][10] severing the tendon to his big toe.[11] As a result, he missed eight weeks of the season.[12]
Following the arrival of new manager,Glenn Hoddle, who opted forDmitri Kharine as his first choice keeper withKevin Hitchcock in reserve, Beasant was unable to get back into the Chelsea squad and looked for a new club.[8]
Beasant signed for Southampton in November 1993 for a fee of £300,000[8] to replace the recently departedTim Flowers.[1] Beasant made his debut in a 1–0 defeat atEverton on 4 December; despite a run of four defeats,[13] his confidence gradually returned, and he soon became a favourite withThe Dell crowd. With the departure ofIan Branfoot and his replacement as manager byAlan Ball, the "Saints" eventually climbed out of the relegation zone, finishingthe 1993–94 season one point above relegatedSheffield United.[13]
At the start ofthe 1994–95 season, he was replaced byBruce Grobbelaar but was restored as first-choice keeper for the last month of the season.[14] Following Alan Ball's move toManchester City in the summer of 1995, new managerDave Merrington preferred Beasant in goal. The team struggled throughoutthe season, and were never far from the relegation zone, but finished level on points but with a better goal difference than Ball's Manchester City who were relegated.[15] Beasant himself finished the season by being voted the club's Player of the Season.[1]
Forthe 1996–97 season,Graeme Souness was appointed manager; initially, Souness kept faith with Beasant but after a series of injuries (during which Saints tookChris Woods on loan),[16] Souness signedMaik Taylor fromBarnet in January.[1] Beasant's final first-team game for Southampton was a 1–0 defeat againstLiverpool on 29 December 1996. Following the arrival ofPaul Jones in the summer of 1997, Beasant was now only third-choice 'keeper, and after a loan move toNottingham Forest in August 1997, the transfer was made permanent in November.[1] In his four years at The Dell, he made a total of 105 appearances in all competitions.
In November 1997, he signed forNottingham Forest at 38 years old, after a short period on loan. He spent four years at theCity Ground, during which time they were relegated from the Premier League one season after promotion. He went on to become Forest's oldest ever player at 42. He then signed forPortsmouth in August 2001 after their regular goalkeeperAaron Flahavan was killed in a car crash.[17]
In November 2001 Beasant terminated his contract at Portsmouth and signed forTottenham Hotspur on a two-month contract.[18]
He played his last competitive game in the2002–03 season forBrighton & Hove Albion in Division One at the age of 43, although he did spend the2003–04 season registered as a player withFulham in theFA Premier League. By then he was the oldest player registered with any professional club in England.[citation needed] He came out of retirement on 17 August 2013 to play for Southern League Division One Central clubNorth Greenford United in a 2–0 defeat againstChalfont St Peter.[19]
Having joinedStevenage as the club's goalkeeping coach in the middle of 2014, Beasant was named as a substitute for an away match atCarlisle United on 11 October 2014, aged 55.[20]
Beasant was selected to play two full international matches for England by managerBobby Robson. The first of Beasant's two England caps came at Wembley Stadium on 15 November 1989 againstItaly in a friendly match, where he replacedPeter Shilton as a half-time substitute and kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw. The following month on 13 December, also at Wembley, he made his second appearance in a friendly againstYugoslavia, again as a half-time substitute in a 2–1 win for England.[21] He was a member of England's1990 FIFA World Cup squad, having been called up afterDavid Seaman had to withdraw through injury.
By the time of his retirement, Beasant had been appointed as a goalkeeping coach at Fulham in addition to serving as goalkeeping coach for Northern Ireland under former Wimbledon teammateLawrie Sanchez. Beasant resigned from the Northern Ireland post in 2007 after Sanchez was appointed Fulham manager only for the pair to both be sacked by the club in December 2007.[22]
Beasant was a senior coach at theGlenn Hoddle Academy. He joined in 2008 and worked not only with the academy's goalkeepers, but also outfield players, especially defenders.[23] In August 2012, Beasant was appointed part-time goalkeeper coach atBristol Rovers.[24] In July 2014, he became goalkeeping coach at Stevenage where he joined his sonSam Beasant.[25] On 25 June 2015, he was appointed as goalkeeping coach atReading.[26] On 22 December 2018, Beasant was released after the club appointedJose Gomes to replacePaul Clement as manager.[27]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wimbledon | ||||||||||||
| 1979–80[28] | Third Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1980–81[28] | Fourth Division | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | ||
| 1981–82[28] | Third Division | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | 55 | 0 | |
| 1982–83[28] | Fourth Division | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 53 | 0 | |
| 1983–84[28] | Third Division | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 55 | 0 | |
| 1984–85[28] | Second Division | 42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 49 | 0 | ||
| 1985–86[28] | Second Division | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 46 | 0 | ||
| 1986–87[28] | First Division | 42 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 49 | 0 | |
| 1987–88[28] | First Division | 40 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 51 | 0 | |
| Total | 340 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 399 | 0 | ||
| Newcastle United | 1988–89[28] | First Division | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Chelsea | ||||||||||||
| 1988–89[29] | Second Division | 22 | 0 | — | — | — | 22 | 0 | ||||
| 1989–90[30] | First Division | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | 49 | 0 | |
| 1990–91[31] | First Division | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
| 1991–92[32] | First Division | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| 1992–93[33] | Premier League | 17 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| Total | 133 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 157 | 0 | ||
| Grimsby Town (loan) | 1992–93[28] | First Division | 6 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 1992–93[34] | First Division | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |
| Southampton | ||||||||||||
| 1993–94[28] | Premier League | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | ||
| 1994–95[28] | Premier League | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 1995–96[28] | Premier League | 36 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 46 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97[35] | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| Total | 88 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 0 | ||
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 1997–98[36] | First Division | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |
| Nottingham Forest | ||||||||||||
| 1997–98[28] | First Division | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99[37] | Premier League | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| 1999–2000[38] | First Division | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01[39] | First Division | 45 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 48 | 0 | ||
| Total | 128 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 141 | 0 | ||
| Portsmouth | 2001–02[40] | First Division | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2001–02[40] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Portsmouth | 2001–02[40] | First Division | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |
| Bradford City | 2002–03[41] | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Wigan Athletic | 2002–03[41] | Second Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2002–03[41] | First Division | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |
| Fulham | 2003–04[42] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Nottingham Forest | 2007–08[43] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| North Greenford United | 2013–14[44] | Southern Division One Central | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Stevenage | 2014–15[28] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 774 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 899 | 0 | ||
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Wimbledon
Chelsea
Nottingham Forest
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a Beasant replaced Seaman after England's first match. | ||