| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Andrew Dean[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1985-05-15)15 May 1985[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Blackburn,[2] England | ||
| Date of death | May 2021 (aged 35) | ||
| Place of death | Oswaldtwistle, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2006 | Great Harwood Town | ||
| 2006–2007 | Clitheroe | ||
| 2007 | Northwich Victoria | ||
| 2007–2008 | Bury | 4 | (0) |
| 2007 | →Altrincham (loan) | 3 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | →Stalybridge Celtic (loan) | 11 | (4) |
| 2008 | Stalybridge Celtic | 13 | (4) |
| 2008 | Hyde United | 8 | (2) |
| 2008–2009 | Harrogate Town | ||
| 2009–2012 | FC Halifax Town | ||
| 2012–2013 | AFC Fylde | ||
| 2013–2016 | Chorley | ||
| 2016 | →Ashton United (loan) | 2 | (1) |
| 2016 | Warrington Town | ||
| 2016–2017 | Padiham | ||
| 2017–2018 | Trafford | ||
| 2018–2019 | Padiham | ||
| 2019 | Bamber Bridge | 6 | (4) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
James Andrew Dean (15 May 1985 – May 2021) was an Englishfootballer who played as aforward for various clubs includingBury,Stalybridge Celtic,Chorley andBamber Bridge.
Dean began his career withGreat Harwood Town, making his debut for the club on 8 April 2003, alongside futurePremier League playerMatt Derbyshire, in a 2–0 win againstDaisy Hill.[4] In the summer of 2006, Dean signed forClitheroe. Dean left Clitheroe in January 2007, signing forNorthwich Victoria for a "four-figure fee".[5]
In the summer of 2007, Dean signed forBury. During his time at the club, Dean made fourFootball League appearances.[2] In February 2008, following loan spells atAltrincham andStalybridge Celtic, Dean terminated his contract with Bury via mutual consent.[6] Following his release from Bury, Dean rejoined Stalybridge Celtic until the end of the2007–08 season.[7]
Following his time at Stalybridge, Dean signed forHyde United, before moving toHarrogate Town. In 2009, Dean joinedFC Halifax Town, playing for the club for three years, before signing forAFC Fylde in 2012.[8] In 2013, Dean joinedChorley, helping the club to promotion to theConference North in his first season at the club.[9] In March 2016, Dean joinedAshton United on loan from Chorley.[10] In total, he made 130 appearances for Chorley, scoring 60 goals.[11] Following his time at Chorley, Dean signed forWarrington Town in May 2016.[12] Dean's time at Warrington was short lived, with Dean joiningPadiham on 1 September 2016.[13] In May 2017, Dean signed forTrafford,[14] before returning to Padiham in June 2018.[15] Dean joined Buxton in November 2018, making his debut in a 5–0 home defeat toWitton Albion.[16] Dean played forBuxton for the remainder of the season.[17] On 29 October 2019,Bamber Bridge announced the signing of Dean.[18]
During his earlynon-League career, Dean was an English champion kickboxer.[5]
On 6 May 2021, Dean was reported missing, withLancashire Constabulary issuing an appeal for his whereabouts.[19] He was last seen on 5 May inOswaldtwistle nearBlackburn.[20] His body was found by Lancashire Police on 9 May, and his death was announced the next day. He was 35.[20] The police announced his death was not being treated as suspicious.[21]Warrington Town chairman Toby Macormac set up acrowdfunding campaign to provide support for Dean's family. The campaign reached over £12,000.[22]