| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roarie Milton Ryan Deacon[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1991-10-12)12 October 1991 (age 34) | ||
| Place of birth | Wandsworth, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ashford United | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2010 | Arsenal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | Arsenal | 0 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Sunderland | 0 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Stevenage | 48 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | Crawley Town | 37 | (5) |
| 2016–2017 | Sutton United | 42 | (7) |
| 2017–2019 | Dundee | 33 | (1) |
| 2019 | Sutton United | 16 | (1) |
| 2019–2021 | Havant & Waterlooville | 25 | (5) |
| 2021–2023 | Maidstone United | 81 | (11) |
| 2023–2024 | Havant & Waterlooville | 29 | (0) |
| 2024 | →Dulwich Hamlet (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | Ramsgate | 39 | (7) |
| 2025– | Ashford United | 7 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2009–2010 | England U19 | 4 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:00, 23 September 2025 (UTC) | |||
Roarie Milton Ryan Deacon (born 12 October 1991) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder forIsthmian League South East Division clubAshford United.
Deacon started his career atPremier League clubArsenal in 2009, and signed professional terms ahead of the2010–11 season. He made no first-team appearances and was subsequently released in the summer of 2011. Deacon then joinedSunderland in July that year. He left Sunderland when his contract expired in January 2013, again without making a first-team appearance. Deacon signed forLeague One teamStevenage on a free transfer in March 2013 before joiningLeague Two sideCrawley Town in July 2015. He has also representedEngland atU19 level.
Deacon enjoyed a memorable year withSutton United during the2016–17 season, when he was the topFA Cup scorer in the team which became the9th non-League side to reach the 5th round since 1945. He subsequently played forScottish Premiership clubDundee for 18 months before returning to Sutton in February 2019.
Deacon began his career as a schoolboy atArsenal in 2008, progressing through the youth ranks and playing regularly for the club's U18 side.[3][4][5][6][7] He signed his first professional contract with the club in July 2010, agreeing an initial one-year deal.[8] During the2010–11 season, he made 16 appearances for the reserve side, scoring four times.[9][10] He was also part of the U19 team that reached the semi-finals of theDallas Cup, scoring three goals.[11] Despite playing regularly at reserve level, he did not make any first-team appearances, and was subsequently released by Arsenal on 17 June 2011.[9] Just two weeks after his release from Arsenal, Deacon joined fellowPremier League sideSunderland on a one-and-a-half-year contract.[12][13] Deacon made 20 appearances for Sunderland's second string during the2011–12 season, scoring three goals, but failed to break through into the first-team. He made a further eight appearances for Sunderland's U21 team during the first half of the2012–13 campaign. In January 2013, having made no first-team appearances, Sunderland announced that he had left the club upon the expiry of his contract.[14]
In March 2013, Deacon signed forLeague One sideStevenage on a free transfer.[15][16] He made his debut for the club, and first professional appearance, in the club's 1–0 home victory overHartlepool United on 1 April, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute.[17]
On 12 May 2014, Deacon signed a new contract extension at the club.[18]
On 28 July 2015, Deacon joinedLeague Two teamCrawley Town on a one-year deal.[19] He made his competitive debut for Crawley in their opening game of the season on 8 August 2015, providing the assist forGwion Edwards' goal in a 1–1 draw withOxford United.[20][21] He scored his first goals for Crawley on 22 August 2015 in a 3–0 victory overCambridge United; he opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a deflected shot before scoring Crawley's second after 47 minutes.[22] Following the match, Deacon stated "It's my first two goals for Crawley and I am over the moon really but the team were great".[22] He appeared in 40 matches across the2015–16 season and scored 5 goals,[23] but was not offered a new contract at the end of the season.[24]
Following trial spells withCambridge United andPortsmouth,[25][26] Deacon signed forNational League newcomersSutton United.[27] Deacon made his debut for the club on the opening day of the 2016–17 season, a 3–1 home defeat toSolihull Moors.[28] Deacon scored his first league goal for the U's when he finished off a team counter-attack in the last minute of added time in a 3–1 victory overLincoln City atSincil Bank on 13 August 2016, securing Sutton's first win in the fifth tier of English football in 16 years.[29] One week later he was voted man of the match after his saved shot was finished by Ross Stearn and he assisted a goal forBedsenté Gomis in a 2–0 home victory againstMacclesfield Town, which saw Sutton briefly rise to third in the league, then the club's highest level in its history.[30] On 8 October, Deacon scored his second goal for the club with a fine solo effort and assisted two more for Ross Stearn andCraig McAllister in another man of the match performance when Sutton routedSurrey rivalsWoking 4–1 atGander Green Lane.[31] The following day he featured inThe Non-League Paper's "team of the day" with a 9/10 rating.
Having scored the winner in a 2–1 home victory againstForest Green Rovers in theFA Cup fourth qualifying round on 15 October,[32] Deacon netted his first brace for Sutton on 5 November when he struck twice in a first round victory overDartford atPrinces Park; Sutton went on to win 6–3.[33] On 3 December, Deacon scored a dramatic winner in the final minute of added time in the second round tie, a 2–1 home victory overLeague Two sideCheltenham Town, to send Sutton through to the third round of the FA Cup for the first time in 22 years.[34] The following day Deacon featured on The Non-League Paper's front page and again in the team of the day, alongsideSimon Downer and manager Paul Doswell.[35][36] Deacon said later: "It was 100% the best moment of my career, putting Sutton into the Third Round of the FA Cup, it was the stuff dreams are made of for anyone."[37] Deacon was voted player of the month by Sutton supporters.
In the third round, Sutton were drawn to faceLeague One side and local rivalsAFC Wimbledon, ranked 50 places above Sutton in the league pyramid, at home; the tie, played on 7 January 2017, ended 0–0.[38] The replay took place atKingsmeadow on 17 January. Sutton were a goal down when midway through the second half, Deacon fired in a stunning strike from the edge of the penalty area to level the score. He assisted a second goal forMaxime Biamou to help the U's complete a historic comeback and win the match 3–1, putting Sutton through to the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1989.[39] Deacon was nicknamed "magic man" by Paul Doswell and Sutton supporters.[40]
In the fourth round on 29 January, Deacon featured prominently in Sutton's 1–0 victory overChampionship sideLeeds United, who were ranked 84 league places above Sutton, putting the U's into the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club's 118-year history. Deacon was named in the FA/OPTA Team of the Round.[41] On 20 February, Sutton played Deacon's boyhood clubArsenal in the fifth round. Deacon hit the crossbar during the second half but could not stop Sutton falling to a 0–2 defeat.[42] He was voted player of the month for January/February and finished the season as joint top scorer in all competitions alongside Biamou. Deacon won the Players' Player of the Year and Supporters' Player of the Year awards and his goal against AFC Wimbledon was voted goal of the season.[43]
On 14 June 2017, Deacon signed a deal withScottish Premiership clubDundee.[44]Deacon scored his first Dundee goal atPittodrie to equalise againstAberdeen in a 2–1 defeat. Deacon left Dundee on 31 January 2019 by mutual consent.[45]
In February 2019, he returned to Sutton United.[45]
He joinedNational League South sideHavant & Waterlooville in summer 2019.[26]
On 10 June 2021, Deacon joinedMaidstone United.[46] He would help Maidstone win the2021–22National League South.[47] After being relegated the following season, Deacon would leave Maidstone in June 2023.[48]
On 13 June 2023,Havant & Waterlooville announced the re-signing of Deacon following his release fromMaidstone United.[49]
On 16 March 2024, Deacon joinedIsthmian League Premier Division clubDulwich Hamlet on loan until the end of the season.[50] He made his first start the same day in a league win overLewes.
Havant & Waterlooville confirmed that Deacon would leave the club upon the expiry of his contract in June 2024.[51]
In July 2024, Deacon joined Isthmian South East Division sideRamsgate.[52] On 18 April 2025, Deacon won the South East Division title withThe Rams and earned promotion to thePremier Division.[53]
On 25 July 2025, Deacon returned to the Isthmian South East Division, joiningAshford United.[54]
Deacon has represented theEngland U19 team on three occasions.[55] After appearing as an unused substitute in England's 3–1 victory overFinland U19s on 9 October 2009,[56] he made his debut two days later in a 3–1 win againstSlovenia, coming on as a second-half substitute and scoring England's third goal from the penalty spot.[57] Three days later, on 14 October, he started in a 2–0 win overSlovakia U19s inLendava.[58] In March 2010, Deacon was called up to play in a friendly match against aNetherlands U19 side, earning his third cap from the substitute's bench in a 1–1 draw.[55]
Deacon is of Jamaican descent.[59]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Arsenal | 2010–11[60] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sunderland | 2011–12[61] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012–13[62] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Stevenage | 2012–13[63] | League One | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14[64] | League One | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[65] | League Two | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| Total | 48 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 58 | 1 | ||
| Crawley Town | 2015–16[23] | League Two | 37 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 40 | 5 |
| Sutton United | 2016–17[66] | National League | 42 | 7 | 7 | 5 | — | 2[c] | 1 | 51 | 13 | |
| Dundee | 2017–18[67] | Scottish Premiership | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 36 | 1 | |
| 2018–19[68] | Scottish Premiership | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 33 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 1 | ||
| Sutton United | 2018–19[69] | National League | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
| Havant & Waterlooville | 2019–20[70] | National League South | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 | |
| 2020–21[71] | National League South | 13 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 2[c] | 1 | 18 | 3 | ||
| Total | 25 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 7 | ||
| Maidstone United | 2021–22 | National League South | 39 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 43 | 7 |
| 2022–23 | National League | 42 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[c] | 2 | 47 | 7 | |
| Total | 81 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 90 | 14 | ||
| Havant & Waterlooville | 2023–24 | National League South | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| Dulwich Hamlet (loan) | 2023–24 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Ramsgate | 2024–25 | Isthmian League South East Division | 39 | 7 | 4 | 0 | — | 5[e] | 0 | 48 | 7 | |
| Ashford United | 2025–26 | Isthmian League South East Division | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Career total | 366 | 39 | 30 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 430 | 50 | ||
Maidstone United
Ramsgate
