Great Harwood Legends

JAMES DEAN

(updated 23-07-10)

James Dean signed for Harwood towards the end of the 2002-03 season and played along side Matt Derbyshire. The two players were instrumental in the rise of the Robins from Division Two also-rans to promotion certainties.
Although signed as a centre forward, a number of injuries to key players meant that he made his debut at centre half. 17 year-old ‘Deano’ starred in the 5-2 home victory over Norton United on the 12th of April 2003 and came in for praise from assistant boss Dave Sharples.
“A special mention should go to young James Dean who made his debut on Saturday and did not put a foot wrong at the heart of the defence. James was actually signed as a centre-forward but was drafted into the team when Paul Smith was unavailable. He belied his 17 years and is definitely one for the future.”
At the other end of the pitch, Matt Derbyshire, then just 16 years-old, ran the Midlanders defence ragged and scored twice before an attendance of just 68.
Deano played at both centre forward and centre half in the early months but eventually ended up in midfield where his undoubted skill was most effective. It was obvious from the start that he was destined for higher things (dependent on his attitude) as his hot-headedness often let him down. He began the 2003-04 season in midfield supplying Matt Derbyshire with the ammunition that would soon see Matt moving to Premier League Blackburn Rovers.
Deano’s first Harwood goal came in the North West Counties Division Two Trophy replay victory over local rivals Nelson. He hit the second in a 2-0 win which saw the Robins through to a home tie with Daisy Hill. Once again he hit the second in another 2-0 win.
It took almost two months for his next strike and co-incidentally, it came once again in a Division Two Trophy game. This tie turned out to be one of the most amazing in the competition’s history as the first game at Winsford ended 1-1 after extra time. Penalties were then taken in which Harwood lost. As the United players celebrated on the pitch, the news came through that penalties should not have taken place and a replay was ordered, leaving the Winsford players dejected and the Harwood players and supporters jumping for joy!
Deano’s first League goal came in the very next game at Daisy Hill and a Paul Mashiter hat-trick saw the Robins run out 4-0 winners before a paltry ‘crowd’ of just 26, almost entirely made up of Harwood supporters.
Harwood went on to win the semi-final against Darwen before losing 1-0 to Colne in the final at Clitheroe before over 500 fans.
James ended the season as the Robins’ fifth top scorer with five goals and also played in the incredible 7-6 home defeat by Holker Old Boys, arguably the most exciting game ever played at the Showground.
The following season saw him make just a handful of appearances due to personal problems but he returned to the first team in 2005-06. He scored two goals in the 3-3 FA Cup replay against Guisborough and also hit the final winning goal in the penalty shoot-out.
He was still in the side up until the New Year but failed to appear after the turn of the year. His commitment was often brought into question and he would regularly miss away games which involved travelling more than ten miles and also missed out on the famous 1-0 win at Gigg Lane against FC United before a record 6,000+ crowd.
After leaving the Robins, Deano signed for neighbours Clitheroe where he was moved to his original centre-forward position. A host of goals and exciting performances soon had the ‘big-boys’ interested and after a few months he secured a dream move to Conference outfit Northwich Victoria. He made his debut on January 20th and made 15 appearances plus 5 more as substitute, scoring 5 goals. Despite that, he was released at the end of the season but far from moving down the non-league ‘pyramid’, he left it completely to join Football League side Bury on a one-year deal. Bury manager Chris Casper had this to say after the signing:
“James is an old-fashioned centre-forward, he’s good in the air and holds the ball up well.”
The opening game of the season saw him on the bench for the Shakers’ trip to much-fancied MK Dons but he failed to appear. His debut came in the home game with Carlisle United when he was preferred to local hero Andy Bishop, the latter being relegated to the bench. Several more appearances came in the next couple of months although many were as sub. before he was loaned out to neighbours Altrincham to gain more first team experience. He scored against Salisbury on his debut and that goal helped Alty to a 3-0 lead but the visitors fought back to take an unlikely point.
By November he was sent out on loan to another Tameside club, Stalybridge Celtic, and although he failed to score, he was unlucky not have hit a hat-trick on his debut against Boston United on the 16th. His man-of-the-match performance helped his new team end a run of five successive defeats with a 3-0 win. His good form continued until the end of the season and his goals helped Celtic to a late run of 8 wins in a row, taking them to the play-offs. Sadly it wasn’t to be a happy ending as they lost the final 1-0 to Barrow at Burton Albion’s ground.
Surprisingly, he was then allowed to leave but didn’t go far, just a few miles down the road to yet another Tameside club, Hyde United. A great pre-season had him scoring regularly and a goal against Harrogate Town towards the end of August was all that the visiting manager needed to see.
Town boss Neil Aspin recruited Deano and he made his debut against former club Stalybridge. Although he failed to hit the target he enjoyed a cracking debut before an injury forced him off and the manager had this to say:
“He had a great debut; we brought him in because we needed more strength up front. If he can keep playing like that he’s going to be a tremendous asset for us.”
That’s the way it panned out and he hit goals regularly for the Conference North side although his disciplinary record was quite abysmal. Financial problems at the club saw Neil Aspin leave to join the newly-formed FC Halifax Town and it wasn’t long before Deano joined him.
His move to Halifax saw his form and goal scoring reach another dimension and while his goal scoring increased, his bookings decreased, making him one of the hottest properties around. He made 52 appearances plus 5 as substitute in all competitions during the 2009-10 season and scored a phenomenal 40 goals, helping the Blues step up to the Unibond Premier League. Thankfully for the Tykes he re-signed during the early part of the summer despite much interest from other clubs so watch out Unibond Premier League clubs-Deano the ex-Robin is coming!!