Andy Leaning

Andrew John Leaning (born 18 May 1963) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and has since been employed as a goalkeeping coach.

Having started his career in the amateur game with York Railway Institute and Rowntree Mackintosh, he turned professional when he joined York City in 1985. From there, Leaning went on to have spells at Sheffield United, Bristol City, Lincoln City, Dundee and Chesterfield, before retiring from playing in 2000. Throughout his 15-year career in professional football, he made 282 league and cup appearances. He was promoted with Bristol City after a second-place finish in the Third Division in 1989–90, and was named as Lincoln City's Player of the Year in 1995. Since 2000, he has been a goalkeeping coach at several of his former clubs, including York City, Sheffield United, and Chesterfield, as well as Leeds United.

Playing career Leaning had trials with York City in 1979 at the age of 16 and he went on to play for York Railway Institute and Rowntree Mackintosh in the Northern Counties East Football League as an amateur while working for British Rail. He later played in York's reserve team and was offered the chance to turn professional with the Third Division club in July 1985. being named man of the match following a "heroic" performance. He was able to do a "fine job" in Astbury's absence during the 1985–86 season,

Having made 86 appearances for York in all competitions, he was allowed to leave the club in 1987 and following a brief trial with Everton in May 1987, where he played one game in the reserves, he joined Second Division team Sheffield United on 28 May. He made 25 appearances in all competitions for United before signing for Third Division team Bristol City for a fee of £12,000 in November 1988, having initially joined on a month's loan on 27 September. After making 51 appearances in all competitions for Lincoln, he signed for Scottish First Division team Dundee in August 1996. He returned to England after signing for Second Division team Chesterfield in October 1996, where he made 29 appearances before retiring in 2000. later having appointments at Scarborough and Barnsley. before leaving the club in May 2010. Leaning was appointed goalkeeping coach at former club York City on a part-time basis on 8 July 2010. He departed the club a little under a year later, on 16 June 2011, after the appointment of Paul Musselwhite as a player-goalkeeping coach. He joined Leeds United as an academy goalkeeping coach in 2012 and later coached the club's first-team goalkeepers before leaving in July 2014. Leaning returned to York for a second spell as goalkeeping coach on 19 May 2015, working under manager Russ Wilcox. Jackie McNamara later became manager, and Leaning left the club on 8 December 2015. Some weeks later he was briefly employed as a goalkeeping coach at Port Vale.

Personal life Born in Howden, East Riding of Yorkshire, Leaning's son Jack is a cricketer who has represented Yorkshire at junior level from the age of 11. In June 2008, his unbeaten 164 for the county under-14 team against Cheshire was the highest score ever by a Yorkshire youth player.

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1985–86 Third Division

1986–87 Third Division

69!!0!!8!!0!!9!!0!!86!!0 Sheffield United 1987–88 Second Division

1988–89 Third Division

1989–90 Third Division

1990–91 Second Division

1991–92 Second Division

1992–93 First Division

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1993–94 Third Division

1994–95 Third Division

1995–96 Third Division

36!!0!!3!!0!!12!!0!!51!!0 Dundee 1996–97 Scottish First Division

1996–97 Second Division

1997–98 Second Division

1998–99 Second Division

1999–2000 Second Division

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Honours Individual Lincoln City F.C. Player of the Year: 1995

Bristol City Football League Third Division second-place promotion: 1989–90