Bill Dearden

William Dearden (born 11 February 1944) is an English former football player, manager and scout. As a player, he scored 101 goals in 404 league games in a 16-year career in the English Football League.

A striker, he began his career with hometown club Oldham Athletic in 1963. Three years later, he moved on to Crewe Alexandra and helped the "Railwaymen" to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1967–68. He then moved on to Chester for a two-season spell. He was sold to Sheffield United for a £10,000 fee in August 1970 and helped the "Blades" to win promotion out of the Second Division in 1970–71. He returned to Chester City in 1976 before switching to Chesterfield the following year.

He coached at Chesterfield, Mansfield Town, and Port Vale, before he was appointed Mansfield manager in 1999. He built a talented young team but left the club for the management position at Notts County in January 2002, months before promotion would be secured. He took County from relegation certainties to mid-table, despite troubles with administration, before he was sacked after a poor run left the "Magpies" in relegation danger in January 2004. He returned to Mansfield as manager in December 2006 but was sacked in March 2008, soon before the club were relegated out of the Football League.

Playing career Oldham Athletic Dearden was a striker described "as a fearless, hard running player, excellent in the air and with an eye for goal".

Later career Dearden returned to Chester, now managed by Alan Oakes, to score seven goals in 36 Third Division appearances in 1976–77. He then moved on to league rivals Chesterfield, where he scored a penalty kick on his debut in a 4–1 win over Barnsley in the League Cup on 13 August. Chesterfield finished ninth in 1977–78 under the stewardship of Arthur Cox, before finishing one place and four points above the relegation zone in 1978–79. Dearden ended his career with two goals in 27 league games for the "Spireites".

Managerial career After retiring as a player, Dearden was appointed assistant manager to Frank Barlow at Chesterfield in 1981. He stayed at Saltergate until 1983, at which point he became a first-team coach at Mansfield Town. He left Field Mill in 1994 and went on to serve Port Vale as assistant manager to John Rudge. He spent a few days as the "Valiants" caretaker manager after Rudge was sacked in January 1999, but did not take charge of a first-team game, and subsequently left Vale Park when Brian Horton was named manager.

Mansfield Town Dearden returned to Mansfield Town later in 1999 and was appointed the club's new full-time manager following Steve Parkin's departure. During his three-year stay as Mansfield manager, he brought up several talented youngsters from the youth team, including Liam Lawrence, Bobby Hassell and Lee Williamson, and signed key players such as Chris Greenacre and Wayne Corden, guiding the "Stags" to the verge of promotion. However, he left the club midway through the 2001–02 promotion season to take control of local rivals Notts County. Stuart Watkiss took over from Dearden and took Mansfield out of the Third Division at the end of the season.

Notts County Dearden joined Notts County in January 2002, with the club on the brink of relegation and suffering serious financial problems. He was named as Second Division Manager of the Month in March following a 16-point haul. He successfully guided the "Magpies" to safety in the Second Division thanks to a winning streak of eight wins in the club's final eleven games of 2001–02.

The remainder of his tenure at Meadow Lane was dominated by the club's financial problems. He could not make a permanent signing but comfortably kept County in the division during his first full season. He set a record for the longest period in administration as a manager in British football. He left the club by mutual consent in January 2004, with the "Magpies" under new ownership. At the time of his departure County were second bottom of the division after losing a crucial "six-point game" with Peterborough United. His replacement, Gary Mills, failed to keep County out of the relegation zone by the end of the 2003–04 season. Dearden later held scouting jobs at Blackpool and Milton Keynes Dons. He led the "Stags" to a 17th-place finish in League Two in 2006–07. He left the club by mutual consent in March 2008, with Mansfield two points adrift in the relegation zone. The club ended the 2007–08 season in the relegation zone, as new boss Paul Holland was unable to save them.

In July 2008, Dearden returned to Simon Grayson's Blackpool as the club's chief scout. In June 2011, he was appointed as chief scout at Sheffield United by new boss Danny Wilson.

Career statistics

Playing statistics

A. The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the League Cup, Football League Trophy, English Football League play-offs and Full Members' Cup.

Managerial statistics

Honours Crewe Alexandra Football League Fourth Division fourth-place promotion: 1967–68

Sheffield United Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1970–71

Individual Football League Second Division Manager of the Month: March 2002