John Steele Deary (born 18 October 1962) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. He played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. Deary began his career with Alan Ball's young

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

team in 1980. Unlike the rest, however, he went on to appear in over 300 games for the club. He started as an apprentice, signing for the Seasiders in March 1980. He made his debut on 5 September 1980, in a 2–1 victory at

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

. The management seemed uncertain whether to play Deary in the heart of defence or deep in midfield, but he eventually established himself in the latter position. Deary scored his first league goal on 29 September 1982, in a 2–1 victory at Chester City. The following season, 1983–84, he scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

in a 3–1 victory over

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...

Bloomfield Road Bloomfield Road is a association football, football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool Football Club since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two be ...

on 28 April 1984. A tough tackler who enjoyed pushing forwards, Deary was Blackpool's top scorer during their 1984–85 promotion season, with fifteen goals in all competitions. At the end of the 1988–89 season, Deary decided to move on, his place now coming under pressure. Blackpool's neighbours,

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

, snapped him up for £30,000. After six years at

Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...

, Deary spent two years with

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

, before finishing his career with a short spell at

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

. He scored a goal in each of his first four games for Southport, but was sent off in his fifth and final game for the club, before injury forced him to retire.

Personal life

Deary was previously married, now divorced. He has one daughter. He currently owns a large

double glazing Insulating glass (IG) consists of two or more glass window panes separated by a space to reduce heat transfer across a part of the building envelope. A window with insulating glass is commonly known as double glazing or a double-paned window, ...

firm in

. He also had twins to his second wife, Alex, and is currently captain of the Vintage Clarets (former Burnley players), who play around the region raising money for various clubs and charities

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deary, John 1962 births Living people Footballers from Ormskirk English men's footballers Blackpool F.C. players Burnley F.C. players Rochdale A.F.C. players Southport F.C. players Men's association football midfielders English Football League players