Name: Dean Thomas John Holden
Born: 15 September 1979, Salford (England)
Height: 6.01 ft
Weight: 12.05 st
Position: Full-Back
Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: Select (2007); England: Youth.
Born: 15 September 1979, Salford (England)
Height: 6.01 ft
Weight: 12.05 st
Position: Full-Back
Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: Select (2007); England: Youth.
Club Honours: (with Chesterfield) Football League Two Champion 2010/11.
Club Career:
Biography:
An England Youth international, Dean Holden came through the ranks at Bolton Wanderers. Adept anywhere across the defence as well as in a more attacking wing-back role, he is famed for the phenomenal power of his shots.
Holden made an early impact with Bolton, helping them to the semi-finals of the Carling Cup and FA Cup. A broken leg towards the end of 1999/2000, his first season in the firstteam, slowed his progress. He joined Oldham Athletic on loan in October 2001 and made the deal permanent on a free transfer with a sell-on clause the following summer. In 2004 his determined style of play saw him appointed captain at Boundary Park. He left in June 2005 on a Bosman-style free as his contract expired.
Signed by Peterborough United, he gave two years service to the Posh before leaving to sign for Falkirk in January 2007 for an undisclosed fee as his contract was running out. In the summer of 2007 Holden, who's grandparents were from Omagh, was selected for a Northern Ireland Select squad for a Milk Cup anniversary celebration match at Coleraine Showgrounds against Everton.
A broken leg picked up against Celtic in January 2008 ruled Holden out for nine months. Good form on his return brought renewed calls for an inclusion in the full Northern Ireland squad. Holden was released by Falkirk in the summer of 2009. He signed for English League Two side Shrewsbury on 26th June.
Holden agreed his release by the Shrews in January 2010 before signing for Chesterfield on a contract until the end of the season. He played seventeen games and scored twice as the Spireites claimed the League Two title. In November 2011 he joined Rochdale on loan, the deal becoming permanent the following January. He was not retained at the end of the season.
Holden joined Walsall as player-coach in 2012 and made his final appearances for the club in August 2014. He left the Saddlers to take up a coaching role at Oldham in November 2014 and was appointed caretaker-manager the following February. He remained as assistant manager that summer but left in January 2016 along with manager David Dunn, returning to Walsall as first team coach two months later.
Club Career:
Teams
|
Seasons
|
Signed
|
Fee
|
League
|
FA Cup
|
FL Cup
|
Other
|
Bolton
Wanderers
|
99/00-01/02
|
Dec-97
|
Youth
|
7 (6)/ 1
|
3(1)/0
|
3(1)/0
|
-
|
Oldham
Athletic
|
01/02
|
Oct-01
|
Loan
|
20 (3)/ 2
|
1(0)/0
|
-
|
3(0)/0
|
Oldham
Athletic
|
02/03-04/05
|
May-02
|
Free
|
78 (7)/ 8
|
4(0)/0
|
2(1)/0
|
5(1)/1
|
Peterborough
United
|
05/06-06/07
|
Jun-05
|
Free
|
54 (2)/ 4
|
4(0)/0
|
2(0)/0
|
5(0)/0
|
Falkirk
|
06//07-08/09
|
Jan-07
|
Undisc.
|
44 (4)/ 2
|
3(3)/0
|
3(0)/0
|
-
|
Shrewsbury
Town
|
09/10
|
Jun-09
|
Free
|
48 (2)/ 0
|
1(0)/0
|
1(0)/0
|
-
|
Rotherham
United
|
10/11
|
Aug-10
|
Loan
|
4 (2)/ 0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Chesterfield
|
10/11-11/12
|
Jan-11
|
Free
|
26 (5)/ 3
|
-
|
1(0)/0
|
1(0)/0
|
Rochdale
|
11/12
|
Nov-11
|
Loan
|
7 (0)/ 0
|
1(0)/0
|
-
|
-
|
Rochdale
|
11/12
|
Jan-12
|
Exch.
|
13 (1)/ 0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Walsall
|
12/13-14/15
|
Jul-12
|
Free
|
23 (3)/ 2
|
2(0)/0
|
3(0)/0
|
-
|
TOTALS
|
-
|
£-
|
314(35)/22
|
19(4)/0
|
15(2)/0
|
14(1)/1
|
|
Biography:
An England Youth international, Dean Holden came through the ranks at Bolton Wanderers. Adept anywhere across the defence as well as in a more attacking wing-back role, he is famed for the phenomenal power of his shots.
Signed by Peterborough United, he gave two years service to the Posh before leaving to sign for Falkirk in January 2007 for an undisclosed fee as his contract was running out. In the summer of 2007 Holden, who's grandparents were from Omagh, was selected for a Northern Ireland Select squad for a Milk Cup anniversary celebration match at Coleraine Showgrounds against Everton.
A broken leg picked up against Celtic in January 2008 ruled Holden out for nine months. Good form on his return brought renewed calls for an inclusion in the full Northern Ireland squad. Holden was released by Falkirk in the summer of 2009. He signed for English League Two side Shrewsbury on 26th June.
Holden agreed his release by the Shrews in January 2010 before signing for Chesterfield on a contract until the end of the season. He played seventeen games and scored twice as the Spireites claimed the League Two title. In November 2011 he joined Rochdale on loan, the deal becoming permanent the following January. He was not retained at the end of the season.
Holden joined Walsall as player-coach in 2012 and made his final appearances for the club in August 2014. He left the Saddlers to take up a coaching role at Oldham in November 2014 and was appointed caretaker-manager the following February. He remained as assistant manager that summer but left in January 2016 along with manager David Dunn, returning to Walsall as first team coach two months later.
In 2016 he joined the coaching staff at Bristol City, taking the manager's job in August 2020, but was sacked after a poor run the following February. In April 2021 he became assistanat manager to Michael O'Neill at Stoke City.
Northern Ireland Representative Appearance Details:
14-07-2007 Everton H L 0-2 Milk Cup Anniversary Match
Northern Ireland Representative Appearance Details:
14-07-2007 Everton H L 0-2 Milk Cup Anniversary Match
Comments