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Dave Beasant
Personal information
Full name	David John Beasant
Date of birth	20 March 1959 (1959-03-20) (age 50)
Place of birth	Willesden, London, England
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1978–1979 1979–1988 1988–1989 1989–1992 1992 1992 1993–1997 1997–2001 2001–2002 2001 2002 2002 2003 2003–2004	Edgware Town Wimbledon Newcastle United Chelsea → Grimsby Town (loan) → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) Southampton Nottingham Forest Portsmouth →Tottenham Hotspur (loan) Bradford City Wigan Athletic Brighton & Hove Albion Fulham Total	00? (?) 340 (0) 020 (0) 133 (0) 006 (0) 004 (0) 088 (0) 139 (0) 027 (0) 001 (0) 000 (0) 000 (0) 016 (0) 000 (0) 774 (0)
National team
1989–1991 1989	England B England	007 (0) 002 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

David John "Dave" Beasant, (born 20 March 1959 in Willesden, London) is a former English football goalkeeper who began his career in the late 1970s. A well-travelled player, Beasant's former clubs include Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan Athletic. His nickname was 'Lurch' due to his resemblance to the butler in the TV show The Addams Family.

[edit] Football career

He entered the Football League in 1979 at the age of 20 when Wimbledon, newly promoted to the Third Division, signed him from non league Edgware Town. He made his debut for them against Blackpool on 12 January 1980 and played once again that season, in which Wimbledon were relegated. He became a regular player the following campaign when they were promoted and stayed loyal to the club even when they were relegated again in 1982, being a key player in the side that won the Fourth Division title in 1983, won promotion from the Third Division a year later, and completed a four-season rise to the First Division in 1986 when they gained promotion from the Second Division in only their ninth season as a Football League team.

He became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final when he blocked John Aldridge's spot-kick for Liverpool in 1988, and in doing so helped Wimbledon secure a famous 1–0 win. He was also the first goalkeeper to captain his team in an FA Cup final.

His ability to kick the ball some considerable distance fitted in well with the style of play Wimbledon were known for in the 1980s, nor was he afraid to move out of the area and upfield before kicking the ball, or in order to take free kicks. As a result, opposing defences could never relax when he had the ball.

Wimbledon also did well in the league after their promotion in 1986, going top of the First Division in early September before finishing sixth at the end of the 1986-87 season. They finished seventh in the cup winning campaign a year later, and in June 1988 Beasant was sold to Newcastle United for £750,000 - a national record for a goalkeeper at the time. [1]

However, Beasant's spell on Tyneside was short and ill fated as the Magpies struggled and were finally relegated from the First Division in bottom place, but Beasant had left in January 1989

In September 1992, two mistakes in a match against Norwich City led to Chelsea manager Ian Porterfield telling the media Beasant would never play for the club again, although he returned to the side when Porterfield left later that season. ^[1].

He signed for Southampton in 1993 and spent five years there before signing for Nottingham Forest in 1998 at the age of 39. He spent two years at the City Ground before signing for Portsmouth. He played his last competitive game in the 2002-03 season for Brighton & Hove Albion at the age of 43, although he did spent the 2003-04 season registered as a player with Fulham in the FA Premier League. By then he was the oldest player registered with any professional club.

Beasant won two caps for England, and went to the 1990 World Cup as a late replacement when third-choice keeper David Seaman suffered a hand injury.

Beasant went on to sign for Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth—as a replacement for Aaron Flahavan after the goalkeeper's death—Tottenham Hotspur (loan), Bradford City, Wigan Athletic and Brighton and Hove Albion and was registered as a player with Fulham during the 2003-04 Premier League campaign (his last as a professional player at the age of 44).

[edit] Coaching career

By the time of his retirement, Beasant had been appointed as a goalkeeping coach for the club in addition to serving as goalkeeping coach for Northern Ireland under former Wimbledon teammate Lawrie Sanchez. Beasant resigned from the Northern Ireland post in 2007 after Sanchez was appointed Fulham manager only for the pair to both be sacked by the club within seven months.

Beasant is current a senior coach at the Glenn Hoddle Academy. He joined in 2008 and not only works with the Academy’s goalkeepers, but also outfield players, especially with defenders.^[2]

[edit] Honours

Wimbledon

• FA Cup: Winner 1988
• Football League Second Division Champion: 1985–86
• Football League Third Division Champion: 1983–84
• Football League Fourth Division Champion: 1982–83
• Football League Group Cup Runner-up: 1982

Nottingham Forest

• Football League First Division Champion: 1997–98

[edit] External links

• Dave Beasant career stats at Soccerbase

[edit] References

v • d • e England squad – 1990 FIFA World Cup Fourth Place 1 Shilton • 2 Stevens • 3 Pearce • 4 Webb • 5 Walker • 6 Butcher • 7 Bryan Robson • 8 Waddle • 9 Beardsley • 10 Lineker • 11 Barnes • 12 Parker • 13 Woods • 14 Wright • 15 Dorigo • 16 McMahon • 17 Platt • 18 Hodge • 19 Gascoigne • 20 Steven • 21 Bull • 22 Beasant • Coach: Bobby Robson