 Born: 17th
April 1969 in Leeds.Lincoln
City career: 41 appearances and 8 goals between
October 1997 - May 1999.
Position:
centre-half.
Clubs:
Leeds, Rochdale, Guiseley, Carlisle, Lincoln
City, Doncaster Rovers, Northwich Victoria,
Cambridge United, Gainsborough Trinity and
Nuneaton.
Dean
Walling shares two distinctions in the history of
Lincoln City Football Club; first, he was and
still is the most expensive player ever to join
Lincoln and second, he is among a select band of
players who played International football whilst
at Sincil Bank.
After
being released by Leeds United and Rochdale, he
was allowed to drift into non-league football
with Yorkshire side Guiseley via a short spell in
Canada. However it was not long before this
mistake was spotted by Carlisle United and in
1991, after just one season at Guiseley, he
returned to the Football League.
During
his six seasons at Carlisle, which also saw him
captain the side, he helped the Cumbrian club to
two Wembley appearances and two promotions from
the basement division. By 1997, Carlisle, who
were embarking on their first season back in
Division 2, were in turmoil as Chairman Michael
Knighton had appointed himself manager and was in
the process of dismantling a promotion winning
team. One of Knighton's most bizarre decisions of
the season, apart from telling a journalist that
he had been for tea and biscuits on an Alien
spaceship (quite true), was to let Walling leave
the club.
Carlisle's
loss was Lincoln's gain, as Walling was
immediately made captain and not only did he
shore up Lincoln's defence but he contributed
vital goals to what would turn out to be
Lincoln's promotion season. It would be unfair on
the rest of Lincoln's players to say that he was
the catalyst of the promotion side but his
arrival certainly gave the Imps' that extra
confidence and leadership.
By
the end of the season the £75,000 which then
manager John Beck had paid to Carlisle was
clearly money well spent, especially as Walling
would later represent his country of St. Kitts
& Nevis in the World Cup qualifiers. Despite
John Reames being against the idea of him going,
since he missed key promotion matches, Walling
played twice taking him to within two appearances
of being Lincoln City's most capped player.
Unfortunately,
he sustained an injury the following season and
missed all but three matches as Lincoln fought
unsuccessfully against relegation. Worse though
was to come, as the Imps' faithful were not to
see Walling play for Lincoln again, as at the end
of the 1998/99 season he was unexpectedly sold to
Conference club Doncaster Rovers for a mere
£25,000; daylight robbery was the term which
sprang to most people's minds. Even Doncaster
manager Ian Snodin described the deal as a
"bargain buy" and that he was surprised
that Lincoln allowed him to leave.
In
February 2001, he was released by Doncaster and
after a trial with Darlington, he joined
Northwich Victoria. In July 2001, he revived his
Football League career at John Beck's Cambridge
United. After leaving Cambridge, he had spells at
Gainsborough Trinity and Nuneaton.
Walling
remains in the Lincoln area, where he runs soccer
schools for children.
Please click the
links to view cheap merchandise for Cambridge
United, Carlisle
United, Darlington, Leeds
United, Lincoln
City or Rochdale football club.
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Born: 2nd
December 1978 in Birmingham.