HAVANT they done well! re: Dean Holdsworth

[Cookie]

 

Hawks bag Premiership ace Holdsworth

Mon Jun 14, 2004 - 14:34

At a specially arranged press conference this afternoon at Westleigh Park, Havant and Waterlooville revealed the signing of ex-Wimbledon and Bolton Wanderers striker Dean Holdsworth on a two year contract. In an astonishing coup for the club, the Hawks will be Holdsworth’s first non-league home in an illustrious career spanning back to 1986.

 

Understandably excited, Secretary Trevor Brock related, "This is a fantastic high profile signing for us. It will allow us to hit the ground running in the Conference, which is exactly what we wanted to do."

 

"We wanted a big name to boost the profile of the club and it’s harder to think realistically of anyone much bigger. Everyone here has been impressed with his attitude and we’re looking forward to what will be his debut when we play Portsmouth in July."

 

The Hawks have beaten off opposition from Rushden and Diamonds and Leyton Orient, both of whom offered Dean full time contracts after his recent departure from Wimbledon. But interests off the pitch and a burgeoning career with Sky TV have lead Dean into looking for a non-league side to call home. Dean's position at Havant and Waterlooville will be firmly on the pitch rather than managerial, and he is said to have every intention of staying in full time training.

 

Dean started life as an apprentice at Watford in 1986, where he spent periods on loan at Carlisle, Port Vale and Swansea before moving to Brentford in 1989. From there Wimbledon paid £720,000 for his services in 1992 and he made 208 appearances in all competitions for the Dons during the following five years, scoring 76 goals.

 

Dean moved from Wimbledon to Bolton Wanderers in 1997 for a record setting £3.5 million and enjoyed six seasons there, totalling 186 appearances and 49 goals. After a brief spell at Coventry he helped Rushden and Diamonds to promotion in 2003 and then returned to Wimbledon, where he played 30 games last season. In his time he has played over 600 professional games and bagged 214 goals.

 

 

 

 

 

[FleetFanatic]

Quote:

cookie said:

Understandably excited, Secretary Trevor Brock related, "This is a fantastic high profile signing for us. It will allow us to hit the ground running in the Conference, which is exactly what we wanted to do."

Could somebody tell him that they are not in THE CONFERENCE?

[Cookie]

Sorry should have included that that statement was not from me but copied from havants site for us to see. NLP has confirmed this now. The conference bit I think you have failed to see that he was meaning the conference as in conference south and not the conference national.They have been promoted to the conference in their eyes whether it be the national or south or north so I think you will find they meant conference south though the whole conference thing is the point and that they are no longer in the lower leagues.Dr. martens I believe they were in.

[Guest]

Holdsworth is fat and old and just there for the money.

[FleetFanatic]

.....and there's another thing that's been bugging me since the end of the season - all those clubs that were one division below the top non-league division and STILL ARE yet they all describe themselves as 'being promoted'.

 

Of course, there are some clubs who can quite rightly described themselves as 'being demoted' - eh chaps?

[Guest]

The last time Havant & Waterlooville came to Hartsdown in the Dr Martens they had several ex Pompey players in their team, including Paul Wood who played for Pompey when I watched them regularly in the early 1980s. Mr Holdsworth is probably their biggest name so far, but I can't help thinking, like the post above, that he must be out of shape now and doing it for the money.