Dean Rance
English footballer
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Dean James Robert Rance (born 24 September 1991)[3] is an English footballer who plays for Folkestone Invicta as a defensive midfielder.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dean James Robert Rance[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 24 September 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Maidstone, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2][3] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Folkestone Invicta | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2009 | Gillingham | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2012 | Gillingham | 0 | (0) |
| 2010 | → Maidstone United (loan) | ||
| 2011 | → Maidstone United (loan) | ||
| 2011 | → Bishop's Stortford (loan) | 7 | (3) |
| 2011 | → Bishop's Stortford (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Dover Athletic (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Dover Athletic | 35 | (0) |
| 2013–2019 | Ebbsfleet United | 193 | (9) |
| 2019–2020 | Aldershot Town | 31 | (2) |
| 2020–2023 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 78 | (5) |
| 2023–2024 | Scunthorpe United | 7 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Folkestone Invicta (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| 2024– | Folkestone Invicta | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12:24, 6 May 2024 (UTC) | |||
Career
Born in Maidstone, Kent, Rance joined the Gillingham Centre of Excellence at the age of eight.[4] He started an apprenticeship with the club during the summer of 2008 and his good form for the youth team earned him a call-up for the first team squad, being named on the bench for Gillingham's FA Cup game against Aston Villa in January 2009.[4] Rance finished the 2009–10 season as the youth team's top goalscorer, and in May 2010 signed his first professional contract with the club.[4] However, his opportunities in the first team were limited in the 2010–11 season by a foot injury sustained during a pre-season friendly.[4]
Despite this, he impressed during loan spells with non-League sides Maidstone United and Bishop's Stortford.[4] He signed a new one-year contract with Gillingham ahead of the 2011–12 season, during which he made his first team debut as a substitute in an FA Cup first round replay against Bournemouth in November 2011.[4]
Rance was loaned out to Conference South side Dover Athletic on a one-month loan on 2 March 2012.[5] He was released by Gillingham in May 2012 and signed a permanent contract with Dover.[6]
Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Rance signed for Ebbsfleet United. Rance quickly established himself as a fan favourite at Stonebridge Road and was named players' player of the season despite being sent off in the play-off final second leg at Bromley and thus missing the play-off final against his former club, Dover.
In March 2023, Rance signed for Scunthorpe United on a short-term deal until the end of the season, with the option for a further year.[7] He joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Folkestone Invicta on a one-month loan deal in January 2024, managed by Rance's former Ebbsfleet United teammate Andy Drury.[8] On 1 May 2024, he joined the club permanently, signing a two-year deal.[9]
Career statistics
- As of end of 2023–24 season
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gillingham | 2009–10[10] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010–11[10] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2011–12[10] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Bishop's Stortford (loan) | 2010–11[10] | Conference South | 7 | 3 | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | |||
| 2011–12[11] | Conference North | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 15 | 3 | — | — | — | 15 | 3 | |||||
| Dover Athletic (loan) | 2011–12[10] | Conference South | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Dover Athletic | 2012–13[12] | Conference South | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5[a] | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 44 | 0 | |||
| Ebbsfleet United | 2013–14[12] | Conference South | 37 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 6[b] | 0 | 47 | 3 | |
| 2014–15[12] | Conference South | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 4[c] | 0 | 24 | 1 | ||
| 2015–16[12] | National League South | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5[a] | 0 | 44 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17[12] | National League South | 39 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 7[d] | 1 | 48 | 3 | ||
| 2017–18[12] | National League | 34 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 4[e] | 0 | 39 | 3 | ||
| 2018–19[12] | National League | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| Total | 193 | 9 | 14 | 0 | — | 27 | 1 | 234 | 10 | |||
| Aldershot Town | 2019–20[12] | National League | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 2020–21[12] | National League | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 28 | 2 | |
| 2021–22[12] | National League | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 4[c] | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23[12] | National League | 29 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 35 | 2 | ||
| Total | 78 | 5 | 7 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 92 | 5 | |||
| Scunthorpe United | 2022–23[12] | National League | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24[12] | National League North | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| Folkestone Invicta (loan) | 2023–24[13] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| Career totals | 377 | 19 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 442 | 20 | ||
- Three appearances in Conference South play-offs, two in FA Trophy
- Two appearances in Conference South play-offs, four in FA Trophy
- Three appearances and one goal in National League South play-offs, four in FA Trophy
- Two appearances in National League play-offs, two in FA Trophy
