{{short description|English footballer}} {{Update|date=April 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}} {{Use British English|date=April 2016}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Dean Rance | image = | caption = | fullname = Dean James Robert Rance<ref name="List of Temporary Transfers of Players under Written Contract Between 01/03/2012 and 31/03/2012">{{Cite web | title = List of Temporary Transfers of Players under Written Contract Between 01/03/2012 and 31/03/2012 | url = http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/RulesandRegulations/~/media/Files/PDF/TheFA/PlayerRegistrations/2012/registrations-list-march-2012.ashx | archive-url = https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120428045705/http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/RulesandRegulations/~/media/Files/PDF/TheFA/PlayerRegistrations/2012/registrations-list-march-2012.ashx | url-status = dead | archive-date = 28 April 2012 | publisher = The Football Association | format = PDF | access-date = 18 April 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|9|24|df=y}} | birth_place = Maidstone, England | height = {{height|ft=5|in=11}}<ref>{{cite book|editor1-first=Glenda|editor1-last=Rollin|editor2-first=Jack|editor2-last=Rollin|title=Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013|year=2012|publisher=Headline|location=London|isbn=978-0-7553-6356-8|page=473|edition=43rd}}</ref><ref name=Aldershot/> | currentclub = Folkestone Invicta | clubnumber = | position = Midfielder | youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2009 | youthclubs1 = Gillingham | years1 = 2009–2012 | clubs1 = Gillingham | caps1 = 0 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 2010 | clubs2 = → Maidstone United (loan) | caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = 2011 | clubs3 = → Maidstone United (loan) | caps3 = | goals3 = | years4 = 2011 | clubs4 = → Bishop's Stortford (loan) | caps4 = 7 | goals4 = 3 | years5 = 2011 | clubs5 = → Bishop's Stortford (loan) | caps5 = 8 | goals5 = 0 | years6 = 2012 | clubs6 = → Dover Athletic (loan) | caps6 = 2 | goals6 = 0 | years7 = 2012–2013 | clubs7 = Dover Athletic | caps7 = 35 | goals7 = 0 | years8 = 2013–2019 | clubs8 = Ebbsfleet United | caps8 = 193 | goals8 = 9 | clubs9 = Aldershot Town | years9 = 2019–2020 | caps9 = 31 | goals9 = 2 | years10 = 2020–2023 | clubs10 = Dagenham & Redbridge | caps10 = 78 | goals10 = 5 | years11 = 2023–2024 | clubs11 = Scunthorpe United | caps11 = 7 | goals11 = 0 | years12 = 2024 | clubs12 = → Folkestone Invicta (loan) | caps12 = 16 | goals12 = 0 | years13 = 2024– | clubs13 = Folkestone Invicta | caps13 = 0 | goals13 = 0 | nationalyears1 = | nationalteam1 = | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 = | club-update = 12:24, 6 May 2024 (UTC) | ntupdate = }} '''Dean James Robert Rance''' (born 24 September 1991)<ref name=Aldershot>{{cite web|url=https://www.theshots.co.uk/player-profile/dean-rance/|title=Dean Rance|publisher=Aldershot Town Football Club|access-date=5 April 2020}}{{Dead link|date=November 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> is an English footballer who plays for Folkestone Invicta as a defensive midfielder.
==Career== Born in Maidstone, Kent, Rance joined the Gillingham Centre of Excellence at the age of eight.<ref name="Player Profiles">{{Cite web | title = Player Profiles | url = http://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10416~46175,00.html | publisher = Gillingham F.C | access-date = 3 April 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Player Profiles"/> 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.<ref name="Player Profiles"/> However, his opportunities in the first team were limited in the 2010–11 season by a foot injury sustained during a pre-season friendly.<ref name="Player Profiles"/>
Despite this, he impressed during loan spells with non-League sides Maidstone United and Bishop's Stortford.<ref name="Player Profiles"/> 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.<ref name="Player Profiles"/>
Rance was loaned out to Conference South side Dover Athletic on a one-month loan on 2 March 2012.<ref name="Reading winger Jordan Obita joins Andy Hessenthaler's Gillingham while midfielder Dean Rance leaves for Dover Athletic">{{Cite news | title = Reading winger Jordan Obita joins Andy Hessenthaler's Gillingham while midfielder Dean Rance leaves for Dover Athletic | url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/sport/2012/march/2/jordan_obita.aspx | publisher = Kent Online | date = 2 March 2012 | access-date = 3 April 2012}}</ref> He was released by Gillingham in May 2012 and signed a permanent contract with Dover.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/sport/2012/may/22/dean_rance.aspx|title=Ex-Gillingham youngster Dean Rance joins Dover Athletic|date=22 May 2012|access-date=22 May 2012|work=Kent Online}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scunthorpe-united.co.uk/news/2023/march/iron-sign-experienced-midfielder-dean-rance/|title=Iron sign experienced midfielder Dean Rance|website=www.scunthorpe-united.co.uk|date=21 March 2023|accessdate=21 March 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://folkestoneinvictafc.co.uk/2024/01/welcome-dean-rance/|title=Welcome: Dean Rance|website=folkestoneinvictafc.co.uk|date=16 January 2024|accessdate=17 January 2024}}</ref> On 1 May 2024, he joined the club permanently, signing a two-year deal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://folkestoneinvictafc.co.uk/2024/05/welcome-back-dean-rance/|title=Welcome (Back) Dean Rance|website=folkestoneinvictafc.co.uk|date=1 May 2024|accessdate=6 May 2024}}</ref>
==Career statistics== {{updated|end of 2023–24 season}} {| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition |- !rowspan=2|Club !rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|FA Cup !colspan=2|League Cup !colspan=2|Other !colspan=2|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan=4|Gillingham |2009–10<ref name="SW">{{cite web |title=D. Rance |url=https://uk.soccerway.com/players/dean-rance/133564/|work=Soccerway |publisher=Perform Group |access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref> |League One |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0 |- |2010–11<ref name="SW"/> |League Two |0||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||1||0 |- |2011–12<ref name="SW"/> |League Two |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0 |- !colspan=2|Total !0!!0!!1!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!1!!0 |- |rowspan=3|Bishop's Stortford (loan) |2010–11<ref name="SW"/> |Conference South |7||3||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||7||3 |- |2011–12<ref name="2011/12">{{cite book |editor1-first=Mike |editor1-last=Williams |editor2-first=Tony |editor2-last=Williams |title=Non-League Club Directory 2013 |year=2012 |publisher=Tony Williams Publications |isbn=978-1-869833-77-0}}</ref> |Conference North |8||0||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||8||0 |- !colspan=2|Total !15!!3!!colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—!!15!!3 |- |Dover Athletic (loan) |2011–12<ref name="SW"/> |Conference South |2||0||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||2||0 |- |rowspan=2|Dover Athletic |2012–13<ref name="AU">{{cite web |title=D. Rance - stats |url=http://www.aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk/players/dean-rance#playingcareer |publisher=Aylesbury United FC |access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref> |Conference South |35||0||2||0||colspan=2|—||5<ref group=lower-alpha name=DOV>Three appearances in Conference South play-offs, two in FA Trophy</ref>||0||42||0 |- !colspan=2|Total !37!!0!!2!!0||colspan=2|—||5!!0!!44!!0 |- |rowspan=7|Ebbsfleet United |2013–14<ref name="AU"/> |Conference South |37||3||4||0||colspan=2|—||6<ref group=lower-alpha name=EBB2>Two appearances in Conference South play-offs, four in FA Trophy</ref>||0||47||3 |- |2014–15<ref name="AU"/> |Conference South |18||1||2||0||colspan=2|—||4<ref group=lower-alpha name=FAT>Appearances in FA Trophy</ref>||0||24||1 |- |2015–16<ref name="AU"/> |National League South |37||0||2||0||colspan=2|—||5<ref group=lower-alpha name=DOV/>||0||44||0 |- |2016–17<ref name="AU"/> |National League South |39||2||2||0||colspan=2|—||7<ref group=lower-alpha name=EBB>Three appearances and one goal in National League South play-offs, four in FA Trophy</ref>||1||48||3 |- |2017–18<ref name="AU"/> |National League |34||3||3||0||colspan=2|—||4<ref group=lower-alpha name=EBB3>Two appearances in National League play-offs, two in FA Trophy</ref>||0||39||3 |- |2018–19<ref name="AU"/> |National League |28||0||1||0||colspan=2|—||1<ref group=lower-alpha name=FAT/>||0||30||0 |- !colspan=2|Total !193!!9!!14!!0||colspan=2|—||27!!1!!234!!10 |- |Aldershot Town |2019–20<ref name="AU"/> |National League |31||2||1||0||colspan=2|—||1<ref group=lower-alpha name=FAT/>||0||33||2 |- |rowspan=4|Dagenham & Redbridge |2020–21<ref name="AU"/> |National League |26||2||1||0||colspan=2|—||1<ref group=lower-alpha name=FAT/>||0||28||2 |- |2021–22<ref name="AU"/> |National League |23||1||2||0||colspan=2|—||4<ref group=lower-alpha name=FAT/>||0||29||1 |- |2022–23<ref name="AU"/> |National League |29||2||4||0||colspan=2|—||2<ref group=lower-alpha name=FAT/>||0||35||2 |- !colspan=2|Total !78!!5!!7!!0||colspan=2|—||7!!0!!92!!5 |- |rowspan="3"|Scunthorpe United |2022–23<ref name="AU"/> |National League |7||0||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||7||0 |- |2023–24<ref name="AU"/> |National League North |0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||0||0||0||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !7!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!7!!0 |- |Folkestone Invicta (loan) |2023–24<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/folkestone-invicta/appearances/2023-2024/dean-rance/933587|title=Folkestone Invicta – Appearances – Dean Rance – 2023–2024|website=www.footballwebpages.co.uk|accessdate=6 May 2024}}</ref> |Isthmian League Premier Division |16||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||0||0||16||0 |- !colspan="3"|Career totals !377!!19!!25!!0!!0!!0!!40!!1!!442!!20 |}
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==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Soccerbase}} *{{Soccerway|dean-rance/133564}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rance, Dean}} Category:1991 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Maidstone Category:English men's footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Gillingham F.C. players Category:Maidstone United F.C. players Category:Bishop's Stortford F.C. players Category:Dover Athletic F.C. players Category:Ebbsfleet United F.C. players Category:Aldershot Town F.C. players Category:Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. players Category:Scunthorpe United F.C. players Category:Folkestone Invicta F.C. players Category:National League (English football) players Category:Isthmian League players Category:21st-century English sportsmen