{{short description|English former footballer and manager (born 1970)}} {{use British English|date=July 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Dean Stokes | image = | caption = | fullname = Dean Anthony Stokes<ref>{{Hugman|18902|accessdate=9 March 2017}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|05|23|df=y}} | birth_place = Birmingham, England | height = {{height|ft=5|in=7}}<ref name="Dean Stokes">{{cite web|title=261 Dean Stokes|url=https://clarkechroniclersfootballers.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/261-dean-stokes.html|work=clarkechroniclersfootballers.blogspot.co.uk|date=20 January 2011 |access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref> | position = Left-back | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Rochdale | years1 = | clubs1 = Castleton Gabriels| caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = | clubs2 = Armitage 90| caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = | clubs3 = Redditch United| caps3 = | goals3 = | years4 = 1992–1993| clubs4 = Halesowen Town| caps4 = | goals4 = | years5 = 1993–1998| clubs5 = Port Vale| caps5 = 60| goals5 = 0 | years6 = 1998–2000| clubs6 = Rochdale| caps6 = 30| goals6 = 0 | years7 = 2000| clubs7 = Leek Town| caps7 = 5| goals7 = 0 | years8 = | clubs8 = Alsager Town| caps8 = | goals8 = | totalcaps = | totalgoals = | manageryears1 = 2007–2008| managerclubs1 = Alsager Town | manageryears2 = 2009–20??| managerclubs2 = Rochdale Town }}

'''Dean Anthony Stokes''' (born 23 March 1970) is an English former footballer and manager. A former professional with Port Vale and Rochdale throughout the 1990s, he spent time with numerous non-League clubs before moving into management with Alsager Town and later Rochdale Town. He helped Port Vale to promotion out of the Second Division in 1993–94 and played in the final of the 1996 Anglo-Italian Cup.

==Playing career== Stokes was a quick left-back, who after initially turning down Rochdale played for non-League sides Castleton Gabriels, Armitage 90, Redditch United and Halesowen Town.<ref name="Kent">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Personalities|publisher=Witan Books|page=281|year=1996|isbn=0-9529152-0-0}}</ref>

He returned to the Football League in January 1993, signing for John Rudge's Port Vale of the Second Division. Halesowen Town eventually received £5,000 in payment due to appearance clauses.<ref name="Kent" /> His professional debut came on 18 December 1993, at the age of 23, in a 1–1 draw with Burnley at Vale Park. He enjoyed regular football for the rest of the 1993–94 promotion winning season, though he did lose his place in April.<ref name="Kent" /> After undergoing ankle surgery in August 1994, he hardly played in Vale's 1994–95 First Division campaign. He hardly featured in the 1995–96 season either, though he did come back into first-team plans in March 1996.<ref name="Kent" /> He played in the 1996 Anglo-Italian Cup final, as Vale lost 5–2 to Genoa.

One of the most successful seasons in Port Vale's history was 1996–97; Stokes played eleven games, ten of which were in the league. In 1997–98, he again appeared infrequently, with just nine games that season; he was allowed to leave upon its conclusion. He returned to the team of his youth – Rochdale, who were, as ever, in the basement division. He was injured again after eleven games of 1998–99. Stokes enjoyed consistent football in 1999–2000 for the first time in a long time. He played 26 games, six of which were cup encounters. However, at the age of 30, he dropped out of the Football League to play for Leek Town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/rochdale/rochdale.html|title=ROCHDALE : 1946/47 – 2007/08|work=Neil Brown stat site|access-date=26 July 2009}}</ref> He played five games for Leek in August and September 2000.<ref name="LeekTownSE"/>

==Management career== A veteran of the non-Leagues, Stokes became player-manager of Alsager Town in 2007. He quit the post in March 2008,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/7282735.stm|title=Stokes resigns his job at Alsager |date=7 March 2008|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=26 July 2009}}</ref> and became part of the coaching set-up at Eccleshall.

In June 2009, he was made head coach at Rochdale Town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=58832 |title=OLD AND NEW FACES AT ROCHDALE TOWN |date=27 June 2009 |work=NonLeagueDaily.com |access-date=26 July 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929162820/http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=58832 |archive-date=29 September 2012 }}</ref> The club finished bottom of the North West Counties League in 2009–10.

==Post-retirement== Stokes worked as a P.E. teacher at Abraham Moss High School. As at 2024, he is now teaching at Falinge Park High School, Rochdale.

==Career statistics==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>{{ENFA}}</ref><ref name="LeekTownSE">{{cite web |title=PlayerStats – LeekTownSE |url=https://leektown.net/players/PlayerStats?name=Dean%20Stokes |website=leektown.net |access-date=11 April 2022}}</ref> |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="6"|Port Vale||1993–94||Second Division||21||0||3||0||1||0||25||0 |- |1994–95||First Division||3||0||0||0||0||0||3||0 |- |1995–96||First Division||18||0||0||0||8||0||26||0 |- |1996–97||First Division||10||0||1||0||0||0||11||0 |- |1997–98||First Division||8||0||0||0||1||0||9||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !60!!0!!4!!0!!10!!0!!74!!0 |- |rowspan="3"|Rochdale||1998–99||Third Division||11||0||0||0||3||0||14||0 |- |1999–2000||Third Division||19||0||3||0||4||0||26||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !30!!0!!3!!0!!7!!0!!40!!0 |- |Leek Town |2000–01||Northern Premier League<br>Premier Division||5||0||0||0||0||0||5||0 |}

==Honours== '''Port Vale''' *Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1993–94 *Anglo-Italian Cup runner-up: 1996<ref name="RSSSF">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/angloit96.html|title=Anglo-Italian Cup 1995/96|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=12 July 2010}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stokes, Dean}} Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands Category:English men's footballers Category:Men's association football full-backs Category:Black British sportsmen Category:Rochdale Town F.C. players Category:Armitage 90 F.C. players Category:Redditch United F.C. players Category:Halesowen Town F.C. players Category:Port Vale F.C. players Category:Rochdale A.F.C. players Category:Leek Town F.C. players Category:Alsager Town F.C. players Category:English Football League players Category:Northern Premier League players Category:Men's association football player-managers Category:English football managers Category:Schoolteachers from Warwickshire Category:20th-century Black British people Category:21st-century Black British people Category:20th-century English sportsmen Category:21st-century English sportsmen