| Dean Rance | |
| Fullname: | Dean James Robert Rance[1] |
| Birth Date: | 24 September 1991 |
| Birth Place: | Maidstone, England |
| Height: | [2] |
| Currentclub: | Folkestone Invicta |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Youthyears1: | –2009 |
| Youthclubs1: | Gillingham |
| Years1: | 2009–2012 |
| Clubs1: | Gillingham |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2010 |
| Clubs2: | → Maidstone United (loan) |
| Years3: | 2011 |
| Clubs3: | → Maidstone United (loan) |
| 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 |
| Club-Update: | 12:24, 6 May 2024 (UTC) |
Dean James Robert Rance (born 24 September 1991)[3] is an English footballer who plays for Folkestone Invicta as a defensive midfielder.
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]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| 2009–10[10] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | League Two | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | 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 | 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 | Conference South | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Dover Athletic | 2012–13[12] | Conference South | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5[13] | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
| Total | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5! | 0 | 44 | 0 | ||||
| Ebbsfleet United | 2013–14 | Conference South | 37 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 6[14] | 0 | 47 | 3 | ||
| 2014–15 | Conference South | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 4[15] | 0 | 24 | 1 | |||
| 2015–16 | National League South | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 44 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | National League South | 39 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 7[16] | 1 | 48 | 3 | |||
| 2017–18 | National League | 34 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 4[17] | 0 | 39 | 3 | |||
| 2018–19 | National League | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |||
| Total | 193 | 9 | 14 | 0 | — | 27! | 1 | 234 | 10 | ||||
| Aldershot Town | 2019–20 | National League | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 33 | 2 | ||
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 2020–21 | National League | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 28 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | National League | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23 | National League | 29 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 35 | 2 | |||
| Total | 78 | 5 | 7 | 0 | — | 7! | 0 | 92 | 5 | ||||
| Scunthorpe United | 2022–23 | National League | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 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[18] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| Career totals | 377 | 19 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 442 | 20 | |||