Deano’s new role could keep him busy in future (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Deano’s new role could keep him busy in future

1:30pm Friday 13th February 2009

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It seems Dean Windass has let the cat out of the bag.

Deano has always maintained he can carry on playing for years – and now his secret for “eternal youth” is out. He’s going to reinvent himself as a goalkeeper!

“I could play in those goals until I am 69 years of age,” he boasted after defying League One leaders Leicester last week.

As Oldham’s makeshift stopper, Deano put in a decent shift with a couple of genuinely impressive blocks in the second half.

And, of course, he can claim to have done enough to put off Matt Fryatt before the Leicester hitman fluffed his penalty.

Windass, being Windass, had already gone up to the division’s top scorer and told him that he would miss. So when he did, the stand-in stopper was entitled to claim an assist.

Deano is proud of his goalkeeping record of conceding only once in three appearances between the sticks. Though anyone who watched that one goal sail over his head at Southend a few years ago will question his cheeky claim that Fabio Capello can give him a call any time.

But if the judges were out after that dark December day at Roots Hall, there could be no doubts about his heroics at Walkers Stadium last week. And, inevitably, they were seen live on the telly.

Plenty of keepers have played on well into their 40s. For Deano, who hits the big milestone on April Fool’s Day, this could be just the beginning.