The 42-year-old needs no introduction, having been a crucial part of the coaching team at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium since March 2024.
Dean’s association with the Club began in 2020, as he signed for the Rebels under the stewardship of former teammate Adam Hinshelwood. However, due to the season being disrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Englishman didn’t make a competitive appearance in West Sussex.
After a spell working in the youth setup at Woodside Road, an opportunity arose for the former midfielder following Hinshelwood’s departure to York City. He was named as a member of Interim Manager Aarran Racine’s supporting staff for the latter stages of the 2023/24 campaign.
Dean made a lasting impression, as he contributed to the tremendous effort from the temporary staff to help the Club excel in the face of adversity. Racine, Hammond and Darren Budd were agonisingly close to guiding the Rebels into the fifth tier, as we lost in the National League South play-off final to Braintree Town.
Despite the defeat, the endeavour Hammond and Racine displayed during a testing period meant they retained their spot in the dugout once Chris Agutter arrived at the Club last summer.
Alongside his tactical expertise, Dean offers plenty of experience. During his playing career, he made over a century of appearances for Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton, while also being a part of the Leicester City squad that defied the odds to win the 2015/16 Premier League title.
The Assistant Manager role was made available after Aarran decided to recently step down from the position in order to solely concentrate on playing.
The stalwart dusted off his boots and came out of retirement in the closing stages of last campaign to provide a strong defensive reinforcement . Our former captain featured on four occasions, as he built up his fitness following a prolonged period without gracing the football pitch. This summer, Aarran penned a new deal, with the taste of competitive action encouraging him to continue his playing career.
Manager Chris Agutter expressed his thoughts on the change and further explained the process behind the decision.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that Deano will be stepping up to become the First Team Assistant Manager,” Agi stated.
“His personality, passion and enthusiasm for the game, coupled with his outstanding coaching capabilities, makes Deano an incredible asset to myself, the wider staff, the players and the Club as a whole.
“With Azza showing a desire to concentrate solely on playing, it feels like the perfect solution for Deano to take the Assistant Manager role. I am personally very lucky to benefit from working so closely with Deano.”
On Racine’s decision to relinquish his duties as Assistant Manager, Agutter added: “I’d like to thank Azza for his work as Assistant Manager last season. He’s an incredible leader and thinker of the game, and I have no doubt that when he wants to he will manage the Worthing FC First Team again.
“Now we will benefit from Azza being back on the pitch in a playing capacity – something that at 50% fitness we saw a glimpse of last season, where he shackled some of the best attacking players in the league towards the back end of last season.”
