If any Arsenal supporters didn’t previously know of Roarie Deacon then they certainly do now after the Hale End academy product catapulted himself into the consciousness of the wider footballing fraternity with an excellent display for Sutton United against the Gunners in the FA Cup this week.
While at Arsenal, Deacon was never really seen as one of the club’s standout talents. Instead he worked tirelessly in the background, securing a professional contract and breaking into the reserve team, where he enjoyed moderate success.
Ultimately, though, a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal cost Deacon his chance at the club and he was released in 2011, seemingly never to be mentioned in Arsenal circles again.
Deacon initially moved to Sunderland, where he also failed to make a first-team appearance, with switches to Stevenage and Crawley Town following before he was picked up by Sutton.
Now 25, Deacon has never been a prolific goalscorer – he has found the net just 14 times in 133 senior appearances in his career – but he has strove arduously to improve other aspects of his game, with his direct runs and trickery earmarking him as a threat.
The winger is out of contract at Sutton at the end of the season, and, off the back of his display against Arsenal, which saw him strike the crossbar with a ferocious strike, Deacon has been linked with a host of clubs higher up the football pyramid, including Fulham, Charlton Athletic, Cardiff City, Millwall and Nottingham Forest.
After falling into non-league football, it appears that there could finally be a positive trajectory to Deacon’s career and, if such a move does come to fruition, his performance against Arsenal, where it all began for him, will certainly have played a major part in proceedings.
Fantastic story and as an American arsenal fan, this is why I fell in love not only with the EPL but the structure of how top flight football works in England. Nothing quite equates to it here in the states, as you would never see a former player who was considered “not good enough” and relegated to the “minor leagues” be given a chance to show his old team what he’s got in a competitive match while playing for a team that isn’t even in the same league/realm of competiton.
yes, you would… in the us open cup.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamar_Hunt_U.S._Open_Cup
Good luck to him. Cannot fault any player that works hard and really wants it.
Demon Deacon
I hope something works out for him. Always nice to see ex-Academy players find some success somewhere.
How much do they make playing Sutton? Do they make more than us no-special-talent people ? I am not saying this to take anything from Deacon or Eastmond but a little bit of development and they would have been in a totally different salary bracket. In a year, they deserve to earn more than the worth of the fifth car of another footballer.
I assume you mean “how much do they make playing FOR Sutton” – and it’s about 500 pounds a week.
You never know. Vardy went from non-league to Premier League from age 27 to 29 and won a title. Deacon was very impressive the other night.
This guy was one of the standout players for Sutton that day and I remember one of my friends that we were watching together questioning what a player with such obvious talent was doing playing at that level of football, and I explained to him that usually its not just about natural talent, (he must have it, else he wouldn’t have made it to Hale end), its also about being focused enough to grab your opportunities when being presented with one (like he was doing in the Sutton match!) Watching him play and make those typical Arsenal midfielder runs at… Read more »
I wish the best for Deacon (and eastmond) Careers take twist and turns, sometimes, the player wasn’t quite mature at the point and suffered the double impact of an unsuccessful club (sunderland) Hopefully, people will take note. Over recent seasons, Arsene has unearthed rare gems who have been overlooked. Perez is one bu t so is Holding. Jury still out on Bramall but clearly, Wenger has discovered that players have fallen through cracks in the system. He’s always been ahead of the game. Whilst the big clubs are scouring the foreign markets, Wenger has turned his attention to lower leagues… Read more »
Good luck to the lad.Only 25 so there’s still time for him to forge a decent career higher up the ladder. Maybe the lower leagues need more scouting because he is clearly better than the level he’s currently playing at.
Good luck to him. But 14 in 133???
Was nearly 15 in 133 – I think that crossbar is still shaking!
Just stay away from them pies, you hear?
As a youth he always lacked the final ball, whether it was scoring or a cross, and he doesn’t look as though he’s corrected that part of his game. However I do think he can be a valuable part of a lower league team (maybe championship but certainly league one or two).
He scored one goal for England U19s. All his other senior goals have come against League 1 (2), League 2 (6), or Non-league (6) teams. His only real claim to fame as a professional was hitting our crossbar from distance. I’m sure he’s a nice fellow, but I don’t see anything to convince me he’s going to make a home in the Championship based on his scoring record. If he does get a berth with a league team they’ll have to judge him on his midfield work, not his goals. I hope he finds success wherever he ends up.
I agree. He can drag play up the field and make space for others but those ‘others’ will have to score the goals.
There is a player called Vardy who once upon the time was playing non-league football.
Yes, as many above have said.
So was Ian Wright.
Your point?
I agree.