Dave Beasant

I had heard that Dave Beasant was an R’s fan and a few years ago I saw a copy of his book, ‘Tales Of The Unexpected – The D.B Story’ in one of my local Charity shops. I flicked through it a few times for references to the Rangers but found no sign of anything at the time. As it was only 40p, I bought it anyway. Sometime later I found the un-read book in a big sort out at home and studied it in more detail. In chapter Two, sure enough, he devotes a few pages to the R’s.

He was born in Park Royal Hospital in 1959 and his ambition was to score goals for QPR or England. His earliest recollections were dominated by football, kicking a ball about in the street, playing for the school team or watching his Rangers idols at Loftus Road. He ended up in the 6th Form at Willesden High. When he wasn’t scoring goals as a prolific centre forward, he would normally be found marvelling at the skills of his first football hero, Rodney Marsh. One of the first games that he attended was the 5-1 thrashing of Birmingham when Marsh scored another hat trick (that game was shown on television and the goals did appear on a compilation video for posterity) From then on, he was hooked on Marsh and the Rangers.

Dave Beasant admits that he normally got in for nothing by using his brother-in law’s lottery Agent’s pass. For a cup tie against West Ham, he climbed over a gate and watched the match from the top of a wall !!! He got to meet Phil Parkes at a local fete in a penalty prize competition. Together with his goalkeeping brother Pete, he and Phil were called upon to keep goal for the competition. Because they were brothers, Dave had to try his luck against big Phil Parkes and ended up putting four out of five past him and eventually won the contest. Phil had to help him out because he had taken a dislike to the other kid in the final for being too cocky. Afterwards, he got to meet him in the dressing room and gave him some advice about making it as a professional footballer.

Luther Blissett was also at Willesden High and within a stones throw of where he lived in Brent, were, Gary Locke, Brian Stein, Steve Gatting and Ricky Hill. At one stage, he asked his PE teacher to write to QPR for a trial, either as a keeper or as an outfield player but nothing ever came of it.

Steve Russell

3 thoughts on “Dave Beasant

  1. I used to work in Colindale in the early 90’s and in my lunch hour used to have to go and buy lunch from ASDA on Edgware Road, anyway one day I was walking into there with a doris from work when this big lanky gueezer walked out and dropped his shopping bag, jars and cans rolling all around the floor…….I was in histerics….
    “what’s funny about that”……..(typical doris)
    “that’s the England goalkeeper Dave Beasant” my reply, she still didn’t have a scooby, but he laughed his plumbs off.

  2. I too ended up at Willesden High, playing in the same side as Gary Locke, who then went on to play for Chelsea
    Dave Beasant was brought up in Conley Road, Craven Park
    and firstly played for Edgware Town before signing for
    Wimbledon, we played together for Legionaire FC in the
    Hendon & District Sunday League Premier Division, and meet at least once a year at reunions etc. Known as Lurch or Dodgy, pretty much backs up Johns story of him being awkward and clumsy ! Great keeper though ! and a really top bloke !

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