The ongoing absence of Taye Ashby-Hammond at the start of the 2024-5 campaign saw Boro’ turn to Aussie goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis. The stopper wasn’t short on experience when he came to the Lamex; signing on a half-season loan from Reading. At the time, Ashby-Hammond – our expected number one for the season – was out injured for longer than we’d originally thought. And that had left loanee Murphy Cooper as our senior goalkeeper. So, the loan market proved to be an unavoidable short-term solution… and Bouzanis fit the bill for what we needed.

Based on his CV and relatively advanced age, the unveiling of Bouzanis in mid-August 2024 suggested we were bringing him here to be a serious contender for the number one jersey. Cooper had started the season and kept a clean sheet, so it wasn’t to be a formality that he’d give way. If nothing else, it gave boss Alex Revell choice and competition between the sticks – without having to unnecessarily expose members of our youth team. And it’s reasonable to reckon that Bouzanis generated a sense of expectation given his time in the Football League and Australian A League.

Dean Bouzanis: Before Boro’

After starting out in his native Australia, Bouzanis secured a big move in 2007 when Liverpool offered him a contract. It’d be at Anfield that he’d turn professional, although breaking into the first team was an entirely different question. He went back Down Under for a loan spell at Sydney FC, but didn’t play. Then came his first experience of Football League action when Accrington Stanley picked him up on loan during the 2009-10 season. Bouzanis would ultimately leave Liverpool in 2011; the stopper looking for the next chapter in his career.

The next few years saw the stopper move around a fair bit in geographical terms. After enjoying a fair bit of game time at Oldham Athletic, Bouzanis went to Greece in summer 2013 and signed for Aris. He didn’t feature there, however, and he wound up back in England with Carlisle United in early 2014. Again, first team action didn’t come to pass there. So, come the end of the 2013-4 season, the player moved back to his homeland; first at Western Sydney Wanderers, then down to Melbourne City. But for a year-long loan in Holland with PEC Zwolle, Bouzanis remained in Oz until 2020.

A return to England brought him first to Sutton United, then Reading in 2022; the Royals loaning him back to the Us in 2023.