Boro’ boss Darren Sarll wasn’t slacking towards the end of the January 2018 transfer window. Not content with the number of new faces brought in as the deadline neared, Sarll still had room in his ranks for the arrival of the experienced Dean Bowditch. It was yet another midfielder, and yet another from Northampton Town.

Unlike his former Cobblers’ team mate Alex Revell (who signed for us a day before), Bowditch was a loan transfer. It’s perhaps fair to suggest that it hadn’t quite gone to plan for the midfielder after moving to Sixfields; signing a two-year deal in July 2017, his opportunities were at a premium. It was at Boro’, therefore, that first team football was to be more readily available.

Dean Bowditch: Before Boro’

Bowditch is perhaps best known for his time at MK Dons, where he was for six years – though not always free from injury. At the Dons, he was converted from an out-and-out striker to a winger or wide midfielder. It didn’t stop him finding the net, however; nearly racking up a half century before he left the club with 220+ appearances under his belt.

The player started out at Ipswich Town, making his debut aged 16 in the 2003 East Anglian derby. He was the Tractor Boys’ youngest player to score a hat-trick after his trio against Watford in the 2003-4 season, but injury got in the way of his chances to shine in the first team. As such, Bowditch ended up going out on the road for a number of loan spells: Burnley, Wycombe, Brighton (twice), Northampton and Brentford.

None of these clubs would sign Bowditch on a permanent deal after he was released by Ipswich, however. Instead, it was League One side Yeovil – swooping to sign him on a one-year deal. Despite more injury issues during his first season at Huish Park, he topped the club’s scoring charts all the same.