Dickinson: Liam Michael (Liam)

2009-2009 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Striker

Born: Salford: 04-10-1985

Debut v Swindon Town (h) (Substitute): 14-03-2009

6’4” 11st 7lb (2009)

Dickinson began his career at Blackpool's Centre of Excellence where he was offered a contract, but he chose instead to sign for Bolton Wanderers before joining Blackburn Rovers where he was in their academy but at sixteen he was released before signing a full time contract. He dropped out of football and concentrated on his work as a graphic artist, but played Sunday League football before playing in the Manchester League with Irlam and then Swinton Town. When he was eighteen he started playing semi-professionally when he signed for North West Counties Football League club Trafford after a short trial in December 2003. He made forty-three appearances for the club, scoring seven goals until he moved to Woodley Sports in 2004. Three, despite injury problems, he scored nine goals in thirty-eight appearances. After impressing during a trial in November 2005, Stockport County signed him for £ 2,000 on 22nd December 2005. He was spotted by then-manager Chris Turner, but, unfortunately, after a 6-0 Boxing Day defeat at Macclesfield Town that left County well adrift at the bottom of the Football League, Turner resigned before Dickinson had even played a game. Jim Gannon took over as Manager, and in both men's debut game against Cheltenham, on 2nd January 2006, as a seventy-first minute substitute against Cheltenham Town at Edgeley Park Dickinson scored after just five minutes on the pitch in a 2-2 draw. His next goal came in the next home match, against Rushden, when County were 2-1 down and in the fifth minute of injury time he snatched a dramatic equaliser. Three weeks later, in a Cheshire derby at Chester, Dickinson put County ahead with fifteen minutes to go only for the home side to equalise on eighty-one minutes. But, with seconds of normal time left, Dickinson snatched the vital victory with a late winner. The important, dramatic goals continued, the next coming in another local derby as County visited Bury mid-week. It was five minutes from time when he raced clear on a boggy pitch and placed the ball past Kasper Schmeichel for three more points. Later came another injury time equaliser, this time at Cheltenham, when an eighty-eighth minute penalty looked to have snatched the points for the home side as they led 3-2, only for Dickinson to draw level in the ninety-fourth minute. On 21st March 2006 he signed a contract extension with the club until July 2008. His seven goals in twelve starts and seven games as a substitute in the 2005-06 season played a large part in the club's survival in League Two. The following season he netted seven times in eleven starts and twenty-two games from the bench in the League. During the 2007-08 season he had his most prolific term as a Football League player hitting the net twenty-one times from thirty-two starts and six games from the bench, winning Stockport's “Player of the Year” award in the process. He got the decisive goal in the League Two Semi-Final, Second Leg on 17th May 2008 against Wycombe Wanderers at Edgeley Park and then scored Stockport's third goal in the League Two Play-Off Final against Rochdale at Wembley Stadium on 26th May as Stockport won 3–2 and were promoted to League One and his talents gained exposure on a national level. In June 2008, he was linked with a move to CCCL clubs Derby County and Blackpool. In his time with Stockport he scored thirty-three League goals from fifty-seven starts and another thirty-seven games from the bench. He also started two F.A. Cup ties and started one League Cup game and played another from the bench and started five Johnstone’s Paint Trophy games, all without scoring, but scored twice in three starts in the League Two play-offs. Dickinson signed for Derby County on 1st July 2008 for a fee of around £750,000. On 19th August 2008, Manager Paul Jewell loaned him to League One team Huddersfield Town for a month to gain first-team experience. He made his Huddersfield debut in Town's 3-1 defeat by Milton Keynes Dons on 23rd August 2008. His first goal for the Terriers came on 30th August 2008 in their 2-1 defeat by Millwall in which he fired in a powerful overhead kick to give them the lead. On 13th September, he grabbed his first goal at the Galpharm Stadium where he scored to give Town the lead against Tranmere Rovers in a 1-2 defeat. Dickinson had his loan spell extended twice more before returning to Derby on 17th November 2008, having scored six goals in thirteen League starts. On 27th November 2008 Dickinson signed for Blackpool on loan. Two days later he made a scoring debut for Blackpool, netting both of the Seasiders’ goals in their 2–1 victory over Plymouth Argyle at Home Park. His first came just three minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute for fellow loanee Steve Kabba. On 6th December 2008, in his full home debut for Blackpool, he again scored twice in the second half as they beat Charlton Athletic 2-0 at Bloomfield Road. Blackpool Manager Simon Grayson was impressed by Dickinson’s performances and rembered them when he later signed him on loan when he became Manager of Leeds. He scored four League goals in five starts and two games from the bench for Blackpool. When Paul Jewell resigned as Derby manager on 28th December, the first move by Caretaker Manager Chris Hutchings was to recall Dickinson from his loan spell at Blackpool. On the last day of the January 2009 transfer window Dickinson agreed to a loan move to Leeds United, but the papers arrived at the Football League fourteen minutes after the deadline. The transfer was put on hold as Dickinson also had an injury, and, on 13th March 2009, he joined Leeds on loan for the rest of the season. He made his debut as a substitute at home to Swindon Town on 14th March 2009, when he came on ten minutes from time, as Leeds won 1-0. He made his run-on debut a week later in a 3-2 victory at Crewe Alexandra, when he played the first seventy minutes before being replaced by Mike Grella. The following weekend he was a last minute substitute for Robert Snodgrass in a 2-0 win over MK Dons at Elland Road. It was the same the next game, when he was an injury-time replacement for Luciano Becchio in a 1-0 win at Colchester United. He was back in the starting line-up for the 2-2 draw at Leyton Orient, when he was replaced after seventy-six minutes by Andy Robinson. He also started the game at Elland Road against his old team Stockport County when he was substituted with fourteen minutes to go by Mike Grella. He retained his place for the vital clash with Leicester City at the Walkers Stadium on 13th April 2009 and played all but seven minutes before giving way to Mike Grella, as Leeds went down unluckily by 1-0. Two games later he came of the bench seven minutes before time as Neil Kilkenny’s replacement in a 1-0 win at Hartlepool United. However, he failed to score a goal whilst at Leeds as they failed to earn promotion and he played no further part after that game as Jermaine Beckford and others returned from injury. He started four League games and came off the bench four times at Elland Road. On his return to Derby, Dickinson was told he was not part of the plans at Derby and that it was likely he would be allowed to move on a season-long loan. On 3rd July it was revealed that Dickinson was the subject of two 'small' bids from Norwich City, both of which were rejected, leaving Dickinson to criticise the club for placing an 'unrealistic' valuation on him. On 14th July 2009, he was transferred to League One side Brighton and Hove Albion for £300,000, where he signed a three-year contract. Surprisingly Dickinson was unable to cement a regular place in the Brighton line-up and he was allowed to go on loan to Peterborough United from 15th February until the end of the season, scoring three goals in nine League appearances. He had previously scored four times in seventeen starts and ten games from the bench in the League and scored twice in three starts and one game from the bench in the F.A, Cup, while one game in the League Cup saw no goals. He was not able to improve on this record as he signed for Barnsley for £150,000, on a two year contract with an option on a third on 30th June 2010. He was at Oakwell for a year but his only start in a game was a solitary game in the League Cup, but he did make three substitute appearances in the League. He was farmed out twice in the year, to Walsall for two months from 1st November 2010, where he made two starts and had two games from the bench in the League and three games in the F.A. Cup without scoring, and then with Rochdale from 6th January 2011 to the end of the season, when he failed to score in fourteen games in the League, seven of which were as a substitute. He was released by Barnsley at the end of the season and he was signed by Southend United on a one year contract with the option of a second.