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CASUALS LEGEND PROFILE
Dez Monks
Dezzie with Catesy lurking Diminutive Dez was the first Casuals celebrity, appearing on BBC TV's first ever Reality show Castaway in 2000. This involved Dez and his missus Liz Cathrine living self sufficiently on the Outer Hebridean island of Taransay along with 34 other people for an entire year. He and Liz were two of only five castaways who never left the island during the year-long stay. "It was Liz who first saw the advert for the show" he said in an interview in January 2001.
"It was just the sort of madcap caper that appeals to us so we decided to give it a go. We were also interested in the fact that it was a big eco-project and wanted to be involved in something so ground-breaking."
"Initially I was seen as argumentative but I came into my own and if it wasn't for me and one of the other castaways I doubt the project would have worked."
Coincidentally current Casual Sam Holder's dad's best mate Pete Jowers was also on the island. TV presenter Ben Fogle was also one of the group.
WOOD YOU BELIEVE IT: Dez and Catherine in their Castaway pod So enthusiastic were Dez and Liz about the project that they bought one of the four accommodation 'pods' used on the island ("I haven't got a clue what to do with it!") and then cycled home to London from Taransay to raise money for Children In Need and Macmillan Nurses.
He previously worked as an international sales manager for Lee Cooper. "On TV we were portrayed as the London career couple but while Liz is going back to her job I've decided to become a house-husband and renovate a house in the country," said Dez on their return to normality.
Dez signed for the Casuals at the start of the 1994/95 season as a lively foil for heavyweight frontman Huw Thomas and the pair both scored on Dez's debut in a 3-2 win over Greenford Academicals.
He was also used in left midfield and at left back and is one of the 36 strong group of players to have made more than 50 appearances for the club.
His best individual moment was a blistering 20 yard volley into the top corner against Highgate Redwing in October 1997.
He was responsible for introducing Dave Brailsford - with whom he shared a house in London - to the club in 1996.
Dez also regularly turned out against the Casuals in 6-a-side games on the Battersea Park Astroturf where Steve Cates and Michael Rootes took great pleasure in kicking him!
Web Links:
Casuals Appearances/Goals: 53 / 10
1994/95 20 games / 6 goals
1995/96 14 / 2
1996/97 0
1997/98 13 / 2
1998/99 6 / 0
Number of Bridgend Tours: 1 (1996)
Honours: London Commercial League Division 3 Championship.
Debut: 17 Sept 1994 v Greenford Academicals in London Commercial League Division 6. Dez scored along with Phil Malcolm and Huw Thomas in a 3-2 win.
Final game: 13 Feb 1999 v Northolt Saints 2nds in London Commercial Div 3. Casuals won 1-0 with a Geraint Thomas goal.
Line up: Ferris, Richards, Monks, Shaikh, G Thomas, N Williams (O'Donnell), Cates, Welch, Jeyes, Malcolm, Rootes. Not used: Creely
No Q&A as yet as we can't track him down!
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