John Beales

DOB: 20th December 1984

Position: Sweeper

Season of first appearance: 2011/12

Season of last appearance: 2014/15

Full Appearances: 111

Substitute: 1

Goals: 4

Also played for:

Tonbridge Angels, Dartford, Hastings United, Erith & Belvedere and Grays Athletic.

Player Profile:

Defender who progressed through Tonbridge's youth ranks before making his first team debut for the Angels aged 17 in a 2-1 home defeat against Welling in the Kent Senior Cup on 29.10.02.

Over the course of the next five seasons John played over 250 times for Tonbridge and in April 2008 he was linked with a move to Bristol Rovers before suffering a cruciate ligament injury.

John didn't play again for over a year but having finally regained fitness he signed for Dartford in July 2009 and made 38 Isthmian League Premier Division appearances (five as sub) without scoring during 2009/10 as the Darts won the title.

In the summer of 2010, John moved on to Hastings and scored three times in 23 outings before leaving the club in December 2010.

He then had a brief spell back at Dartford early in January 2011 but by the end of the month he'd rejoined Tonbridge.

John made 13 Premier Division appearances for the Angels during the remainder of the 2010/11 campaign and scored twice but doubts about his fitness led to him being released by the club at the end of the season.

John trained with Margate during the summer of 2011 and after proving his fitness he formally signed for the club in October 2011, shortly after playing twice for Erith & Belvedere in the Kent League. Former Margate player Mike Azzopardi was in the Deres team when John made his debut for the club in a 3-1 home win over Deal on 1.10.11 and coincidentally Azzopardi had also been in the Tonbridge side when John made his debut for the Angels nine years earlier.

On 11.10.11 John made his debut for Margate at centre-back in a 2-1 home win over Cray in the Kent Senior Cup and the Isle of Thanet Gazette then said he "looked the part" in a 3-1 win over visitors Kingstonian in the Isthmian League Cup on 18.10.11. John started the next four games wearing the number five shirt but on 5.11.11 he had to go off 20 minutes into a 1-1 draw with Wealdstone in an FA Trophy tie at Hartsdown Park. He collided with keeper Simon Overland and suffered a bad cut above his eye. John missed Margate's next four games as a result.

He returned to action in a 1-0 home win over Ramsgate in the Kent Senior Cup on 22.11.11 and from then on John was ever-present until the end of the season. In its report on a 4-1 win over visitors Hastings in the Isthmian League Premier Division on 2.1.12 the Isle of Thanet Gazette said John was "forming a smashing understanding" with fellow centre-back Craig Cloke and the Thanet Times said he was "excellent" in a 1-0 win over Concord Rangers at Hartsdown Park on 7.1.12.

The Times described John as being "nice and solid" in its report on a 0-0 home draw with Leatherhead on 10.3.12 and at the end of March 2012 he became Margate's captain for a spell when Craig Cloke wasn't in the side. On 9.4.12 John got his first goal with a header in a 3-1 home defeat against Cray and he ended the campaign as Margate's 'Players' Player of the Year' having made a total of 36 appearances.

John became Margate's permanent captain for the 2012/13 campaign and on 7.8.12 he scored in a 2-1 friendly win over Horsham at Hartsdown Park. He went on to be a fixture in the side at centre-back barring minor cup ties and after a 2-0 home win over Enfield Town in the Isthmian League Premier Division on 15.9.12 John told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "We can hopefully stay there on the top of the league. The season is still early doors but we will be looking to stay there as long as possible."

On 10.11.12 he missed his first league game of the campaign as Margate won 2-0 at Harrow and on 8.12.12 John headed home his first goal of the season in a 2-0 win over visitors Wingate & Finchley. Margate's website said he was "brilliant in defence" during a 3-0 home win over Bognor Regis on 9.3.13 and on 19.3.13 John scored with a header from a Matt Bodkin corner in a 1-1 draw at Whitehawk.

He finished the campaign having scored twice from 46 appearances and John won the 'Players' Player of the Season' award once again. He told Margate's website "It's good to know that the boys respect you and think you're doing well." John also spoke about the difficulties of non-league football and said "A lot of us have got full time jobs. You're up early in the morning; you do the Tuesday night away games - Bury, Lowestoft (for example) - getting home two o'clock in the morning. You get up, work and then you're straight back training. Most of the time it's harder than full time football, but you just keep going."

In June 2013, John signed a contract to stay with Margate for the 2013/14 season. Despite the influx of new players from mid-season onwards, John still featured in the side and finished the season with 22 league appearances (plus one as sub) and scored two goals.

John remained at Hartsdown for 2014/15 but only made nine full league appearances (plus five as sub). He did score two league goals - one after coming on as a sub in a 3-0 home win over Grays on 29.11.14 and another in a 4-3 defeat at Billericay on 09.04.15. He also scored in a 3-1 FA Cup replay win at home to Folkestone on 16.09.14.

John's final appearance for the club was as a sub in the victorious play-off final against Hendon on 17.05.15 when he came on for Charlie Allen in the 90th minute.

John was in June 2016 reunited with former Margate team-mate Jamie Stuart, now Grays Athletic manager, when he signed for the Essex club. However, he did not make any league appearances for them.

John made a return visit to Hartsdown with his father Terry to watch our FA Cup tie against Concord Rangers on 21.09.19.