D is for Dyer
Born in Stockholm but raised in London, Alex Dyer joined the Cobblers’ youth academy at 15 years old to kick-start his footballing career in 2005.
It did not take long for the midfielder to make his professional debut, running out against then-Premier League side Middlesbrough in the 2007/08 League Cup, and he went on to establish himself in the squad in a season when Northampton Town finished ninth in League One.
Dyer was named the club’s Young Player of the Year at the end of the campaign, but the Cobblers suffered relegation to the fourth tier 12 months later on the final day.
Having agreed a two-year contract extension early in 2009, he secured more playing time under Ian Sampson in the division below and went on to make more than 30 total appearances in claret and white, scoring on three occasions.
The Cobblers missed out on a play-off place by five points and he was one of several players released. Dyer signed for non-league side Wealdstone later in 2010, making more than 100 appearances before he transferred to Welling United for a short spell in the highest division outside of the English Football League.
However, his career truly blossomed in his birth country of Sweden, linking up with current Premier League manager Graham Potter who was then managing Östersunds in the Superettan in 2014. Dyer played a pivotal role in the club’s promotion to the top flight, and their subsequent mid-table finish.
A spell at Swedish giants IF Elfsborg followed, which also included a loan to Lillestrøm SK, before a brief stint in Kuwaiti and a return to Wealdstone, who are now playing in the National League, having put pen-to-paper on a short-term deal at the start of October 2020.
In his last spell at the Stones, Dyer was selected to represent Montserrat – having qualified through his father’s parents – for the first time, and he also studied accountancy at The Open University and played for Great Britain at the 2013 World University Games, where he helped the team become silver medalists, shortly before he joined Welling.
Now he is back in the UK with more experience, having appeared regularly for the Emerald Boys since his international debut in 2011.
