Professional footballer once jailed for hooliganism then banned from stadiums is set to play against team whose fans he brawled with in central London

Dean Wells was arrested for his involvement in a fight in 2010
Wells was part of a brawl between Brentford and Leyton Orient fans
Sentenced to 12 months in prison, he was then banned from stadiums
Wells now plays for Stevenage, who take on Leyton Orient on Tuesday

James Restall for MailOnline

Published:
08:44 GMT, 18 August 2015

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Updated:
09:52 GMT, 18 August 2015

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A professional footballer who was sentenced to 12 months in prison for taking part in football hooliganism could line up against the team whose supporters he was jailed for fighting.

Dean Wells was found guilty of affray in 2011 after being part of a mob of Brentford fans during an arranged brawl with Leyton Orient supporters outside Liverpool Street Station in May 2010.

Then captain of non-league Hampton and Richmond Borough, the former Brentford defender served six months of his sentence and was released in October 2011.

He resumed his semi-professional playing career but a banning order meant that for two seasons he could only attend stadiums if he was playing.

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Dean Wells, who played for Hampton and Richmond Borough at the time, in action for Stevenage. He is set to play against Leyton Orient, the side whose fans he brawled with leading to a jail term

Supporters from Brentford and Leyton Orient fight at Liverpool Street after arranging to meet on Facebook

Wells was jailed for a year for his part in the ugly brawl which he claimed was a result of drinking

The brawling thugs scatter as a police car arrives during the 2010 incident in Liverpool Street, London

Last summer, former Stevenage manager Graham Westley gave Wells another chance to play in the Football League, with the League Two side paying Conference club Braintree £25,000 for his services.

Now the 30-year-old is a first-team regular and is set to come face to face with Orient for the first time since his conviction if Westley’s successor, Teddy Sheringham, starts him in their league fixture in East London on Tuesday.

DEAN WELLS’ CAREER

Defender Wells spent a year with Brentford as a trainee during the 2003-04 season, making just one appearance.

He then spent a number of years with Hampton & Richmond Borough, the side he was captaining when he was jailed in 2011.

Wells joined Staines Town upon his release from prison, resuming his semi-professional career before moving to Braintree Town on a free transfer in November 2011.

Last July he moved to Stevenage for a fee of £22,000 and last season he played 49 games for the League Two club, scoring four goals.

Wells’ conviction followed a brawl that took place on the final day of the 2009-10 season, after Brentford had hosted Hartlepool United and Orient travelled to Colchester United.

Up to 40 supporters of the London clubs clashed outside Liverpool Street Station, throwing bottles and other missiles. Wells was one of four Brentford fans convicted along with two Orient supporters.

Speaking about his conviction while at Braintree in 2013, Wells told the Non-League Paper: ‘We were out drinking and the beer goggles came out.

‘We went into London for a drink, someone saw something on Facebook, and before we knew it, arrangements were being made. Someone came up with the bright idea of meeting them at Liverpool Street Station and things had got seriously out of hand.

Dean Wells is in line to play for Stevenage against Leyton Orient on Tuesday in a League Two clash

Wells was arrested for his part in a fight between Brentford and Leyton Orient fans in 2010

Stevenage manager Teddy Sheringham (centre) could play Wells against Leyton Orient on Tuesday night

‘I’m not going to put the blame on anyone else. I was 25, I knew better. I spent the first five months in Belmarsh and the last month in Hollesley Bay, in Suffolk.

‘In a weird way getting caught and going down was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I would never glorify going away — but this was a serious reality check, I don’t want to say I needed it but it needed something to slap me in the face quite hard.

‘Six months inside allowed me to get my head right.’

Wells began his playing days with Brentford but only made one substitute appearance for the first team in October 2003 but was released in 2004.

He joined Hampton and Richmond Borough in the Isthmian League, making 300 appearances and becoming captain before his conviction.

The incident happened outside Liverpool Street Station in east London, seen here today via Google Maps

But he has successfully rebuilt his career since his release, briefly playing for Staines Town before linking up with former Hampton manager Alan Devonshire at Braintree Town — although until June 2013 a banning order meant that Wells couldn’t even watch his team from the stands.

He told the Non-League Paper: ‘If I wasn’t involved in the game I couldn’t attend, simple as that. I had to agree to those terms so if I was left out I’d have to turn around and go home.’

Wells worked part-time as a school caretaker while playing for the Essex side, and was rewarded for his performances with a return to the professional game.

He has been an instant hit at Stevenage, featuring in 43 of their 46 league games last season — as well as both legs of the play-off semi-final defeat by Southend United — and scoring four goals. He has played every minute of their three matches so far this campaign.

Wells admitted on Twitter that he was nervous about the game at Orient, saying ‘just hope the crowd are polite to me’, followed by an anxious emoji.