Kerslake: David

1993-1993 (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

Right Back

Born: Stepney, London: 19-06-1966

Debut: v Manchester City (h): 13-03-1993

5’8” 11st (1993)

Kerslake played for East London, Inner London, London District and England Schoolboys at Under-Fifteen and Under-Sixteen level, when a winger. Then started his career with Queens Park Rangers, firstly as an amateur, signing schoolboy forms in June 1982 and turning professional in June 1983. Youth and England under-Nineteen internationals soon followed before he gained his England Under-Twenty-one cap against Turkey in 1985. He made his debut for Queens Park Rangers at home to Newcastle United on 13th April 1985. He scored six goals in fifty-eight League games, of which twenty were as substitute, as well as scoring four times in six starts and two games as a substitute in the League Cup, but not scoring in two starts and two games as a substitute in both the F.A. Cup and other games, while at at Loftus Road. A £110,000 move to Swindon Town on 24th November 1989 saw him make his Swindon debut on 26th November 1989 in a 2-2 home draw the Second Division clash with Portsmouth and to play under future England boss Glenn Hoddle, but he gave up the chance to feature in the Division One promotion play-offs to join Leeds United for £500,000 on 11th March 1993. In his first spell with Swindon he had played one hundred-and-thirty-five League games, of which only two were off the bench, and scored once, and he also started eight F.A. Cup, Twelve League Cup and ten other games to become acknowledged as the best right-back in the Division. With right-back Mel Sterland facing a lengthy lay-off because of injury, Leeds turned to the former England Under-Twenty-one international to fill the vacancy. However, an injury at Anfield in only his eighth appearance, curtailed his season. Gary Kelly seized the opportunity offered and started his long unbroken run at right back and Kerslake was released after only six months at Elland Road, United taking a £50,000 loss as he joined Tottenham Hotspur for £450,000. He was signed by his former Swindon boss, Ossie Ardiles, but after the Argentinian had left Spurs, his successor, Gerry Francis, found very little use for him and he spent much of his last two seasons at White Hart Lane on the sidelines. He finished up making only thirty-four starts and three substitute appearances in his four years at White Hart Lane, as well as starting one and coming on once as a substitute in the F.A. Cup and starting five League Cup matches. However, he did return to Swindon Town for a second spell on two month's loan from 23rd November 1996, making eight League starts. He had a fortnight's loan to Charlton Athletic in August 1997, but did not play in the first team. On 14th August 1997 he went to Ipswich Town on a free-transfer, where he made two starts and five substitute appearances in the League and one start and one substitute appearance in the League Cup. On 11th December 1997 he went on loan to Wycombe Wanderers, where he had nine starts and one game off the bench in the League, before returning to Portman Road on 9th March 1998 to immediately join Swindon Town for a third time and made twenty-three starts and two games as substitute in the League before he joined Non-League Canvey Island on 14th May 1999, after playing his final game for Swindon on 13th March 1999 in a 1-2 home defeat in a Division One match with Crewe Alexandra. He won twenty-nine England Youth caps, a record at the time and great things were expected of him which perhaps never materialised. After retiring, he spent five years working with the youth team at Spurs before joining Colin Calderwood at Northampton Town as reserve team coach. He followed him to Nottingham Forest in a similar capacity. On 26th December 2008 Kerslake left Forest along with Calderwood before being selected by Malky Mackay as First Team Coach at Watford in the summer of 2009. He followed MacKay to Cardiff City in the summer of 2011, and became his Assistant Manager and helped Cardiff to a losing semi-final play-off and a losing League Cup Final in 2011-12.