Date / Year of birth: 6th January 1988

Position: Centre-back

Season of first appearance: 2007/08

Season of last appearance: 2009/10

Also played for: Derby County (0), Bromley, Croydon Athletic, Fisher, Carshalton Athletic, Cray Wanderers and Greenwich Borough

Defender born in Sidcup who played for Kent as a schoolboy before joining Derby's academy. Dan captained the Rams' youth team before becoming a regular in the reserves during the 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons. He was released by Derby in March 2006.

Dan started the 2006/07 campaign with Isthmian League Premier Division club Bromley and made four appearances there (two as sub) before moving on to Croydon Athletic a few weeks into the season.

He went on to score twice from 26 Isthmian League Division 1 South outings for Croydon during the remainder of the 2006/07 campaign and Dan's team-mates included former Margate midfielder Gareth Graham. Dan finished the season with a hat-trick of 'Player of the Year' awards winning the 'Players' Player', 'Supporters' Player' and 'Manager's Player' trophies.

In the summer of 2007 he featured in some of Welling's early pre-season matches but Dan then played in a few of Margate's friendlies and signed a contract with the club in August 2007. Player-manager Robin Trott told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "Dan is Young by name and young by nature but he's a very good player."

On the eve of the 2007/08 campaign Trott again spoke to the Gazette about Dan and said "He's a natural winner, he talks, he's a ball-winner and he takes no nonsense."

Dan made his debut in the number five shirt in a 1-1 draw with Chelmsford in an Isthmian League Premier Division game at Hartsdown Park on 18.8.07 and the Thanet Times said he looked "at home at the back". Dan then won praise from the Isle of Thanet Gazette for the way he handled future Margate striker Steve West in a 2-0 defeat at East Thurrock on 21.8.07 but early in the second half he had to go off after a clash of heads and Dan missed the next two matches.

He made his comeback in a 3-1 home win over Tonbridge on 1.9.07 and from then on Dan was a fixture in the side at centre-back for the next few months. The Thanet Times said he had "an excellent game" in a 1-1 draw at Staines on 8.9.07 and described Dan as "a real find". On 27.10.07 he got his first goal in a 3-3 draw at Heybridge.

In its report on a 2-1 win over Harrow at Hartsdown Park on 10.11.07 the Thanet Times praised Dan for "some vital tackles and interceptions at the back" and he'd played in 26 of Margate's last 27 matches when he had to go off injured just six minutes into a 1-1 home draw with Ramsgate on Boxing Day 2007. It turned out that Dan had broken a bone in his back and he missed the next 12 games as a result.

He returned to the side in an unfamiliar midfield role as Margate lost 2-0 at AFC Hornchurch on 15.3.08 and the Thanet Times said he was "solid" but Dan then sat out the next two matches. He was back in the number five shirt as Margate lost 4-1 at home to Ebbsfleet in the Kent Senior Cup on 26.3.08 and after that Dan started three of the five remaining games of the season. He finished the campaign having scored once from a total of 35 appearances (three as sub).

Dan missed the first match of the 2008/09 season and made his first appearance of the new campaign as a substitute in a 2-2 draw with visitors Hendon in the Isthmian League Premier Division on 19.8.08. He then started the next game against Canvey Island at Hartsdown Park on 23.8.08 and was sent off as Margate lost 4-0. Dan received a red card for a foul after the referee decided he was the last man but the Thanet Times felt he was unlucky.

On 30.8.08 Dan scored with a thumping header from a Wayne Wilson corner in a 2-1 home win over Heybridge and on 2.9.08 he made it back-to-back goals when he fired home a loose ball following a Wilson free-kick in a 1-1 draw at Harlow. Dan also had an injury time effort ruled out when the referee ruled he'd committed a foul whilst rising to loop a header into the net and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said "it looked a ridiculous decision".

Shortly after sitting out a 2-0 home defeat against AFC Hornchurch on 6.9.08 due to suspension Dan signed a new contract and having returned from his ban he was a regular in the heart of Margate's defence once more. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said he was "one of Margate's best players on the night" in its report on a 3-2 defeat at Dartford in the Isthmian League Cup on 2.12.08.

Dan got his third goal of the season, again with a header from a Wayne Wilson corner, in a 3-1 win over Boreham Wood at Hartsdown Park on 21.2.09 but on 3.3.09 he was shown a red card after just 35 minutes of a game at Canvey Island - the same side he'd been dismissed against earlier in the campaign. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said Dan was "ridiculously sent off for a second yellow card" but Margate still managed to win 4-0. He started the next two matches before serving a two-match suspension.

Dan returned to the side as a substitute in a 3-2 defeat at Harrow on 4.4.09 and then started the last four games of the season at centre-back. On 13.4.09 he headed the only goal of the game as Margate beat rivals Ramsgate 1-0 at Hartsdown Park and Dan finished the campaign having scored four times in 42 outings (two as sub) as Margate ended up in the relegation zone of the Isthmian League Premier Division.

On the eve of the 2009/10 season manager Terry Yorath spoke to the Isle of Thanet Gazette about Dan and said "Was made captain last year and I think it was probably too much for him. He's got to concentrate on doing his job for the club as a centre-half and forget about everything else."

Dan made his first appearance of the new campaign on 28.7.09 when he wore the number five shirt in a 1-0 home win over Ramsgate in the first leg of a tie played for the Isle of Thanet Gazette Cup and he then featured as a substitute in the second leg at Southwood on 1.8.09 - a 1-1 draw.

Dan had to sit out the first three Isthmian League Premier Division games of 2009/10 due to suspension but he returned in the number five shirt as Margate won 3-0 at Aveley on 24.8.09 and the Isle of Thanet Gazette praised him for "improving the defence no end". He started each of the next four matches and on 31.8.09 played as a right wing-back in a 1-0 defeat against Cray at Hartsdown Park. The Gazette said he was "probably the club's best centre-half" and that the position "was an impossible ask for him". The paper declared "he can't play there" and continued "how many times would you expect to see a big defender get down the other end, beat a couple of players and put a pinpoint cross on to a centre-forward's head before making his way back ? Exactly".

Having been restored to his familiar central defensive role Dan then suffered a serious knee injury in a 2-2 draw with visitors Sutton in the FA Cup on 12.9.09 and as a result he missed the next 16 games.

He made his return in a 1-1 draw with Ashford (Middlesex) on 16.1.10 and from then on Dan was virtually ever-present in the heart of the Margate defence for the remainder of the season. The Thanet Times felt he was Margate's best player in a 1-0 defeat at AFC Hornchurch on 13.2.10 and said Dan "had a steady game at the back". The paper than said he "had an excellent game" in a 2-1 win at Billericay on 13.3.10.

In its report on a 1-0 win at Dartford on 23.3.10 the Isle of Thanet Gazette described Dan's display as "magnificent" and the paper also praised his performance in a 2-1 win at Carshalton on 30.3.10 by saying Dan "had Carshalton dangerman Byron Harrison in his pocket all night"

On 10.4.10 Dan headed an injury-time own-goal as Margate took on Aveley at Hartsdown Park and his error leveled the scores at 2-2 before the Essex visitors rubbed salt into the wound by scoring again to win 3-2.

The Thanet Times said Dan was Margate's man-of-the-match and gave a "steady performance at the back" in a 1-0 home win over Hastings in the last game of the season on 24.4.10 but it turned out to be his final outing for the club. He'd made a total of 31 appearances (one as sub) without scoring during 2009/10 as Margate again finished in the Premier Division drop zone but avoided relegation.

In May 2010 manager Iain O'Connell told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "I've still got to speak to Dan Young. I hope he'll stay but Croydon have shown an interest and they've got some dough there."

Dan didn't join Croydon but in the summer of 2010 he played in friendlies for both Premier Division outfit Carshalton and Kent League club Fisher. In July 2010 Fisher manager Gary Lisney told the Kentish Football website "He's played at a much higher standard than we're playing at the moment...we'd dearly like to keep him, but we don't have a playing budget at all...we would like to keep him at the club because he's a real big asset for us."

Dan ended up signing for Fisher and Carshalton on a dual-registration basis and played for both clubs during the first few weeks of the 2010/11 season.

In October 2010 he rejoined his old club Croydon Athletic but by the start of November 2010 Dan was back at Carshalton and from then on he played exclusively for the Robins for the remainder of the campaign. He made 29 Premier Division appearances (one as sub) without scoring before the end of 2010/11.

In July 2011 Dan signed for Cray and made his debut for the club in a Premier Division game against AFC Hornchurch at Bromley on 21.8.11. Unfortunately he dislocated his shoulder just nine minutes into the match which the Essex visitors went on to win 5-2. Dan was out of action for a while and eventually scored once from 23 league outings (five as sub) for Cray before the end of the 2011/12 season.

He struggled with injuries again during 2012/13 and Dan only made four Premier Division appearances, scoring once in a 2-2 home draw with Lewes on 23.4.13. He was still with Cray during the first half of the 2013/14 campaign but left the club early in January 2014.

A few days after leaving Cray Dan signed for Southern Counties East Football League outfit Greenwich.