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Andy Gray (footballer born 1964)
Encyclopedia
Andrew Arthur Gray is an English
former footballer
who played in the centre of midfield or as a striker during his career, before going into International management. He is a former coach of the Sierra Leone national football team
.
youth team in 1980-81, Gray moved into non-league football with Corinthian Casuals and Dulwich Hamlet
where he was spotted by Crystal Palace
manager Steve Coppell
.
Gray moved to Palace and quickly became a regular in the team, playing in the forward positions. In the 1985-86
season, Gray top-scored with 11 goals. However, after the signings of Ian Wright
and Mark Bright
, Gray moved into central-midfield, and his career came alight.
Gray then achieved promotion with Aston Villa
and had a spell at Queens Park Rangers
, before returning to Selhurst Park
for the 1989-90
season. This proved to be a remarkable season, and Gray managed to secure himself a legacy that will survive in Palace fans' hearts forever. In the league Palace survived comfortably, and they found themselves in an FA Cup
Semi-final against champions Liverpool
, who were gunning for a league and cup double. Having led 2-1 at one point, Palace were 2-3 down, and were on the verge of leaving Villa Park with their heads down, before Gray jumped forward to head an 87th minute equaliser. Alan Pardew
's goal in extra-time ensured that Gray and his Palace teammates would get to play in the FA Cup Final
.
The final would be against Manchester United
, and in the match Gray played well as Palace secured a 3-3 draw. In the replay, Palace were beaten by a single goal to nil.
The following season
, Palace achieved far more than even the biggest optimists expected. The Eagles chased Liverpool
and Arsenal
until the end, but had to settle for third place in the First Division
. As well as this, they picked up silverware, in winning the Zenith Data Systems Cup
.
In November 1991, Gray's play was rewarded with a call-up to the England
team, and he made his solitary international appearance against Poland
in a crucial qualifier for the EURO '92.
Gray left Palace at the end of that season, after their form slumped following the sale of Ian Wright
, and went to Tottenham Hotspur
for £900,000. His spell at Spurs would be less successful and, following a loan move to Swindon Town
, he was sold to CA Marbella
for an undisclosed fee. He would round out his career with short spells at Falkirk
, where he played in the 1997 Scottish Cup Final
, Bury
, and Millwall
.
in 2006. He stated he believed Sierra Leone could qualify for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, which they did not. One of the methods for achieving this was to tempt British-born players such as Nigel Reo-Coker
, Liam Rosenior
and Steve Kabba
to accept call-ups to the Sierra Leone team.
In 2005, Andy was voted in Palace's Centenary XI.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who played in the centre of midfield or as a striker during his career, before going into International management. He is a former coach of the Sierra Leone national football team
Sierra Leone national football team
The Sierra Leone national football team, nicknamed the Leone Stars, is the national team of Sierra Leone and is controlled by the Sierra Leone Football Association...
.
Playing career
After playing for Crystal Palace'sCrystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
youth team in 1980-81, Gray moved into non-league football with Corinthian Casuals and Dulwich Hamlet
Dulwich Hamlet F.C.
Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is an English football club who play at Champion Hill stadium in Dulwich, in the London Borough of Southwark. Formed in 1893, they joined the Isthmian League a few years later, winning it a total of 4 times, between 1920 and 1949, and wear a famous pink and blue...
where he was spotted by Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
manager Steve Coppell
Steve Coppell
Stephen James "Steve" Coppell is an English former footballer and manager, currently without a club.As a player, he was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed and work rate. He won domestic honours with Manchester United and represented England at the World Cup...
.
Gray moved to Palace and quickly became a regular in the team, playing in the forward positions. In the 1985-86
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...
season, Gray top-scored with 11 goals. However, after the signings of Ian Wright
Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...
and Mark Bright
Mark Bright
Mark Abraham Bright is a former English footballer who is now a sports pundit and BBC London's sport presenter, as well as a coach at Crystal Palace....
, Gray moved into central-midfield, and his career came alight.
Gray then achieved promotion with Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and had a spell at Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
, before returning to Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
for the 1989-90
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
season. This proved to be a remarkable season, and Gray managed to secure himself a legacy that will survive in Palace fans' hearts forever. In the league Palace survived comfortably, and they found themselves in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
Semi-final against champions Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, who were gunning for a league and cup double. Having led 2-1 at one point, Palace were 2-3 down, and were on the verge of leaving Villa Park with their heads down, before Gray jumped forward to head an 87th minute equaliser. Alan Pardew
Alan Pardew
Alan Scott Pardew is an English football manager and former player, currently the manager of Newcastle United....
's goal in extra-time ensured that Gray and his Palace teammates would get to play in the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
.
The final would be against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, and in the match Gray played well as Palace secured a 3-3 draw. In the replay, Palace were beaten by a single goal to nil.
The following season
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
, Palace achieved far more than even the biggest optimists expected. The Eagles chased Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
until the end, but had to settle for third place in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. As well as this, they picked up silverware, in winning the Zenith Data Systems Cup
Full Members Cup
The Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
.
In November 1991, Gray's play was rewarded with a call-up to the England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
team, and he made his solitary international appearance against Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
in a crucial qualifier for the EURO '92.
Gray left Palace at the end of that season, after their form slumped following the sale of Ian Wright
Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...
, and went to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
for £900,000. His spell at Spurs would be less successful and, following a loan move to Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
, he was sold to CA Marbella
CA Marbella
Club Atlético Marbella was a Spanish football team based in Marbella, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1947 and dissolved in 1997, it was also the reserve team of CD Málaga for a time.-History:...
for an undisclosed fee. He would round out his career with short spells at Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
, where he played in the 1997 Scottish Cup Final
1997 Scottish Cup Final
The 1997 Scottish Cup Final was played on May 24, 1997 at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow and was the final of the 112th Scottish Cup. Kilmarnock and Falkirk contested the match, Kilmarnock won the match 1–0, thanks to Paul Wright's goal.-Match details:...
, Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
, and Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
.
Coaching career
After finishing playing, Gray later went into management. He was appointed as the Head Coach of Sierra LeoneSierra Leone national football team
The Sierra Leone national football team, nicknamed the Leone Stars, is the national team of Sierra Leone and is controlled by the Sierra Leone Football Association...
in 2006. He stated he believed Sierra Leone could qualify for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, which they did not. One of the methods for achieving this was to tempt British-born players such as Nigel Reo-Coker
Nigel Reo-Coker
Nigel Shola Andre Reo-Coker is an English footballer of Sierra Leonean descent. He currently plays for Bolton Wanderers of the Premier League. He is known for being a robust midfielder with good overall tackling and passing qualities...
, Liam Rosenior
Liam Rosenior
Liam James Rosenior is an English footballer who plays for Hull City as a defender. He is the son of former Brentford manager Leroy Rosenior, and spent time on loan at Torquay United, where his father was manager, during their promotion season .-Club career:Born in London, Rosenior started his...
and Steve Kabba
Steve Kabba
Sorfitu Tejan "Steve" Kabba is an English professional footballer. He is of Sierra Leonean origin. He plays as a striker for Football League Two side Barnet...
to accept call-ups to the Sierra Leone team.
In 2005, Andy was voted in Palace's Centenary XI.