Andy Gray (footballer born 1977)

Football player infobox


playername = Andy Gray
fullname = Andrew David Gray
height = height|ft=6|in=1
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1977|11|15|df=y
cityofbirth = Harrogate
countryofbirth = England
currentclub = Charlton Athletic
clubnumber = 9
position = Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1995–1998
1997–1998
1998–2002
1999
1999
2002–2004
2004–2005 2005–2006
2006
2006–2008
2008
2008–
clubs = Leeds United
→ Bury (loan)
Nottingham Forest
→ Preston North End (loan)
→ Oldham Athletic (loan)
Bradford City
Sheffield United
Sunderland
→ Burnley (loan)
Burnley
→ Charlton Athletic (loan)
Charlton Athletic
caps(goals) = 22 0(0)
06 0(1)
64 0(1)
05 0(0)
04 0(0)
77 (20)
58 (25)
21 0(1)
09 0(3)
60 (25)
01 0(0)
23 0(6)
nationalyears = 2003
nationalteam = Scotland
nationalcaps(goals) = 02 0(0)
pcupdate = 21:49, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 19:12, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

Andrew David 'Andy' Gray (born 15 November 1977 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire) is an English-born Scottish footballer who plays for Charlton Athletic.

He is the son of the former Scotland defender Frank Gray and nephew of Leeds United legend Eddie Gray. He started his career as a midfield player but later moved into a forward position. Gray began his career with Leeds United and has also played for Nottingham Forest, Bury, Preston North End, Oldham Athletic, Bradford City, Sheffield United, Sunderland and Burnley. He has also won two caps for Scotland against Lithuania on 2 April 2003 and New Zealand on 27 May 2003.

Career

One of Gray's first senior appearances came for Leeds United in the 1996 League Cup final, when he was 18 years old. Leeds lost 3–0 to Aston Villa, but Gray's play suggested that he would go on to succeed at the highest level. However he has yet to match these expectations, playing his career mostly for teams in the second division of English football, or those struggling in the top flight.

In August 2005, Gray returned to the Premiership after he signed for Sunderland. He had a goal-scoring record of 28 goals in 65 games at Sheffield United, prompting the £1.1 million transfer to the Black Cats. However, his second stint in the Premiership was unprofitable as he scored only once in 22 appearances; that goal coming on his debut.

On 17 March 2006, after prolonged interest from a number of clubs, he signed on loan for Burnley until the end of the season. His former club Leeds United were favourites to sign him but his switch to Burnley became permanent when the transfer window reopened in the summer of 2006 for around £750,000. His early form at Burnley at the end of the 2005–06 season and the start of the next suggested that he would again prove an effective goalscorer in the Championship. His 2006–07 season was disrupted by a broken metatarsal, incurred against Leeds United, but both before and after the injury he scored regularly. Burnley's long winless run that season coincided with Gray's absence through injury, demonstrating his importance to the team as a source of goals. He returned towards the end of the 2006–07 season, scoring four goals in three games as Burnley won five of their six last games. This goal-scoring form continued into the 2007–08 season.

Gray left Burnley on 18 January 2008, when he sealed an emergency loan deal with Charlton Athletic prior to a permanent move the following week. [cite news
url=http://www.burnleyfootballclub.premiumtv.co.uk/page/LatestHeadlines/0,,10413~1219256,00.html
title=Gray 'loan' deal done
date=18 January 2008
accessdate=2008-01-18
publisher=Burnley Official Website] [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/burnley/7191896.stm
title=Burnley accept Addicks' Gray bid
date=18 January 2008
accessdate=2008-01-18
publisher=BBC Sport] He made his debut when came on as a second half substitute the following day in Charlton's 1–1 draw away at Watford. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7184752.stm
title=Watford 1-1 Charlton
date=19 January 2008
accessdate=2008-01-19
publisher=BBC Sport] His £1.5 million move to Charlton was finalised the following week [cite news
url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.1981307.0.flood_stands_by_gray_departure.php
title=Flood stands by Gray departure
publisher=Lancashire Telegraph
date=21 January 2008
accessdate=2008-01-24
first=Suzanne
last=Geldard] and he made his first start for his new club on 29 January 2008 in a 1–0 victory over Stoke City. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7210562.stm
title=Charlton 1-0 Stoke
publisher=BBC Sport
date=29 January 2008
accessdate=2008-01-31] His first goal for Charlton came in his 13th game, when he scored an equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Southampton on 12 April 2008. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7332080.stm
title=Charlton 1-1 Southampton.
date=2008-04-12
accessdate=2008-04-12
publisher=BBC Sport] Gray has followed this up with goals in successive home games with the second goal against Coventry City in a 4–1 win, a goal against Swindon in a 1-1 draw and a penalty in the impressive 4-2 defeat of newly relegated Reading. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7368614.stm
title=Charlton 4-1 Coventry
date=2008-05-04
accessdate=2008-05-05
publisher=BBC Sport]

References

External links

* [http://www.cafc.co.uk/playerdisplay.ink?skip=10&season=2007/2008 Andy Gray player profile] at cafc.co.uk
* [http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10413~12388,00.html Andy Gray player profile] at burnleyfootballclub.com
* [http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10266~12388,00.html Andy Gray player profile] at bradfordcityfc.co.uk
*soccerbase|3034|Andy Gray
* [http://www.londonhearts.com/scotland/players/andrewgray.html Andy Gray's international career]

Persondata
NAME = Gray, Andrew David
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Gray, Andy
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Football Striker
DATE OF BIRTH = November 15 1977
PLACE OF BIRTH = Harrogate, North Yorkshire
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =