Martin Gray (footballer)

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Martin Gray
Martin Gray 2012-08-18 1.jpg
Gray as manager of Darlington in 2012
Personal information
Full name Martin David Gray [1]
Date of birth (1971-08-17) 17 August 1971 (age 51) [1]
Place of birth Stockton-on-Tees, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) [1]
Position(s) Midfielder [2]
Youth career
0000–1990 Sunderland
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1990–1996 Sunderland 64 (1)
1991Aldershot (loan) 5 (0)
1995Fulham (loan) 6 (0)
1996–1999 Oxford United 121 (4)
1999–2001 Darlington 66 (0)
Total262(5)
Managerial career
2006 Darlington (joint caretaker)
2009 Darlington (caretaker)
2010 Oldham Athletic (caretaker)
2012–2017 Darlington
2017–2018 York City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Martin David Gray (born 17 August 1971) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He played in the Football League for Sunderland, Aldershot, Fulham, Oxford United and Darlington, and managed in the Football League with Darlington and Oldham Athletic.

Contents

Playing career

Born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, [1] Gray's main position was in midfield, but he played in all outfield positions during his career.[ citation needed ] He signed as a trainee to Sunderland in 1990 and stayed with them until 1996 when he made a £100,000 transfer to Oxford United.[ citation needed ] Darlington agreed to end his contract so that he could retire from his playing career, in order to focus on coaching with the club.[ citation needed ]

Managerial career

Beginnings

David Hodgson was suspended as Darlington manager on 30 September 2006 while an inquire was carried out into his contacts with another club, leaving Gray and Neil Maddison as joint caretaker managers. [3] Hodgson was subsequently dismissed shortly after. [4] Former Doncaster Rovers manager Dave Penney took over manager on 30 October 2006, with Gray as his assistant. [5]

Gray took over as caretaker manager again on 30 April 2009 after Penney took the managerial role at Oldham Athletic. [6] With Darlington in administration, he was released on 7 May 2009, along with other members of the club's staff. [7] He joined up with Penney again as his assistant at Oldham on 26 May 2009. [8] Gray took over as caretaker manager for the final match of the 2009–10 season after Penney left the club on 6 May 2010. [9] Gray left Oldham on 2 June 2010 after being unsuccessful in his application for the full-time manager's position. [10]

Darlington

On 28 May 2012, Gray was appointed as the manager of Darlington on a two-year contract. [11] In his first season in charge, Gray guided the club to win the Northern League Division One. [12] In his next season, Darlington finished as Northern Premier League Division One North runners-up, but they lost in the play-off semi-final to Ramsbottom United. [13] In the 2014–15 season, Gray guided the club to another second-place finish in the division, and they then secured promotion by winning the play-off final, beating Bamber Bridge 2–0. [12] Darlington won the 2015–16 Northern Premier League Premier Division title. [14] The club finished in fifth place in the 2016–17 National League North, but were unable to participate in the play-offs due to ground grading issues. [15]

Gray resigned from his post as manager on 1 October 2017, with the club stating, "He (Gray) believes he has taken the club as far as it can go, given the current club structure and funding". [16]

York City

He was appointed manager of newly relegated National League North club York City on 1 October 2017, with Penney assisting him as sporting director. [17] He left the club on 19 August 2018 when the club opted against renewing his contract, [18] with the team eighth in the table five matches into the 2018–19 National League North. [19]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup League Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sunderland 1990–91 [20] First Division 00000000
1991–92 [21] Second Division 10000010
1992–93 [22] First Division12100002 [lower-alpha 1] 0141
1993–94 [23] First Division22010502 [lower-alpha 1] 0300
1994–95 [24] First Division2201010240
1995–96 [25] First Division701020100
Total641308040791
Aldershot (loan) 1990–91 [26] Fourth Division 501 [lower-alpha 2] 060
Fulham (loan) 1995–96 [27] Third Division 601 [lower-alpha 3] 070
Oxford United 1995–96 [28] Second Division7070
1996–97 [29] First Division4321070512
1997–98 [30] First Division3121010332
1998–99 [31] First Division4002010430
Total121440901344
Darlington 1999–2000 [32] Third Division41020204 [lower-alpha 4] 0490
2000–01 [33] Third Division25030402 [lower-alpha 3] 0340
Total660506060830
Career total26251202301203095
  1. 1 2 Appearances in Anglo-Italian Cup
  2. Appearance in Associate Members' Cup
  3. 1 2 Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  4. One appearance in Football League Trophy, three in Third Division play-offs

Managerial statistics

As of 19 August 2018
Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamFromToRecordRef.
PWDLWin %
Darlington (joint caretaker)30 September 200630 October 20064121025.0 [3] [5] [34]
Darlington (caretaker)30 April 20097 May 20091100100.0 [6] [7] [35]
Oldham Athletic (caretaker)6 May 20102 June 20101001000.0 [9] [10] [36]
Darlington28 May 20121 October 20172581654152064.0 [11] [16] [37]
York City 1 October 201719 August 20183714815037.8 [17] [18] [38]
Total3011815169060.1

Honours

As a manager

Darlington

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References

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  27. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (1996). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1996–97. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 164–165, 573–578, 587–591, 597–603. ISBN   978-0-7472-7781-1.
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  33. "Games played by Martin Gray in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
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    For 2013–14 Northern Premier League, play-off and FA Trophy results: "Darlington fixtures/results: Season 2013–2014". Darlo Uncovered. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
    For 2013–14 Northern Premier League Challenge Cup results: "2013/14 season archive: Results". Northern Premier League. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
    For 2014–15 Northern Premier League, play-off, FA Cup and FA Trophy results: "Darlington fixtures/results: Season 2014–2015". Darlo Uncovered. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
    For 2014–15 Northern Premier League Challenge Cup results: "2014/15 season archive: Results". Northern Premier League. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
    For 2015–16 Northern Premier League, FA Cup and FA Trophy results: "Darlington fixtures/results: Season 2015–2016". Darlo Uncovered. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
    For 2015–16 Northern Premier League Challenge Cup results: "2015/16 season archive: Results". Northern Premier League. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
    For 2016–17 National League North, FA Cup and FA Trophy results: "Darlington fixtures/results: Season 2016–2017". Darlo Uncovered. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
    For 2017–18 National League North and FA Cup results: "Darlington 1883 FC: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  38. "York City FC: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
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  41. Stoddart, Craig (25 April 2016). "Darlington defeat can't take shine off a superb season". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 2 October 2017.