Gray: Andrew David (Andy)

1994-1998 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Winger/Forward

Born: Harrogate: 15-11-1977

Debut v Notts County (h) (substitute): 19-09-1995

6’1” 12st (2005)

He is the son of ex-Leeds and Scotland ace Frank Gray and nephew of Leeds United legend Eddie Gray. He started his career as a midfield player and winger in his Uncle Eddie’s mould, but later moved further forward to a more attacking role as striker. Andy joined Leeds as a Youth Trainee and signed professional forms in the summer of 1995, after starring for John Fisher, Harrogate and North Yorkshire Schools and being on associate schoolboy forms with United from April 1993. He began his professional career with Leeds United, making his first team debut as a sixty-sixth minute substitute for David White in a home League Cup tie with Notts County on 19th September 1995 before making his full debut in a 2-0 home win over West Ham United on 13th January 1995. Remarkably his fourth start in a game for Leeds was as an eighteen year-old in the 1996 Coca-Cola Cup Final against Aston Villa at Wembley, where he was acclaimed as United’s star performer. But after failing to push on and falling out of the first team picture he spent two months with Bury in 1997/98. He scored once in four League starts and two games from the bench while at Gigg Lane. He played twenty-two League games, of which nine were from the bench, made two substitute appearances in the F.A. Cup and three starts and one game as a substitute in the League Cup for United before a £200,000 move to Nottingham Forest in September 1998, after it had become clear he would not make it at Elland Road. Again he found it hard to impress as he started the 2000/01 season battling for a place in the Forest first team having been on the fringes of the side for some time. Gray had been on loan to Preston North End, where he started in nine League games, and Oldham Athletic, where he started in four League games, during a disappointing first two seasons at the City Ground. In March 2001 he was to be loaned out to Second Division strugglers Swindon Town, but the Swindon board vetoed the move and the deal was dead. After scoring one goal in thirty four starts and thirty games from the bench in Leaguegames and making four starts and having one game as a substitute in the F.A. Cup and three starts and three games from the bench in the League Cup, he eventually left Forest to join Bradford City on a free transfer before the start of the 2002/03 season. It was at Valley Parade that he finally began to find his form, scoring fifteen goals in his first season and this brought him to the attention of the Scottish selectors. He was called up to the Scottish Future team against Turkey on 25th February 2003 and he scored Scotland's goal in a 1-1 draw in Antalya. on 2nd April 2003 he made his full Scotland debut when he came on as a seventy-eighth minute substitute for Jackie McNamara in a 0-1 defeat by Lithuania at the St Dariaus and St Gireno Stadium. He made a second appearance for the Future squad in a 2-1 win over Northern Ireland at Firhill on 20th May 2003, when he was a seventieth minute substitute for Don Hutchison. He made his second full Scotland appearance in a 1-1 draw with New Zealand as a sixtieth minute replacement for Kevin Kyle in a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle on 27th May 2003. He was called up for the Future team again on 21st October 2003, when he played the full ninety minutes, as Germany won 1-0 at Pittodrie. He scored twenty goals from seventy-seven starts in the League,and scored once in two F.A. Cup starts and made two League Cup starts without scoring, while at Valley Parade. On 27th February 2004 he joined Sheffield United for an undisclosed fee, making his debut in a 2-1 defeat at Reading, opening the scoring after just ten minutes. He made a fine start to life with the Blades, netting in his first three games. Gray was a vital player for Neil Warnock's side in 2004/05, scoring eighteen goals in all competitions as they just missed out on a place in the end of season play-offs. He scored twenty-five League goals in fifty-eight games, of which two were from the bench and scored once in five starts in the F.A. Cup and twice in two starts in the League Cup. On 11th August 2005 Gray returned to the EPL after he signed for Sunderland for £1.1 million. However, his second stint in the Premiership was a nightmare as he found the net only once in twenty-one League games, of which eight were as a substitute, and one substitute appearance in the F.A. Cup. The goal came on his debut. On 17th March 2006, after prolonged interest from a number of clubs, he signed on loan for Burnley until the end of the season. Leeds had been favourites to sign him, but his switch to Burnley became permanent when the transfer window re-opened 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. At Turf Moor he scored twenty-eight League goals in sixty-eight starts and one game from the bench, He also made one F.A. Cup start without scoring, and netted twice in two starts and one game from the bench in the League Cup. Gray left Burnley on 18th January 2008, When he signed with Charlton Athletic at a fee of £1.5 million. He stayed at the Valley until 21st August 2009 when he signed for Barnsley, having scored nine times in forty-five League games, of which fourteen were from the bench. He alsoplayed one substitute game in the F.A. Cup and started one League Cup game without scoring. He made a good start to his Oakwell career scoring three times in his first six League games. His Oakwell record to the middle of the 2011/12 season was twenty goals in fifty-eight starts and twenty-five substitute appearances in the League and one start and one game from the bench in the F.A. Cup without scoring. He received two full caps for Scotland, together with representing Scotland at Youth level and three times at “B” level.