Gary Swann
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| Gary Swann | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gary Swann | |
| Date of birth | April 11, 1962 (age 44) | |
| Place of birth | York, England | |
| Height | 5'9" | |
| Nickname | Swanny, "The Ghost" | |
| Playing position | Full back, Midfield | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Cuckfield Town | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1978-1980 | Hull City | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1980-1986 1986-1992 1992-1994 1994-1995- |
Hull City Preston North End York City Scarborough Total |
186 (9) 199 (37) 82 (4) 27 (3) 494 (53) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Gary Swann (b. 11 April 1962) is a former English footballer who played in the English football league.
Contents |
[edit] Early years at Hull
Born in York, Yorkshire Gary started out as a trainee with Hull City playing in the same team as current England manager Steve McClaren.In eight years at Boothferry Park Gary made his name as an attacking full back and whose quick footballing brain was a great assett to the team. He played over 221 games for the Tigers scoring 10 goals helping the club promotion in both 1982-83 season and 1985-86 season.
[edit] PNE's unsung hero
It was in November 1986 however that Preston North End boss John McGrath offered City £10,000 for Swann's services. During Gary's time at Deepdale McGrath moved him into a more advanced midfield position (a position he had played occasionally at Hull) and he became an integral member of the Preston team helping the club to promotion from the old English fourth division in his first season. This hard working and often unsung player also had an uncanny knack of scoring vitally important goals from either his usual midfield position or from full back, his biggest haul of 14 in 1986-87 season more or less single handedly keeping Preston in the English third division after Gary had helped them to promotion the season before, his first with the club. Gary's goalscoring prowess also earned him the nickname "The Ghost" due to his ability to appear almost unnoticed at the far post to score, something that soon became Gary's trademark. Gary was also an ever present in both 1987-88 season and 1989-90 season finishing runner-up in the club's official player of the year awards on both occasions to Bob Atkins and Warren Joyce respectively. In all Gary played 250 first team games for Preston scoring 47 goals and considering that he never took penalties and never played as a striker this is quite an achievement in a side that generally underachieved.
[edit] A Wembley hero
At the end of the 1991-92 season however Gary was released and immediately signed for home town club York City helping them to promotion in his first season and even scoring City's goal in the 1992-93 Wembley play-off final victory against Crewe Alexandra, a game City won on penalties after drawing 1-1. He had only scored his first goal for City in the play-off semi-final. The following season (1993-94) Gary again impressed helping City to the play-offs yet again. This time however they were knocked out in the semi-final.
[edit] Winding down
After a highly successful two years at Bootham Crescent in which he played 95 games scoring 6 goals Gary moved on to Scarborough (35 games 4 goals) for a season before playing in Hong Kong and finally returning to England so as to extend his playing career in non-League football.
In all Gary played 601 first team games scoring 67 goals.
[edit] After football
Gary now works as a leisure centre manager in Bromley, Kent but is still playing regularly for Cuckfield Town in the Mid Sussex Football League Premier Division, a club he has been with since September 2000.
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Swann, Gary |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Swanny |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | English footballer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 11 April 1962 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | York, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
