Howard Gayle
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Howard Gayle | ||
| Date of birth | 18 May 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | Toxteth, Liverpool, England | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1977–1983 | Liverpool | 4 | (1) |
| 1980 | → Fulham (loan) | 14 | (1) |
| 1982–1983 | → Newcastle United (loan) | 8 | (2) |
| 1983–1984 | Birmingham City | 46 | (9) |
| 1984–1986 | Sunderland | 48 | (4) |
| 1986–1987 | Dallas Sidekicks (indoor) | 30 | (6) |
| 1987 | Stoke City | 6 | (2) |
| 1987–1992 | Blackburn Rovers | 121 | (29) |
| 1992–1993 | Halifax Town | 5 | (0) |
| Total | 282 | (54) | |
| National team | |||
| 1984 | England U-21 | 3 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Howard Gayle (born 18 May 1958 in Toxteth, Liverpool) was the first black player to play for Liverpool.
[edit] Career
He was at the club for six years but was only given a total of five first team matches, later playing for several clubs including Birmingham City and Sunderland. His finest hour for Liverpool came in the 1980–81 European Cup semi-final second leg away at Bayern Munich, and he was rewarded with a winners medal at the end of that season, as a non-playing substitute in the final. As an overage player, he helped England win the 1984 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, in which he scored a goal in the final against Spain.
In the final stages of his career, he spent five years at Blackburn Rovers, signing for them in 1987 and being a regular striker in their quest for top flight football. However, by the time Blackburn were promoted in 1992 (to the newly created FA Premier League), Gayle had been left behind in the pecking order by expensively signed new players like Mike Newell and David Speedie, and with the arrival of national record signing Alan Shearer that summer, it was clear that Gayle had no future at Ewood Park. He joined Halifax Town in the newly created Division Three but managed just five league appearances as they were relegated to the GM Vauxhall Conference. He then retired from football.
[edit] External links
- 1958 births
- Living people
- Liverpool F.C. players
- Sportspeople from Liverpool
- Fulham F.C. players
- Newcastle United F.C. players
- Birmingham City F.C. players
- Sunderland A.F.C. players
- Stoke City F.C. players
- Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
- Halifax Town A.F.C. players
- Dallas Sidekicks (original MISL) players
- English footballers
- England under-21 international footballers
- Association football forwards
