ANDRE GRAY

Full Name: Andre Anthony Gray

Born: 26 June 1991

Came from: Unattached   Went to:

First game: 23 October 2024   Last game: 05 November 2024

Appearances: 4 (1/3)   Goals: 1

Born in Wolverhampton, Gray began his football career at his hometown club's academy, but was released when 13. He then joined Shrewsbury Town's youth system, and progressed to earn his first professional contract five years later in 2009. He made his Football League debut just weeks after, as an 89th minute substitute on the first day of the 2009-10 season.

Loans followed in what turned out to be his only season on Shrewsbury's professional books, first at AFC Telford United for two months, and then a one-month emergency loan at Hinckley United, where he returned in June 2010 to sign a one-year permanent contract.

Gray's deal at Hinkley was extended for a second year, and after 85 games and 37 goals in two years at the Conference North club, he moved a step up the football pyramid by joining Luton Town, then in the Conference Premier. His time with the Hatters began with a loan spell in March 2012, with a view to a permanent move, and there was no doubt about a subsequent contract after he became the only player in Luton's history to score in each of his first four games for the club.

Two years later, having scored 56 in 106 for Luton, Gray's career took off when, at the age of 23, he signed a three-year contract with Brentford in the Championship. 18 goals in his first season with the Bees, and two more in the first two games of the 2015-16 campaign, meant keen interest from Championship rivals, and before the summer 2015 transfer window closed, he was on his way to Burnley for a club-record transfer fee reported to be in the region of £6-9 million, with a seven-figure windfall heading back to Luton.

Gray's scoring form continued in Lancashire, with an impressive 23 goals in his first season when the Clarets were promoted to the Premier League in May 2016. A year later he was on the move again. Two years into his three-year contract at Burnley (78 games, 33 goals), he was sold to Premier League rivals Watford in August 2017, for fee reported to range from £11.5 million to £18.5 million.

In the first three of his five-year contract at Watford, Gray enjoyed regular top-flight football, but relegation took him back to the Championship for the 2020-21 campaign. Also in that fourth season came his first of 13 caps for Jamaica, for whom he scored three times over the following three seasons.

Gray's final year with Watford was spent on loan at Championship rivals, Queens Park Rangers, where he scored 10 times in 30 appearances. Released by Watford (125 games, 21 goals) in the summer of 2022, the 31-year-old's next move was abroad, for a year with Aris Thessaloniki in the Super League Greece, where he top-scored with 13 goals and played four matches in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Then in September 2023 he moved to Saudi Arabia for a year with Al-Riyadh in the Saudi Pro-League.

With his wife (a singer with girl band Little Mix) and twin daughters no doubt in mind, he returned to England in the summer of 2024. A 33-year-old free agent with a wealth of experience in England's top two tiers, Gray agreed a three-month contract at Home Park to provide cover for the injured Muhamed Tijani.