Martin Grainger

Last updated

Martin Grainger
Martin Grainger footballer.jpg
Grainger warming up at the Bescot Stadium in 1996
Personal information
Full name Martin Robert Grainger [1]
Date of birth (1972-08-23) 23 August 1972 (age 51) [1]
Place of birth Enfield, [1] England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [2]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
0000–1989 Colchester United
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1992 Wivenhoe Town - loan 6 (0)
1989–1993 Colchester United 62 (7)
1993–1996 Brentford 101 (12)
1996–2005 Birmingham City 226 (25)
2004 → Coventry City (loan) 7 (0)
Total396(44)
Managerial career
2008 Cheshunt
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Martin Grainger (born 23 August 1972) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. He made 380 appearances and scored 44 goals in the Football League and Premier League. [3] He was an attacking left back who could also play further up the field or even as a winger and was a dead ball specialist.

Contents

Playing career

An experienced player, his career started in 1989 at Colchester United, where he made 37 league starts between July 1992 and October 1993, before moving on to Brentford on 21 October for a fee of £60,000. He was a first-team regular throughout his time at the club, making 100 league starts and scoring 12 goals. He joined Birmingham City on 25 March 1996, and quickly became an inspirational player due to his continued consistency and ability from set-pieces.

He picked up the Player of the Season award for 1999–2000, [4] and played for Birmingham in the 2001 Football League Cup Final loss to Liverpool, missing one of the spot kicks in the shootout. As Birmingham continued to improve in the First Division, and eventually earned promotion into the Premiership, Grainger's playing time became limited. He failed to appear for Birmingham due to injury during the first half of the 2003–04 season, and in February he was loaned to Coventry City, for whom he made seven league appearances. On 18 March 2004, he was recalled to Birmingham's team due to an injury crisis, and got on the scoresheet in a 2–1 defeat to Manchester United, but was himself injured and failed to appear in any matches for the rest of the season.

Grainger retired from football on 1 January 2005, having spent 13 years as a player. His goal-scoring appearance against Manchester United, on 10 April 2004, proved to be his final professional fixture. In the years following his retirement, Grainger has continued to be a popular figure amongst supporters of Birmingham City. [5]

Managerial career

In January 2008, Grainger was appointed manager of Southern League Premier Division club Cheshunt, but left the post after less than a week. [6] In their only game during his tenure, Cheshunt lost 4–0 to Hemel Hempstead Town. [7]

Personal life

After leaving professional football, Grainger worked as a delivery driver and a chauffeur, [5] and in 2015 was training to be a train driver. [8]

His son Charlie also became a professional footballer, playing as a goalkeeper. He joined Leyton Orient in 2009, [9] turned professional in 2014, [10] and has represented England at under-18 level. [11]

Honours

Colchester United [12]

Birmingham City [5]

Individual

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leyton Orient F.C.</span> Association football club in London, England

Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Greater London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Cureton</span> English footballer (born 1975)

Jamie Cureton is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker. He is currently a coach at Maldon & Tiptree.

Marcus Tristam Bean is a retired professional footballer who played as a midfielder in the English Football League, most notably for Brentford and Wycombe Wanderers. Born in England, he represented Jamaica at full international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jabo Ibehre</span> English footballer

Jabo Oshevire Michael Ibehre is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. Due to his lethal finishing throughout his professional career, he earned the nickname, Islington Assassin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Halford</span> English footballer

Gregory Halford is an English footballer who plays for Isthmian League Premier Division club Hashtag United. He is naturally a right-back or centre-back but can play in numerous positions including central midfield, right midfield and even as a striker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Clarke (English footballer)</span> English footballer

Nathan Clarke is an English former footballer professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Rooney</span> Irish association football player

Adam Christopher David Rooney is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for National League North club Hereford, where he is also assistant manager. He previously played for Stoke City, spent spells on loan at Yeovil Town, Chesterfield and Bury, was a regular first-team member for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and played for Birmingham City and had a loan spell at Swindon Town. He played for Oldham Athletic and spent four-and-a-half seasons with Aberdeen before returning to England to sign for Salford City, with whom he gained promotion to the Football League. He returned to non-league football with Solihull Moors in 2020, and moved on to Stratford Town and then Brackley Town in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Garcia</span> Australian association football player and coach

Richard Garcia is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for Australia's U23 team, having previously managed A-League Men's side Perth Glory.

Scott McGleish is an English footballer who plays for Leverstock Green. In a career spanning 29 years across four decades, McGleish has made over 900 league appearances. He is one of only five other outfield players in English football to have ever passed 1,000 games in competitive matches, those being Tony Ford, Barry Hayles, Jamie Cureton, and Graham Alexander.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Elokobi</span> Cameroonian footballer (born 1986)

George Nganyuo Elokobi is a Cameroonian football coach and former player who is manager of Maidstone United.

Lloyd Stuart Roger James is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Taunton Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Daniels (footballer)</span> English footballer

Charles John Daniels is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender.

Anthony Daniel Wordsworth is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chelmsford City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Porter (footballer)</span> English footballer

George Edwards Porter is an English professional footballer who plays as either a winger or a striker for Cray Wanderers.

Matthew William Jay is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Colchester United.

Macauley Miles Bonne is an English-Zimbabwean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Cambridge United on loan from Gillingham.

The 2014–15 Leyton Orient F.C. season was the 116th season in the history of Leyton Orient Football Club, their 99th in the Football League, and ninth consecutive season in the third tier of the English football league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Lapslie</span> English footballer

Thomas William Cavendish Lapslie is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for National League South club Torquay United.

The 2015–16 Leyton Orient F.C. season was the 117th season in the history of Leyton Orient Football Club, their 100th in the Football League, and the first season of their return to the fourth tier of the English football league system.

Charlie Martin Grainger is an English professional footballer who joined Hastings United as a goalkeeper in 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Martin Grainger". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Sewell, Albert, ed. (1996). News of the World Football Annual 1996–97. London: Invincible Press. p. 401. ISBN   978-0-00-218737-4.
  3. ↑ "Martin Grainger". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "Player of the Year". The Birmingham City FC Archive. 13 December 2002. Archived from the original on 28 December 2004. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Tattum, Colin (22 January 2008). "Martin Grainger". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Grainger quits as Cheshunt boss". East Herts Herald. 14 January 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  7. ↑ Beyeler, Marc (13 January 2008). "Grainger era starts with defeat". Hertfordshire Mercury. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  8. ↑ Heslop, Tom (27 November 2015). "Martin Grainger: The former Birmingham City hardman is in training for a new career". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  9. ↑ Davies, Jonny (16 April 2013). "The big interview: Charlie Grainger". Leyton Orient F.C. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Grainger: It's going to be a great season". Farnborough F.C. 1 August 2014. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  11. ↑ Veevers, Nicholas (5 March 2014). "Déjà-vu for England U18s as they slip to Croatia defeat". The Football Association. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Players: Martin Grainger". Coludata. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "Throwback Thursday". Fulham F.C. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.