Gary Ford

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Gary Ford
Personal information
Full name Gary Ford[1]
Date of birth (1961-02-08) 8 February 1961 (age 63)[1]
Place of birth York, England[1]
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
Leeman United
1977–1979 York City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1979–1987 York City 366 (52)
1987 Leicester City 16 (2)
1987–1991 Port Vale 75 (12)
1990 → Walsall (loan) 13 (2)
1991–1993 Mansfield Town 88 (7)
1993 Telford United
1993 Tromsø IL
1994–1995 Harstad IL
1995 Hartlepool United 3 (0)
Total 561 (75)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gary Ford (born 8 February 1961) is an English former footballer who played on the right-wing.

He made 435 appearances in all competitions for York City, scoring 64 goals, between 1979 and 1987 – a tally beaten by only four York City players. He then moved on to Port Vale via Leicester City. He played on loan for Walsall, before signing with Mansfield Town in 1991. Two years later he joined Telford United, before heading to Norway with Tromsø IL and Harstad IL, before returning to England with Hartlepool United in 1995.

Career[edit]

York City[edit]

Ford started playing with small York based team, Leeman United, and then turned professional with York City at 18-years-of-age in February 1979 following a two-year apprenticeship.[3][4] The "Minstermen" were a mid-table Fourth Division team in 1978–79, but were only three points above the re-election zone in 1979–80. They finished bottom of the Football League in 1980–81, leading to Barry Lyons's departure as manager, before rising to 17th place in 1981–82. Following the arrival of new boss Denis Smith, York posted a seventh-place finish in 1982–83, lying just three places and four points outside the promotion places. They then ran away with the Fourth Division title in 1983–84, racking up 101 points and a goal difference ratio of +57. They finished eighth in the Third Division in 1984–85 and seventh in 1985–86, but only avoided relegation in 1986–87 by one place and four points. During his eight years at Bootham Crescent, Ford racked up 435 appearances in league and cup competitions.

Leicester City[edit]

After making a £25,000 transfer to Leicester City, Ford scored twice in sixteen Second Division appearances for the "Foxes" in 1987–88, before losing his place when Bryan Hamilton was replaced as manager by David Pleat.[5]

Port Vale[edit]

Ford was bought by Port Vale in December 1987 for a £35,000 fee, dropping down into the Third Division to join John Rudge's "Valiants".[1] On 30 January 1988, he helped Vale to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Vale Park and described it as "one of the best games of my life".[4] He scored three goals in 28 games in 1987–88.[1] However, he tore an Achilles tendon in November 1988 and struggled to make the first-team until he underwent an operation to correct it in September 1989.[1] He hit eight goals in 28 games in 1988–89, but his injury ruled him out of the play-off final victory over Bristol Rovers.[1] He recovered by March 1990 and went out to Walsall on loan, making 13 appearances for John Barnwell's "Saddlers" as they battled unsuccessfully to avoid finishing last in the Third Division.[1] During the 1990–91 season he was in action fairly frequently, scoring twice in 35 appearances, but was transferred to George Foster's Mansfield Town in March 1991, along with £80,000, in exchange for Kevin Kent.[1]

Later career[edit]

After moving on to Telford United in 1993, Ford moved to Norway and plied his trade for Tromsø IL and Harstad IL. Tromsø finished sixth in the Tippeligaen in 1993 under the stewardship of Harald Aabrekk. Harstad finished fifth in the Norwegian Second Division in 1994, before winning promotion as Group 6 champions in 1995. He then returned to England and the Football League in 1995, making three appearances for Hartlepool United, before he was forced to retire due to injury.[4] He went on to work as a youth coach at York City and at York University.[5]

Style of play[edit]

Ford was a winger known for his intelligent wide play and consistency.[6]

Career statistics[edit]

Source:[7]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
York City 1978–79 Fourth Division 33 4 5 1 0 0 38 5
1979–80 Fourth Division 29 2 3 0 2 0 34 2
1980–81 Fourth Division 43 4 2 0 4 1 49 5
1981–82 Fourth Division 41 8 3 1 2 0 46 9
1982–83 Fourth Division 45 11 4 2 2 0 51 13
1983–84 Fourth Division 46 11 3 0 3 1 52 12
1984–85 Third Division 44 5 6 0 7 2 57 7
1985–86 Third Division 40 4 7 3 6 0 53 7
1986–87 Third Division 45 4 3 0 7 0 55 4
Total 366 53 36 7 33 4 435 64
Leicester City 1987–88 Second Division 16 2 0 0 4 1 20 3
Port Vale 1987–88 Third Division 23 3 4 0 1 0 28 3
1988–89 Third Division 22 7 1 0 5 1 28 8
1989–90 Second Division 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1990–91 Second Division 30 2 2 0 3 0 35 2
Total 75 12 7 0 9 1 91 13
Walsall (loan) 1989–90 Third Division 13 2 0 0 0 0 13 2
Mansfield Town 1990–91 Third Division 12 1 0 0 0 0 12 1
1991–92 Fourth Division 39 4 1 0 6 0 46 4
1992–93 Second Division 37 1 1 0 4 0 42 1
Total 88 6 2 0 10 0 100 6
Hartlepool United 1995–96 Third Division 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 0
Career total 561 75 45 7 57 6 663 88

Honours[edit]

York City

Harstad IL

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 104. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. ^ Rollin, Jack, ed. (1980). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1980–81. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 408. ISBN 0362020175.
  3. ^ Batters, David. York City Football Club. p. 109.
  4. ^ a b c "The Gary Ford Interview". The Vale Park Beano. 99.
  5. ^ a b "Gary Ford | Leicester City career stats – FoxesTalk". FoxesTalk. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  6. ^ Fielding, Rob (31 May 2020). "Cult hero 68: Gary Ford". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  7. ^ Gary Ford at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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