Gary Alexander (footballer)

Gary George Alexander (born 15 August 1979 in Lambeth) is an English former professional footballer. He was recently interim manager of Cray Wanderers.

Gary Alexander

Personal information
Full name	Gary George Alexander[1]
Date of birth	(1979-08-15) 15 August 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth	Lambeth, London, England
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
0000–1998	West Ham United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2000	West Ham United	0	(0)
1999–2000	→ Exeter City (loan)	37	(16)
2000–2001	Swindon Town	37	(7)
2001–2003	Hull City	68	(23)
2003–2007	Leyton Orient	179	(52)
2007–2010	Millwall	86	(19)
2010–2012	Brentford	62	(21)
2012	→ Crawley Town (loan)	14	(7)
2012–2014	Crawley Town	48	(8)
2013	→ AFC Wimbledon (loan)	18	(3)
2014	Burton Albion	11	(0)
2014–2018	Greenwich Borough	67	(34)
2018	Chatham Town	2	(1)
2018	Ashford United	1	(0)
Total		630	(191)
Managerial career
2013	Crawley Town (caretaker)
2015–2018	Greenwich Borough
2018	Ashford United
2019–2021	Glebe
2021–2022	Cray Wanderers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 February 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 28 February 2022

Alexander previously played for West Ham United, Exeter City, Swindon Town, Hull City, Leyton Orient, Millwall, Brentford, Crawley Town, AFC Wimbledon and Burton Albion. He was also caretaker manager of Crawley Town alongside Martin Hinshelwood.

Career

West Ham United and Exeter City

He began his career with West Ham United, but his first taste of first team football came with a loan spell at Exeter City in the 1999–2000 season. Alexander scored 16 goals in 37 league games for the Grecians and although he was only on-loan to Exeter,^[2] became their Player of the Season.^[3] His form with Exeter convinced Swindon Town to sign him from West Ham for £300,000 in July 2000.^[4]

Swindon Town

Alexander's time at Swindon was short. He played only one season, scoring seven goals in 43 appearances in all competitions.^[5]

Hull City

With Swindon Town in financial difficulties they accepted a bid from Hull City in June 2001. His first season saw him score 20 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions and in the 2001–02 season he was awarded the Hull City Player of the Season award.^[6][7]

Leyton Orient

In January 2003 he moved to Leyton Orient where he soon became a first team regular. Alexander rejected a new deal in May 2007.

Millwall

Alexander vs Michael Morrison of Leicester City on 13 September 2008.

On 24 May 2009 Alexander scored twice for Millwall in the 2008–09 League One play-off final.^[8] However, he was unable to prevent Millwall losing 3–2 to Scunthorpe United, despite Alexander's two goals giving Millwall a 2–1 half-time lead.^[9] He missed a chance to put Millwall 3–1 up and claim his hat-trick.^[9]

Brentford

In August 2010 Alexander signed for Brentford for an undisclosed fee and made his debut on 7 August against Carlisle United.^[10][11] He scored his first Brentford goal a week later in a 2–1 home defeat to Walsall.^[11] On 28 January 2012 Alexander scored a hat-trick in a 5–2 win over Wycombe Wanderers.^[12]

Crawley Town

In March 2012 Alexander signed on loan for Crawley Town until the end of the 2011–12 season.^[13] Alexander scored seven goals in fourteen appearances for Crawley as they finished 3rd in League Two and were promoted to League One.^[12][14] Following the sacking of manager Ritchie Barker, Alexander became caretaker manager on 28 November 2013, alongside chief scout Martin Hinshelwood.^[15]

AFC Wimbledon

On 31 January 2013 Alexander joined AFC Wimbledon, on loan until the end of the season.^[16] He scored three goals in 18 appearances,^[17] the last of which was the first in a 2–1 win over Fleetwood Town on 27 April 2013, the final day of the season, that preserved the Dons' Football League status.^[18]

Burton Albion

On 31 January 2014, Alexander signed for Burton Albion.^[19] He was released by the club at the end of the season.^[20]

Coaching career

Alexander joined Greenwich Borough in July 2014. On 22 December 2015, Alexander became player-manager.^[21] He guided them to promotion from the Southern Counties East in 2015–16 and the following season they reached the Isthmian League South Division play-offs.^[22] He left the club in January 2018.^[23]

After turning out for Chatham Town for a couple of matches, Alexander joined Ashford United in mid-January 2018,^[24] initially as assistant manager team but with a view to becoming manager for the following season. He was sacked in November 2018.^[25] After a spell scouting for Millwall, he was appointed manager of Glebe in September 2019.^[26] Alexander resigned from this role in June 2021.^[27]

In December 2021, Alexander was appointed assistant to Interim Manager Grant Basey at Isthmian League Premier Division side Cray Wanderers.^[28]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
West Ham United	1997–98[29]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	―		―		0	0
	1998–99[30]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	―		―		0	0
	1999–2000[2]	Premier League	0	0	―		―		0	0	―		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	―		0	0
Exeter City (loan)	1999–00[2]	Third Division	37	16	3	1	1	0	―		4[lower-alpha 1]	2	45	19
Swindon Town	2000–01[31]	Second Division	37	7	3	0	3	0	―		3[lower-alpha 1]	2	46	9
Hull City	2001–02[6]	Third Division	43	17	2	2	2	1	―		3[lower-alpha 1]	3	50	23
	2002–03[32]	Third Division	25	6	1	0	1	1	―		1[lower-alpha 1]	0	28	7
	Total		68	23	3	2	3	2	―		4	3	78	30
Leyton Orient	2002–03[32]	Third Division	17	2	―		―		―		―		17	2
	2003–04[33]	Third Division	44	15	2	1	1	0	―		1[lower-alpha 1]	0	48	16
	2004–05[34]	League Two	28	9	0	0	1	0	―		2[lower-alpha 1]	1	31	10
	2005–06[35]	League Two	46	14	5	0	1	0	―		2[lower-alpha 1]	1	54	15
	2006–07[36]	League One	44	12	3	0	1	0	―		1[lower-alpha 1]	0	49	12
	Total		179	52	10	1	4	0	―		6	2	199	55
Millwall	2007–08[37]	League One	36	7	3	1	1	0	―		1[lower-alpha 1]	0	41	8
	2008–09[8]	League One	35	11	4	2	1	0	―		3[lower-alpha 2]	2	43	15
	2009–10[38]	League One	16	1	0	0	1	1	―		3[lower-alpha 3]	0	20	2
	Total		86	19	7	3	3	1	―		7	2	104	25
Brentford	2010–11[11]	League One	38	9	0	0	4	1	―		5[lower-alpha 1]	2	47	12
	2011–12[12]	League One	24	12	2	0	1	0	―		3[lower-alpha 1]	2	30	14
	Total		62	21	2	0	5	1	―		8	4	77	26
Crawley Town (loan)	2011–12[12]	League Two	14	7	―		―		―		―		14	7
Crawley Town	2012–13[17]	League One	27	4	3	1	2	0	―		1[lower-alpha 1]	0	33	5
	2013–14[39]	League One	21	4	3	0	1	1	―		1[lower-alpha 1]	0	26	5
	Total		62	15	6	1	3	1	―		2	0	73	17
AFC Wimbledon (loan)	2012–13[17]	League Two	18	3	―		―		―		―		18	3
Burton Albion (loan)	2013–14[39]	League Two	11	0	―		―		―		―		11	0
Greenwich Borough	2014–15[40]	Southern Counties East League	33	20	0	0	―		―		5	4	38	24
	2015–16[40]	Southern Counties East League	25	14	0	0	―		―		0	0	25	14
	2016–17[41]	Isthmian League First Division South	9	0	3	0	―		―		2[lower-alpha 4]	0	14	0
	Total		67	34	3	0	0	0	―		7	4	77	38
Chatham Town	2017–18[42]	SCEL Premier Division	2	1	0	0	―		―		0	0	2	1
Ashford United	2017–18[43]	Isthmian League South Division	1	0	0	0	―		―		0	0	1	0
	2018–19[44]	Isthmian League South East Division	0	0	0	0	―		―		1[lower-alpha 4]	0	1	0
	Total		1	0	0	0	―		―		1	0	2	0
Career total			630	191	37	8	22	5	0	0	42	19	731	223

1. Appearances in Football League Trophy
2. Appearances in League One play-offs
3. 2 appearances in League One play-offs, 1 appearance in Football League Trophy
4. Appearance in FA Trophy

Honours

As a player

Leyton Orient

• Football League Two third-place promotion: 2005–06^[35][45]

Millwall

• Football League One play-offs: 2010^[46]

Brentford

• Football League Trophy runner-up: 2010–11^[47]

Crawley Town

• Football League Two third-place promotion: 2011–12^[12][14]

Greenwich Borough

• Southern Counties East League: 2015–16^[22][48]

Individual

• Exeter City Player of the Year: 1999–2000^[3]
• Hull City Player of the Year: 2001–02^[7]

As a manager

Greenwich Borough

• Southern Counties East League: 2015–16^[22][48]

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 19. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.
2. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
3. "BBC SPORT | EXETER CITY | Grecians suffer grey season". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
4. "Profile – Gary Alexander". www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
5. Gary Alexander at Soccerbase
6. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
7. "My Football Facts & Stats | Premier League | Hull City Player of the Year". www.myfootballfacts.com. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
8. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
9. "Millwall 2–3 Scunthorpe". BBC Sport. 24 May 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
10. "Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News | BEES LAND STRIKER". Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
11. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
12. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
13. "Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News | GARY ALEXANDER LEAVES BRENTFORD". Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
14. Crawley Town F.C. at the Football Club History Database
15. "Pair take over for trip to Crewe". Crawley Town. 28 November 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
16. "AFC Wimbledon: Sullivan and Alexander among four arrivals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
17. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
18. "AFC Wimbledon 2–1 Fleetwood". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
19. "Albion sign Alexander". Burton Albion FC. 31 January 2014.
20. "Shane Cansdell-Sherriff: Burton sign Preston defender". BBC Sport. BBC. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
21. "Gary Alexander takes charge of Greenwich Borough after Ian Jenkins is axed following incident with club director". Kentish Football. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
22. Greenwich Borough F.C. at the Football Club History Database
23. Club Statement: Gary Alexander and John Mackie Archived 7 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine Greenwich Borough, 5 January 2018
24. Steve Tervet (18 January 2018). "Gary Alexander to become Ashford United manager at end of season". Kent Online. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
25. Tervet, Steve (29 November 2018). "Ashford United sacked Gary Alexander with the team seventh in Bostik South East". Kent Online. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
26. Glebe appoint Gary Alexander as their new manager: It was clear to everybody that we have found the right person for the role Kentish Football, 6 September 2019
27. "Gary Alexander steps down from Glebe hotseat". scefl.com. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
28. "Cray Wanderers announce Grant Basey as Interim First Team Manager". www.cray-wanderers.com. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
29. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
30. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
31. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
32. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
33. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
34. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
35. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
36. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
37. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
38. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
39. "Games played by Gary Alexander in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
40. "Stats for a player: Gary Alexander". FA Fulltime. Retrieved 21 February 2021. Select season via dropdown menu.
41. "Greenwich Borough | Appearances | Gary Alexander | 2016–2017 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
42. "Stats for a player: Gary Alexander". FA Fulltime. Retrieved 21 February 2021. Select season via dropdown menu.
43. "Ashford United | Appearances | Gary Alexander | 2017–2018 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
44. "Ashford United | Appearances | Gary Alexander | 2018–2019 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
45. Leyton Orient F.C. at the Football Club History Database
46. "Millwall 1–0 Swindon". 29 May 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
47. Shemilt, Stephan (3 April 2011). "Brentford 0–1 Carlisle United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
48. https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-non-league-football-paper/20160730/281891592646367. Retrieved 23 July 2019 – via PressReader. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• Gary Alexander at Soccerbase