GULLACTICO

Thomas Kelly

@tommyktufc

DAVID GRAHAM

My first memory of Torquay United comes from the 2000/2001 season. Torquay were fighting to avoid relegation to the Conference (just for a change!) and the club had just signed a striker called David Graham from Dunfermline United. Little did we know that this signing would prove to be one of the club’s greatest.

As many Gulls fans know, United went into a do or die final game away at Barnet. Anything but a defeat for the Gulls would ensure survival, a defeat would keep the Bees in Division 3 at the Gulls expense. Late in first half Graham slammed home from close range in what proved to be the vital 3rd goal to help the Gulls stay in Division 3 for another season.

New manager Roy McFarland was able to acquire the services of the Scotsman permanently during the following summer on a free transfer and the rest as they say, is history.

David’s career in football started in Glasgow with Rangers in 1995, his debut for the club coming in a UEFA Cup First Qualifying Round win away at Shelbourne of Ireland.

David would struggle to break into the first team, making just a couple of appearances off the bench before a transfer of £200,000 saw him move to Dunfermline Athletic in 1998. Sadly for the Pars, the club were relegated from the SPL at the end of the season.

David made 39 appearances for the club scoring just four goals, and was briefly loaned out to Inverness CT in January 2001, making just two appearances before heading far south to the English Riviera, where his career really took flight.

His first goal of the 01/02 season was another important one as the Gulls beat AFC Bournemouth away 2-0 to earn a trip to White Hart Lane against Premier League Tottenham Hotspur, where despite a valiant effort, United fell to a respectable 2-0 defeat to the Premier League side.

It’s hard to believe that the club put him up on the transfer list on the back end of 2001 but thankfully for the Yellow Army, through hard work and determination, David earned a new contract keeping him at the club until 2005. I don’t want to imagine what would have happened had we released him back then.

David made 31 appearances scoring 8 goals in the league that year with the club finishing in 19th place. No relegation worries (eventually!) for United.

Better things were to come from Graham in the 02/03 season. With Leroy Rosenior now manager and bringing a new style of play to United, the striker scored 15 goals in 26 appearances in the league and the club finished just outside of the play-off positions by four points in a promising 9th position.

Working well with the likes of Martin Gritton, Tony Bedeau and Joe Kuffour, the club definitely had the hallmarks of a team on the up that season and it was an important summer for Leroy Rosenior to build a squad capable of pushing for promotion, keeping important players at the club and adding some new additions. He accomplished both.

Shall we talk about the 2003-2004 season? Yeah go on then! Finishing runner up as the Division Three’s top goal-scorer, just one goal behind Steven MacLean of Scunthorpe United, David found joy in partnerships with both Gritts and Kuffour, hitting the back of the net 22 times that season in the league, scoring goals from all angles and delighting us time and time again with plenty of wonderful finishes.

It wasn’t just the goals either, his all-round game was perfect for Leroy’s tactics, sharp touches and passing finding team mates in space and making chances as well as scoring them – this was a man at the top of his game and it truly was a joy to behold. Talent like that does not find it’s way to our club very often.

As we all know the club achieved automatic promotion for the first time in over forty years in 2004, cumulating in a 2-1 away win at Southend United in front of over 1,500 delirious Yellow Army supporters – Graham scoring one of the early goals. Oh what a day.

It was to be his final goal and game for the club as teams higher up the football pyramid were lurking to snap up the Scotsman that summer. In the end after much speculation it was a move to the Championship for David, heading to Wigan Athletic for a club record £215,000 on a three year contract. A deserved move but one of disappointment for the Yellow Army, leaving a big gap for the club to fill in the newly named League One for the 04/05 season (that big gap would be filled by a big man…).

It was to be a difficult time however for him, scoring just once for the promotion contenders as he struggled to break into the first team in 2004-05, a season that saw Wigan head to the Premier League for the first time in their history.

David returned to the Championship the following season with newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday, but it was to be a similar story for him, struggling to break into the first team. He would then be loaned out to Huddersfield Town in League 1, scoring 9 goals in 17 appearances for the Yorkshire club, guiding them to the play-offs.

In 2006, David turned down a move to Blackpool and was loaned out to Bradford City on a five month deal, scoring 5 times in 22 appearances before returning to Plainmoor in 2007 to try and help the club avoid relegation from the Football League. Sadly, David could not find the form he had previously achieved in Yellow, failing to score in his 7 appearances, and the club were inevitably relegated to the Conference.

David’s next career steps saw him move to Gillingham & Lincoln City in 2007 & 2008 respectively, before falling into non-league to end his career, with multiple appearances with Sheffield FC, as well as moves to Ilkeston, Worksop and Hucknall.

David Graham will always have a special place in many Torquay’s fans hearts, and in our recent Top 10 Gulls of all time vote, Facebook readers voted him as number 3 in their all-time Gulls players.

TOP 10 GULLS PLAYERS by Facebook Yellow Army

It’s clear that we got the very best of Graham in his football career and there’s no doubt he earned the respect to be called a club legend. Under Leroy Rosenior he had the perfect platform to thrive and his technical ability in front of goal was a major factor in our promotion push. It was no surprise he was included in the PFA’s Division 3 team of the year (joined by Alex Russell) that season too.

It’s a shame he couldn’t quite cut it at a higher level but that’s how football goes sometimes. I’ll remember David Graham as a Torquay United goal machine and I’ll always be thankful for the quality he showed in a Torquay shirt. He deserved a go in the Championship and will always be welcomed fondly by the fans should he visit Plainmoor in the future.

David Graham, a true Torquay Gullactico!