Bio:
Gray was born in Glasgow and brought up in the city’s Castlemilk district.[2] He was one of the new generation of Leeds United players of the mid-1970s charged with the task of maintaining the club’s success after the Don Revie era.
Gray, younger brother of Eddie, joined the club under Revie as a 17-year-old left-winger and made his debut in 1973, scoring a goal in his first start. Revie had lost regular left back Terry Cooper to a broken leg the year before and needed to find replacements, and Gray was given his chance as a left-back as a result.
He did not stay in the side, with a reshuffled defence allowing Trevor Cherry to take the left back spot for the end of the season which consisted of two cup finals (the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup) both of which Leeds lost. Revie did invite Gray to travel with the squad to Wembley and he sat next to his manager during the defeat to Sunderland.
Gray was similarly spared regular football in the first team at such an early age the following year, with Cherry settled into the left back role. Leeds won the League championship thanks to an unbeaten start to the season of 29 games. Gray played only six times and did not qualify for a medal.
The following season, he made 18 appearances in the League and usurped Cherry for the No. 3 shirt in the European Cup final in Paris, which Leeds lost 2–0 to Bayern Munich. As the Revie team disbanded due to age – Revie himself had quit for the England manager’s job the year before – Gray found himself tagged as one of the bright young things who would maintain the work of the previous team, alongside Gordon McQueen and Joe Jordan.
Factfile:
- Full Name: Francis Tierney Gray
- Position: Defender
- Date of Birth: 27.10.1954
- Birthplace: Glasgow
- Nation: Scotland
- Club Career: Leeds United
- Period: 1972-1979 / 1981 – 1985
- League Games, 331
- League Goals, 27
- Previous Club: Nottingham Forest
- Transfer Fee: £300 000
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