Howard Gayle
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Howard Anthony Gayle[1] | ||
Date of birth | [1] | 18 May 1958||
Place of birth | Toxteth, Liverpool, England[1] | ||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Forward, winger | ||
Youth career | |||
1974–1977 | Liverpool | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1977–1983 | Liverpool | 4 | (1) |
1980 | → Fulham (loan) | 14 | (0) |
1982–1983 | → Newcastle United (loan) | 8 | (2) |
1983–1984 | Birmingham City | 46 | (9) |
1984–1986 | Sunderland | 48 | (4) |
1987 | Stoke City | 6 | (2) |
1987–1992 | Blackburn Rovers | 116 | (29) |
1992–1993 | Halifax Town | 5 | (0) |
Total | 247 | (47) | |
International career | |||
1984 | England U21 | 3 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Howard Anthony Gayle (born 18 May 1958) is an English former
Gayle began his career with
Club career
Gayle was born in Toxteth and joined the youth ranks at local side Liverpool in 1974. He signed a professional contract with the club in 1977, becoming the first black player to play for Liverpool, which was seen as a "victory" for the black community in Liverpool.
"It was constantly in the press that I was the first black player to play for Liverpool. It was a landmark as far as black people were concerned, and I was proud to represent the black community of Liverpool"
— Gayle on his important landmark.[3]
His finest hour for Liverpool came in the
Gayle joined
He then spent five years at Blackburn Rovers, where he was that club's first black player.[4] He signed for them in 1987 and was a regular striker in their quest for top-flight football. However, by the time Blackburn were promoted to the newly-created Premier League in 1992, Gayle had fallen down the pecking order in favour of expensive new signings Mike Newell and David Speedie, and with the arrival of national record signing Alan Shearer that summer, it was clear that Blackburn manager Kenny Dalglish felt that Gayle was surplus to requirements at Ewood Park.
Gayle joined
International career
As an overage player, he helped England win the
Personal life
Gayle was born to a father from
He released his autobiography in October 2016 titled 61 Minutes in Munich.[7]
Career statistics
Source:[8]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other[A] | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Liverpool | 1979–80 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1980–81 | First Division | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
1981–82 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
1982–83 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | ||
Fulham (loan) | 1979–80 | Second Division | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
Newcastle United (loan) | 1982–83 | Second Division | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
Birmingham City | 1982–83 | First Division | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
1983–84 | First Division | 33 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 10 | |
Total | 46 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 11 | ||
Sunderland | 1984–85 | First Division | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 3 |
1985–86 | Second Division | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 2 | |
Total | 48 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 5 | ||
Stoke City | 1986–87 | Second Division | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
Blackburn Rovers | 1987–88 | Second Division | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
1988–89 | Second Division | 45 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 58 | 23 | |
1989–90 | Second Division | 36 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 5 | |
1990–91 | Second Division | 24 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 | |
1991–92 | Second Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
Total | 116 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 143 | 33 | ||
Halifax Town | 1992–93 | Third Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Career Total | 247 | 47 | 15 | 0 | 24 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 300 | 54 |
- A. Football League Trophy.
Honours
- Liverpool
- 1980–81
- Sunderland
- 1984–85
- 1984 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
References
- ^ ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- ISBN 1-873626-70-3.
- ^ "Forgotten Heroes: Howard Gayle". This is Anfield. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ "Howard Gayle: 'Blackburn Rovers and my best ever football season – 1988/89'". Rovers Trust. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ "Howard Gayle - A pioneer and an activist - LFChistory - Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". www.lfchistory.net.
- ^ "Ex-Liverpool player Howard Gayle turns down MBE". BBC. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- ^ "Howard Gayle: I needed mental resilience to survive as Liverpool's first black player". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
- ^ Howard Gayle at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
External links
- Howard Gayle at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
- Thisisanfield.com Forgotten Heroes
- Profile at LFCHistory.net
- Interview with Gayle on Talksport