*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Dave Carr
Appearances: 61+1 Goals: 6
Date / Year of birth: 31st January 1957
Position: Centre-back
Season of first appearance: 1972/73
Season of last appearance: 1992/93
Also played for: Luton Town (43+5,1), Lincoln City (199+3,5), Torquay United (39,0), Maidstone United, Dover Athletic, Folkestone, Hythe Town and Sittingbourne
Commanding 5' 10" tall ginger-haired defender born in Aylesham, Kent who initially joined Margate in the summer of 1972 and played regularly for the reserves during the early part of the 1972/73 season.
Dave also made a one-off appearance for the first team, playing at left-back in a Kent Floodlight Cup tie at Hastings on 15.11.72. The youthful Margate side lost 6-0 but Dave's appearance was significant since he was only 15 at the time (15 years, nine months and 16 days), making him one of the youngest players ever to have played for the club.
In January 1973 he was signed by Luton for a fee of £2,000 and at the time Margate manager Les Riggs described him as being "the best prospect I have seen for many a day." As he was finishing his education at Dane Court school in Broadstairs, Dave played a few more games for Margate's reserves before the end of the 1972/73 season, despite officially being a Luton player.
He went on to make 48 first team appearances for the Hatters spanning the 1976/77-1978/79 seasons and played for Luton in a testimonial match for Ray Summers at Hartsdown on 15.3.78.
In July 1979 Dave was transferred to Lincoln for £20,000 and made his debut in a League Cup tie against Barnsley at Sincil Bank on 11.8.79. He became a regular in the Imps side for four seasons (1979/80-1982/83) and made over 200 appearances. During his last season with Lincoln he played in a 9-0 home win over Bournemouth on 18.12.82 and they were playing their first game under new manager Harry Redknapp - it was his first ever match in charge of a Football League club.
In August 1983 Dave joined Torquay and spent the 1983/84 campaign there before dropping into non-league football.
He joined Maidstone for 1984/85 and made 25 appearances for the Stones during the season, scoring once. Dave also had spells on loan at Dover and Folkestone. In November 1985 he joined Dover on a permanent basis after making eight more appearances for Maidstone. He stayed at Dover for the 1986/87 season and scored in a 3-3 draw at Thanet on 20.4.87.
In the summer of 1987 Dave joined Thanet and immediately became club captain, it was over 14 years since he'd left Margate for Luton. The Adscene newspaper said that Dave was one of the club's "most major signings for many seasons", saying he was "a class player and a good reader of the game who should be a steadying influence in the Thanet defence".
Dave made his debut for United in a 2-0 win at Hounslow on 22.8.87, the opening day of the 1987/88 season. The Thanet Times said that he was "outstanding in the heart of the defence". Dave scored in his second game for the club, a 2-2 draw at Folkestone in a Southern League Cup tie on 25.8.87, and he was always a threat when moving forward for set pieces. He went on to have a superb campaign, constantly winning praise from the local press. The Thanet Times felt that Dave "excelled" in a 3-2 win over Hastings on 5.9.87 and in October 1987 the Isle of Thanet Gazette said that he'd been "a model of consistency" since joining the club. During a 1-1 draw with Woking in an FA Cup tie at Hartsdown on 10.10.87 Dave "marshalled the back division in style" according to the Thanet Times and the paper said that his "expertise shone through like a beacon" in a 2-0 win at Bury on 19.12.87. One of the few low points of the season for Dave came on 16.1.88 when he scored a spectacular own goal at Baldock. He sliced an attempted clearance into the roof of the net for the only goal of the game but it was a rare error for a player described as being "evergreen" by the Isle of Thanet Gazette. Dave ended the campaign having made 52 appearances, missing only four games, and he scored five goals.
In July 1988 Dave joined Hythe as player-coach and the Thanet Times report on his move was headlined "Shock departure of ace pivot". The paper said that it was "a major blow" to United as Dave was "generally regarded as the best central defender in the Beazer Homes League" who'd "proved an instant success at Hartsdown". Player-manager Norman Fusco told the paper "this came as a big shock to me...we had arranged to have talks when I heard that he had subsequently joined Hythe."
When Fusco resigned in October 1988 the Adscene newspaper said that Dave would be "the ideal man" to replace him but he stayed with Hythe and became their player-manager in November 1989. Coincidentally his first game in charge was a 1-1 home draw with Margate on 18.11.89 and just four months after taking over as manager Dave guided Hythe to the semi-finals of the FA Vase where they lost to Yeading.
In the summer of 1990 Dave left Hythe and signed for Sittingbourne where he was part of their unbeaten Kent League winning side during 1990/91. He stayed with the Brickies until rejoining Hythe as a player in February 1992.
The Thanet Times reported that Dave "excelled" in Hythe's defence during a 2-1 defeat at Margate on 18.4.92 and when the club went out of business at the end of 1991/92 Dave returned to Margate.
After featuring in several pre-season friendlies he missed the start of the 1992/93 campaign due to injury before making his first appearance in a 5-0 win at Bury on 5.9.92. Dave came on as an early substitute and scored one of the Margate goals. Two days later he played in midfield as Margate thrashed Fisher 5-0 at Bromley's Hayes Lane ground and Dave then featured in the club's next seven matches playing as a right-back, centre-back or midfielder. On 3.10.92 he wore the number four shirt during a 1-0 defeat at Fareham and it turned out to be Dave's last game for Margate, almost 20 years since his teenage debut. Having made nine appearances (one as sub) and scoring once he left the club later in October 1992 and retired aged 35.
Dave sadly died on 19.6.05 aged only 48 after a battle with cancer. Margate director Keith Piper told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "he was a model professional who did the club proud and was a special guy...he was very bubbly."
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC | |
|
1972/73 (MFC) |
1 (64) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (7TH OF 22) |
3R |
3QR |
1R |
2R |
GR |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
||
|
1987/88 (TUFC) |
52 (56) |
0 |
5 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (5TH OF 21) |
4QR |
2QR |
GR |
1R |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
| |
|
1992/93 (MFC) |
8 (53) |
1 |
1 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (10TH OF 22) |
2QR |
2QR |
1R |
1R |