*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 Clay
Appearances: 49 Goals: 11
Date / Year of birth: 8th May 1957
Position: Striker
Season of first appearance: 1981/82
Season of last appearance: 1981/82
Also played for: Gillingham (0), Deal Town, Dover, Tonbridge, Canterbury City, Ashford Town and Folkestone Town
5' 11 tall battling striker born in Dover who played for Gillingham as a youth before beginning his senior career with Deal during the 1974/75 campaign.
In the summer of 1975 Dave joined Dover but he spent most of his time at Crabble in Dover's reserves. However he managed to score a total of eight goals in his occasional first team outings during the 1975/76 and 1976/77 seasons. He also had a loan spell at Tonbridge during 1976/77.
In November 1977 Dave joined Canterbury and he went on to score three goals in 23 Southern League appearances (one as sub) for City during the 1977/78 season.
Dave moved to Ashford for the 1978/79 campaign and top scored with eight goals. He then had two further spells with Deal, split by a stint at Folkestone, before joining Thanet United in the summer of 1981.
Dave made his debut in Thanet's first ever game, a 1-1 draw with Dunstable at Hartsdown Park on 15.8.81, and marked the occasion with a goal - the first ever scored by the renamed club. He was described as being "a real terrier" by the Isle of Thanet Gazette and went on to score 11 goals in 49 appearances during the 1981/82 campaign. That tally was comfortably enough to make him United's leading goalscorer for the season. The best of his efforts was a shot from the edge of the penalty area in a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Tonbridge on 29.8.81 and Dave often found himself isolated up front in a struggling team. In a 3-0 home defeat against Poole on 30.1.82 the Thanet Times said that Dave "battled with enormous courage" having been the victim of some crunching tackles. However he left the club at the end of the season after Thanet had finished bottom of the Southern League Southern Division and returned to Deal for the 1982/83 campaign.
Dave went on to take his career tally of appearances for Deal to 186 (17 as a substitute) and he scored a total of 34 goals for the club.
In 2008 Dave was working for Thanet District Council in Margate.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
| |
|
1981/82 (TUFC) |
49 (53) |
0 |
11 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (24TH OF 24) |
1QR |
1QR |
1R |
1R |
|
| Finished bottom but not relegated. | |||||||||