*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.
Gary Pugh
Appearances: 74 Goals: 25
Date / Year of birth: 11th February 1961
Position: Striker
Season of first appearance: 1984/85
Season of last appearance: 1986/87
Also played for: Dover, West Ham United (0), AFC Bournemouth (0+3,1), Gravesend & Northfleet, Canterbury City, Torquay United (5+1,0), Dover Athletic, Whitstable Town, Ramsgate, Tonbridge and Herne Bay
6' 1" tall lean, blonde striker born in Ramsgate who played for local youth side Birchington Athletic during the 1974/75 season and then spent the 1975/76 campaign playing for Margate Colts in the Thanet Premier Sunday League. Gary had a trial with Coventry at that time.
In 1977 he joined Dover and broke into the club's first team as a 17 year-old during the 1977/78 season, scoring once. Gary also played in some youth team games for West Ham, making his first appearance for them in January 1978, and in March 1978 the London club signed him on a permanent basis.
Gary bagged 23 goals in his first 14 reserve games for the Hammers and scored against Margate in a friendly at Hartsdown prior to the start of the 1978/79 season. However after a season at Upton Park he returned to Dover and made 11 appearances for them during 1979/80, scoring five goals.
Gary also spent most of the 1980/81 season with Dover, scoring a further 13 goals, but towards the end of the campaign he had a short stint with Bournemouth where he made three Football League appearances (all as sub) and scored once.
Gary then joined Gravesend & Northfleet for the 1981/82 season and led their scoring charts with 12 goals in 32 appearances (four as sub). His goal tally included two Alliance Premier League hat-tricks - in a 4-1 home win over Frickley on 5.12.81 (the first APL hat-trick ever scored by a Gravesend player) and in a 3-3 draw at AP Leamington on 13.3.82.
Gary joined Canterbury for the 1982/83 campaign and he was City's top scorer for the season with 14 goals in all competitions. In the Southern League he scored 12 goals from 24 appearances. He stayed with City for the 1983/84 campaign too and scored three goals in 17 Southern League appearances (three as sub) during the season. Gary got a total of seven goals in all competitions.
In August 1984 Gary joined Thanet, making his debut for the club in the opening game of the 1984/85 campaign - a 1-0 win over Dorchester at Hartsdown on 18.8.84. He'd only joined the club the day before the match. Gary enjoyed a great start to his United career, striking up a good understanding with Vic Medus. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 win at Woodford on 1.9.84 and then bagged a hat-trick in a 6-2 win at Dover on 12.9.84. It was the first treble by a Margate / Thanet player since December 1980 and the pick of Gary's goals was a clever lob.
After a 2-1 win at Hillingdon on 6.10.84 he had to have four stitches in an eye wound and Gary had suffered a broken nose at the same ground during the previous season. Later in October his impressive form prompted the Thanet Times to say that Gary was "proving to be a most useful acquisition" and on 27.10.84 he scored a brilliant solo goal in a 4-2 win over Chatham at Hartsdown. Gary ran from the halfway line and beat two defenders before firing a venomous shot into the corner of the net.
In November 1984 Gary joined 4th Division Torquay on trial and he made two Football League appearances for the club. He fitted the matches around his Thanet commitments and didn't miss any United games. Torquay's manager at the time was Dave Webb who'd been in charge at Bournemouth during Gary's spell there. Although he did well, especially when playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over Hereford on 3.11.84, Gary wasn't offered a contract by Torquay.
He carried on scoring for Thanet and on 10.11.84 he headed the only goal in a 1-0 win over Poole. The Thanet Times said that Gary "rose majestically" and the Isle of Thanet Gazette added "his aerial ability has done much to sharpen the attack". Soon after that Gary had another short spell at Torquay and he played another two league games but still wasn't taken on full time by the club.
That disappointment may have been a factor in a decline in Gary's form after Christmas 1984. After scoring 15 goals before the turn of the year, he only managed five afterwards. The pick of his later efforts was a low drive on the turn from outside the penalty area in a 5-3 win over Addlestone & Weybridge at Hartsdown on 9.2.85. Despite his slump, which included a run of 12 games without a goal during March and April 1985, Gary finished the season with an impressive 20 goals from 56 outings.
However in the summer of 1985 he rejoined Gravesend and Gary made 16 appearances (two as sub) without scoring during the early part of the 1985/86 campaign before moving on to Dover in October 1985. Gary scored five goals as Dover beat Poole 6-1 at Crabble on 7.12.85 and he was the first Dover player to do so since they'd entered the Southern League in 1959.
Early in 1986 Gary was on the move again, this time linking up with Kent League Whitstable. He only spent a short time at Belmont Road before going to play in Malta for a spell.
When he returned to the UK Gary rejoined Thanet for the 1986/87 season and scored twice in his first four games. On 23.9.86 he fired home a volley from the edge of the penalty area in a 3-1 win over Canterbury and then after a run of five games without a goal Gary scored with an excellent solo effort in a 3-0 win over Dunstable on 1.11.86. He ran from the halfway line before slotting a low shot into the corner of the net. It was his fifth goal of the campaign, each one coming in a different match of which Thanet won four and drew one. After three more games without a goal Gary was dropped for a game at Poole on 15.11.86 in favour of youngster Paul Lawrence. He then decided to move on having made 18 appearances and Thanet manager John Wickens said "Gary told me he was quitting and has parted company with the club he served well." He immediately joined Ramsgate.
Gary did well in his time at Southwood and during the 1987/88 season he scored 14 goals. On 2.8.88 he scored the Rams' goal as they drew 1-1 with Thanet in the annual Isle of Thanet Gazette Cup match at Southwood.
In the summer of 1989 he moved on to Tonbridge but after failing to score in 11 appearances there he rejoined the Rams in November 1989.
Gary second spell with the club lasted until March 1991 when he returned to Whitstable, having scored ten goals for Ramsgate during the season. He scored on his debut for the Oystermen in a 3-2 win at Thames Poly on 30.3.91.
Gary went back to Ramsgate for the start of the 1991/92 campaign but then joined Herne Bay in January 1992 - his last club before retiring.
He was still living in the Thanet area in 2008.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
EFC | |
|
1984/85 (TUFC) |
56 (62) |
0 |
20 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (5TH OF 20) |
1QR |
1QR |
GR |
SF |
RU |
| Played in Eastern Floodlight Cup Final 2nd Leg (09.05.85 - lost 2-0 at home to Bishop's Stortford). | |||||||||
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
EFC | |
|
1986/87 (TUFC) |
18 (53) |
0 |
5 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (10TH OF 20) |
PR |
1QR |
GR |
1R |
GR |