*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.
Grant Gallacher
Appearances: 67+2 Goals: 8
Date / Year of birth: 18th August 1961
Position: Winger / Midfielder
Season of first appearance: 1983/84
Season of last appearance: 1985/86
Also played for: Dagenham, Chatham Town, Dartford, Tonbridge, Gravesend & Northfleet, Crawley Town, Hythe Town, Ashford Town, Wealdstone, St.Albans City, Whitstable Town, Braintree Town, Erith & Belvedere and Lordswood
Talented Chatham-born player who began his career with Dagenham before moving on to Chatham for the 1981/82 season.
Grant then had a short spell with Dartford during the 1982/83 campaign, scoring twice in 17 appearances (three as sub) before returning to Chatham.
In March 1984 he joined Thanet United and made his debut in a 4-3 win at Erith & Belvedere on 10.3.84. Grant had a good game and the local Adscene newspaper said that he "showed enough talent to make him a useful signing". He went on to make a total of ten appearances before the end of the 1983/84 season and turned in some outstanding displays, particularly impressing with his willingness to take defenders on during what the local press called his "dogged runs".
Grant began the 1984/85 campaign impressively in a more central role and he was described as being a "midfield dynamo" by the Isle of Thanet Gazette. On 22.9.84 he scored his first goal for United in a 4-0 win at Erith & Belvedere with what the local press said was "a left-footed cannonball" from the edge of the penalty area. Grant also scored a superb solo goal in a 2-1 win at Hillingdon on 6.10.84. He picked the ball up on the halfway line and then surged forward before unleashing a 30 yard shot that zoomed into the net. He was unlucky with injuries during the season, spending a month on the sidelines before Christmas 1984 and another two months out between February 1985 and April 1985. This restricted him to just 21 appearances (two as sub) during the campaign and Grant scored three goals in all.
He began the 1985/86 season in excellent form on the left wing but on 7.9.85 Grant was substituted as Thanet drew 2-2 with Bromley in an FA Cup tie at Hartsdown. The Thanet Times said he was replaced "much to his and the crowd's disgust". The paper went on to say that Grant made "an angry gesture to the bench as he made straight for the dressing rooms". However United's next home game, a 5-0 win over Dorchester on 21.9.85, was a personal triumph for Grant. He scored twice and the Thanet Times said that Grant was "mercurial" and "consistently impressed with his darting runs and shrewd distribution". The local press also referred to Grant as being "wily" and he had another outstanding match as Thanet lost 2-0 in a Southern League Cup tie at Welling on 16.10.85. Probably Grant's best performance in a United shirt came in a 1-0 win at Dover on 2.11.85. His mazy runs and what the Thanet Times called his "silky skills" tormented the Dover defence. The match report also said "if only he had a shot in his armoury he surely would be playing at a much higher level".
Grant scored five goals during the season and the best of them was a diving header in a 1-1 draw at Tonbridge on 20.11.85. He made his 38th appearance of the campaign in a 3-1 defeat at Andover on 8.3.86 but it was Grant's last game for the club. United manager John Wickens decided to release him a few days later and said that Grant was "a nice bloke and a good player on his day, but has had too many inconsistent matches for us this season".
Grant joined Tonbridge immediately after leaving Thanet and he then linked up with Gravesend & Northfleet for the 1986/87 campaign. He scored seven goals in 29 appearances for the Fleet during the season.
He started the 1987/88 season at Chatham but after being released in November 1987 Grant returned to Gravesend where he made a further 13 appearances before the end of the campaign, scoring three goals. The Thanet Times said that he "made many a probing run from midfield" in the Fleet's 0-0 draw at Thanet on 1.1.88.
Grant joined Crawley early in 1988 and his form there caught the eye of big-spending Hythe who paid £2,000 for his services in the summer of 1989. However things didn't work out for him and in October 1989 Grant was loaned to Ashford.
In December 1989 he rejoined Crawley for £1,000 only a few months after leaving and Grant stayed with the club until the summer of 1992. He was known as 'Lofty' during his time with Crawley and scored 33 goals from 228 appearances for the Sussex outfit.
Grant started the 1992/93 season with Wealdstone but towards the end of October 1992 he moved on to St.Albans where he played twice (once as a substitute) without scoring before returning to Kent.
He joined Whitstable in January 1993 but left the club to join Braintree in August 1993 having made only six appearances.
In February 1994 Grant returned to Kent when he joined Erith & Belvedere and he finished 1993/94 there, making nine appearances.
He rejoined Whitstable for the 1994/95 season and spent 1995/96 at Belmont Road too. Grant started the 1996/97 campaign with Chatham but went back to Whitstable during the season where he mainly played for club's reserves.
After making 94 career appearances for Whitstable and scoring 22 goals Grant linked up with Kent League Lordswood for the 1997/98 season. He stayed with them for the 1998/99 and 1999/00 campaigns too and during 2000/01 Grant had a spell as the club's player-manager. He left Lordswood before the end of that season but returned to the club for the 2002/03 campaign as a player.
Grant played for Lordswood until the end of the 2004/05 season before retiring aged 43.
His surname was almost always spelt incorrectly as Gallagher.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
| |
|
1983/84 (TUFC) |
10 (49) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (18TH OF 20) |
2QR |
1QR |
3R |
2R |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
EFC | |
|
1984/85 (TUFC) |
19 (62) |
2 |
3 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (5TH OF 20) |
1QR |
1QR |
GR |
SF |
RU |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
EFC | |
|
1985/86 (TUFC) |
38 (59) |
0 |
5 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (15TH OF 21) |
1QR |
PR |
GR |
1R |
GR |