*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.
James Gregory
Appearances: 27+9 Goals: 2
Date / Year of birth: 23rd March 1982
Position: Left-back
Season of first appearance: 2008/09
Season of last appearance: 2008/09
Also played for: Ramsgate, Hampton & Richmond Borough, Egham Town, Southall Town, Dover Athletic, Sittingbourne, Hythe Town, Broadstairs, Canterbury City and Deal Town
Left-sided Margate-born player who started his career with Ramsgate as a youngster and played as a striker for Kent as well as for South-East England schoolboys during 1999/00 whilst on the Rams' books. James also made five first team appearances in the Kent League during that season.
He stayed with Ramsgate for the 2000/01 campaign too but in the summer of 2001 James moved away from the Thanet area.
After leaving Ramsgate he joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Hampton & Richmond but didn't play in the senior side there and in November 2001 James moved on to Egham.
He suffered a thigh injury in December 2001 and returned to Thanet to recuperate shortly before Christmas. James then signed for Ramsgate again under a dual-registration agreement with Egham and after six weeks on the sidelines he featured in four Kent League games for the Rams before returning to Surrey. He finished the 2001/02 season having only made four first team appearances (one as sub) in the Isthmian League Division 3 for Egham.
In May 2002 James signed for Hellenic League club Southall as he was about to start a course at Brunel University in Middlesex and he scored 11 goals from 32 league outings during the 2002/03 campaign.
He returned to Ramsgate in the summer of 2003 and James made 24 appearances during 2003/04 before leaving the club again at the end of the season.
He spent the 2004/05 campaign with Dover but only made four substitute appearances in the Isthmian League Premier Division and spent most of the season in the reserves. Dover were relegated and shortly after the start of the 2005/06 campaign James went back to Ramsgate again.
He made 40 appearances in all competitions and scored once as the Rams won the Isthmian League Division 1 title and James then made a further 30 appearances during 2006/07, scoring twice. A total of 16 of his 26 Premier Division outings were as a substitute.
Having been released by Ramsgate James joined Division 1 South outfit Sittingbourne in the summer of 2007 and scored once from six appearances (one as sub) in all competitions before moving on to Kent League club Hythe in November 2007.
He scored twice from 29 outings (one as sub) for Hythe during the remainder of the 2007/08 season.
In July 2008 James joined Margate and the Thanet Times said his "experience and personality in the dressing room" were "key factors" in new manager Barry Ashby deciding to sign him. James scored in his first friendly appearance as Margate won 3-1 at Deal on 17.7.08 and he also got the winner in a 2-1 friendly win over Erith & Belvedere at Welling on 29.7.08.
After sitting out Margate's first two games of the 2008/09 campaign James made his debut as a substitute in a 4-0 defeat against Canvey Island in the Isthmian League Premier Division on 23.8.08 and he then made his first start at left-back in a 1-0 defeat at his old club Dover on 25.8.08. James continued in the number three shirt for the next five matches before moving into midfield as Margate won 1-0 at Ashford (Middlesex) on 20.9.08. He started the next seven games wearing the number 11 shirt and on 11.10.08 James scored his first goal to secure a 1-0 win at Dartford.
After missing a 2-0 defeat at Horsham on 8.11.08 he returned to the side in midfield as Margate won 2-1 at Boreham Wood on 11.11.08 but James then fell out of favour and only started one of the next seven matches although he did feature as a sub in three of them.
On 27.12.08 he made his first start for six weeks when he played at left-back in a 2-0 defeat at Ramsgate and James then enjoyed a good run in the team, usually wearing the number three shirt but sometimes featuring in midfield. He made his last start on 14.3.09 in a 1-0 home defeat against Horsham and after that James featured three times as a sub in Margate's final seven games of the campaign. His last appearance from the bench came in a match at Heybridge on 11.4.09 and James scored as Margate lost 3-2. He was an unused sub for the next three games and ended the season having scored twice from 36 outings (nine as sub) as Margate finished in the relegation places. James was released in May 2009.
He joined Kent League club Faversham immediately after leaving Hartsdown Park, turning down an approach from Whitstable to do so, but in July 2009 James returned to Ramsgate yet again, shortly after their relegation to Division 1 South. He told the Rams' website "I'm looking forward to working hard towards bringing success back to my home town club, which in turn should contribute to bringing the 'feel-good' factor back to the Rams' fans, something they deserve after their loyal support last year. I've lived in Ramsgate all my life and when I was younger I used to come up and watch all the time, hoping to play for them one day, so I'm delighted to be invited back."
James went on to make 44 appearances for the Rams in all competitions during the 2009/10 campaign and scored once. He then scored four times in 44 outings during 2010/11.
James struggled to hold down a regular place in Ramsgate's side during the first half of 2011/12 and made a one-off appearance for Broadstairs in the Kent County League during the early part of the season. After scoring once from 12 Division 1 South appearances (four as sub) for the Rams he left the club in January 2012 and dropped into the Kent League to join Canterbury. By then James had made over 200 appearances in his numerous spells with Ramsgate.
In May 2012 he scored in a friendly for Broadstairs against Margate's reserves and in July 2012 James was one of the Olympic torch bearers for part of its journey through Thanet.
He joined Kent League outfit Deal for the 2012/13 campaign and at that time James was working for Thanet District Council in a role that involved promoting sports activities to young people and encouraging them to participate.
In June 2013 he rejoined Canterbury of the Kent League but a few weeks into the 2013/14 season James went back to Deal.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
ILC |
KSC |
| |
|
2008/09 (MFC) |
27 (46) |
9 |
2 |
ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (19TH OF 22) |
1QR |
1QR |
2R |
1R |
|
Margate finished in
relegation position but were reprieved and remained in the Isthmian League
Premier Division. | |||||||||