*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.
Pat Gradley
Appearances: 41+6 Goals: 1
Date / Year of birth: 1st June 1983
Position: Midfielder
Season of first appearance: 2004/05
Season of last appearance: 2005/06
Also played for: Queens Park Rangers (0), Leyton Orient (0), Gravesend & Northfleet, Boreham Wood and Sittingbourne
6' 0" tall London-born midfielder who started his career with Queens Park Rangers, joining the club in the summer of 2000. Pat progressed from QPR's Under-18's side to the reserves during the 2001/02 season and on 19.4.02 he signed a professional contract. The next day he was an unused substitute as the R's lost 1-0 at Oldham in a Division 2 (later League One) game.
Pat stayed with QPR for the 2002/03 campaign but never featured in the first team squad again and on 30.4.03 he played a trial match for Leyton Orient's reserves as they lost 4-1 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion reserves. That was a prelude to Pat being released by QPR at the end of the season.
In July 2003 Pat signed for Conference club Gravesend & Northfleet and had a run in their side at the start of the 2003/04 campaign before falling out of favour.
In February 2004 he was loaned to Isthmian League Premier Division outfit Boreham Wood and Pat stayed there for the rest of the season, scoring twice in 18 league appearances. He was released by Gravesend at the end of 2003/04 having scored twice from 15 outings (two as sub) for them.
In the summer of 2004 Pat joined Margate and made his debut in midfield in a 3-2 defeat against Bognor Regis in the Conference South on 14.8.04. The game was played at Margate's adopted home in Ashford. A niggling knee injury picked up during pre-season meant that Pat was only fit enough to feature as a substitute in the next two matches but he returned to the starting line-up for a 6-0 thrashing against Grays at Ashford on 24.8.04. He then enjoyed a good run in the side, featuring in the next 11 games. In the last of them - a 3-1 defeat at Braintree in the FA Cup on 16.10.04 - Pat scored his first goal for Margate but he then missed two matches due to his knee problem.
Pat resumed his midfield duties on 2.11.04 as Margate won 2-0 at Welling in the Conference Cup and he wore the number eight shirt in the next eight games too. The last of them was a 1-0 defeat at Hayes on 11.12.04 and on 14.12.04 Pat broke down with a recurrence of his knee problem in the pre-match warm-up ahead of a 3-0 defeat at Bishop's Stortford.
The issue with Pat's knee coupled with a groin injury meant that he didn't play again until 1.3.05 when he featured as a substitute in a 4-3 win over Cray in a Kent Senior Cup tie played at Ramsgate. He then sat out the next three matches before making another sub appearance in a 5-0 defeat at Grays on 25.3.05. The Thanet Times said Pat "performed well in midfield" after replacing Greg Oates just after the half hour mark. He then made his first start for over three months as Margate lost 2-0 to Cambridge City at Ashford on 28.3.05 and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said Pat was "commanding" in midfield. He kept his place for the last seven matches of the campaign as Margate were relegated to the Isthmian League Premier Division and on 2.5.05 Pat was part of the side that beat Dover 2-1 at Folkestone to win the Kent Senior Cup. He made a total of 34 appearances (four as sub) and scored once during the 2004/05 season.
In August 2005 Margate manager Chris Kinnear told the Isle of Thanet Gazette that Pat was "a player with lots of potential who has played at a higher level. We'll look to get something out of him this season." and he made his first appearance of the new campaign in a 2-0 defeat at Ramsgate in a match played for the Kent Messenger Cup on 13.8.05. Pat captained the side as Margate took on Maldon in the first match back at Hartsdown Park on 20.8.05 and the Thanet Times said he "orchestrated" the midfield. The paper also felt Pat was "too good for this level and unlucky not to score" as Margate won 1-0.
He had another good game in a 2-1 defeat at Staines in the Isthmian League Premier Division on 23.8.05 but shortly before the end of the match Pat went off with a knee injury. Chris Kinnear told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "Pat's started the season as well as anyone and losing him is a big blow. We need to wait for his knee to settle down and then have a look at it to see how long he might be out for." A couple of weeks later Kinnear updated the Thanet Times on Pat's situation and said "He's waiting to see the specialist but apparently the scan showed no cartilage damage. There may be a bit of ligament damage but nothing serious." However at the start of October the Margate manager told the Thanet Times "The knee just isn't healing."
Pat was back in training by November 2005 but struggled to get fit and he didn't feature again until coming on as a substitute in a 5-2 defeat against Staines at Hartsdown Park on 14.1.06. It had been almost five months since his last appearance. Pat then started Margate's next game - a 2-2 draw with Slough at Windsor & Eton on 21.1.06 - and enjoyed a good run in the side until going off with a hamstring injury 20 minutes into a 1-1 draw with Braintree at Hartsdown on 18.2.06. He'd started six consecutive matches up to that point.
Pat's latest setback kept him out for ten games before he returned to the side as a substitute in a 1-1 draw at Folkestone on 17.4.06. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said he "did well on his return from injury". Pat then started the next two matches, Margate's last two of the season, and the second of them was a 4-2 home win over Hendon on 29.4.06. It turned out to be his last appearance for the club. He'd only featured 13 times (twice as sub) during 2005/06 and although new player-manager Robin Trott told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "I believe Pat's a great player" at the end of May 2006 his days at Hartsdown Park were numbered.
Pat played in Margate's first two friendlies in July 2006 but then left the club and featured in some of Ramsgate's pre-season games ahead of the 2006/07 season but the Rams decided not to sign him as they were concerned about his injury problems.
After a few months out of the game Pat resurfaced in January 2008 when he signed for Isthmian League Division 1 South club Sittingbourne but a few weeks later he left the club to travel around the world.
Pat returned to Sittingbourne for the start of the 2008/09 campaign and became the Brickies' captain but he again had serious injury problems and only made nine league appearances (three as sub) before leaving the club halfway through the season. Pat then retired.
By June 2014 Pat was assistant-manager / coach of Isthmian League Premier Division club Leatherhead.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
CC |
KSC |
| |
|
2004/05 (MFC) |
30 (51) |
4 |
1 |
CONFERENCE SOUTH (21ST OF 22) |
3QR |
1R |
4R |
W |
|
Margate relegated to
Isthmian League Premier Division. Played in Kent Senior Cup Final (02.05.05 - beat Dover Athletic 2-1 at Folkestone Invicta FC). | |||||||||
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
ILC |
KSC |
| |
|
2005/06 (MFC) |
11 (51) |
2 |
0 |
ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (14TH OF 22) |
3QR |
2QR |
3R |
SF |