*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.
Wayne Draper
Appearances: 26 Goals: 1
Date / Year of birth: 1966
Position: Centre-back
Season of first appearance: 1988/89
Season of last appearance: 1988/89
Also played for: Bromley, Tonbridge, Folkestone, Cray Wanderers, Thamesmead Town, Croydon and Whitstable Town
Tough defender born in Lambeth, London who played for both South London and London as a schoolboy before joining Bromley. Wayne played for the club's youth team during the 1982/83 season and progressed through to the reserves, winning their 'Player of the Year' award for the 1984/85 campaign.
He stayed with Bromley until early 1986 when he joined Tonbridge. Wayne's next move took him to Folkestone for the 1987/88 season and he also played for the club during the early part of 1988/89 before signing for Thanet United in November 1988.
Wayne made his debut in a 0-0 draw at Andover on 26.11.88 and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said that he was "very impressive" in the heart of United's defence whilst the Thanet Times praised "a superb tackle" that prevented an almost certain goal. He became a fixture in the Thanet side and continued to win plaudits from the local press in the weeks that followed with the Adscene reporting that Wayne "excelled" in a 2-1 win at Canterbury on 26.12.88. Unfortunately he was sent off in the second half after picking up a second booking for what the paper described as "a dreadfully late tackle" and later served a three game ban as a result. Wayne was ever-present apart from the games he missed due to suspension, always playing in defence except for a run of three matches in midfield during February 1989. The Thanet Times said that he was "outstanding" in his first game after returning to his favoured centre-back position - a 1-1 draw at Burnham on 4.3.89 - and player-manager Garry Aldous said Wayne "did especially well in defence" during a 3-2 win over Chelmsford at Hartsdown on 11.3.89. The Adscene agreed, saying that Wayne was "in excellent form" and the Thanet Times called him "dominant". The same paper's report on United's 0-0 draw at Baldock on 8.4.89 described Wayne as being "a stalwart" and the article went on to say that he "never put a foot wrong and was totally dominant in the air". On 29.4.89 Wayne scored his only goal for Thanet during a 1-1 draw at home to Buckingham and it turned out to be the last ever scored by a United player. He played his last game for the club in a 3-0 defeat at Bury on 6.5.89 - Thanet's final match before the name change back to Margate. He'd made a total of 26 appearances and scored once when he left the club in the summer of 1989, shortly before Trevor Ford, his former manager at Bromley, arrived at Hartsdown.
Wayne rejoined Tonbridge for 1989/90 and made 27 appearances without scoring for them during the season. He linked up with Cray for the start of the 1990/91 campaign and then had short spells at Thamesmead and Croydon before the end of the season.
In the summer of 1991 Wayne signed for Whitstable and he went on to spend three seasons at Belmont Road, making over 90 appearances, before leaving the club at the end of the 1993/94 campaign.
During the 2011/12 season Wayne was manager of Whitstable's Under-16's side and the club's first team manager at the time was his former Thanet team-mate Peter Nott.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
||
|
1988/89 (TUFC) |
26 (52) |
0 |
1 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (20TH OF 22) |
2QR |
2QR |
2R |
1R |