Andy Graver facts for kids

Andrew Martin Graver (born 12 September 1927 – died 18 January 2014) was an English footballer. He played as a centre forward. Andy Graver scored 158 goals in 323 games. He played for clubs like Newcastle United, Lincoln City, Leicester City, and Stoke City.

Graver is famous for being Lincoln City's all-time top scorer. Fans even voted him as one of the club's "100 League Legends." He played for Lincoln City three different times. In between, he moved to other big clubs like Leicester City and Stoke City. He also played for Boston United in other leagues. Andy Graver finished his career playing for smaller, non-professional teams.

Andy Graver's Football Journey

Early Life and First Clubs

Andy Graver was born in 1927 in Craghead, a town in County Durham, England. His father, Fred, was also a professional footballer in the 1920s. Before becoming a full-time player, Andy worked as a coal miner. He played football for local teams like Willington and Annfield Plain.

In 1947, he signed with Newcastle United as a professional. He mostly played for their reserve team. His only game for Newcastle's main team was on 21 January 1950. He filled in for an injured player in a match against Manchester City. The game ended in a 1–1 draw.

Becoming a Lincoln City Legend

In September 1950, Lincoln City's manager, Bill Anderson, signed Andy Graver. Lincoln City was in the Third Division at the time. They paid £5,000 for him, which was a lot of money back then.

In his first season, Graver scored 20 goals for Lincoln. The next year, he scored an amazing 39 goals! This made him the club's top scorer. His goals helped Lincoln win the Third Division North title. This meant they were promoted to the Second Division. In the 1951–52 season, he scored 36 goals in just 35 games. He even scored six goals in one match against Crewe Alexandra. This is called a double hat-trick. He scored two goals with his right foot, two with his left, and two with his head! Later that season, he got an injury. This stopped him from playing for the England B team. Andy Graver was Lincoln's top scorer for the next two seasons as well.

Moving to Other Big Clubs

Andy Graver was known for being "fast, direct, and a great scorer." Other clubs soon noticed him. Lincoln City turned down a £12,500 offer from Norwich City. Nottingham Forest also tried to sign him many times.

In December 1954, he joined Leicester City for £27,500. This was a record fee for Leicester City at the time. Graver felt nervous about living up to such a high price. He scored in his first two games for Leicester. However, the team was struggling and was relegated.

Lincoln City then paid £14,000 to bring him back. But just a few months later, he moved again. This time, he went to Stoke City for a "large" fee. He had less success at Stoke, scoring 12 goals in 37 games.

Return to Lincoln and Retirement

In August 1957, it seemed Andy Graver would return to Lincoln again. But Boston United offered him a better contract. His brother Alf was already playing there. Boston United paid a record £3,500 for him. They also signed Johnny Garvie, hoping to bring back their old goal-scoring partnership.

Graver scored 24 goals for Boston United in the 1957–58 season. He then returned to Lincoln City for his third time. He stayed with Lincoln until 1961. By then, he had scored 150 goals in 289 games for the club. This made him Lincoln's all-time top scorer.

After leaving full-time football, he played for Skegness Town and Ilkeston Town. He was reunited with Johnny Garvie at Ilkeston. Graver scored 16 goals in the 1962–63 season. He also helped the team win the Derbyshire Senior Cup. A broken ankle later forced him to retire from playing.

Life After Playing

In the 1960s, Andy Graver coached Lincoln City's youth team. He worked for a finance company in Lincoln for 30 years. He lived in the area after he retired. In 1996, Graver was one of the first players added to Lincoln City's Hall of Fame.

In 2006, Lincoln fans voted him their top "100 League Legend." The next year, fans voted him their "all-time favourite player." He moved to York later in life to be closer to his family. Andy Graver passed away in 2014 at the age of 86.

Career statistics

Honours

Lincoln City

• Football League Third Division North champion: 1951–52