Graham Shaw
Personal information
Full name Graham Paul Jack Shaw[1]
Date of birth (1967-06-07) 7 June 1967[1]
Place of birth Newcastle-under-Lyme, England[1]
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1983–1985 Stoke City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1989 Stoke City 99 (18)
1989–1992 Preston North End 121 (29)
1992–1995 Stoke City 36 (5)
1994 → Plymouth Argyle (loan) 6 (0)
1995–1996 Rochdale 22 (0)
Total 284 (52)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Graham Paul Shaw (born 7 June 1967) is an English former footballer who made nearly 300 appearances in the Football League playing for Stoke City, Preston North End, Plymouth Argyle and Rochdale between 1985 and 1996.[1][3]

Playing career

Stoke City

Shaw was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme and signed on professional terms for local side Stoke City in June 1985 after progressing through the youth ranks at the Victoria Ground.[1] He had a decent debut season for Stoke in 1985–86 scoring five goals in 22 appearances.[1] He played in 20 matches in 1986–87 scoring twice, and was the top-scorer in 1987–88 with ten goals.[1] During that season, Stoke played Liverpool in the FA Cup and Shaw had the chance to win the match for Stoke after he was put through one on one with 'keeper Mike Hooper but Shaw hesitated thinking he was offside, and the chance had gone.[4] Stoke went on to lose the replay 1–0. Shaw scored six goals in 33 games in the 1988–89 season before being surprisingly sold by Mick Mills to Third Division Preston North End for £70,000.[1]

Preston North End

Shaw's time at Deepdale was a mixed affair however with him brilliant one game and then extremely disappointing the next. Much of this can however, be put down to injuries and the fact that he never really had a regular or good enough strike partner. His first season with the club though started like a house on fire with him scoring six goals in his first four games including a League cup hat-trick against Tranmere Rovers. The rest of the season was a disappointment, though, with Shaw picking up an injury a few games later against Bristol Rovers and adding only five more goals to his early season burst.

His next two seasons with the club were more consistent, with Shaw missing only a few games and scoring 15 goals in 1990–91 and 17 in 1991–92. Surprisingly, Shaw was offered the chance to return to Stoke on the eve of the 1992–93 season. With North End boss Les Chapman given funds to strengthen his squad after 2 disappointing seasons in which the club only just avoided relegation Shaw was sold back to Stoke as part payment for bringing Tony Ellis back to Preston. In all Shaw played 136(8) games for Preston scoring 42 goals.

Return to Stoke City

Shaw's second spell at Stoke started well with Shaw scoring six goals in 38 appearances in 1992–93 helping Stoke win the Second Division title.[1] However, a persistent back injury limited his appearances and had a spell on loan at Plymouth Argyle at the beginning of the 1994–95 season also proved fruitless with Shaw failing to register a goal in six games.[5]

Rochdale

In March 1995, Rochdale signed Shaw on a free transfer. In little over a season, Shaw played 28 games for the club, scoring just two goals and was released in May 1996.

After football

Shaw considered coaching but after much deliberation decided to go to Staffordshire University and study criminal law. With the help of the PFA's education fund passed his final exams to become a fully qualified criminal lawyer. After working for a firm in Stoke-on-Trent for five years he now practices in Newcastle-Under-Lyme as a commercial sports solicitor.[6] In August 2010 prospective Port Vale investor Mike Newton revealed his plans to install Shaw as Chief Executive of the club.[7]

Career statistics

Source:[8]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Stoke City 1985–86 Second Division 20510001[lower-alpha 1]0225
1986–87 Second Division 182002000202
1987–88 Second Division 33620423[lower-alpha 1]24210
1988–89 Second Division 28531101[lower-alpha 1]0336
Total 991861725211723
Preston North End 1989–90 Third Division 31510243[lower-alpha 2]23711
1990–91 Third Division 441010117[lower-alpha 2]45315
1991–92 Third Division 461431213[lower-alpha 2]05416
Total 12129515613614442
Stoke City 1992–93 Second Division 29520314[lower-alpha 2]0386
1993–94 First Division 4010001[lower-alpha 3]060
1994–95 First Division 3000001[lower-alpha 3]040
Total 365303160486
Plymouth Argyle (loan) 1994–95 Second Division 6000000060
Rochdale 1994–95 Third Division 4000000040
1995–96 Third Division 18030112[lower-alpha 2]0241
Total 220301120281
Career total 28452172161026834372

Honours

Stoke City

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  2. ↑ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 348. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
  3. ↑ "Graham Shaw". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  4. ↑ "Stoke City: One-way traffic? Not a bit of it..." The Sentinel. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Graham Shaw Greens on Screen. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  6. ↑ Clarkson, Ian (1 January 2007). "Without the PFA's help I would never have made it as a lawyer, says Graham Shaw". Givemefootball. Professional Footballers' Association. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  7. ↑ "Port Vale: Newton lines up ex-Stoke striker for role at Vale". The Sentinel. 9 August 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  8. ↑ Graham Shaw at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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