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The furore in Scotland over Andy Gray’s transfer to Aston Villa has been matched in England by serene ignorance as to exactly who is the young man who will make his debut at Middlesbrough tomorrow, writes RANDALL NORTHAM.

People north of the border are angry that such a precocious talent should be allowed to leave, especially as the Premier Division was established this season in part to help clubs to keep star players.

But Gray, just 19 and joint leading scorer in the Scottish First Division last season, joined Villa for £110,000 which at his age should make him something of a celebrity.

His photograph was in the papers and he watched two important matches at Villa Park. But during the banquet Villa staged for Antwerp on Wednesday night an almost young lady approached Gray. “Are you a Villa supporter?” she asked. “If so, can you introduce me to a player? I’ve never met one.”

It must be stressed she was not in the official party but the fair haired Scot took it with good humour. He is used to being passed over. He started playing with Clydebank Strollers, a club within a ten minute drive from the giants of Rangers and Celtic and Gray would have loved to have worn a dark blue shirt. But it was Dundee United from the other side of Scotland who spotted him and signed him. He was capped at youth level and has made four appearances in the under 23 side.

Footballers, especially Scottish ones, become used to being uprooted when they are young, so it was no surprise to him when he was asked if he wanted to join Aston Villa.

He could have gone even further because Schalke 04 of the German Bundesllga were interested in signing him. He flew down to watch Villa play Birmingham in the first derby in the First Division for ten years and reckoned the atmosphere was similar to the Celtic versus Rangers battles he watched as a boy.

Reputation

He also saw Villa lose to Antwerp and he did not enjoy watching either game. “But they have had some value because I’ve been able to see the way Villa do things.”

Gray has a reputation in Scotland as a player who never gives up. His goal average is around one every two games. Last season he played 33 League games, missing only one, and scored 20 goals. He added seven more in cup competitions, which put him level with Willie Pettigrew of Motherwell.

Ron Saunders, Villa’s manager, thinks It will take him a few weeks to settle to the pace of English football but Gray is more hopeful. “Maybe I can score against Middlesbrough,” he said: “And then I’d be settled straight away.”
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*Birmingham Daily Post”
Monday, 6 October 1975

Gray adds a dash of colour to Villa
By LYN CALLAGHAN

The signing of Andy Gray by Aston Villa manager Ron Saunders will, without doubt, herald the start of a new era for the newly promoted Midland side. For Gray, signed from Dundee United for £110,000 last week, played remarkably well in his debut against the strong Middlesborough side and helped pave the way for a fine away point.

Said Saunders after the game: “I was delighted with the result. It was a good all-round performance and I was particularly pleased with Andy Gray, who adapted quite well.

Pattern

“During our promotion run in the Second Division last season we got into the habit of dictating the pattern of play, but since we have been in the First Division we have tended to lose this ability.

“However, today we got back into that routine we soaked up pressure effectively, blunted their attack, and stopped them from playing the way they wanted to do without being negative. In fact, we could well have won.’

The true value of Villa’s achievement in gaining an away point can be measured by the fact that Middlesbrough have not been beaten at home this season and indeed have not had a single goal scored against them at Ayresome Park.

Full credit must go to Saunders for selecting a side to suit the occasion and in using the right tactics. Gray combined well with Brian Little on a number of occasions thus underlining the tremendous potential that the partnership of these two offers.

Add to that the excellence of John Burridge’s goalkeeping and you now have a Villa side of great depth and talent. Villa opened brightly with newcomer Gray nearly putting his side ahead after a neat through ball from Little.

Unlucky

The pattern continued throughout most of the first half with Villa upsetting the normally cool and reliable Middlesbrough defence. Little was unlucky not to score in the 30th minute when his angled drive was well stopped by Jim Platt.

Middlesbrough piled on the pressure after the break but Villa’s defence, strengthened by the roving John Robson, who had an excellent game, survived the onslaught.