Sport
I went from non-league to FA Cup Final with Sunderland and won promotion at Oxford… now I’m helping kids with autism
MARTIN GRAY went from naughty schoolboy to a promotion winner at both Sunderland and Oxford – now he is helping other youngsters in need.
The 53-year-old was a self-confessed bad boy as a kid and he never dreamed that he would make it as a footballer when he was released by Middlesbrough aged 15.
Three years later he was handed a lifeline by Denis Smith and Malcolm Crosby at Sunderland, and that led to him working under the pair for the best part of ten years.
“I remember leaving the Northern League, where I was playing for Ferryhill, and Denis Smith signed me for Sunderland,” Gray told Sun Sport. “Seven years later he and Malcolm Crosby signed me for Oxford United. I probably had ten years playing under them.
“Malcolm was an inspiration and like a father figure to me if I’m honest. I was a late developer and wasn’t at the level of the other players when I first went to Sunderland but I don’t think they signed me based just on my skills.
“I think they got me for my work ethic, hunger and toughness etc. I found it really difficult at first as I knew I didn’t have the qualities of the lads that were there but Dennis and Malcolm, mainly, what they did to try and help me as a person and player was amazing.
“Malcolm was the best person that I worked with in football and had the biggest impact. He’s a great person.”
Smith was sacked by Sunderland in December 1991 with assistant Crosby taking over, and Gray would go on to make his debut and was even part of the travelling squad that went to Wembley in the 1992 FA Cup Final where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool.
He said: “That was special. I played against Blackburn the week before as he had rested Paul Bracewell and a few others. I was involved in the last couple of matches leading up to the final and managed to get in the travelling squad.
“I never, and didn’t deserve to, make the bench but that whole occasion of wearing the suits and being part of it was unbelievable.”
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Gray was part of Peter Reid’s squad that won promotion to the Premier League – and that was a campaign he enjoyed double joy after departing the North East for a reunion with his mentors at Oxford.
He said: “I signed on deadline day and we were celebrating promotion a few weeks later. That was amazing.
“I played the last ten or 12 games of that season and it was good to contribute to help get over the line and reach the Championship.
“I was eventually made club captain down there and I had an amazing time there. I had four special years at Oxford.
“We were the small club in the big league going up against the likes of Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Man City, Sunderland, many thought that we would just be the whipping boys.
“We had Joey Beauchamp and some other really good players that went on to become Premier League regulars like Matty Elliott, Phil Gilchrist, Darren Purse and Dean Windass, who I still speak with almost every day.
“Dennis created a great working ethic within the club and we were a very close team with no superstars and if anybody got above themselves then they were soon brought back into line.”
Oxford, whose draws with West Brom and Derby over the past week have left them 11th, are now back in the Championship and travel to the Stadium of Light to face table-topping Sunderland tomorrow.
Gray, who moved to Darlington in 1999 before hanging up his boots, said: “It’s great to see them back after coming close a few times.
“They are still a small fish in a big pond but they are holding their own. It goes to show that by putting trust in young managers and allowing people to develop can really pay off.
“They are in the top half and got a good result last weekend against a tough opponent. “They’ve done great and then you look at Sunderland and wonder where all this has come from.
“I didn’t know much about Regis Le Bris but I heard after pre-season some really good feedback about what he was doing. And what he is doing is working and they’ve got off to a start that most of us never expected.
“I’ve been to the Derby and Leeds matches recently and from where they were two or three years ago to now is something I didn’t foresee to be honest.”
Gray is set to attend the clash between his two former teams, but unlike his tigerish displays on the pitch, he is holding back when it comes to making a prediction.
“I’m sitting on the fence and going for a draw aren’t I,” he says with a huge grin when pressed for a prediction.
“Both clubs have had a great start to the season and I want them to each do well. So I’ll be supporting both teams massively as they both played a massive part in my career.”
Away from the pro game and his coaching career, including leading Darlington to numerous promotions, Gray has also made a huge impact in the North East with his work in education – especially in providing alternative provision for children and young people.
In 2018 Future Pathways began in Darlington, a provision which set out to offer support and education to young people. The young people accessing the service have a range of complex needs, and felt mainstream schooling was unable to meet them, but are now thriving in the small bespoke environment.
Gray added: “Whether you are dealing with a young child that has difficulties due to trauma that they have unfortunately come across to a footballer that is not getting a new contract or being released, then you have to deal with people in a caring way.
“It’s amazing. It used to be kids just getting kicked out of school and being labelled as naughty, and I’ll be honest, that was me.
“But there was no alternative education around then, you were just labelled and got excluded.
“Our provision is based around a sporting theme from boxing, biking, football… They do their education around the sport and the education is built around that and developing life skills, it feels so rewarding and it’s just great to help the kids we have.”
Still keen to stick to his sporting roots, Gray still runs a sporting academy in partnership with a local college, where he hopes to inspire the next generation of players and offer high quality coaching.
Staff from Gray’s Future Pathways Alternative Provision company are about to embark on a sponsored 30-mile walk from Sunderland Royal Hospital to Darlington Memorial Hospital.
The money earned from this fundraiser will go towards delivering Christmas Presents to children in both of these hospitals in December.
If you would like to sponsor them please visit: Fundraiser for Anthony Verity by Tyler Hutchinson : Future Pathways Staff Walk from Sunderland to Darlington
Who are these famous footballers?
Football
Cooper 'really disappointed' after 'self-inflicted' defeat
Steve Cooper bemoans “individual errors” as his Leicester side suffer a 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
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Sport
Leicester 1 Forest 3: Chris Wood downs old boss Steve Cooper with stunning double as high-flying visitors go FIFTH
CHRIS WOOD haunted former boss Steve Cooper with the goals that took Nottingham Forest fifth in the table.
It was the now-Leicester City manager Cooper who took Wood to Forest 16 months ago in a £15million deal from Newcastle.
Cooper may have known what he was doing – but he would not have seen this scenario coming.
The Kiwi striker struck in the space of 13 minutes after the break to make it a miserable reunion for Cooper – who was sacked by Forest last December.
And the travelling City Ground fans did not let him forget it at this East Midlands derby – as they revived a chant from his days on Trentside.
They sang: ‘Stevie Cooper, he hates the Leicester, he hates the Derby, Forest are magic’.
Forest had taken the lead through home-grown skipper Ryan Yates – only for Jamie Vardy to level the scores.
But it was Wood, 32, who had the final say as he scored for the third game running to make it seven for the season as Forest gatecrashed the top six.
Cooper will be furious with his side’s defending though – as Leicester made mistakes for all three of Forest’s goals.
The Foxes boss was reluctant to talk about his City Ground spell in the build up to the game – and only mentioned them once once in a paragraph near to the end of his programme notes.
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Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo was serving the second game of a three-match touchline ban and sat at the back of the main stand with the Forest analysts as his side clinched their second win in five days.
The Portuguese coach saw Forest take a 16th minute lead when Yates made the most of a series of defensive errors.
Facundo Buonanotte misplaced a pass and when the ball came back into the Leicester box from Elliot Anderson, James Justin sliced his clearance to Yates to net from the edge of the area.
But the Foxes levelled just seven minutes later as Vardy displayed his poacher instincts.
Harry Winks delivered an ideal cross into the six yard box – and Vardy got in ahead of Murillo to grab his fourth goal of the season after a superb team move.
But Forest should have regained the lead just moments later as Foxes keeper Mads Hermansen made a point blank save from Nicolas Dominguez.
Hermansen made another crucial save nine minutes before the break when the Dane produced a flying stop to keep out a long range effort from Callum Hudson-Odoi.
It was end to end stuff and Stephy Mavididi almost put Leicester ahead in first half stoppage time when he curled a shot just wide of the far post.
But Forest went ahead just one minute after the restart.
Again, Leicester were at fault with Winks losing the ball with the Foxes in little danger.
It was Anderson once more who took advantage and slid the ball in for Wood to turn and fire home just out of Hermansen’s reach as the ball squeezed in.
The goal put Forest in control, and Hudson-Odoi almost made it three when he swept a shot against the post – with Anderson putting the rebound wide.
But Leicester shot themselves in the foot yet again on the hour when they gifted Wood his second of the game.
Belgium defender Wout Faes appeared to have a long ball from Forest keeper Matz Sels under control – but when he mis-timed his header back to Hermansen, Wood nipped in to finish the job.
Wood was subbed as Forest saw out the game – wary of Leicester’s comeback at Southampton last weekend.
But the Foxes looked a beaten side after Forest’s third goal.
Forest fans continued to taunt Cooper in the final stages with a chant of: “Take them down, take them down Stevie Cooper”.
In contrast, Leicester fans booed their team off at the final whistle.
MMA
Umar Nurmagomedov responds to Merab Dvalishvili saying he doesn’t deserve title shot: ‘Decide who you are’
Umar Nurmagomedov says he’s fighting soon, regardless of what Merab Dvalishvili does.
Back in August, Nurmagomedov defeated Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, setting himself up as the next title challenger for the bantamweight title. So one month later, when Merab Dvalishvili took the belt from Sean O’Malley at UFC 306, it looked for all intents and purposes that the promotion had a fight, to the extent that they even asked Dvalishvili about Nurmagomedov in his post-fight speech.
But now things don’t seem nearly so certain.
Over the past couple of months, Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov have feuded publicly over their possible fight, with Dvalishvili even lobbying for an immediate rematch with O’Malley during a Fan Q&A ahead of UFC 308 this weekend. And of course Nurmagomedov responded.
I am always ready, and right now I am waiting for an opponent, as Yadong declined to fight in December — I was told he is injured.
Merab, before my fight with Sandhagen, you said that if I beat him, I would deserve recognition. Now you have changed your position — decide who…
— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) October 25, 2024
I am not waiting for anyone and
I want to fight before Ramadan.
I hope UFC finds an opponent. And the title, inshaAllah, is just a matter of time. pic.twitter.com/hasZPpDO2k— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) October 25, 2024
“I am always ready, and right now I am waiting for an opponent, as [Song] Yadong declined to fight in December — I was told he is injured.
“Merab, before my fight with Sandhagen, you said that if I beat him, I would deserve recognition. Now you have changed your position — decide who you are. All the fans and analysts are noticing how you are avoiding the fight. Championship is recognition, but you haven’t received it, and you know that perfectly well.
“I am not waiting for anyone and I want to fight before Ramadan. I hope UFC finds an opponent. And the title, inshaAllah, is just a matter of time.”
While the fight was never confirmed, Nurmagomedov was rumored to face Song Yadong in the main event of UFC Tampa on Dec. 14. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili is targeting a return to the cage in 2025.
Sport
Luke Littler suffers first round loss to Andrew Gilding at European Championship
Teenager Luke Littler suffered a surprise defeat in the European Championship first round, losing 6-4 to Andrew Gilding in Dortmund.
Gilding showed a clinical edge and raced into a 3-0 lead against his English compatriot, the run including a 12-darter in the second leg but was pegged back as Littler responded with three straight legs of his own.
Gilding then regained momentum with an 11-darter and, despite Littler then levelling once more, saw out the next two legs to win and set up a meeting with home favourite Ricardo Pietreczko in the second round on Saturday.
In contrast to Littler, world champion Luke Humphries cruised through with a comfortable 6-2 win over Nathan Aspinall.
Humphries threw seven 180s and finished with a 46% checkout rate in a dominant display.
He will now face Welshman Jonny Clayton, who beat Chris Dobey 6-4 to advance.
However, Scottish defending champion Peter Wright will be absent from the latter stages, he finished with a disappointing average of below 75 as his bid to win a third European Championship title ended with a 6-0 loss to Jermaine Wattimena.
Dutchman Wattimena will face England’s James Wade in the next stage.
MMA
UFC 308 Preview Show: Can Max Holloway upset Ilia Topuria and reclaim featherweight gold?
UFC 308 goes down this Saturday, headlined by the long-awaited featherweight title matchup between Ilia Topuria and ‘BMF’ champion Max Holloway. On top of that, the #UFC presents a highly-anticipated middleweight matchup in the co-main event, as former champion Robert Whittaker faces undefeated terror Khamzat Chimaev.
UFC 308 is one of the biggest events of the year and so ahead of Saturday’s doubleheader, MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew and Mike Heck preview the massive card, discuss Holloway’s chances at upsetting Topuria, whether or not Chimaev can finally earn himself a title shot, just how badly Magomed Ankalaev needs a win over Aleksandar Rakic, and much more.
Catch the UFC 307 preview show above. An audio-only version of the show can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
Sport
“Just an ordinary farm boy, whose wishes came true.” SOS Africa’s Henwhill awarded Drostdy Rugby Scholarship
We are thrilled to announce that SOS Africa charity’s sponsored child Henwhill Scholtz has recently been awarded a rugby scholarship by Drostdy Technical College from January 2025!
Over the past 12 months, the progress of this rising star has been followed by sports coaches and scouts alike leading to his selection for the Under 12 Boland regional rugby side and more recently to participate in the Boland Under 13s 7s team. At Craven Week in June his electric pace and silky skills were once again on display and led to this exciting scholarship offer by Drostdy Technical College.
Following in the footsteps of SOS Africa’s Elvino, who attended Drostdy from January 2021 and has since received a full scholarship to Durban High, at Drostdy Henwhill will receive a high standard of academic teaching and sports coaching.
SOS Africa’s child sponsorship programmes and partnering schools’ pride themselves in encouraging students to both excel in the classroom and pursue extra-curricular interests which excite and motivate them; for Henwhill it has always been about rugby:
“It brings great excitement to go out and live my dream to the fullest. Playing for such a big school, whilst bearing in mind that I am just an ordinary farm boy whose wishes have come true. Playing rugby makes me happy. There is nothing else that I want to do more; I see myself wearing a green and gold jersey one day, playing for the Springboks and making everyone proud.” Henwhill Scholtz (SOS Africa Elgin, Grade 7)
Henwhill’s parents have proudly supported their son throughout his exciting journey:
“His achievements literally brought tears to our eyes; being selected for the U12 Boland Team and U13 7s Boland Team. Words cannot describe how super proud and honoured we are to be his parents. We cannot thank SOS Africa and St Michael’s Primary enough for what they have done and how much they have invested and still invest in him. You have guided our son and helped build his character and the wonderful person he is becoming. Our biggest thanks are to Henwhill’s SOS Africa sponsors for always believing in him!” Henry and Wilma Scholtz (Henwhill’s parents)
Although the SOS Africa staff and children will be sad to see him fly the nest, they all wish him well for the start of an exciting new chapter next year and cannot wait to follow his progress as he pursues his dreams!
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