Andrew Gara (born 15 August 1878; date of death unknown) was an Irish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

Club career

Gara joined Wigan County on the foundation of the club in 1897,Wigan Examiner: February 22, 1899: Page 4, column 2 scoring against Nelson in the FA Cup in October of the same year. After impressing in a friendly match against

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

Gara joined Preston for a reported fee of £100, where he averaged close to a goal every other game, top scoring in the 1900–01 season with 11 goals, despite Preston's relegation that season. Gara would then have a short spell with Nottingham Forest, making 6 appearances and scoring once on his home debut against

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

. He would then join Second division

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

, where he scored 6 goals in 18 games, before returning to the Lancashire Combination league with Earlestown, who would be promoted at the end of his season with the club. He would remain in the Lancashire Combination for the remainder of his playing career, with three spells at Ashton Town as well as time with Southport Central and Eccles Borough, before retiring in 1908.

International career

Gara was selected for Ireland during the 1901-02 British Home Championship, scoring three goals on his debut against Wales. One of Gara's international shirts is in the collection of the National Football Museum

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gara, Andrew Irish association footballers (before 1923) NIFL Premiership players Men's association football forwards Northern Ireland men's amateur international footballers Pre-1950 IFA men's international footballers Preston North End F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Ashton Town F.C. players Year of death missing 1878 births Eccles United F.C. players Earlestown F.C. players