Andrew Crawford (born 30 January 1959) is an English former professional

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 ...

Career

Crawford began his career as a youth player with Derby County, making his professional debut on 8 March 1978 in a 4–2 victory over Liverpool in the First Division where he scores his side's first goal. The following year, he was sold to Blackburn Rovers for £50,000, scoring 23 goals in all competitions for the club in his first season as he helped them win promotion to the Second Division. However, Crawford pushed for a transfer following his breakout season but, when no club made an official approach, he went on strike and spent the majority of the 1980—81 season playing in the club's reserve side. He eventually signed for

AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...

, who were managed by Crawford's former Derby teammate David Webb, for a fee of £40,000. He scored on his debut in a 3–0 victory over

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, winning promotion to the

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

in 1982. However, he was released in 1983 and spent a brief period with

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

after being invited for a trial by manager

Len Ashurst Leonard Ashurst (10 March 1939 – 25 September 2021) was an English football player, manager and administrator. He spent most of his playing career with Sunderland, making 458 appearances, the second most in the club's history. He retired a ...

, playing six times and scoring once in a 3–1 victory over Grimsby Town. After not being offered an extended contract, and a brief one-of appearance for Scarborough, he moved to Middlesbrough before finishing his professional career with Stockport County and

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Andy 1959 births Living people English footballers Derby County F.C. players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players AFC Bournemouth players Cardiff City F.C. players Middlesbrough F.C. players Stockport County F.C. players Torquay United F.C. players Scarborough F.C. players English Football League players Association football forwards People from Filey Footballers from North Yorkshire