Gareth John Abraham (born 13 February 1969) is a Welsh 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 defender. He made over 100 appearances in

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

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 ...

and

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...

before playing non-league football for

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...

and Rhayader Town.

Career

Born in

, Abraham came through the youth ranks at

, captaining them to a Welsh Youth Cup win, before making his debut in 1987 during a 3–0 defeat to

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

. Three days after his debut, he scored his first goal for the club when he found the net in a 3–1 victory over

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

but did not appear for the Bluebirds again for the rest of the season as the team won promotion from the

Fourth Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

. It was during the 1988–89 season that he began to establish himself in the first team but during his time at the club Cardiff found themselves hovering above relegation from the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

. He found himself out of the side in 1991–92 season and left the club to join

in January 1992, making his debut in a 1–1 draw with

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...

. He spent one and a half seasons with Hereford before leaving for his hometown team of

, also working as a groundsman at the club. After spending over five years at Merthyr, Abraham spent a short time in the

Welsh Premier League The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 20 ...

with Rhayader Town alongside former Cardiff teammate

Cohen Griffith Cohen Griffith (born 26 December 1962) is a Guyanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Playing career Born in Georgetown, British Guiana, Griffith began his career at Kettering Town before moving to Cardiff City in Octo ...

until the pair left the club by mutual consent in January 2002.

Honours

Cardiff City *

Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup ( cy, Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most ...

Winner: 1 :: 1991–92

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham, Gareth 1969 births Living people Footballers from Merthyr Tydfil Welsh footballers Association football defenders Cardiff City F.C. players Hereford United F.C. players Merthyr Tydfil F.C. players English Football League players Cymru Premier players Rhayader Town F.C. players