It is with great sadness that we report that former Preston North End right-back David Gray has passed away at the age of 86.

In a glittering career which spanned two decades, he played for Rangers, Preston North End, Blackburn Rovers, Dundee and Dundee United.

Born in Coupar Angus near Dundee, 'Davie' signed for Rangers in January 1945 from junior side Lochee Harp and played at Ibrox in the famous 2-2 draw against the all conquering Moscow Dynamo in November of that year. In 1947 he signed for Preston for a fee of £6,000; forming with Bill Shankly and Sir Tom Finney what pundits described as the best right flank in England.

He only played one season at Deepdale - but what a campaign! The Lilywhites were on Arsenal's coat-tails from October and were sitting poised in second place as the run-in began. FA Cup victories at Millwall, Portsmouth and Man City saw Preston return to Maine Road for a quarter final tie against Manchester United, but with the Scottish selectors in the stands, Gray played most of the game nursing an injury. United went on to lift the trophy and Preston finished seventh in the league. Sir Tom Finney recently described the 7-4 win over Derby that year as the most memorable of his career!



In a quest to better that season's seventh, the Lilywhites concentrated on bolstering their left flank and Davie reluctantly transferred to Ewood Park in a swap deal for England international Bobby Langton. He was immediately made captain and became a permanent Rovers fixture for the next six seasons; with Gray on the right and Bill Eckersley on the left, Rovers had by far the most cultured pair of backs in the Second Division. This spell included a narrow FA Cup semi-final replay defeat to eventual winners Newcastle in 1952.

In 1954, Willie Thornton took Gray to Dundee, where his older brother Tommy had starred as a centre-half in the 1940s. The third Gray brother, Stuart, played for Scotland at amateur level.

Two seasons at Dens included a legendary 5-1 friendly win over English champions Manchester United in April 1956, with a 17-year-old Bobby Charlton making his debut. Following a spell of injuries, Davie crossed the road to Dundee United where he became the outstanding full-back in the old Scottish Second Division, finishing his football career with a spell as manager at Forfar Athletic. Despite playing for five different clubs and enjoying spells in both the English and Scottish top flights, Davie always insisted that he played and enjoyed his best football at Deepdale.

Davie passed away on Saturday 17th May and will be sadly missed by wife Billie, son Gordon and his many friends.



With thanks to Andy Boyack