The time has come round again to vote for your inductee to join the Grays Athletic Hall of Fame. Votes can be cast via the unofficial Fans forum which can be found here: http://graysathleticfc.proboards.com/thread/4683/hall-fame-voting

Supporters will have until 5pm on the 2nd February 2017 to cast their votes.

The Grays Athletic FC Hall of Fame 2016 Nominees

This year the club are inducting a new class of former players and officials to our Hall of Fame. Below you will find each nominee and a brief bio which will hopefully make it easier for you to decide who you’ll choose to vote for when the ballot takes place.

TOMMY BARNES
Tommy joined the club from Bata Sports in 1953, and over the next decade would be the mainstay of the Grays’ defence. Although known as a full back, he was a very versatile player, proven by him playing every position for the club in his first season, even in goal. One of the very few to have made over three hundred appearances for the club, his finest moment had to be when he captained the team to winning Essex Senior Cup in 1957, over Isthmian League Ilford. Even now over fifty years since he played, supporters who witnessed him play regard him as one of the finest defenders to have represented the club.

BRIAN STOCKLEY
Centre Half, Brian Stockley joined the Blues in 1960 from Dagenham. Over the next fourteen years apart from a season at local side West Thurrock, his name was synonymous with that of Grays Athletic. He is placed second in the all-time list of appearances for the club with over four hundred, with him moving into a coaching role in the later years of his time with Grays. In September 1973 he took over from Ray Brand as Manager, but departed before the start of the next season, after a disagreement with the clubs committee. Unfortunately for Brian he never achieved the honours he perhaps should have, as his period with the club was one where the club not only struggled on the field, but also was fighting for its life off it.

CHRIS SNOWSILL
Joined the club at the start of the 1997-98 season as assistant to new manager Gary Calder, having been in charge of Purfleet’s reserve side for the previous five years. In December 1997 he took over the managerial reins when Calder quit, and although he couldn’t maintain his predecessor’s form that season he did stabilise the ship to gain a respectable sixth place finish that year. His time in charge was tough, with a small budget in relation to our competitors, but in the 1999-00 season he managed the side to a runners-up spot in the Isthmian League Division One and with it promotion back to the Premier Division. The next year despite struggling in the league, he guided the Blues to the First Round Proper of the FA Cup, for only the third time in the clubs history. Despite losing at Reading 4-0, the team were enthusiastically cheered by the 650 Grays fans travelling to support their team. But just weeks later Snowsill departed, with the incoming Director of Football Mick Woodward wanting his own man to help the team pull away from the relegation zone.

TONY WITTER
Although he only made 45 appearances for the club, it was the sheer quality of those performances that led many supporters to nominate Tony as one of this year’s class. A centre half, he joined from Uxbridge in October 1989, joining a side at the wrong end of the league table. The transformation that he helped achieve saw the Blues eventually finish in fifth place in the Isthmian Premier Division table. He was probably the fastest man seen at the Rec, having been a former training partner of Linford Christie, and this pace along with his skill on the ball, made Football League clubs take notice. With his form continuing into the next season he had plenty of offers to join the professional ranks, but it would be Crystal Palace who would eventually persuade him to leave his job as an electrician. Part of the transfer was that Tony wouldn’t leave us until we were knocked out of the FA Cup, this happened at the 3rd Qualifying Round stage away to Dagenham. He never made a competitive appearance for Crystal Palace and would transfer across London to Queens Park Rangers, where he would become the first former Blue to play in the Premier League. After various loan moves he eventually moved to Millwall where he would make over a hundred first team appearances and become a fan favourite. His pro career would end in 1999 after a short spell at Scunthorpe United, he would retire by the end of the year.

DELROY RHODEN
First joined the club as a sixteen year old in 1969, where after a solitary season he would depart to begin a non-league career with among others Walthamstow Avenue, Leyton-Wingate and Dagenham. He rejoined the Blues for the 1986-87 season, where his experience and link play shone. To Grays fans he’ll be best remembered for scoring the extra time winner against Leytonstone Ilford, in the 1988 Essex Senior Cup Final.
 
NICKY CROWN
In all Nicky played over three hundred and fifty games in two spells for the Blues, scoring over 110 goals. He first played for the club in 1979, spending two seasons with the club, which was then struggling just to survive. He was spotted by bigger clubs and moved onto among others Leytonstone-Ilford, Dartford and Barking. On his return in 1987 he came back to a club on the up and his skilful forward play, gave contrast to the long ball game tactics of the time. In terms of winners medals won whilst at the club he must be at the top post war, winning four Essex Thameside Trophies and the Essex Senior Cup, Mithras Cup and Essex Senior Cup on one occasion each. Fittingly in his last match for the club against Basingstoke at home in May 1993 he scored a brace, a truly apt end for such a talented player.

JIM SHERINGHAM
Joined during the 1986-87 season from Walthamstow Avenue, apart from a two year spell at Dartford, he would be an integral part of the Grays side for the next nine years. A box to box midfielder who made over 250 appearances for the Blues, and chipped in with over 40 goals. Was part of a successful era for the club gaining three Essex Senior Cup winner’s medals along with two in the Essex Thameside Trophy.

MEL CAPLETON
Goalkeeper Mel had three spells with the Blues between 1996 and 2004, making over 220 appearances. In between he had a spell at Southend United in the Football League. A likeable character who established a great rapport with the fans, but who in the match was a fine shot stopper who commanded his area. He was the first goalkeeper in the clubs professional era, but left at the end of the 2003-04 season for St Albans City, not enjoying the glory days soon to follow.

VINNY JOHN
If you wanted a template for an archetypal number 9 then it would be Vinny John. Quick, powerful, tall, skilful, he had it all and for a season and a half he was the leader of the line. He joined in the close season of 1998 from Romford, in a reported £4,000 transfer, the highest fee paid by the club at the time. He made over seventy appearances for the Blues scoring 45 goals, but was sold to Bishops Stortford in December 1999, for a reported fee of £5,000. This at the time surprised many supporters who questioned why the club would sell its top scorer, but was a move which ignited the clubs campaign which led to them finishing in second place in the Ryman League Division One and promotion to the Premier Division.

FABIAN WILNIS
By the time Fabian joined the Blues in 2008, he had already enjoyed a fine professional career in Holland and had made over three hundred first team appearances for Ipswich Town in this country. But rather than just play out the end of his career dwelling on the past, the defender’s commitment to the cause quickly made him a firm favourite with the fans. His 35 appearances showed why Ipswich fans regard him as a legend and why so many fans nominated him to join the Grays Athletic Hall of Fame.

JAMIE STUART
When a club’s supporters bestow the title of “The Master” on a player, then you realise just how highly they regard him. For Grays fans Jamie Stuart is that player. The centre-half has made over two hundred appearances for the club, after joining in 2004 as one of the “Hornchurch Five” and his determination, desire and will to win marked the clubs most successful years. His return to the club in the summer as manager brought a new challenge, but one he has set about with the same vigour.

STUART THURGOOD
Stuart has just re-joined the club for the fifth time, but it will be the first that he’ll be most fondly remembered by supporters. Joining from Southend United in the summer of 2003, he was part of the clubs experiment with turning full time professional. This paid immediate dividends, with Grays securing a spot in the inaugural season of the Conference South. The next season he skippered the side in the clubs greatest ever season, winning the League title and for good measure the FA Trophy on penalties at Villa Park. For the Blues debut season in the Conference National, Thurgood shone and was voted onto the Conference team of the season, as Grays retained the Trophy and made the end of season play-offs. Disaster struck the next season as he broke his leg in a pre-season friendly against Leyton Orient, but despite returning in October he struggled to regain the form of the previous season. Injuries hampered his professional career and he was forced to retire from the pro game at the age of 28.

The club would like to express it's thanks and gratitude to Phil Boston for organising this seasons Hall of Fame awards