Martin Gritton
Encyclopedia
Martin Francis Jeremy Gritton (born 1 June 1978) is a Scottish
professional footballer who plays as a striker
who currently plays for Stockport County
. He is a journeyman player and has previously played for Plymouth Argyle
, Shelbourne
, Torquay United
, Grimsby Town
, Lincoln City
, Mansfield Town
, Macclesfield Town
, Chesterfield
, Chester F.C. and Yeovil Town
.
, Gritton moved to South-West England at an early age and played for Cornish
non-league sides Perranporth, Truro City
, and Porthleven
while studying at the University of Portsmouth
helping the latter reach the quarter-finals of the FA Vase
in 1998. He impressed Plymouth Argyle
manager Kevin Hodges
in a trial in the summer of 1998 and joined the Pilgrims initially on a non-contract deal to allow him to complete his degree. His league debut came as a substitute on the 8 August 1998 in Plymouth's 2-1 home win against Rochdale. Although doing enough to earn himself a full-time deal at Home Park, he never fully established himself in the starting line-up and was allowed out on loan, to Yeovil Town
in February 2001 and to Irish side Shelbourne
in November 2001.
In August 2002, after playing only twice in Plymouth's 2001-02 promotion side, he joined Torquay United on loan, signing permanently on a free transfer the following month. He settled in well at Plainmoor
scoring 16 times in his first season and helping the Gulls to automatic promotion the following season. With Torquay struggling in the higher division and looking to cut costs he was allowed to move to Grimsby Town
in December 2004 for a nominal fee .
Although linked with a welcome return to Torquay United
, he joined Lincoln City
on 30 January 2006. The timing of this move meant that he played against Torquay United in two consecutive games. He was mostly used as a substitute in the 2006-07 season due to the form of Jamie Forrester
.
In January 2007 he joined Mansfield Town
on loan for the remainder of the 2006-07 season. On 30 January 2007, he scored a spawny hat trick against his former club Torquay. He was released on a free transfer the following May, joining Macclesfield a few weeks later.
On 8 January 2009, Chesterfield
purchased Gritton from Macclesfield Town for a fee of £40,000 on a 2 and a half year deal. He re-joined former club Torquay on loan for the start of the 2010-11 season. He returned to Chesterfield in January 2011 and had his contract cancelled by mutual consent.
He then joined Chester F.C., and on 22 March 2011 signed on a short term contract with Yeovil Town
until the end of the 2010-11 season. He was informed by the club at the end of the season that he would not be awarded a new deal.
In June 2011 he signed a one year contract with Stockport County
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
professional footballer who plays as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
who currently plays for Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
. He is a journeyman player and has previously played for Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
, Shelbourne
Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
, Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
, Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
, Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
, Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
, Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
, Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
, Chester F.C. and Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
.
Career
Although born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Gritton moved to South-West England at an early age and played for Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
non-league sides Perranporth, Truro City
Truro City F.C.
Truro City F.C. are an English professional football club based in Truro, Cornwall. They currently play in the Conference South following five promotions in six seasons. They were founding members of the South Western League in 1951 and won the title five times in their history...
, and Porthleven
Porthleven F.C.
Porthleven Football Club is a Cornish football club based in Porthleven in Cornwall. Founded in 1896, the club competed in the South Western League from 1967 to 1977 and again from 1989 until the dissoultion of the league in 2007...
while studying at the University of Portsmouth
University of Portsmouth
The University of Portsmouth is a university in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The University was ranked 60th out of 122 in The Sunday Times University Guide...
helping the latter reach the quarter-finals of the FA Vase
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System...
in 1998. He impressed Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
manager Kevin Hodges
Kevin Hodges
Kevin Hodges is a retired English footballer and manager who played as a midfielder, and now works as a coach. He spent the majority of his playing career with Plymouth Argyle of the Football League, where he is the club's all-time appearance record holder...
in a trial in the summer of 1998 and joined the Pilgrims initially on a non-contract deal to allow him to complete his degree. His league debut came as a substitute on the 8 August 1998 in Plymouth's 2-1 home win against Rochdale. Although doing enough to earn himself a full-time deal at Home Park, he never fully established himself in the starting line-up and was allowed out on loan, to Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
in February 2001 and to Irish side Shelbourne
Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
in November 2001.
In August 2002, after playing only twice in Plymouth's 2001-02 promotion side, he joined Torquay United on loan, signing permanently on a free transfer the following month. He settled in well at Plainmoor
Plainmoor
Plainmoor is a suburb of Torquay, Devon, but is best known as the name of the stadium in which Torquay United Football Club currently play.-History:...
scoring 16 times in his first season and helping the Gulls to automatic promotion the following season. With Torquay struggling in the higher division and looking to cut costs he was allowed to move to Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
in December 2004 for a nominal fee .
Although linked with a welcome return to Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
, he joined Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
on 30 January 2006. The timing of this move meant that he played against Torquay United in two consecutive games. He was mostly used as a substitute in the 2006-07 season due to the form of Jamie Forrester
Jamie Forrester
Jamie Mark Forrester is a former English professional footballer who played as a Striker between 1991 and 2010 in France, the Netherlands and his native England...
.
In January 2007 he joined Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
on loan for the remainder of the 2006-07 season. On 30 January 2007, he scored a spawny hat trick against his former club Torquay. He was released on a free transfer the following May, joining Macclesfield a few weeks later.
On 8 January 2009, Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
purchased Gritton from Macclesfield Town for a fee of £40,000 on a 2 and a half year deal. He re-joined former club Torquay on loan for the start of the 2010-11 season. He returned to Chesterfield in January 2011 and had his contract cancelled by mutual consent.
He then joined Chester F.C., and on 22 March 2011 signed on a short term contract with Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
until the end of the 2010-11 season. He was informed by the club at the end of the season that he would not be awarded a new deal.
In June 2011 he signed a one year contract with Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
.