*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Mark Greatorex
Appearances: 16+20 Goals: 7
Date / Year of birth: 14th October 1973
Position: Striker / Winger
Season of first appearance: 1999/00
Season of last appearance: 2000/01
Also played for: Thamesmead Town, Sheppey United, Dartford, Chelmsford City, Tonbridge Angels, VCD Athletic and Phoenix Sports
Pacy attacking player born in Bexleyheath who started his senior career with Thamesmead during the 1993/94 season before moving on to Sheppey for 1995/96.
In July 1996 Mark joined Dartford and during 1996/97 he had a trial with Charlton. He made over 60 appearances for the Darts and then signed for Chelmsford in the summer of 1998.
Mark spent just over a year with Chelmsford and scored nine goals from 45 outings for City before linking up with Tonbridge early in October 1999.
In November 1999 he joined Margate and Mark made his debut in the number nine shirt in a 1-0 defeat at Clevedon on 13.11.99. The Thanet Times said he "linked well with (Phil) Collins and showed plenty of speed". Mark started Margate's next game too but after that he found himself on the subs bench for a run of six matches. On 1.12.99 he came on as a substitute and within five minutes scored his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw with Dartford at Purfleet in the FA Trophy. The Isle of Thanet Gazette described Mark's 25-yarder into the top corner as being a "spectacular strike". He scored another goal as a substitute in a game at Grantham on 11.12.99, striking with ten minutes left to secure a 2-1 win for Margate, but Mark found it hard to gain a regular place in the side with Collins and Paul Sykes being Chris Kinnear's first-choice striking partnership. On 1.2.00 he made a rare start on the right wing as Margate travelled to Fleet for a Southern League Cup tie and Mark scored with what the Isle of Thanet Gazette said was a "thunderbolt" into the top corner. The paper said he "looked sharp". The Gazette then noted that Mark "looked lively" when he came off the bench in a 3-1 defeat at Hastings on 29.2.00.
He'd only started six times in over four months with Margate before Sykes suffered a serious knee injury in a 1-1 draw with Bath at Hartsdown Park on 18.3.00. Mark replaced the stricken striker that day and from then on played regularly until the end of the season. He finished the campaign in good form, scoring four times in Margate's last six matches. After finding the net in a 2-0 win at Rothwell on 18.4.00 Mark scored twice in a 5-3 defeat at Crawley on 22.4.00. His first goal was a confident lob and the Thanet Times said he showed "killer instinct in the penalty area" to slot home his second. In its report on a 2-0 home win over Salisbury on 24.4.00 the Isle of Thanet Gazette noted that Mark was "involved in much of the attacking play" and "put in one of his best performances since joining the club". He scored his seventh goal of the season on the last day as Margate beat Halesowen 3-1 at Hartsdown Park and Mark made a total of 29 appearances, 15 of them as a substitute.
He featured in Margate's friendlies ahead of the 2000/01 campaign and scored in a 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Croydon on 19.7.00 but Mark played no part in the first seven games of the season proper. He made his first appearance as a substitute in a 3-2 win at Havant & Waterlooville on 16.9.00 and the Thanet Times reported that his "fresh impetus of pace finally proved too much for an increasingly exhausted back line". Mark then came off the bench in Margate's next three matches and the Thanet Times said he "looked lively" in the last of them - a 1-0 defeat against Banstead in an FA Cup tie at Hartsdown Park on 30.9.00. On 21.10.00 Mark made his first start of the campaign as Margate beat visitors Havant & Waterlooville 1-0 and the Thanet Times described him as being "hard-working" up front, he also started the next game - a 1-0 defeat at Fisher on 24.10.00. Mark then came off the bench as Margate thrashed Sittingbourne 6-0 in a Kent Senior Cup tie at Hartsdown Park on 31.10.00 but it turned out to be his last appearance for the club.
In December 2000 he was loaned to his old club Dartford and although Mark returned to Margate in March 2001 he didn't feature in the first team again in what remained of the season. After making seven appearances (five as sub) without scoring he was released at the end of the 2000/01 campaign.
Mark rejoined Tonbridge in the summer of 2001 and took his career record to 14 goals in 82 appearances (25 as sub) for the Angels before leaving the club in March 2003.
In February 2004 he signed for Kent League outfit VCD and Mark went on to spend over five years with the club, making well over 100 appearances for them. VCD won the Kent League title during 2008/09 and Mark left the club at the end of that season.
He joined Barnehurst-based Kent County League Premier Division club Phoenix Sports for the 2009/10 campaign and scored 16 goals from 29 appearances (two as sub) during the season. Mark was still with Phoenix during the 2010/11 campaign.
A relative of Mark's called Brendan Greatorex made over 400 appearances for Erith & Belvedere between 1961 and 1974 and also had spells with Swanley and Crockenhill later in the 1970's.
During Mark's time with Chelmsford his date of birth was listed as being 4.10.73 and not 14.10.73.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
| |
|
1999/00 (MFC) |
14 (55) |
15 |
7 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (3RD OF 22) |
4QR |
2R |
4R |
2R |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
||
|
2000/01 (MFC) |
2 (50) |
5 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (1ST OF 22) |
2QR |
4R |
2R |
2R |
|
Margate promoted to
Conference. | |||||||||