Dave Martin

DOB: 3rd June 1985

Position: Winger

Season of first appearance: 2016/17

Season of last appearance: 2018/19

Full Appearances: 59

Substitute: 9

Goals: 5

Also played for:

Slade Green, Dartford, Crystal Palace, Millwall, Derby County, Notts County, Walsall, Southend United, Luton Town, Bristol Rovers, Stevenage, Whitehawk, Bromley, Eastbourne Borough, Cray Valley, Hastings United, Phoenix Sports, Burgess Hill Town, Holmesdale, Erith & Belvedere.

Player Profile:

Well-travelled left winger born in Erith. Dave was scouted age 10 by Brighton & Hove Albion before playing for Slade Green in the Kent League, signing for Dartford in summer 2005.

In January 2007, he signed for Championship club Crystal Palace for £25,000. He made his debut for Palace as a substitute in a 1–0 win at Southend United on 20.2.07.

After a year and 14 appearances at Selhurst Park, he moved to Millwall for an initial fee of £50,000. Dave made his debut for the Lions in a 2–0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on 9.2.08 before scoring a goal in each of his next two games - a 2-1 victory over Southend United and a 3-0 win over Port Vale. He ended the season with 11 appearances and two goals.

Dave’s first full season at Millwall, 2008-09, saw him become a fixture in the first-team. He played in the League One Play-Off Final at Wembley on 24.5.09 where they lost 3–2 to Scunthorpe United in front of 59,661.

Dave remained at Millwall for the 2009-10 season and played 21 times in the league, scoring three goals. Millwall offered Dave a new contract but he turned it down.

Championship side Derby County made an offer at the end of the January transfer window. Although the deal fell through, they made a fresh approach with the reopening of the emergency loan window in February and Dave signed for the Rams on loan until the end of 2009-10 with a view to a permanent move when his Millwall contract expired.

He went straight into the squad for Derby's league game against Newcastle United and came on as a late sub in a 3-0 win on 9.2.10. Martin made one start and a further eight substitute appearances before the close of the season. Dave signed for Derby permanently in the summer.

However, he failed to hold down a spot in the first-team and was loaned to League One side Notts County. His month-long loan was cut short due to injury but he rejoined the Magpies on a two-month loan in February 2011. Dave returned to Derby in April 2011.

In September 2011, he joined League One side Walsall on a one-month loan and made five appearances for the Saddlers.

In January 2012, Dave was sold to Southend United for an undisclosed fee, signing an 18-month contract. His contract was terminated in January 2013. He left having made 35 appearances and scored four goals.

Dave trained with Conference Premier side Luton Town and signed an 18-month contract with the Hatters in January 2013. He then signed a contract extension until May 2015.

Dave fell out of first-team contention at Luton and, in November 2013, signed for fellow Conference Premier side Dartford on loan. Dave was transfer listed by Luton at the end of the campaign. He then joined Conference Premier side Bristol Rovers on a five-month loan in August 2014. This was followed by a spell at Stevenage.

Dave signed for National League South side Whitehawk in July 2015 and helped them reach the National League South play-offs in 2015-16.

He then joined National League Bromley for 2016–17 and, towards the end of that campaign, signed for Margate on loan until the end of the season.

Dave's Margate debut was on 25.3.17 in a 1-1 home draw with Eastbourne Borough and he started all of our last seven matches. He then joined Margate permanently for 2017-18.

Manager Steve Watt told the Kentish Football website: "We're so fortunate to have a player like Dave at the club. We got him on loan last season and got him to buy into what we want to do and he's happy to do this. You saw that he's a player with great energy and unbelievable quality."

Dave made an impact in his first league game for Margate - it was his cross that Frannie Collin scored from to give us a 1-0 win at Thurrock on 12.8.17. He played regularly and scored four goals during the season - the most memorable being at Billericay on 6.1.18 in a 1-1 draw with the champions-to-be.

At the end of the 2017-18 season, Dave left Margate to go to Eastbourne Borough of National League South. However, in December 2018 he returned on a month’s loan. He ended up staying until February, making ten appearances. He scored once, an 80th minute penalty in a 1-1 draw at home to Leatherhead on 26.1.19. He was also sent off in a 1-0 defeat at home to Dorking Wanderers on 5.2.19, having been booked twice in seven first-half minutes.

Dave started 2019-20 at Cray Valley but moved on to Whitehawk, where he stayed until January 2021. In August 2021 he signed for Isthmian League South East Division side Hastings United, helping them to clinch the 2021-22 title.

Dave dropped down to the SCEFL for 2022-23 when he signed for Phoenix Sports but, in March 2023, he returned to the Isthmian South East Division when he signed for Burgess Hill Town.

In January 2024, he joined Erith & Belvedere having started the 2023-24 season with SCEFL Premier Division club Holmesdale.