An Iron and a White

Last updated : 14 September 2009 By @pnemad

Footballers who have played league football for both PNE and Scunthorpe

A-K

858) Graham Alexander

PNE 352 apps; 52 goals

Irons 159 apps; 18 goals

PNE debut 27/03/1999 v Northampton (H) - Won 3-0

803) Graeme Atkinson

PNE 79 apps; 6 goals

Irons 1 app; 0 goals

PNE debut 15/10/1994 v Hartlepool (A) - Lost 1-3

692) David Brown

PNE 74 apps; 0 goals

Irons 5 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 23/10/1986 v Tranmere (A) - Drawn 1-1

811) Matt Carmichael

PNE 10 apps; 3 goals

Irons 62 apps; 20 goals

PNE debut 18/03/1995 v Bury (H) - Won 5-0

548) Brian Godfrey

PNE 127 apps 52goals

Irons 87 apps; 24 goals

PNE debut 02/11/1963 v Northampton (A) - Won 3-0

767) Deiniol Graham

PNE 5 apps; 0 goals

Irons 3 apps; 1 goal

PNE debut 24/10/1992 v Mansfield (A) - Drawn 2-2

736) Steven Greaves

PNE 2 apps; 0 goals

Irons 15 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 25/08/1980 v Grimsby (H) - Lost 1-3

795) Stuart Hicks

PNE 12 apps; 0 goals

Irons 67 apps; 1 goal

PNE debut 02/04/1994 v Chester (A) - Lost 2-3

Player Profile - Graham Alexander

Graham Robert Alexander was born in Coventry on 10 October 1971 and in a career spanning 20 seasons has made over 850 appearances and scored 112 goals. His 21st season will see him play in the top tier for the first time.

Alexander started his career with Scunthorpe as a trainee before signing a professional contract in March 1990. He made his debut for Scunthorpe on 27 April 1991 in a 3-0 victory against Chesterfield, coming on a substitute for Mark Hine.

The following season he established himself in the first team mainly as a right back but sometimes in midfield. The 1991/ season he scored 5 goals in 36 matches. For the next three seasons Alexander only missed four league matches, with 5 goals in 41 matches in 1992/93; 4 from 41 matches in 1993/94 and a further 4 goals from 40 matches in 1994/95. In total Alexander had scored 18 goals from 159 league appearances.

On 8 July 1995 Alexander joined First Division Luton for a fee of £100,000. But his first season with the club saw the Hatters relegated to Division Two with Alexander making 37 appearances, scoring once.

He only missed one match in the 1996/97 season as Luton finished third but were beaten in the play-offs by sixth placed Crewe. Alexander had his best season for scoring goals for Luton in the 1997/98 season with 8 goals.

His last appearance for Luton was in a 1-1 draw at home to Reading on 23 March 1999, having netted 15 goals from 152 league appearances.

On 25 March 1999 Preston beat Burnley to his signature for a fee of £50,000 and made his debut two days later in a 3-0 win at Deepdale against Northampton. There was disappointment again as Preston lost to Gilligham in the Division Two play-offs.

He was an ever present in 1999/.2000 as the Lilywhites won the Division Two title. He scored 6 league goals during the season, although his first goal came on 21 September 1999 as Preston beat Division One side Sheffield United 3-0 in the League Cup.

The 2000/01 season Alexander missed 12 matches mostly due to breaking a rib in a match at Wolves on Boxing Day and returned two months later. He missed a rare penalty in the play-off semi final second leg against Birmingham but later stepped up and scored the first goal in the penalty shoot out as Preston won and made their first trip to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Alexander again suffered heartache as Bolton gained promotion to the Premier League.

For the next three seasons Alexander missed only one match in each of those season, scoring 10 goals in 2002/03 with 8 coming from the penalty spot and 8 of the 9 goals in 2003/04 also coming via the penalty spot.

The 2004/05 saw him reached the Play off final for the second time, this time as a substitute for Youl Mawene in the defeat against West Ham. He was also the only PNE player to the chosen for the PFA Championship Team of the season.

A bid of £ 50,000 by Crystal Palace was turned down in the summer of 2007. His 400th appearance for Preston on 25 August 2007 (352 eague appearances and 52 goals), against Colchester turned out to be his last for Preston as 6 days later he joined Burnley for a fee of £200,000. Burnley had offered a two year deal whilst Preston would not extend it past one year.

He made his debut also against Colchester on 1 September in a 0-0 draw and his first goal for the club came in a 3-3 draw at Turf Moor against Cardiff on 26 April.

He was an ever present in 2008/09, scoring 9 league goals, making most of his appearances in midfield. He missed only 26 minutes of the 61 matches the club played during the season which saw Burnley reach the semi-final of the Carling Cup and finally had success in the Play Offs as Burnley beat Sheffield United at Wembley in the Play Off Final.

On 29 June 2009 Alexander signed a new one-year contract with the Clarets.

Although born in England, he was eligible to play for Scotland through his Scottish Father. He made his International debut on 17 April 2002 at Pittodrie in a 2-1 defeat against Nigeria in a friendly. Alexander won 30 caps whilst at Preston. The 2-0 victory over Macedonia on 9 September 2009 was his 40th Scottish cap.