608 Andy Saville

Biography

Andrew Victor Saville was a Hull-born striker who came through the City apprentice scheme in the early 1980s. He was given a debut by Colin Appleton in December 1983 but he had to wait patiently in the reserves for another 16 months before his second senior appearance under Brian Horton. Saville scored his first senior goal in his third start, a March 1985 3-1 win at Cambridge, and he made a couple more appearances in 1984/85 as City won promotion to the Second Division. Sav’s first real run of first team starts came in December 1985 when Billy Whitehurst joined Newcastle United, and Andy celebrrated his elevation with a goals in a messy 3-1 defeat at Brighton. After five first team starts Saville was sent back to the reserves and didn’t reappear again consistently until September 1986. He finally made the shirt his own as 17 consecutive starts yielded five goals included a brace against Ipswich Town. Andy played regularly for two seasons but in 1988/89, with Eddie Gray installed as Brian Horton’s replacement, he was only an occasional first team pick, leaving the Tigers before the season’s end.

Saville joined Walsall in March 1989 and scored 4 times in 12 starts, but in 1989/90 season his goals dried up and he moved on to Barnsley in March 1990. In two years at Oakwell Sav scored 22 goals in 95 appearances in all competitions before switching to Hartlepool United in March 1992. After scoring 20 goals for Pools in 1992/93 he moved to Birmingham City in March 1993, where his rich vein of scoring continued with 7 goals in his first 10 starts – he ended the season as top league goalscorer for both clubs, a rare feat.

Andy scored a further 11 goals for the Blues in the next two seasons before transferring to Preston North End in July 1995. Now aged 31, Saville had his most productive season at Deepdale as he struck 30 times in 50 starts for the Lilywhites as they won the Third Division title. Further moves to Wigan and Cardiff culminated in September 1998 with Saville rejoining the Tigers briefly on a month’s loan – though the Second Division side he left a decade earlier had been turned into a Fourth Division laughing stock by Mark Hateley and his predecessors. Saville ended 1998/99 season at Scarborough before calling time on his professional career and dropping into the non-league scene with Gainsborough Trinity, Goole and Winterton Rangers.

After hanging up his boots in 2001 Saville became a postman in the North Hull estates, a role he fulfilled for more than 20 years while also working the City hospitality lounges on matchdays.

Details

Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 12 December 1964, Hull
Hull City First Game: 31 December 1983, Port Vale H (Division Three), 19 years, 19 days old
Hull City Final Game: 3 October 1998, Cambridge United H (League Division 3), 33 years, 295 days old

Clubs

Hull City (1983-1989), Walsall (1989-1990), Barnsley (1990-1992), Hartlepool United (1992-1993), Birmingham City (1993-1995), Burnley (1994-1995, loan), Preston North End (1995-1996), Wigan Athletic (1996-1997), Cardiff City (1997-1999), Hull City (1998, loan), Scarborough (1999), Gainsborough Trinity (1999-2000), Goole (2000-2001), Winterton Rangers

Hull City Record

Career: 121 apps, 20 goals

Andy Saville
SeasonLGE
App
LGE
Gls
FAC
App
FAC
Gls
FLC
App
FLC
Gls
EUR
App
EUR
Gls
OTH
App
OTH
Gls
1983/841 (0)0--------
1984/853 (1)1--------
1985/864 (5)1------1 (2)0
1986/8728 (7)93 (0)13 (0)1--2 (0)0
1987/8824 (8)60 (1)02 (0)0--1 (0)0
1988/8914 (6)10 (1)01 (0)0----
1998/993 (0)0--------

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