Julian Gray

Gray was born in Lewisham, in south London. He began his association with Arsenal as a seven-year-old, and made one substitute for the first team before making a switch across London in July 2000 to join Crystal Palace for a £500,000 fee. He is an attacking left winger who can also play as an auxiliary striker, and has learnt full-back duties so he can help out in defence. Gray played a key part in helping them achieve promotion in the 2003–04 season, despite missing the play-off final through suspension. In addition to his successes during that season he spent a two-month spell on loan with Cardiff City. One of Gray's most memorable games for Palace was when he scored in a man-of-the-match performance as Palace surprisingly knocked Liverpool out of the 2002–03 FA Cup at Anfield.

Gray's contract expired in June 2004, allowing him to sign for Birmingham City on a free transfer. He made 32 Premier League appearances in his first season in the Midlands, and remained a key part of manager Steve Bruce's plans during the 2005–06 season, although an ankle injury kept him out for several weeks towards the end of the campaign, but started only twice as the team returned to the Premier League in 2007 and was released at the end of that season. He joined Coventry City on 10 July 2007. He signed for Fulham on a season-long loan on 1 September 2008, and despite not playing a single league game for the club, the move was made permanent for an undisclosed fee on 2 February 2009. He made…

Gray joined the staff of Arsenal's academy in 2019, and became under-18s assistant coach in 2021. He holds the UEFA A Licence. He was appointed as lead under-15s coach in Birmingham City's academy in August 2024. After serving an interim spell, Gray was appointed as permanent assistant head coach of Crawley Town in May 2026 alongside head coach Colin Kazim-Richards.

Crystal Palace Young Player of the Year: 2002