Graeme Sharp

Premier League Career: Oldham Athletic (1992-1994)

Graeme Sharp’s professional career will always be linked to just two clubs – Everton and Oldham Athletic. He won two First Division titles with the Toffees in the 1980s and experienced two Premier League campaigns with Oldham before going on to become the player-manager of the Latics.

He started his playing career with Dumbarton in 1978, playing 40 times for them before joining Everton in 1980 for £120,000. It took time for Graeme to make an impact on Merseyside but Howard Kendall’s arrival as first-team manager was the telling impact for his career. Between 1980 and 1991, he would score 111 league goals for Everton in 322 matches.

Sharp won the FA Cup in 1984, scoring the first goal in the final against Watford at Wembley Stadium. It was his sole victory in this competition, experiencing the agony of defeat in the final in 1985, 1986 and 1989. It was a time where the Merseyside clubs were dominating English football. Liverpool FC were the prime team but Everton did crash the Reds’ supremacy to win the First Division title in 1985 and 1987. There was also European glory with victory over Rapid Vienna in the 1985 Cup Winners’ Cup final.

He formed successful scoring partnerships with the likes of Andy Gray, Adrian Heath and Gary Lineker and was seen as the perfect foil for a striking duo. However by 1991, his days were numbered at Goodison Park and he moved to Oldham for £500,000. This came just weeks after they had won promotion to the top-flight for the first time in 68 years.

He made 55 Premier League appearances, scoring 16 goals in total. Sharp scored Oldham’s first-ever Premier League goal at Boundary Park in a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace in August 1992 and also scored vital goals in victories over Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough.

After finding the target seven times in 1992-1993, Sharp improved his tally to nine in 1993-1994 including a goal in a 1-1 draw at Highbury with Arsenal and two goals in gallant defeats to champions Manchester United. It was United who agonisingly ended Oldham’s FA Cup dreams at the semi-final stage and the club were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season despite Graeme’s best efforts.

In November 1994, Oldham manager Joe Royle quit to take over the vacant position at Everton. Sharp took over as player-manager but he struggled to adapt his playing success into the dugout. After two mediocre seasons in the First Division, he resigned in March 1997 with Oldham on the verge of relegation to Division Two.

He had one season managing Bangor City in Welsh football before stepping away from the game in a primary capacity. Sharp is now a club ambassador at Everton and works for the local press in Liverpool on the radio for 96.7 Radio City.