David Rainey (footballer)

David Rainey
Personal information
Date of birth (1976-04-06) 6 April 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth Belfast, Northern Ireland
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
Crusaders (Assistant Manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1998 Ballyclare Comrades ? (19)
1998–2000 Glentoran 68 (13)
2000–2005 Ards 111 (23)
2005–2013 Crusaders 221 (79)
2013–2014 Glenavon 30 (7)
2014–2019 Harland & Wolff Welders 40 (14)
Managerial career
2024- Crusaders (Assistant Manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:45, 27 April 2014

David Rainey (born 6 April 1976) is a retired footballer from Northern Ireland who played as a striker, and is currently assistant manager at Crusaders.

Club career

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Early career

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Davy previously played for Glentoran and Ards. He won many trophies while in East Belfast, including an Irish League title and Irish Cup medal. While with Ards, he won the Irish First Division title in 2001.

Crusaders

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In 2005, he dropped down a division to join Crusaders, for whom he hit 30 goals in his first season to ensure immediate promotion, as well as winning the Intermediate League Cup and Steel & Sons Cup. In the following season in the top flight, he scored 13 goals overall, 2 behind the Crues' top scorer Davy Larmour. In the 2007–08 season he scored in the 2008 CIS Cup Final, but two late Linfield goals ensured the Crues' were defeated 3–2. It was Rainey's first cup final goal,[1] and he was named in the 2008 Irish League Select XI as a result after 24 goals that season.[2]

He came on as a substitute in the 2008–09 Irish Cup final as Crusaders defeated Cliftonville.[3] In that season he was joint-top scorer with Mark Dickson with 17. He was again the Crues' top scorer in 2009–10 with 19 in all competitions, adding the County Antrim Shield to his Crusaders' trophy collection.[4]

In 2010-11 he found himself mostly as substitute to Jordan Owens and Michael Halliday, and scored just one league goal with 8 overall. The following season, he added the Irish League Cup[5] and the Setanta Cup[6] to his trophy collection, meaning he has won every domestic honour available. He was once again the club's top scorer in 2011–12, with 20 goals.

Rainey's final season with Crusaders was the 2012–13 season, where he scored 8 goals, all in the league. Fittingly, in his final match for the club he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win at Windsor Park against Linfield on the final day of the season.[7] It was his 139th goal in 320 games for the Hatchetmen, making him the fifth-highest goalscorer at the time in Crusaders' history, after Glenn Hunter (157 goals), Curry Mulholland (149 goals), Danny Hale (143 goals) and Jim Weatherup (142 goals). His tally has since been surpassed also by Jordan Owens.

Honours

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Ballyclare Comrades

Glentoran

Ards

Crusaders

Glenavon

References

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  1. ^ http://www.derryjournal.com/football/Baxter-filled-with-pride-for.3739659.jp [dead link]
  2. ^ "The Best Irish League Select XI? - Belfast News Letter". Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  3. ^ "carlingpremiership.com".
  4. ^ "Crusaders 3-2 Linfield". 20 January 2010.
  5. ^ "Coleraine 0-1 Crusaders". BBC Sport.
  6. ^ "Crusaders 2-2 Derry City". BBC Sport.
  7. ^ "Linfield 1-2 Crusaders". BBC Sport.