Val Gregory
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Valentine Francis Gregory | ||
| Date of birth | 14 February 1888 | ||
| Place of birth | Pinner, Middlesex, England | ||
| Date of death | 10 March 1940 (aged 52) | ||
| Place of death | Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England | ||
| Playing position | Half back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Pinner | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1911–1920 | Watford | 155 | (13) |
| 1920–1925 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 96 | (2) |
| Butler Sports | |||
| Wolverhampton F.C. | |||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Valentine Francis Gregory (14 February 1888 – 10 March 1940) was an English footballer who played as a half back. He won the 1914–15 Southern League title with for Watford, and captained Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 1921 FA Cup Final.
Gregory was born in Pinner, Middlesex on Valentine's Day 1888, leading to him being christened Valentine. Val was the third son of Fred Gregory, a tenant farmer at Pinner Hill Farm, and later the licensee of Oddfellows pub in Pinner. He joined Watford three months after his elder brother, also named Fred, and at one stage he, Fred, and younger brothers Allan and Owen were all contracted to Watford simultaneously, although only he and Fred went on to play for the club competitively.
After starting his career in amateur football with Pinner Football Club, Gregory joined Watford as a professional in December 1911. He made his debut on 25 December, in a 1–1 draw at Luton alongside elder brother Fred. His first goal followed shortly after, in a 1–0 win over Exeter City on 30 December 1911, and by the end of the 1911–12 season Val had made 16 Southern League appearances, scoring twice. He established himself as a first-team regular over the following two seasons, missing only five of Watford's 84 games.
Watford narrowly avoided relegation in the 1913–14 season with an 18th-placed finish, but Gregory and Watford started the following season with a nine match unbeaten run. He played only three of their next ten matches, coinciding with six Watford defeats over the same period. From 25 December onwards he was ever-present, and Watford secured the Southern League title on the penultimate game of the season, with Fred scoring the title-winning goal in a 3–2 win against Gillingham.
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