Gary Plumley

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Gary Plumley

| image =

| caption =

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|3|24|df=y}}

| birth_place = Birmingham, England

| death_date =

| currentclub =

| height = 6 ft 0 in{{cite book |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88 |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Dunk |publisher=Queen Anne Press |location=London |date=1987 |page=380 |isbn=978-0-356-14354-5}}

| position = Goalkeeper

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Leicester City

| years1 = 1974–1976 | clubs1 = Leicester City | caps1 = 0 | goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1976–1981 | clubs2 = Newport County | caps2 = 182 | goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1981–1982 | clubs3 = Happy Valley | caps3 = | goals3 =

| years4 = 1982 | clubs4 = Hereford United | caps4 = 13 | goals4 = 0

| years5 = 1982 | clubs5 = → Newport County | caps5 = 2 | goals5 = 0

| years6 = 1982–1983 | clubs6 = Happy Valley | caps6 = | goals6 =

| years7 = 1983–1985 | clubs7 = Cardiff City | caps7 = 25 | goals7 = 0

| years8 = 1984–1985 | clubs8 = → Newport County (loan) | caps8 = 2 | goals8 = 0

| years9 = 1985–1987 | clubs9 = Ebbw Vale | caps9 = 1 | goals9 =0

| years10 = 1987 | clubs10 = Newport County | caps10 = 1 | goals10 = 0

| years11 = 1987 | clubs11 = Watford | caps11 = 1 | goals11 = 0

| years12 = | clubs12 = Ebbw Vale | caps12 = | goals12 =

}}

Gary Plumley (born 24 March 1956) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Newport County, Hereford United and Cardiff City, and in the Hong Kong First Division League for Happy Valley.{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player4/garyplumley.html |title=Gary Plumley |work=UK A–Z Transfers |publisher=Neil Brown |accessdate=9 December 2009}}

A goalkeeper, Plumley made 187 appearances for Newport County in four spells with the club between 1976 and 1987. He was part of the team that won the Welsh Cup{{cite web |url=http://www.wfda.co.uk/welshcup_final_detail.php?id=93 |title=Welsh Cup Final 1979/80 |publisher=Welsh Football Data Archive |accessdate=10 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209212716/http://wfda.co.uk/welshcup_final_detail.php?id=93 |archive-date=9 December 2014 |url-status=dead }} and were promoted to the Third Division in the 1979–80 season, and in the subsequent season reached the quarter-final of the 1981 European Cup Winners Cup, holding eventual runners-up Carl Zeiss Jena to a draw in the away leg before losing 1–0 at home.{{cite news |title=The bricklayer's wall too strong to be breached |first=Stuart |last=Jones |newspaper=The Times |date=19 March 1981}}

Plumley also played for Hereford United, Cardiff City, Happy Valley and Ebbw Vale.

Plumley's father Eddie was chief executive of Watford, a family connection which led to him making a one-off appearance in the 1987 FA Cup semi-final. Watford goalkeeper Tony Coton broke a finger two weeks before the game leaving manager Graham Taylor needing to find cover for Steve Sherwood after the transfer deadline. In desperation, Taylor suggested to Eddie Plumley that they sign his son, who had by then retired from football. Plumley signed, Sherwood dislocated a finger, so Plumley played; Tottenham Hotspur won the match 4–1.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2003/apr/10/newsstory.sport2 |title=One-hit wonder presses rewind |first=Simon |last=Burnton |newspaper=The Guardian|location=London |date=10 April 2003 |accessdate=10 December 2009}} No fee had been agreed at the time but Graham Taylor wanted to pay Plumley. A few weeks later he received a cheque and went straight out and bought a fridge with it. They called it the Watford fridge.

Plumley became an estate agent in Newport. He is married to Debbie Johnsey, who represented Great Britain at show jumping at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/jo/debbie-johnsey-1.html |title=Debbie Johnsey Biography and Olympic Results |work=Olympics at Sports-Reference |publisher=Sports Reference |accessdate=9 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024052711/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/jo/debbie-johnsey-1.html |archivedate=24 October 2012 }} Their daughter Gemma Plumley is also an accomplished show jumper.{{cite web |url=http://www.welshsports.org.uk/news/index.asp?action=goNews&naction=viewArticle&category=9&uID=&ID=870 |title=Gemma's Keeping Up the Family Sporting Tradition |first=Gary |last=Baker |date=29 August 2008 |publisher=The Welsh Sports Association |accessdate=9 December 2009}}