| Bth | 12/09/27 | Craghead | Co. Durham |
| P/H/W | Centre-Forward | 5ft 9-10in | |
| Jnd | 09/47 (20) | Annfield Plain | £50 |
| Left | 20/09/50 (23) | Lincoln C. | £3,500 |
| A/G | 1 | 0 |
| Season | App | Gls | Posn |
| 1949/50 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
Like his father before him, Andy Graver was a robust go-ahead centre-forward. He started his career at Willington and then moved to Annfield Plain before heading to Tyneside. He was twenty when he joined and still working down the mines and was a player who the club had high hopes for.
Andy was a free scorer in the Central League side and showed a lot of promise. He played with determination, packed a hard shot in both feet and was more than useful with his head. He had a nice turn of speed and a good knowledge of a leader’s duties.
He required a cartilage operation in September 1949 and later that season Graver made his only first-team appearance. With Milburn struggling with an ankle injury and Graver’s good form he was drafted in for the match at Manchester City in January.
It was a very poor game and although Andy missed a good chance his speed was always effective in Newcastle's raids and he gave a good centre-half a lot of trouble in the air.
Although United were not keen on losing him Lincoln manager Bill Anderson spent over a month trying to get them to sell as he was looking for a replacement for Jack Dodds. In the end they decided to let him go.
The image is a digital design which will assist in painting the player as part of the nufc collection ‘Men in Stripes’ and is copyright Piotr Jozefowicz.
For a more extensive biography of his full career see the Paul Joannou book "Newcastle United - The Ultimate Who's Who 1881-2014" and the accompanying supplement "The Ultimate Who's Who Supplement 1"