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A product of the FA's School of Excellence, Graham Stuart burst onto the
scene at Stamford Bridge in April 1990 when at the age of just 19 he
made a goal scoring debut in a win over Crystal Palace. A lively
front-man or winger, Stuart had to wait until the following autumn
before he was given a run in the side, winning a penalty in a 3-2
victory at Old Trafford on his return. Once established as a genuine top
level performer he played with a confidence which belied his youth.
He
scored six times that season, including the opening goal in a 2-1
victory over champions-elect Arsenal which proved to be the Gunners'
only league defeat of the campaign. Stuart's second full season was
heavily disrupted by a shin injury and he was unable to feature until
the end of October. When he returned he struggled to find any
consistency in his play, not helped perhaps by the fact that the manager
was unable to decide which position he was best suited to, and he found
himself regularly being used from the substitute's bench. Graham scored
just one goal that season, a solo effort which won a tense FA Cup tie
against Sheffield United.
However, it was a goal he scored against
United's local rivals Wednesday at the beginning of the following
campaign for which he will be best remembered. Receiving the ball just
outside his own penalty area, he ran the length of the pitch at a
retreating defence before slipping the ball under goalkeeper Chris
Woods. Stuart scored ten goals that season, including a late winner at
Stamford Bridge against Arsenal, but perhaps his most significant
strikes were the two he scored against Everton as it was the
Merseysiders who paid £850, 000 to capture his signature the following
August after his contract negotiations with Chelsea fell through. (Kelvin Barker)
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