Calvin Andrew

Calvin Hyden Andrew (born 19 December 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.

He scored a 90th-minute winner against Hartlepool United on his debut at the Withdean Stadium on 31 January, but had to return to Crystal Palace after tweaking his hamstring during his fourth game for Brighton.

He then returned to Albion, now managed by his former Grimsby boss Russell Slade, to complete his loan spell and help the club to avoid relegation.

However, his loan spell ended when he picked up a serious knee injury during a 1–0 win over Stockport County at the Withdean Stadium.

Palace assistant manager Mick Jones said that it was "one of the worst injuries I have ever seen".

Andrew began his career at Luton Town, making his debut in the 2004–05 League One title winning season.

Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, Andrew began his career at Luton Town in their youth system and signed a professional contract with the club on 25 September 2004.

He made his full first-team debut three days later, in a 2–0 defeat to Swansea City in a Football League Trophy match at Vetch Field.

He made his League One debut on 7 December, replacing Rowan Vine 84 minutes into a 3–0 win over Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park in the FA Cup.

He made his first league start four days later, in a 1–0 victory over Port Vale at Kenilworth Road.

He totalled 11 appearances in the 2004–05 season as Mike Newell's Luton were promoted as champions.

Andrew began 2005–06 on loan at League Two club Grimsby Town.

He played nine matches for Grimsby, and scored his first goal in the English Football League on 27 August, in a 1–0 win over Barnet at Underhill.

His loan spell at Blundell Park was ended on 20 November.

He spent the second half of 2005–06 on loan at Gary Johnson's Bristol City, but because of a knee injury he made just one start and two substitute appearances during his time at Ashton Gate.

He returned to Luton to score in a 2–1 win over Plymouth Argyle at Home Park on 17 April.

A knee ligament injury prevented him from featuring in the ill-fated 2006–07 season that saw Luton relegated from the Championship until the end of March.

He featured seven times towards the end of the season, scoring once in a 3–1 win over Southend United at Roots Hall on 28 April.

He was loaned out to Grimsby Town and Bristol City, before becoming a first team regular for Luton in the 2007–08 relegation season.

He moved on to Championship club Crystal Palace, where he was dogged by injuries.

He spent four years at Selhurst Park, and spent time on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, Millwall, Swindon Town, and Leyton Orient.

He claimed four goals in 48 appearances playing under Kevin Blackwell and Mick Harford in 2007–08, as points deductions for financial irregularities led to massive problems on and off the field at Kenilworth Road and the club were relegated again as a result.

Despite his low tally, Andrew's four goals were enough to win two FA Cup ties and three league points.

Luton were deducted a record 30 points at the start of 2008–09, making a third relegation almost certain.

With this is mind, the club needed to free-up their wage bill and reduce further debt, and decided to sell Andrew once their appeal was rejected.

Andrew moved to Neil Warnock's Crystal Palace on 18 July 2008 for a fee believed to be around £80,000.

He played seven Championship matches for Palace, scoring one goal in a 4–2 defeat by Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

In January 2009, Andrew signed on loan with League One club Brighton & Hove Albion until the end of the season, with manager Micky Adams looking for a physical presence to compliment Nicky Forster up front.

Andrew returned to first-team action with Palace in November, and went on to play 32 matches in the rest of 2009–10, scoring goals against Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End.

He began 2010–11 on the bench under new manager George Burley, and was loaned out to league rivals Millwall after recovering from a knee injury in November.

He featured just three times for Kenny Jackett's Millwall, and spent only three weeks at The Den before being recalled to Palace on 13 December after the club lost loanee striker James Vaughan.

He enjoyed another brief spell in and around the Palace first team, before joining Swindon Town on loan in March after two months on the sidelines; the move reunited him with Paul Hart, who was Andrew's manager at Palace for a brief time in early 2010.

He played 10 League One matches for Swindon as the lone striker in a 4–5–1 formation, scoring one goal in a 1–0 victory over Brentford at Griffin Park.

He was given a new contract at the end of the season, having won over the fans with his hard-working style of play.

He featured five times for Palace at the start of 2011–12, but did not feature for ten weeks after scoring the winning goal in a 2–1 League Cup victory over Middlesbrough at Selhurst Park on 20 September.

He signed with Port Vale in November 2012, and helped the club to secure promotion out of League Two in 2012–13.

He joined Mansfield Town for a brief stay in August 2013.

He signed with York City for a brief spell in March 2014, before joining Rochdale four months later.

He stayed at Rochdale for six seasons, making 231 league and cup appearances.

He joined Barrow briefly in March 2021.