Marvin Andrews (born 22 December 1975 in San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago) is a professional football defender. Andrews has spent the majority of his career in Scotland, and current plays for Queen of the South on loan from Hamilton Academical.

Andrews's career includes spells at Livingston, with whom he won the Scottish League Cup in 2004, and Rangers, where he won the Double of the League Cup and the Scottish Premier League title in 2005.

Between 1996 and 2006 Andrews was a regular for the Trinidad and Tobago national football team, winning 99 caps. He had stated that he wished for another callup in future,^[1] and earned his 100th cap in a 2-3 defeat to Costa Rica in a World Cup Qualifying match on 6 June 2009.

[edit] Domestic career

Before moving to Scotland, Andrews played Carib F.C. of Trinidad.

Tall, strong and very good in the air as he have proven to be with a few goals over the years, Raith Rovers sold Andrews for around £50,000 in a multi-player deal. Andrews signed for Livingston on the 28th, Sept, 2000. Andrews was voted Raith Rovers' "Player of the Day" in the 1999/2000 season and, also Livingston "Player of the Year" for the 2003/2004 season. On 14 March 2004, Andrews picked up his first major medal when Livingston won the Scottish League Cup by beating Hibernian 2-0 with goals by Derek Lilley and Jamie McAllister.

Andrews signed a two-year deal with Rangers in May 2004 and at the end of his first season with Rangers he scooped the Rangers Player of the Year award, the club also won the Scottish Premiership title at the end of the 2004/2005 season and he started the now famous Rangers catchphrase Keep Believing.

He was released by Rangers at the end of the 2005/2006 season and was a free agent for a short while, before being re-signed by his former club Raith Rovers on October 4, 2006.

He is still considered a cult hero at Rangers.

In May 2008, Andrews left Raith Rovers by mutual consent.^[2] He appeared for them as a trialist a little less than a year later, playing for the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over East Fife. Andrews stated that he wishes to remain with Rovers for the rest of the season and signed up yet again to Raith Rovers on 11 March 2009.^[3] After helping Raith Rovers win the Scottish Second Division Championship, Andrews had admitted that he might move on to another club despite a mutual desire between himself and the club to stay.^[4]

In July 2009, that proved to be the truth as Andrews signed for SPL club Hamilton Academical.^[5] On 7th December 2009 Dumfries club Queen of the South announced Andrews had signed on a one month loan as cover for the suspended David Lilley and Stephen McKenna.^[6] Manager Gordon Chisholm gave Andrews his Queens debut on 12th December in the 2-1 win away to Morton.^[7]

[edit] International

Andrews is also a key player for the Trinidad and Tobago national team. Having made his international debut in 1996 Andrews has joined Angus Eve and Stern John in earning 100 caps for his country. He was a regular member of the national team during their qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but a knee injury sustained prior to the opening match against Sweden virtually ruled him out of the tournament. Brent Sancho took his place in the team alongside Dennis Lawrence.

[edit] Career statistics

^{[8] [9]}

[edit] Honours

With Livingston F.C.

• Scottish League Cup: 2003-04

Rangers

• Scottish Premier League: 1
  

2005

• Scottish League Cup: 1
  

2005

With Raith Rovers

• Scottish Second Division: 1
  

2008–09

[edit] Religion

A devout Christian, Andrews also practices faith healing at the "Zion Praise Centre International", a church based in Kirkcaldy which is described as being Pentecostal.^[10] Andrews claims his faith was largely inspired by former Livingston teammate Francisco Javier Sánchez Broto.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2004-05 season (his first season with Rangers) he injured the cruciate ligament in his knee while playing. The injury was supposed to keep him off the field for months but Marvin Andrews was only off for one Scottish League Cup match and was back the next week as he believed God would keep him fit, a move which worried medical staff and supporters alike. Andrews' leg and form held up for the rest of the season, which saw his first SPL medal but the same injury eventually caught up with him, ruling him out of Trinidad And Tobago's World Cup 2006 campaign. When Andrews scored for Rangers, or won the Man of the Match at Ibrox Stadium, the song "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees was played.

In February 2006 he controversially labelled homosexuals as "an abomination" and said, "There is a demon in their spirits, their spirits are ill. But God can help them through his church and anyone who doubts this can check the Bible".^[11]

After signing for Queen of the South F.C. in December 2009 and being told about Queen of the South being the 'Only team in the Bible', Andrews described this as, "Most interesting".^[12]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Marvin Andrews career stats at Soccerbase

v • d • e Trinidad and Tobago squad – 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup 1 Hislop • 2 Charles • 3 A. John • 4 Andrews • 5 Sancho • 6 Lawrence • 7 Birchall • 8 Eve • 9 Whitley • 10 Scotland • 11 Edwards • 12 Rahim • 13 Glen • 14 S. John • 15 Jones • 16 Pierre • 18 Theobald • 19 Spann • 20 Samuel • 21 Jack • 22 Williams • 23 Wolffe • 24 Gray • Coach: Beenhakker

v • d • e Trinidad and Tobago squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Hislop • 2 Cox • 3 A. John • 4 Andrews • 5 Sancho • 6 Lawrence • 7 Birchall • 8 Gray • 9 Whitley • 10 Latapy • 11 Edwards • 12 Samuel • 13 Glen • 14 S. John • 15 Jones • 16 Wise • 17 Charles • 18 Theobald • 19 Yorke • 20 Scotland • 21 Jack • 22 Ince • 23 Wolfe • Coach: Beenhakker