Mervyn Gill

Mervyn John Gill (13 April 1931 – September 2007) was an English football goalkeeper who spent most of his playing career with Torquay United.

Mervyn Gill
Personal information
Full name Mervyn John Gill
Date of birth (1931-04-13) 13 April 1931
Place of birth Exeter, England
Date of death September 2007 (2007-10) (aged 76)
Place of death Bridport, England
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948–1953 Bideford
1953–1955 Portsmouth 6 (0)
1955 Woking
1955–1956 Southampton 1 (0)
1956–1962 Torquay United 157 (0)
1962 Bath City
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

Early career

Gill was born in Exeter, Devon and spent his early years as a footballer (from 1948 to 1953) playing with Bideford in the Western League. During his time with the north Devon club, they gained promotion twice as champions, of Division Three in 1949–50 and of Division Two in 1951–52.

In August 1953, Gill joined Portsmouth of the Football League First Division as an amateur, under-studying Ted Platt. Gill made six league and three F.A. Cup appearances for Portsmouth in the 1953–54 season,[1] but by the end of the season, Northern Ireland international Norman Uprichard had re-established himself as the first choice 'keeper.

In 1954, Gill was enlisted into the Royal Air Force for his National Service, during which time he made occasional appearances for Woking. Gill was based at Thorney Island, near Chichester where he represented the RAF at football.[2]

On being demobbed, he joined Southampton as an amateur in December 1955, becoming new manager Ted Bates' first signing,[3] before signing professional papers in April 1956. He made only one first-team appearance, standing in for Fred Kiernan in the final match of the 1955–56 season, a 3–1 victory at Walsall.[4]

Torquay United

After making eight appearances in the Saints' reserves in August and September 1956,[5] Gill moved back to his native Devon, where he joined Torquay United, of the Third Division South, managed by former Southampton player Eric Webber.

Gill was immediately drafted into the first-team, replacing Peter Wakeham in goal for the remainder of the 1956–57 season, at the end of which Torquay finished as runners-up to Ipswich Town, missing out on the only promotion spot on goal average. In 1957–58, Wakeham was restored as first-choice 'keeper, with Gill as under-study, making only ten appearances as Torquay struggled, eventually finishing in 21st place and finding themselves in the new Fourth Division the following season.

Following the departure of Wakeham in September 1958, Gill was re-instated as first-choice goalkeeper and retained his position throughout the next three seasons, helping Torquay to return to the Third Division in 1960.

In the 1961–62 season, Gill lost his place to Eddie Marsh and at the end of the season he retired from professional football. In his six years at Plainmoor, Gill made a total of 174 appearances in league and cup matches.

Career after football

On retiring from football, Gill was employed by English China Clays from December 1962 until December 1990. He lived in retirement in Bridport, Dorset,[2] where he died in September 2007 at the age of 76.[6]

References
  1. Juson, Dave (2004). Saints v Pompey – A history of unrelenting rivalry. Hagiology Publishing. p. 224. ISBN 0-9534474-5-6.
  2. Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (2003). In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC. Hagiology Publishing. p. 517. ISBN 0-9534474-3-X.
  3. Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. p. 278. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.
  4. In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC. pp. 42–43.
  5. In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC. pp. 440–441.
  6. "Mervyn Gill". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
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