Vivian Gibbins

William Vivian Talbot Gibbins (10 August 1901 – 21 November 1979) was an English amateur footballer who played as a striker.

Vivian Gibbins
Personal information
Full name William Vivian Talbot Gibbins[1]
Date of birth (1901-08-10)10 August 1901
Place of birth Forest Gate, Essex, England
Date of death 21 November 1979(1979-11-21) (aged 78)[2]
Place of death Herne Bay, Kent, England
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1923–1932 West Ham United 129 (58)
1924–1927 Clapton
1932 Brentford
1932 Bristol Rovers
1933–1934 Southampton 2 (0)
1934 Leyton
1934–1939 Catford Wanderers
National team
1924–1925 England 2 (3)
1924–1932 England Amateurs 12 (7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

West Ham and Clapton

Born in Forest Gate,[1] Gibbins joined West Ham United in 1923 and made his debut as an amateur on 26 December 1923 against Aston Villa, creating the only goal of the game for Billy Moore. He decided not to play permanently for the club until the 1927–28 season. He became the first unpaid West Ham player to top the club's scoring charts in 1930–31, with 18 league goals.[3]

Gibbins also played for Clapton, and won the FA Amateur Cup with the club in 1924 and 1925.[1]

Brentford, Bristol Rovers, Southampton, Leyton

He transferred to Brentford on 19 February 1932, but left at the end of the season.[1] He had spells at Bristol Rovers and Southampton before joining Leyton, where he was a losing FA Amateur Cup finalist in 1934.[1]

Career to retirement

1934 saw Gibbins join Catford Wanderers, where he played until his retirement in 1939. Gibbins returned to The Old Spotted Dog Ground as trainer of Clapton in the 1950s and became headmaster of Harold Road school in West Ham, retiring in the early 1970s. He continued to keep his interest in the game alive by watching local schools football and making the occasional visit to the Boleyn Ground.

Legacy

The entrance to the Old Spotted Dog Ground at Disraeli Road, Newham is called the Vivian Gibbins Memorial Gate.[4]

International career

Whilst registered with Clapton, he won two full England caps, both against France, scoring twice in a 3–1 victory on 17 May 1924 and once on 21 May 1925. Gibbins went off injured after 35 minutes of the latter game; Freddie Fox also went off after 75 minutes and England finished with nine men, but managed to hang on to win the game 3–2.[5] He also won 12 amateur caps, scoring seven goals.[6] Gibbins worked as a schoolmaster and was one of the last amateur footballers to feature for England.

References
  1. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 64. ISBN 0955294916.
  2. Vivian Gibbins at National-Football-Teams.com
  3. Hogg, Tony (2005). Who's Who of West Ham United. Profile Sports Media. pp. 88–89. ISBN 1-903135-50-8.
  4. "William Vivian Talbot (Viv) Gibbins Clapton FC West HamUnited FC Brentford FC England Amateur and Full International player". www.claptonfc.info. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  5. www.englandstats.com. "Match report on Englandstats.com". Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  6. "England Matches – The Amateurs 1906–1939". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
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