Gary Gillespie
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gary Thompson Gillespie | ||
| Date of birth | 5 July 1960 | ||
| Place of birth | Stirling, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1977–1978 | Falkirk | 22 | (0) |
| 1978–1983 | Coventry City | 172 | (6) |
| 1983–1991 | Liverpool | 156 | (14) |
| 1991–1994 | Celtic | 69 | (2) |
| 1994–1997 | Coventry City | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 422 | (22) | |
| National team | |||
| 1978–1982 | Scotland Under-21 | 8 | (1) |
| 1987–1991 | Scotland | 13 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
Gary Thompson Gillespie (born 5 July 1960) is a Scottish former professional football defender who played for Liverpool through much of their dominant period of the 1980s.
Gillespie started his career at local club Falkirk, captaining the side at 17, making him the world's youngest ever first team captain in professional football. Such was his rapid progression as a player, only playing 22 Scottish League Second Division fixtures, he was purchased by Coventry City for £75,000 on 10 March 1978, while still not quite 18.
He spent the rest of the 1977–8 season in the City reserves but was given his chance at the beginning of the following season making his debut on 19 August 1978 in a 2–1 win over Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park, he went on to make a further 14 league appearances before the end of the season.
A lot of admirers courted Gillespie's skills and attributes as a player, especially as he was a player who was involved in numerous, successful, relegation battles with Coventry for six seasons, he ultimately got his big move and it was Liverpool that got his signature on 8 July 1983 for £325,000. He was the first signing to be made by new manager Joe Fagan.
Gillespie took a while to settle in, mainly because world-class defenders Mark Lawrenson and Alan Hansen were ahead of him, but eventually he got into the team, making his debut on 7 April 1984 in the 2–2 League Cup draw with Walsall at Anfield. He played 14 times in the 1985–86 season, scoring three league goals, as the Reds sealed the double of the league title and the FA Cup, beating their local rivals Everton into second place and also defeating them 3–1 in the final at Wembley. Gillespie did play enough games to warrant a league title winner's medal, but did not make the squad for the FA Cup final at a time when only one substitute was permitted.
...
Wikipedia