| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mervyn John Gill | ||
| Date of birth | (1931-04-13)13 April 1931 (age 94) | ||
| 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 | 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 | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mervyn John Gill (13 April 1931 – September 2007) was an Englishfootball goalkeeper who spent most of his playing career withTorquay United.
Gill was born inExeter, Devon and spent his early years as a footballer (from 1948 to 1953) playing withBideford in theWestern 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 joinedPortsmouth of theFootball League First Division as an amateur, under-studyingTed Platt. Gill made six league and three F.A. Cup appearances for Portsmouth inthe 1953–54 season,[1] but by the end of the season,Northern Ireland internationalNorman Uprichard had re-established himself as the first choice 'keeper.
In 1954, Gill was enlisted into theRoyal Air Force for hisnational service, during which time he made occasional appearances forWoking. Gill was based atThorney Island, nearChichester where he represented the RAF at football.[2]
On beingdemobbed, he joinedSouthampton as an amateur in December 1955, becoming new managerTed Bates'] first signing,[3] before signing professional papers in April 1956. He made only one first-team appearance, standing in forFred Kiernan in the final match ofthe 1955–56 season, a 3–1 victory atWalsall.[4]
After making eight appearances in the Saints' reserves in August and September 1956,[5] Gill moved back to his native Devon, where he joinedTorquay United, of theThird Division South, managed by former Southampton playerEric Webber.
Gill was immediately drafted into the first-team, replacingPeter Wakeham in goal for the remainder ofthe 1956–57 season, at the end of which Torquay finished as runners-up toIpswich Town, missing out on the only promotion spot ongoal average. In1957–58, 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.
Inthe 1961–62 season, Gill lost his place toEddie Marsh and at the end of the season he retired from professional football. In his six years atPlainmoor, Gill made a total of 174 appearances in league and cup matches.
On retiring from football, Gill was employed byEnglish China Clays from December 1962 until December 1990. He lived in retirement inBridport, Dorset,[2] where he died in September 2007 at the age of 76.[6]