 Gilmartin after signing forBristol City in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rene Patrick Gilmartin[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1987-05-31)31 May 1987 (age 38) | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ipswich Town (goalkeeping coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2005 | St. Kevin's Boys F.C. | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2010 | Walsall | 35 | (0) |
| 2007 | →Worcester City (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2007 | →Hednesford Town (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | Watford | 2 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | →Yeovil Town (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2012 | →Crawley Town (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Plymouth Argyle | 13 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | St Patrick's Athletic | 1 | (0) |
| 2014–2017 | Watford | 0 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Colchester United | 22 | (0) |
| 2019–2021 | Bristol City | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 88 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 2006 | Republic of Ireland U19 | ||
| 2006–2007 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2019– | Republic of Ireland U21 (goalkeeping coach) | ||
| 2021 | Swindon Town (assistant manager) | ||
| 2021– | Ipswich Town (goalkeeping coach) | ||
| 2024 | Republic of Ireland (interim goalkeeping coach) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Rene Patrick Gilmartin (born 31 May 1987) is an Irish professional football coach and former professionalfootballer who is the goalkeeping coach atIpswich Town.
He has previously appeared inthe Football League forWalsall,Watford,Yeovil Town,Crawley Town,Plymouth Argyle andColchester United, and has also played forLeague of Ireland sideSt Patrick's Athletic. Gilmartin has played international football for theRepublic of Ireland atunder-19 andunder-21 levels.
Having previously played forSt. Kevin's Boys F.C.,[3] Gilmartin joined EnglishLeague One sideWalsall in the summer of 2005.[4][5] He made his Walsall debut on 17 September 2005 in a 3–2 home defeat toChesterfield, and played two further first-team matches that season.[6] He also made his international debut for Republic of Ireland under-19s in February 2006. At the end of the 2005–06 season, Gilmartin's contract was extended, with Walsall taking up one-year option.[7] After signing, Gilmartin said he expected to fight for the first choice goalkeeper ahead of a new season.[8]
Gilmartin did not feature for Walsall over the next two seasons, but played forRepublic of Ireland under-21s in 2007, and completed his UEFA B coaching licence in April 2008.[3][9][10] During 2007, he joinedWorcester City andHednesford Town, in order to gain first team experience.[11] In May 2008 Gilmartin signed another new 12-month contract.[12] During the 2008–09 season, in which he made 12 appearances, Gilmartin said he would consider leaving the club if first choice goalkeeperClayton Ince stayed on.[6][13] Ultimately, he signed another new 12-month contract at the end of the season.[14]
In the 2009–10 season, Gilmartin replaced Ince as a first choice goalkeeper. He credited the club's goalkeeping coach,Mick Kearns, for helping him improve as a player.[15] In October 2009, he suffered a hamstring injury that would keep him out for three to four weeks.[16] Despite the injury, Gilmartin played 24 times in 2009–10 season.[6]
Gilmartin was offered a new contract by Walsall on 10 May 2010, but joinedChampionship sideWatford on 1 July 2010.[17][18] He made his debut in aLeague Cup first round tie away toAldershot Town, keeping aclean sheet in a 3–0 Watford win. Gilmartin struggled to displaceScott Loach as Watford's goalkeeper during the2010–11 season, but did play in all four of the club's cup games. He also won the club's community ambassador prize at the end of season awards.[19]
Gilmartin displaced Loach to make his full league debut on 27 September 2011, in a 2–1 home victory overMillwall. He started the following game, a 3–0 defeat atSouthampton, before Loach returned to the side.[6] On 23 November 2011, Gilmartin was sent out on loan to League One sideYeovil Town until 3 January 2012.[20] He returned to Watford on 19 January 2012, having made eight appearances for Yeovil.[21] In February 2012 he joinedLeague Two sideCrawley Town on loan as back up toMichael Kuipers, following an injury toScott Shearer.[22] On 3 May 2012, Gilmartin was one of four players to be released by Watford after their contracts expired.[23]
Gilmartin signed a two-year contract with League Two sidePlymouth Argyle in July 2012,[24] and made 16 appearances in all competitions.[25] He was transfer-listed by managerJohn Sheridan at the end of the 2012–13 season,[26] and left the club by mutual consent in June 2013.[27]
Gilmartin returned to Dublin in July, having signed an 18-month contract withLeague of Ireland sideSt Patrick's Athletic.[28][29] He made his Pats' debut later that month in aDublin derby atShamrock Rovers in theLeague of Ireland Cup.[30] He made his league debut the following season, on 2 June 2014 againstDrogheda United, when he came on as a half-time substitute for the injuredBrendan Clarke. He continued Clarke's work and kept a clean sheet as Pats won 6–0.[31] In total, he made 10 appearances for the Saints, with nine coming in cup competitions.
Gilmartin returned to English football by re-signing withWatford on a one-year deal on 25 August 2014 as a back-up toHeurelho Gomes andJonathan Bond, two years after he first left the club. He signed a new two-year contract in June 2015 as the club approached their first season back in thePremier League.[32] Alongside his playing career with Watford he commentates on the club's away games forBBC Three Counties Radio, is taking further coaching qualifications and has taken training sessions for the club's academy. He left Watford at the end of the2016–17 season.[33]
Following his release from Watford, Gilmartin signed forLeague Two clubColchester United as a player-coach.[34] He made his debut for Colchester in theEFL Trophy againstReading U23 on 29 August.[35]
Gilmartin rejected the offer of a new contract in July 2019 and signed forChampionship clubBristol City as a player with some Junior Coaching responsibilities.
Gilmartin began his coaching career whilst still a player at Bristol City, coaching the club's under-23 side. On 7 November 2019, it was announced that Gilmartin had taken up a role as goalkeeping coach for theRepublic of Ireland under-21s under their new managerStephen Kenny.[36] On 1 June 2021, Gilmartin was appointed assistant manager ofSwindon Town.[37]
WhenJohn McGreal was named interim manager ofIpswich Town in December 2021, Gilmartin joined his coaching team as an interim coach, having previously been McGreal's assistant manager at Swindon.[38] Later that month, following the appointment ofKieran McKenna, Gilmartin was named first-team goalkeeping coach at Ipswich.[39]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Walsall | 2005–06[40] | League One | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2006–07[41] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007–08[42] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008–09[43] | League One | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2009–10[44] | League One | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 0 | ||
| Watford | 2010–11[45] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2011–12[46] | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Yeovil Town (loan) | 2011–12[46] | League One | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Crawley Town (loan) | 2011–12[46] | League Two | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Plymouth Argyle | 2012–13[47] | League One | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 2013[48] | Premier Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014[48] | Premier Division | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Watford | 2014–15[49] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015–16[50] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17[51] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Colchester United | 2017–18[52] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018–19[53] | League Two | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| Bristol City | 2019–20[54] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020–21[55] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 87 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 113 | 0 | ||
Gilmartin married his wife Emma Nugent in the summer of 2015.[56]
