Jerry Gill

Jerry Gill

Jeremy Morley "Jerry" Gill (born 8 September 1970) is an English former professional footballer. Despite his late entry into the professional game – he made his debut in the Football League at the age of 27 – and a career-threatening injury sustained five years later, Gill played more than 250 Football League matches, for Birmingham City, Northampton Town and Cheltenham Town, and was still playing in Football League One, the third tier of English football, three weeks after his 38th birthday. He usually played at right-back, but could play elsewhere in defence or in midfield. His various managers viewed his strengths to be his professional approach to the game and the enthusiasm and whole-hearted determination he shows on the field.

Gill began his football career with non-league club Trowbridge Town. After an unsuccessful 18 months in London with Leyton Orient, he returned to the semi-professional game with Weston-super-Mare followed by six seasons with Bath City. A season at Yeovil Town, where his goals from midfield helped the club to promotion to the Conference, earned Gill selection for the England National Game XI – England's representative side for semi-professional players – and a transfer to the Football League with First Division club Birmingham City.

Though Gill struggled to establish himself with Birmingham, and was never an undisputed member of the starting eleven, he played a big part in the club's 2001 League Cup run, and was controversially omitted from the squad for the final. After Birmingham's promotion to the Premier League, he moved to Northampton Town, where he suffered knee ligament damage which ended his career with the club. He went on to spend four seasons with Cheltenham Town, helping them to promotion to League One via the play-offs. He spent most of the 2008–09 season as player-coach of Conference National club Forest Green Rovers. After two unsuccessful applications for managerial posts, and a spell playing for Conference North club Redditch United, Gill was appointed manager of Conference South club Weymouth in January 2010, only to resign 44 days later. A spell as youth team coach at Bristol Rovers preceded his appointment as academy director at Kidderminster Harriers in June 2011.