William Albert Gilbert (born 10 November 1959) is an English former footballer, born in Lewisham, London, who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League playing as a defender for Crystal Palace, Portsmouth, Colchester United and Maidstone United.[4] He won 11 caps for England at under-21 level.[5]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Albert Gilbert[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1959-11-10) 10 November 1959 (age 62) | ||
| Place of birth | Lewisham, London, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| – | Crystal Palace | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1977–1984 | Crystal Palace | 237 | (3) |
| 1984–1989 | Portsmouth | 140 | (0) |
| 1989–1990 | Colchester United | 27 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Maidstone United | 4 | (0) |
| – | Havant Town | ||
| – | Whyteleafe | ||
| 1992-1998 | Waterlooville | ||
| 1998–2000 | Havant & Waterlooville[3] | 14 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1979–1981 | England U21 | 11 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1992–1998 | Waterlooville (player-manager) | ||
| 1998–2000 | Havant & Waterlooville (player-manager) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gilbert began his career at Terry Venables' Crystal Palace, winning the FA Youth Cup twice as part of the so-called "Team of the Eighties" as well as being a key fixture in the side that won promotion to the First Division.[6][7] Gilbert remained with Palace after their relegation back to the Second Division, winning the 1984 Player of the Year award in his final season at Selhurst Park.[8]
Gilbert then moved to Portsmouth, spending five years at Fratton Park before moving on again to Colchester United. He also spent a season at Maidstone United,[4] before playing non-league football for Havant Town, Whyteleafe and Waterlooville.[1] He managed Waterlooville for a time, then after their merger with Havant Town to form Havant & Waterlooville, he became player-manager of the merged club, leading them to the Southern League Southern Division title in his first season, before departing in 2000.[9][10]
1984–85 Football League Second Division PFA Team of the Year | |
|---|---|
Crystal Palace F.C. – Player of the Year | |
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| 2009 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 | |
| 2014 | |
| 2015 | |
| 2017 | |
Havant & Waterlooville F.C. – managers | |
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