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Gary Thompson Gillespie (born 5 July 1960) is a Scottish former professional football defender who played for Coventry City and later Liverpool, through much of the 1980s.

Gary Gillespie

Personal information
Full name	Gary Thompson Gillespie[1]
Date of birth	(1960-07-05) 5 July 1960 (age 62)
Place of birth	Stirling, Scotland
Position(s)	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[2]	8	(1)
1987–1991	Scotland	13	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Liverpool

This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (February 2022)

His three goals in that double winning season all came in the same game. Hat-tricks are rare for defenders, but Gillespie managed one against Birmingham City on 26 April 1986 at Anfield when he scored twice from open play and completed the threesome with a penalty, after the Liverpool fans chanted his name when it was awarded – normally he would not have taken it. Liverpool won the game 5–0 against an already relegated side, as they moved closer to the title, which was sealed on the final day of the season with a 1–0 win at Chelsea.

By 1988, when he partnered Alan Hansen in all but five of Liverpool's games in the league, the Anfield club were a cut above every other side, losing just twice and coasting to the title. In April 1989, Gillespie joined his teammates in mourning the deaths of Liverpool fans at the Hillsborough disaster, during a year in which he again was a regular feature in the team. This time fortunes were reversed – Liverpool won the FA Cup with an emotional victory over fierce Merseyside rivals Everton, but lost the League title to Arsenal with almost the last kick of the season. Gillespie missed that game, however.

In 1990–91, with the absence and eventual retirement of Hansen due to injury, Gillespie was once again a regular in the centre of the Liverpool defence. He played 30 league games and scored once, remaining a regular player even after the resignation of Kenny Dalglish in February 1991 and the arrival of Graeme Souness as manager.

Celtic

The arrival of Mark Wright at Liverpool during the close season made it clear that Gillespie would no longer be considered a first choice defender, and he was transferred to Scottish club Celtic for £925,000 on 15 August 1991. He was among manager Liam Brady's first signings for the Bhoys, who were being left behind by local rivals Rangers who had been champions for the previous three seasons.[3]

His debut for the Glasgow club came on 17 August 1991, in a 4–1 league win over his former side Falkirk at Parkhead. Gillespie also managed to find the back of the net. He made 69 league appearances for the Parkhead club over three years, scoring twice, but failed to pick up any silverware. His performance was disappointing and he was not considered a good investment by Celtic's fans.

Return to Coventry City and retirement

Soon after the appointment of Tommy Burns as Celtic manager in 1994, it became apparent that Gillespie was not part of the new manager's plans. On 23 August 1994 he returned to Coventry City on a free transfer, making three Premier League appearances during the 1994–95 season. However, he played just three FA Premier League games before a knee injury struck him down,[4] and he finally retired from playing in 1997 after more than two years out of action.[5]

Gillespie won 13 caps for Scotland. Andy Roxburgh gave him his debut on 14 October 1987 in the 2–0 UEFA European Championship qualifier victory over Belgium at Hampden Park. He was selected for the squad that went to the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, but his only appearance came on 20 June against Brazil at the Stadio delle Alpi Turin, a game the Scots lost 1–0. They failed to progress past the group stages.

Honours

Liverpool

• Football League First Division (3): 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90
• FA Charity Shield (3): 1986 (shared),[6] 1988, 1990
• FA Cup : 1985–86
• European Cup (1): 1983–84
• Football League Super Cup: 1986

References

External links

• Gary Gillespie on Twitter
• Profile at LFCHistory.net
• Gary Gillespie at the Scottish Football Association
• Coventry City seasonal record (part 1) 1977/78-1980/81 at sporting-heroes.net
• Coventry City seasonal record (part 2) 1981/82-1982/83 at sporting-heroes.net
• Liverpool seasonal record (part 1) 1983/84-1986/87 at sporting-heroes.net
• Liverpool seasonal record (part 2) 1987/88-1990/91 at sporting-heroes.net
• Celtic seasonal record 1991/92-1993/94 at sporting-heroes.net
• Coventry City seasonal record (part 3) 1994/95 at sporting-heroes.net
• Gary Gillespie at Soccerbase

На других языках

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[de] Gary Gillespie

Gary Thompson Gillespie (* 5. Juli 1960 in Stirling) ist ein ehemaliger schottischer Fußballspieler.

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- [en] Gary Gillespie

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[es] Gary Gillespie

Gary Thompson Gillespie (n. Stirling, Escocia, 5 de julio de 1960) es un exfutbolista escocés, que jugaba de defensa. Destacó especialmente en el Liverpool de Inglaterra, equipo donde militó por casi 9 años y con el cual, ganó muchos títulos tanto a nivel nacional como internacional

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[fr] Gary Gillespie

Gary Gillespie, né le 5 juillet 1960 à Bonnybridge (Écosse), est un footballeur écossais, qui évoluait au poste de défenseur à Liverpool et en équipe d'Écosse.

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[it] Gary Gillespie

Gary Gillespie (Stirling, 5 luglio 1960) è un ex calciatore britannico, di ruolo difensore.

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[ru] Гиллеспи, Гари

Гари Гилле́спи (англ. Gary Gillespie, родился 5 июля 1960 года, в Боннибридже, Шотландия) — завершивший карьеру шотландский футболист, центральный защитник, игравший за английский «Ливерпуль» в годы его расцвета и за сборную Шотландии.

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