Samuel Anderson Gilligan (18 January 1882[3] – 17 June 1965) was a Scottish professional association football player in the years prior to the First World War who played as a forward. He made over 200 appearances in The Football League for Bristol City and Liverpool, and a smaller number of appearances in the Scottish Football League with Dundee and Celtic.[4]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samuel Anderson Gilligan | ||
| Date of birth | (1882-01-18)18 January 1882 | ||
| Place of birth | Dundee, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 17 June 1965(1965-06-17) (aged 83) | ||
| Place of death | Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9.5 in (177 cm)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Dalry | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1898–1901 | Belmont Athletic | ||
| 1901–1902 | Dundee Violet | ||
| 1902–1903 | Dundee | 9 | (3) |
| 1903–1904 | Celtic | 14 | (15) |
| 1904–1910 | Bristol City | 188 | (78) |
| 1910–1913 | Liverpool | 40 | (16) |
| 1913–1915 | Gillingham | 65 | (15) |
| 1917 | Dundee Hibernian | 0 | (0) |
| Forfar Athletic | |||
| 1921 | Dundee Hibernian | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 317 | (127) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1913–1915 | Gillingham | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Born in Dundee, Gilligan was initially an apprentice shipyard riveter, but eventually abandoned the trade to become a professional footballer; his career began with Junior-level clubs Belmont Athletic and Dundee Violet before moving up to Dundee F.C. in October 1902.[5][3][6]
In 1903 he moved to Celtic, where he spent a single season, scoring often[7] but failing to totally convince the management (who eventually chose Jimmy Quinn to lead the forward line instead); he was allowed to move to England to play for Bristol City.[8][3] He made 188 League appearances for City,[3] and played in the 1909 FA Cup Final.[9]
He joined Liverpool in 1910, scoring the goal which saved the club from being relegated from the top tier in the 1911–12 season.[10][11] After three years at Anfield, he joined Gillingham of the Southern Football League as player-manager.[12] In his first season in charge, Gillingham secured their best position in the league for three years.[12]
Gilligan did not return to the Kent club after the First World War, he instead went back to Scotland and returned to shipbuilding in Dundee, during which time he also played for Forfar Athletic.[3] He had also featured for Dundee Hibernian in November 1917, playing and scoring in two minor cup matches.[13]
He later moved to the United States and worked for the Republic Iron and Steel Company, whilst playing football for Youngstown-based Mahoning Valleys. He died in 1965.[1]
A matchday programme from 1910 described him as: "a player who can adapt himself to any position on the field".[2]
He was one of four brothers who were professional footballers, the others being Sandy, Billy and John.[14][6][11]
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Gillingham F.C. – managers | |
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