Matthew Gilks
Encyclopedia
Matthew "Matt" Gilks (born on 4 June 1982) is a football goalkeeper
who plays for Blackpool
. He previously played for Rochdale
for seven years before moving to Norwich City
in 2007. He stayed one season with the Canaries without making a first-team appearance. He has also played for Shrewsbury Town
on loan.
Although born in England, he qualifies to play for the Scotland national team
and was selected for the squad in August 2010.
, Gilks started his career as a 13-year-old at his hometown club, Rochdale A.F.C. He was promoted from their youth team in March 2000, and eventually replaced Neil Edwards in the first team, becoming a regular starter. He made a total of 198 appearances for the club in league and cup competitions, and by the time he was 24, he was the longest-serving player at Rochdale.
club Norwich City, moving on a free transfer due to his contract with Rochdale having expired. He was though unable to break into the Canaries first team, spending most of the 2007–08 season sitting on the substitutes bench, which also included a spell out of action with ligament damage after twisting his ankle in November 2007 in training.
. He made his debut on 12 August 2008 in a 2–0 League Cup
defeat to Macclesfield Town
.
After failing to break into the first team, he signed for League Two
club Shrewsbury Town
on a month's loan on 21 November to cover an injury crisis at the club. He made his debut the following day in a 0–0 draw with Lincoln City
at Sincil Bank
. He made three further appearances for the Shrews, with his final match coming on 13 December, a 1–0 defeat to Grimsby Town
at Blundell Park
, before returning to Blackpool.
While Simon Grayson
was Blackpool manager, he did not usually name a substitute goalkeeper, preferring to have five outfield players on the bench. After he left the club, in late December 2008, caretaker manager Tony Parkes
immediately began naming Gilks as a substitute. After a number of matches as an unused substitute, Gilks made his league debut for Blackpool on 31 January 2009, after Paul Rachubka
was sent off three minutes into the Seasiders' match against Crystal Palace
at Selhurst Park
. Gilks was brought on and helped the Seasiders to a 1–0 win.
On 22 September 2009 he saved a penalty kick
in the Seasiders 4–3 defeat to Stoke City
at the Britannia Stadium
in the third round of the 2009–10
League Cup
. His first league start of the 2009–10 season
came in the 2–0 win over Plymouth Argyle
at Bloomfield Road
on 17 October. After three consecutive clean sheets, Gilks was named in The Championship "Team of the Week", along with teammates Stephen Crainey
and Marcel Seip
, following his performance in Blackpool's goalless draw with Swansea City
on 24 October at the Liberty Stadium
. On 16 February 2010 he saved a penalty kick in the 2–0 home win over Middlesbrough
.
His 200th career Football League appearance came in a 1–0 home win over Ipswich Town
on 6 March 2010, when he was also named Man of the Match. In addition, he was again named in The Championship "Team of the Week", following his performance, which was saw a fourth clean sheet in five games.
On 13 November 2010, in a goalless draw at West Ham United
, Gilks suffered an injury to his knee cap that kept him out much of the remainder of the 2010–11 campaign. He returned to the first team on 16 April 2011, in a home defeat to Wigan Athletic
.
|2000–01||rowspan="7"|Rochdale
||rowspan="4"|Third Division
||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||3||0
|-
|2001–02||19||0||2||0||1||0||22||0
|-
|2002–03||20||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||22||0
|-
|2003–04||12||0||1||0||1||0||14||0
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="3"|League Two
||30||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||35||0
|-
|2005–06||46||0||1||0||1||0||50||0
|-
|2006–07||46||0||2||0||1||0||51||0
|-
|2007–08||Norwich City
||Championship
||colspan="2"|0||colspan="2"|0||colspan="2"|0||0||0
|-
|2008–09
||Blackpool
||Championship
||5||0||colspan="2"|0||1||0||6||0
|-
|2008–09||Shrewsbury Town
(loan)||League Two
||4||0||colspan="2"|0||colspan="2"|0||4||0
|-
|2009–10
||rowspan="2"|Blackpool
||Championship
||26||0||0||0||3||0||32||0
|-
|2010–11||Premier League
||11||0||0||0||0||0||11||0
|-
222||0||10||0||8||0||240||0
Notes:
a. All Football League Trophy
results are included in totals
b. 3 league play-off appearances for Blackpool in 2010 (included in 2009–10 total)
confirmed that manager Craig Levein
was considering Gilks for a call-up to the Scotland national squad
for their upcoming UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers against Lithuania
and Liechtenstein
. Gilks qualifies to play for Scotland through his Scottish grandmother. Levein said of Gilks: "He is one we became aware of a while ago and have kept track of his progress. Obviously he was a key figure in Blackpool’s promotion to the Barclays Premier League and while I will not name my squad until tomorrow, he is one I think we need to take a closer look at. He comes highly recommended, is playing regularly for his club and the next logical step is for our goalkeeping coach to work closely with him."
Two days later he was selected in the Scotland squad, joining fellow Blackpool player Charlie Adam. On his call up Gilks said: "My grandmother was Scottish and they've traced the roots back and checked it. I'm eligible and it's great to be in the squad. Everybody knows that I am English but England doesn't come knocking on the door of Blackpool Football Club and I think that's a problem. They look at the bigger clubs. To be honest it was nice of Scotland to come and have a look at me and find out about me."
In November 2010, Gilks had to withdraw from the Scotland squad through injury. He again withdrew on 10 August 2011, hours before kick-off in a friendly against Denmark
, with an ankle injury.
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
who plays for Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. He previously played for Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
for seven years before moving to Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
in 2007. He stayed one season with the Canaries without making a first-team appearance. He has also played for Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
on loan.
Although born in England, he qualifies to play for the Scotland national team
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and was selected for the squad in August 2010.
Rochdale
Born in RochdaleRochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, Gilks started his career as a 13-year-old at his hometown club, Rochdale A.F.C. He was promoted from their youth team in March 2000, and eventually replaced Neil Edwards in the first team, becoming a regular starter. He made a total of 198 appearances for the club in league and cup competitions, and by the time he was 24, he was the longest-serving player at Rochdale.
Norwich City
On 1 July 2007, Gilks signed a two-year contract with ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club Norwich City, moving on a free transfer due to his contract with Rochdale having expired. He was though unable to break into the Canaries first team, spending most of the 2007–08 season sitting on the substitutes bench, which also included a spell out of action with ligament damage after twisting his ankle in November 2007 in training.
Blackpool
In the summer of 2008, and without having made a first-team appearance for the Canaries, Gilks signed for fellow Championship club BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. He made his debut on 12 August 2008 in a 2–0 League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
defeat to Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
.
After failing to break into the first team, he signed for League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
club Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
on a month's loan on 21 November to cover an injury crisis at the club. He made his debut the following day in a 0–0 draw with Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
at Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank is a football stadium in Lincoln, England and has been the home of Lincoln City since 1895. Previously, Lincoln City had played at the nearby John O'Gaunts ground since the club's 1884 inception. Sincil Bank has an overall capacity of 10,120 and is colloquially known to fans as "The...
. He made three further appearances for the Shrews, with his final match coming on 13 December, a 1–0 defeat to Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
at Blundell Park
Blundell Park
Blundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and home to Grimsby Town Football Club. The stadium was built in 1898, but only one of the original stands remain. The current capacity of the ground is 9546, though with the introduction of all seating in the late...
, before returning to Blackpool.
While Simon Grayson
Simon Grayson
Simon Nicholas Grayson is a retired English footballer and current manager of Leeds United. He is the elder brother of cricketer Paul Grayson....
was Blackpool manager, he did not usually name a substitute goalkeeper, preferring to have five outfield players on the bench. After he left the club, in late December 2008, caretaker manager Tony Parkes
Tony Parkes
Anthony "Tony" Parkes is an English former professional footballer. After retiring, he became a coach. He was most recently caretaker manager at Blackpool. It was the seventh such role of his coaching career, having performed the role on six occasions for...
immediately began naming Gilks as a substitute. After a number of matches as an unused substitute, Gilks made his league debut for Blackpool on 31 January 2009, after Paul Rachubka
Paul Rachubka
Paul Stephen Rachubka is an American-English professional Association football goalkeeper who plays for Leeds United after joining the club from Blackpool ....
was sent off three minutes into the Seasiders
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
. Gilks was brought on and helped the Seasiders to a 1–0 win.
On 22 September 2009 he saved a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in the Seasiders 4–3 defeat to Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
at the Britannia Stadium
Britannia Stadium
The Britannia Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England and the home of Premier League club Stoke City Football Club. With space for 27,598 spectators . The name is taken from the sponsors of the Stadium the Britannia Co-operative Bank...
in the third round of the 2009–10
2009–10 Football League Cup
The 2009–10 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 50th season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs....
League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
. His first league start of the 2009–10 season
Blackpool F.C. season 2009–10
The 2009–10 season was Blackpool F.C.s 103rd season in the Football League. It was also their third consecutive season in The Championship, the second tier of English football. The club won promotion, via the play-offs, to the Premier League for the first time, their 28th overall season in the top...
came in the 2–0 win over Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
on 17 October. After three consecutive clean sheets, Gilks was named in The Championship "Team of the Week", along with teammates Stephen Crainey
Stephen Crainey
Stephen Daniel Crainey is a Scottish footballer who plays as a left back for Blackpool and the Scottish national team. He has also represented Scotland at under-21 level.-Celtic and Southampton:...
and Marcel Seip
Marcel Seip
Marcel Seip is a Dutch footballer who plays for Football League Two club Bradford City as a defender, having previously played for Veendam, Heerenveen, Plymouth Argyle, Blackpool, Sheffield United and Charlton Athletic.-Veendam:...
, following his performance in Blackpool's goalless draw with Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
on 24 October at the Liberty Stadium
Liberty Stadium, Swansea
The Liberty Stadium is a purpose-built sports stadium and conferencing venue in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium is all-seated, with a capacity of 20,532 making it the largest purpose-built venue in Swansea and the third largest stadium in Wales after the Millennium Stadium and the...
. On 16 February 2010 he saved a penalty kick in the 2–0 home win over Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
.
His 200th career Football League appearance came in a 1–0 home win over Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
on 6 March 2010, when he was also named Man of the Match. In addition, he was again named in The Championship "Team of the Week", following his performance, which was saw a fourth clean sheet in five games.
On 13 November 2010, in a goalless draw at West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, Gilks suffered an injury to his knee cap that kept him out much of the remainder of the 2010–11 campaign. He returned to the first team on 16 April 2011, in a home defeat to Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
.
Club career statistics
|-|2000–01||rowspan="7"|Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
||rowspan="4"|Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||3||0
|-
|2001–02||19||0||2||0||1||0||22||0
|-
|2002–03||20||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||22||0
|-
|2003–04||12||0||1||0||1||0||14||0
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="3"|League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||30||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||35||0
|-
|2005–06||46||0||1||0||1||0||50||0
|-
|2006–07||46||0||2||0||1||0||51||0
|-
|2007–08||Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||colspan="2"|0||colspan="2"|0||colspan="2"|0||0||0
|-
|2008–09
Blackpool F.C. season 2008–09
The 2008-09 season was Blackpool F.C.s 102nd season in the Football League. It was also their second consecutive season in The Championship, the second tier of English football. They finished sixteenth.D. J...
||Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||5||0||colspan="2"|0||1||0||6||0
|-
|2008–09||Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
(loan)||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||4||0||colspan="2"|0||colspan="2"|0||4||0
|-
|2009–10
Blackpool F.C. season 2009–10
The 2009–10 season was Blackpool F.C.s 103rd season in the Football League. It was also their third consecutive season in The Championship, the second tier of English football. The club won promotion, via the play-offs, to the Premier League for the first time, their 28th overall season in the top...
||rowspan="2"|Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||26||0||0||0||3||0||32||0
|-
|2010–11||Premier League
||11||0||0||0||0||0||11||0
|-
222||0||10||0||8||0||240||0
Notes:
a. All Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
results are included in totals
b. 3 league play-off appearances for Blackpool in 2010 (included in 2009–10 total)
International career
On 22 August 2010 the Scottish F.A.Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
confirmed that manager Craig Levein
Craig Levein
Craig William Levein is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager of the Scotland national team. During his playing career he played for Cowdenbeath and Heart of Midlothian...
was considering Gilks for a call-up to the Scotland national squad
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
for their upcoming UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers against Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
and Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
. Gilks qualifies to play for Scotland through his Scottish grandmother. Levein said of Gilks: "He is one we became aware of a while ago and have kept track of his progress. Obviously he was a key figure in Blackpool’s promotion to the Barclays Premier League and while I will not name my squad until tomorrow, he is one I think we need to take a closer look at. He comes highly recommended, is playing regularly for his club and the next logical step is for our goalkeeping coach to work closely with him."
Two days later he was selected in the Scotland squad, joining fellow Blackpool player Charlie Adam. On his call up Gilks said: "My grandmother was Scottish and they've traced the roots back and checked it. I'm eligible and it's great to be in the squad. Everybody knows that I am English but England doesn't come knocking on the door of Blackpool Football Club and I think that's a problem. They look at the bigger clubs. To be honest it was nice of Scotland to come and have a look at me and find out about me."
In November 2010, Gilks had to withdraw from the Scotland squad through injury. He again withdrew on 10 August 2011, hours before kick-off in a friendly against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, with an ankle injury.
Honours
BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
- ChampionshipFootball League ChampionshipThe Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
play-off final winner: 2009–102010 Football League Championship play-off FinalThe 2010 Football League Championship play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium in London on 22 May 2010 to decide the third team to be promoted from The Championship to the Premier League for the 2010–11 season....
External links
- Matthew Gilks player profile at blackpoolfc.co.uk
- Matthew Gilks player profile at canaries.co.uk
- Matthew Gilks player profile at rochdaleafc.co.uk