Tony Gill
Encyclopedia
Anthony Dean "Tony" Gill (born 6 March 1968) is an English
former professional footballer who spent his entire, short-lived professional career with Manchester United
.
Born in Bradford
, Yorkshire
, Gill joined Manchester United as an apprentice in June 1984, and turned professional on his 18th birthday in March 1986. His first team debut for the club came 10 months later, when he stood in for Bryan Robson
in a 1–1 draw away to Southampton
on 3 January 1987. However, he was then diagnosed with problems with his Achilles tendon
and it took two operations before he could return to first team action nearly two years later. In fact, he did not play at all between January and August 1988.
Upon his return to the first team, Gill became an established member of the squad, playing in various roles in both defence
and midfield
.
He scored twice for United at senior level; the first in the FA Cup
third round replay against QPR at Loftus Road
on 11 January 1989 – 10 days after a fine performance in the 3–1 home league win over rivals Liverpool
. His next goal came three days after, on 14 January, in a 3–0 home win over Millwall
in the league.
On 27 March 1989, Gill came off worse in an accidental collision with Nottingham Forest
defender Brian Laws
, suffering a broken leg and a shattered ankle. Gill never played professional football again.
Not to be discouraged, upon his recovery, Gill went into coaching and took a job as youth coach at Bristol Rovers
. He joined Bath City
in March 1997 as assistant to manager Steve Millard, also making two first team appearances to briefly revive his playing career after eight years out of action. He was released by Bath in September 1997 for financial reasons and later retired from football altogether.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former professional footballer who spent his entire, short-lived professional career with Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
.
Born in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, Gill joined Manchester United as an apprentice in June 1984, and turned professional on his 18th birthday in March 1986. His first team debut for the club came 10 months later, when he stood in for Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...
in a 1–1 draw away to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
on 3 January 1987. However, he was then diagnosed with problems with his Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
and it took two operations before he could return to first team action nearly two years later. In fact, he did not play at all between January and August 1988.
Upon his return to the first team, Gill became an established member of the squad, playing in various roles in both defence
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
and midfield
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
He scored twice for United at senior level; the first in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
third round replay against QPR at Loftus Road
Loftus Road
Loftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...
on 11 January 1989 – 10 days after a fine performance in the 3–1 home league win over rivals Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. His next goal came three days after, on 14 January, in a 3–0 home win over Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
in the league.
On 27 March 1989, Gill came off worse in an accidental collision with Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
defender Brian Laws
Brian Laws
Brian Laws is an English former footballer and manager, most recently of Burnley.Playing as a defender, Laws made over 100 appearances for each of Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Nottingham Forest. In 1994, Laws became player-manager of Grimsby Town before taking a similar position with Scunthorpe...
, suffering a broken leg and a shattered ankle. Gill never played professional football again.
Not to be discouraged, upon his recovery, Gill went into coaching and took a job as youth coach at Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
. He joined Bath City
Bath City F.C.
Bath City Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset. They play in the Conference National league after gaining promotion from the Conference South via the play-offs in May 2010...
in March 1997 as assistant to manager Steve Millard, also making two first team appearances to briefly revive his playing career after eight years out of action. He was released by Bath in September 1997 for financial reasons and later retired from football altogether.