Bristol Rovers Players Who's Who book 1946-2018

Jun 20, 2019 11:06:47 GMT trymer said:

I like the book,its interesting to read about what players did after leaving Rovers.
One question (so far) the book says that Donnie Gillies was a left back,I thought that he was a right back ?

Looked at text can see no mention of him playing left back it says just says full back. But from memory he did play a few games in midfield in his second season.

Born:20.6.1951 Glencoe Build:5’ 10”; 11 st 5 lbs FB Début:16.8.80 v Orient Career:Inverness Clachnacuddin; 1.11.71 Morton [45+2,23];8.3.73 Bristol City (£30,000) [183+17,26]; 23.5.80 Bristol Rovers (£50,000) [56+3,0]; 26.10.83 Paulton Rovers; 8.7.85 Trowbridge Town; 15.7.85 Anorthosis, Cyprus; 25.7.86 Trowbridge Town; 14.8.86 Yeovil Town; 1987 Clutton; 2.4.88 Bristol Manor Farm;December 1993 Clevedon Town (commercial manager, to 1.2.94). Sites of celebrated historical battles do not feature to any great extent amongst footballers’ birthdays, but one exception to this rule is left-back Donnie Gillies. One Scottish cap atUnder-23 level and fourteen League goals for Morton in the1972-73 season caught the eye of the management team at Ashton Gate and Gillies was soon one of three former Morton players, Joe Jordan and Gerry Sweeney being the others, to feature in an astonishing period of time for Bristol City. Remark-ably top scorer in 1974-75, Gillies helped City gain promotion to Division One in the spring of 1976, returning to a division the Robins had last graced in 1911. He also scored the only goal of the game at Leeds in an FA Cup replay in 1974 from Keith Fear’s through ball. “Everyone remembers the goal I scored at Leeds but, in fact, there was a goal much more important than that – the one that kept us in the top flight”,he recalled of a late equaliser in May 1977 when City,requiring a point to survive and relegate Sunderland, drew their final game of a traumatic campaign 2-2 with Coventry City. Better still, he registered a hat-trick against Mo in May1975 on City’s tour of Norway. A cricketer with Southville Wayfarers, Gillies became one of the rare breed of footballer to play regularly for both Bristol clubs, although his consistent appearances at full-back were insufficient to prevent Rovers’ relegation along with City to Division Three in the spring of1981. Thereafter, he enjoyed a year of Cypriot football, his team being managed at that time by a former Bristol City colleague, Peter Cormack, and made his Yeovil bow in a 2-1victory over Bromley. He also had the unlikely experience of twice signing for Trowbridge, yet never playing a game for the club. “I loved playing football”, Gillies reminisced, “and am glad I had the chance to play at the level I did” (Bristol Independent, 2004). Having lived in Temple Cloud, he lives in Wells with his wife Louise and they have a daughter and two grandchildren; he runs Chew Valley produce, supplying fruit and vegetables to pubs and cafés in and around the Bristol area

Jun 20, 2019 11:06:47 GMT trymer said:

I like the book,its interesting to read about what players did after leaving Rovers.
One question (so far) the book says that Donnie Gillies was a left back,I thought that he was a right back ?

Looked at text can see no mention of him playing left back it says just says full back. But from memory he did play a few games in midfield in his second season.

Born:20.6.1951 Glencoe Build:5’ 10”; 11 st 5 lbs FB Début:16.8.80 v Orient Career:Inverness Clachnacuddin; 1.11.71 Morton [45+2,23];8.3.73 Bristol City (£30,000) [183+17,26]; 23.5.80 Bristol Rovers (£50,000) [56+3,0]; 26.10.83 Paulton Rovers; 8.7.85 Trowbridge Town; 15.7.85 Anorthosis, Cyprus; 25.7.86 Trowbridge Town; 14.8.86 Yeovil Town; 1987 Clutton; 2.4.88 Bristol Manor Farm;December 1993 Clevedon Town (commercial manager, to 1.2.94). Sites of celebrated historical battles do not feature to any great extent amongst footballers’ birthdays, but one exception to this rule is left-back Donnie Gillies. One Scottish cap atUnder-23 level and fourteen League goals for Morton in the1972-73 season caught the eye of the management team at Ashton Gate and Gillies was soon one of three former Morton players, Joe Jordan and Gerry Sweeney being the others, to feature in an astonishing period of time for Bristol City. Remark-ably top scorer in 1974-75, Gillies helped City gain promotion to Division One in the spring of 1976, returning to a division the Robins had last graced in 1911. He also scored the only goal of the game at Leeds in an FA Cup replay in 1974 from Keith Fear’s through ball. “Everyone remembers the goal I scored at Leeds but, in fact, there was a goal much more important than that – the one that kept us in the top flight”,he recalled of a late equaliser in May 1977 when City,requiring a point to survive and relegate Sunderland, drew their final game of a traumatic campaign 2-2 with Coventry City. Better still, he registered a hat-trick against Mo in May1975 on City’s tour of Norway. A cricketer with Southville Wayfarers, Gillies became one of the rare breed of footballer to play regularly for both Bristol clubs, although his consistent appearances at full-back were insufficient to prevent Rovers’ relegation along with City to Division Three in the spring of1981. Thereafter, he enjoyed a year of Cypriot football, his team being managed at that time by a former Bristol City colleague, Peter Cormack, and made his Yeovil bow in a 2-1victory over Bromley. He also had the unlikely experience of twice signing for Trowbridge, yet never playing a game for the club. “I loved playing football”, Gillies reminisced, “and am glad I had the chance to play at the level I did” (Bristol Independent, 2004). Having lived in Temple Cloud, he lives in Wells with his wife Louise and they have a daughter and two grandchildren; he runs Chew Valley produce, supplying fruit and vegetables to pubs and cafés in and around the Bristol area