Ricky Gillies

Richard Gillies (born 24 August 1976) is a Scottish former professional footballer.[2] He had two five-year spells with St Mirren.

Ricky Gillies
Personal information
Full name Richard Gillies
Date of birth (1976-08-24) 24 August 1976
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Barrhead Boys Club
1991–1992 St Mirren
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1997 St Mirren 108 (14)
1997–2000 Aberdeen 44 (1)
2000 →St Mirren (loan) 4 (0)
2000–2005 St Mirren 156 (33)
2005–2006 Partick Thistle 31 (0)
2006–2007 Hawke's Bay United 18 (0)
2007–2008 Stranraer 6 (2)
Total 367 (50)
International career
1996–1997 Scotland U21[1] 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Raised in Neilston, Gillies played with Barrhead Boys Club up until the age of 15 when he signed for St Mirren.[3] In December 1992, aged 16, he became the club's youngest debutant and goalscorer.[4][5] An attacking midfielder, he was regarded as one of the most promising youngsters in the country when he came into the first team at St Mirren, then playing in Scotland's second tier.[6] He was selected for the Scotland under-21 team and attracted interest from Liverpool and Newcastle United along with other clubs in both Scotland and England[6] before a transfer to Aberdeen in 1997 for £350,000.[3][7][5]

His move to the Dons was not a success, with the club in decline after a period as one of the strongest teams in Scottish football, while the manager who signed him (Roy Aitken) was dismissed within weeks of Gillies joining, and he suffered from several injuries and was abused in the street by frustrated supporters as his career stalled.[6]

In 2000 he returned to St Mirren, initially on loan, soon followed by a permanent move after he helped the club win the First Division to achieve promotion to the Scottish Premier League, although they were relegated in 2001.[5] He was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame when it was established in 2004,[8][5] and awarded a testimonial against Celtic in 2005.[6][9] He left for third-tier Partick Thistle later that year, spending one season with the Jags.[10]

He spent a year as player-coach in New Zealand with Jonathan Gould at Hawke's Bay United before returning to Scotland for a short spell at Stranraer,[11] retiring from playing in 2008.

Later and personal life

Gillies later worked as a football agent,[12] as a trainer for ProAcademy coaching[13] and as Director of Operations for the ProLegal Group in conjunction with PFA Scotland.

His nephew Liam Lindsay is also a footballer,[14] as was his elder brother Kenny, though without reaching the top division.[15][16][17] His son Max was an emerging player with Queen's Park as of 2021.[18]

References
  1. Scotland U21 player Ricky Gillies, FitbaStats
  2. "Profile". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  3. "My Youth Career: Ricky Gillies". Youth Football Scotland. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  4. Youngest and Oldest, StMirren.info
  5. St Mirren Hall of Fame: Ricky Gillies, 13 April 2020
  6. Right player, wrong team... and a dream that turned sour | St Mirren: Alan Campbell on the unfulfilled career of a young talent whose decision to move to Aberdeen proved disastrous, The Herald, 27 March 2005
  7. Drinkell hopes to toast more success, The Independent, 10 September 1997
  8. Hall of Fame, StMirren.info
  9. 2005-03-31 St Mirren 1-0 Celtic, Ricky Gillies Testimonial, via The Celtic Wiki
  10. Thistle sign midfielder Gillies, BBC Sport, 2 June 2005
  11. Gillies settles on Stranraer move, BBC Sport, 14 July 2007
  12. Agents were keen to sign up rising Morton star, Greenock Telegraph, 12 February 2015
  13. Meet the team, ProAcademy Group
  14. Celtic target Liam Lindsay 'agrees fee' with English Championship side, Football Scotland, 16 June 2019
  15. I'm scared stiff Gazza will make me look a plonker; Says Clyde kid Kenny Gillies., Sunday Mail, 11 February 1996, via The Free Library
  16. Other Gillies on the move, The Herald, 9 August 1997
  17. Flashback | No brotherly love in this cup clash, Paisley Daily Express, 15 April 2019, via PressReader
  18. Max Gillies, Queen's Park F.C. Retrieved 5 June 2021
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