Ernest Percival Gillibrand (27 August 1901 – 1976) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played predominantly as a

centre forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

, but could also play at

outside forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

. He had a somewhat nomadic career, representing no fewer than 12 different clubs. During his career, Gillibrand played over 500 matches and scored in excess of 500 goals in the

Manchester Football League The Manchester Football League is a football league in England, affiliated with Manchester FA, covering a 30-mile radius from Manchester Town Hall. It was formed in 1893, although play ceased between 1912 and 1920. Currently it consists of fiv ...

. While playing for Hyde United, he set a league record of 87 goals in one season. He had a short spell as a professional player in the early stages of his career, and made two appearances in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for Nelson.

Football career

As a youth, Gillibrand played for Hugh Oldham Lads and Compstall. In the 1920–21 season, he joined

Northwich Victoria {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

of the

Cheshire County League The Cheshire County League was a football league founded in the north west of England in 1919, drawing its teams largely from Cheshire, surrounding English counties and North Wales. Initially the league was dominated by the reserve teams of Footba ...

. He subsequently played for

Glossop Glossop is a market town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is located east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of the county town, Matlock. Glossop lies near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Manches ...

before signing for Football League side

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

as an amateur in March 1922. Two months later, he was awarded a professional contract but he failed to break into the first-team and left the club at the end of the 1922–23 season. In August 1923, Gillibrand joined

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

outfit Nelson on a free transfer. After spending the first few months in the reserve team, he made his Nelson debut on 29 December 1923 in the 1–1 draw away at

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

. Gillibrand made his second and final Nelson appearance in the following match, also against Blackpool, on 5 January 1924. After leaving Nelson, Gillibrand returned to

non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

with

Rossendale United Rossendale United Football Club was a semi-professional football club based in the village of Newchurch within the Rossendale borough of Lancashire, England. The club was founded in 1898. Nicknamed the Stags, they had a long and eventful run wh ...

. He spent just over one season with Rossendale before joining Manchester North End in October 1925. Gillibrand went on to play for several other clubs in the

over the following seasons, including

Stalybridge Celtic Stalybridge Celtic Football Club is an English football club based in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester. They are currently members of the and play at Bower Fold. The team traditionally plays in a blue and white strip. In 1921 Stalybridge Celtic ...

and Buxton. In 1929 he signed for Hyde United. During his single season with the club, Gillibrand scored a total of 87 goals, setting a new record haul for the Manchester League. He then had short spells with Denton United and Buxton prior to joining

Droylsden Droylsden is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, east of Manchester city centre and west of Ashton-under-Lyne, with a population at the 2011 Census of 22,689. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, in the ...

in 1931. Gillibrand spent four seasons at the

Butcher's Arms Ground Butcher's Arms Ground is a multi-use stadium in Droylsden, Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. It is currently used mostly for Association football, football matches and is the home ground of Droylsden F.C. The stadium has a capacity of 3,0 ...

, scoring a total of 275 goals in all competitions. In November 1934, he made his 500th appearance in the Manchester League, and scored his 500th league goal the following month in a match against his former club, Denton United. Gillibrand was awarded a testimonial match by Droylsden in March 1935, but left the club at the end of the 1934–35 campaign. He ended his career with spells at Ashton National and Stalybridge Celtic, where he was manager of the reserve team.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillibrand, Ernest 1901 births 1976 deaths Sportspeople from Prestwich Footballers from Greater Manchester English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Northwich Victoria F.C. players Glossop North End A.F.C. players Aston Villa F.C. players Nelson F.C. players Rossendale United F.C. players Manchester North End F.C. players Stalybridge Celtic F.C. players Buxton F.C. players Denton United F.C. players Hyde United F.C. players Droylsden F.C. players Ashton National F.C. players English Football League players