Joe Gadston

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Joe Gadston

| image =

| fullname = Joseph Edward Gadston{{Hugman|6937|accessdate=18 March 2016}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|9|13|df=y}}

| birth_place = Hanwell, England

| height = 5ft 9in

| position = Forward

| youthyears1 = 1963

| youthclubs1 = West Ham United

| years1 = 1964–1966

| clubs1 = Brentford

| caps1 = 0

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1966

| clubs2 = Corby Town

| caps2 = 12

| goals2 = 6

| years3 = 1966–1968

| clubs3 = Cheltenham Town

| caps3 =

| goals3 =

| years4 = 1968–1969

| clubs4 = Bristol Rovers

| caps4 = 11

| goals4 = 5

| years5 = 1969–1972

| clubs5 = Exeter City

| caps5 = 85

| goals5 = 30

| years6 = 1972–1973

| clubs6 = Aldershot

| caps6 = 4

| goals6 = 0

| years7 = 1973

| clubs7 = → Hartlepool (loan)

| caps7 = 1

| goals7 = 0

| years8 =

| clubs8 = Cheltenham Town

| caps8 =

| goals8 =

| years9 = 1973–1974

| clubs9 = Wimbledon

| caps9 = 16

| goals9 = 3

| years10 = 1975–1976

| clubs10 = Hillingdon Borough

| caps10 =

| goals10 =

| years11 = 1976–1977

| clubs11 = Walton & Hersham

| caps11 =

| goals11 =

| manageryears1 = 1979–1980

| managerclubs1 = Ruislip Manor (player-manager)

| manageryears2 =

| managerclubs2 = Swanage Town & Herston

| years12 = 1977–1978

| clubs12 = Slough Town

| caps12 =

| goals12 =

| years13 = 1978–1979

| clubs13 = Hayes

| caps13 =

| goals13 =

| years14 = 1979–1980

| clubs14 = Ruislip Manor

| caps14 =

| goals14 =

| years15 = 1980

| clubs15 = Hanwell Town

| caps15 =

| goals15 =

}}

Joseph Edward Gadston (born 13 September 1945) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League, most notably for Exeter City. He later became a director of the club.

Club career

Gadston began his career as a youth and amateur player for West Ham United, before moving to Third Division club Brentford,{{Cite web |title=Gadston, Joseph |url=http://grecianarchive.exeter.ac.uk/items/show/1621 |access-date=23 April 2017 |website=The Grecian Archive |language=en-US}} for whom he failed to make a first team appearance and instead played for the reserves.{{NeilBrownPlayers|player3/joegadston}} He had a brief spell with Corby Town before joining Southern League club Cheltenham Town for a fee of £22 and 10 shillings. Gadston is cited as one of the greatest players to play for the Robins.{{Cite web |title=Vote for your greatest player |url=http://www.ctfc.com/page/LatestNews/0%252C%252C10434~1082723%252C00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724173346/http://www.ctfc.com/page/LatestNews/0%2C%2C10434~1082723%2C00.html |archive-date=24 July 2011 |access-date=18 May 2019 |website=Cheltenham Town F.C.}}{{Cite book |title=Cheltenham Town FC: 50 Great Players (50 Greats) |publisher=The History Press LTD |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7524-4150-4 |location=London}} Gadston moved back to the Third Division to join Bristol Rovers for a £1,500 fee in 1968 and finally made his professional debut, but he only completed one season with Rovers. His most prolific spell came with Exeter City, whom he joined in November 1969, before moving to Aldershot in July 1972.{{Cite web |title=Joe Gadston |url=http://www.inthemadcrowd.co.uk/ui/Person.aspx?oid=265 |access-date=9 December 2016 |website=In The Mad Crowd}} After a brief loan spell with Hartlepool in February 1973, Gadston dropped back into non-League football with Wimbledon later that year. He played out the remainder of the decade in non-League football.

Management and coaching career

Gadston had a spell as player-manager of Ruislip Manor.{{Cite web |title=G and H |url=http://bristolroversmemorabilia.weebly.com/g-and-h.html |access-date=16 March 2023 |website=The Bristol Rovers History Group |language=en}} He subsequently served as general manager of Swanage Town & Herston and later returned to Brentford as Football in the Community Officer.

Personal life

Gadston worked as a coach at a sports centre in Southall between 1966 and 1968. He later became a businessman and launched a company to launch and operate Exeter City's St James Park stadium. Gadston runs a holiday apartment business in Dorset and serves the community by running a youth football club and a ping pong tournament for pensioners.{{Cite web |title=Where Are They Now? Brentford Division Three Champions 1991–92 |url=http://www.theleaguepaper.com/latest-news/football-league-division-one/1035/where-are-they-now-brentford-division-three-champions-1991-92/ |access-date=18 March 2016 |website=The League Paper}}{{Cite web |title=June 2009 |url=http://www.richarddrax.com/june-2009 |access-date=18 March 2016 |website=Richard Drax}} He taught sport at Sunninghill Preparatory School in Dorchester until July 2014.

Career statistics

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" \|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ! rowspan="2" \|Club ! rowspan="2" \|Season ! colspan="3" \|League ! colspan="2" \|FA Cup ! colspan="2" \|League Cup ! colspan="2" \|Total
Division !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals
Bristol Rovers \|1968–69{{Cite web \|title=Bristol Rovers match record \|url=https://bristolroversmemorabilia.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/1/4/1214045/bristol_rovers_match_record__2_.xlsm \|access-date=12 January 2025 \|website=The Bristol Rovers History Group}} \|Third Division \|11 \|5 \|0 \|0 \|1 \|0 \|12 \|5
Hartlepool (loan) \|1972–73 \|Fourth Division \|1 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \| colspan="2" \|— \|1 \|0
colspan="3" \|Career total !12 !5 !0 !0 !1 !0 !13 !5

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

! rowspan="2" |Club

! rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="3" |League

! colspan="2" |FA Cup

! colspan="2" |League Cup

! colspan="2" |Total

Division

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

Bristol Rovers

|1968–69{{Cite web |title=Bristol Rovers match record |url=https://bristolroversmemorabilia.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/1/4/1214045/bristol_rovers_match_record__2_.xlsm |access-date=12 January 2025 |website=The Bristol Rovers History Group}}

|Third Division

|11

|12

Hartlepool (loan)

|1972–73

|Fourth Division

| colspan="2" |—

colspan="3" |Career total

!12

!13

Honours

Brentford Reserves

London Challenge Cup: 1964–65{{Cite book |last=Haynes |first=Graham |title=A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia |date=1998 |publisher=Yore Publications |isbn=1-874427-57-7 |page=82}}

Individual

Cheltenham Town Player of the Year: 1967–68{{Cite web |title=Vote for the Cheltenham Town Player of the Year |url=https://www.ctfc.com/news/2018/april/vote-player-of-year/ |access-date=22 April 2022 |website=www.ctfc.com |language=en-gb}}