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David Gaskell

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David Gaskell
Personal information
Full name John David Gaskell
Date of birth (1940-10-05) 5 October 1940 (age 84)
Place of birth Orrell, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1955–1957 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1956–1968 Manchester United 96 (0)
1968–1969 Wigan Athletic 35 (0)
1969–1973 Wrexham 95 (0)
1973–1974 Arcadia Shepherds
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John David Gaskell (born 5 October 1940) is an English former football goalkeeper. Gaskell started his career as a youth player with Manchester United. He helped United win several trophies during the 1960s. He left the club for Wigan Athletic in June 1968 before joining Wrexham a year later.[1]

Career

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Born in Orrell, Lancashire, Gaskell began his football career with Manchester United F.C. having been spotted playing for youth team Orrell St Luke's. He made his senior debut for United on 24 October 1956, when he played in the 1956 FA Charity Shield at the age of 16 years and 19 days, making him the youngest player ever to have played for the club. His league debut came over a year later, in a 4–3 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on 30 November 1957.

Gaskell was not with the Manchester United squad when their aeroplane crashed at Munich on the way home from a European Cup tie on 6 February 1958, killing eight players.

By the early 1960s, Gaskell had become a regular in the United first team, covering for first choice goalkeeper Harry Gregg. The zenith of Gaskell's career came in 1963, when he kept goal for United in their 1963 FA Cup Final win over Leicester City.

A succession of injuries to Gregg meant that Gaskell was in and out of the first team on a regular basis, but the signing of Pat Dunne in May 1964 meant that Gaskell was relegated to the position of third-choice goalkeeper. Both Gregg and Dunne left in 1966, but the arrival of Alex Stepney and the emergence of young Jimmy Rimmer meant that Gaskell was still third-choice at the club. He was released in the summer of 1968, and signed for non-League club Wigan Athletic.[2]

A year later, Gaskell returned to League football and signed for Wrexham,[3] and remained there for three years. He worked for Post Office Telephones (now BT) for a short period before moving to South Africa, where he played for Arcadia Shepherds until his retirement.

Honours

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Manchester United

References

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  1. ^ "David Gaskell". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Wigan Ath. Sign David Gaskell". Liverpool Daily Post. 4 July 1968. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Wrexham get their man". Liverpool Daily Post. 12 June 1969. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Gaskell Awarded Historic League Title Medals". Manchester United F.C. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  5. ^ Vernon, Leslie; Rollin, Jack (1977). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1977–78. London: Brickfield Publications Ltd. p. 490. ISBN 0354-09018-6.
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