Gadston, Joe
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Biographical Text
Scoring thirty times in 85 league games, and invariably playing second-fiddle to Alan Banks, Joe Gadston played for Exeter City between 1969 and 1972. He joined the Grecians from Bristol Rovers and later played for Aldershot. A director of Exeter City between 1999 and 2002, Joe is credited with introducing eventual director of football Steve Perryman to the club.
On the books at West Ham United as an amateur, Joe gained his first professional contract at Brentford in August 1964. However, he never made the first team at Griffin Park and then joined Southern League Corby Town where he scored 6 goals in 12 matches.
Cheltenham Town then signed Joe for the princely sum of £22 and ten shillings. During his stay at Cheltenham, he netted around 40 goals for the club before returning to the Football League with Bristol Rovers in May 1968 in a £1,500 transfer.
Making 11 league appearances (scoring five goals) during his time at Eastville, Joe arrived at St James' Park in November 1969 for a reported fee of £1,000 having turned down a move to Nuneaton Borough. Appearing first against his former club Brentford on 8 November 1969, Joe went on to score 9 goals in 26 appearances in his first season before forming a successful striking partnership with Alan Banks in 1970/71 when Joe scored 18 league goals and Alan netted 21 times.
With the 1971/72 campaign proving less-productive for Joe - just three league goals from 20 starts - he spent a month on loan with Poole Town in January 1972 ahead of his release on a free transfer. Joining Aldershot in July 1972, he played just four league games, and after a short spell on loan with Hartlepool, dropped into non-league football with Wimbledon
Joe then worked as a youth coach at Brentford, when Steve Perryman was manager, before moving to Dorset where he ran a holiday apartment business and managed Swanage Town & Herston. Becoming a director of Exeter City in 1999 Joe was instrumental in asking Perryman (a one-time player with Tottenham and England and former manager of both Brentford and Watford) - who was living locally - to help the club as an adviser in a capacity that later developed into the role of director of football.
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Comments
Maria Gadston
Hi
I am trying to find some film footage of Joe Gadston for his birthday. Could you help? I have tried BBC to no avail. I would be happy to pay. Thanks
Maria Gadston
Brian Farr
Hi, my name is Brian Farr and I played football with Joe in the 1950's as school boys. We were part of the Ealing Schools team that one 'The Batchelor Cup' final against St Pancras. I was also in the Manor five-a-side team with Joe that reached 'The Peoples' national five-a-side tournament semi-finals on TV. Unfortunately we lost twice. I am trying to contact him as we are trying to get our old group together. There names are :- Brian Farr, Stewart Scullion, Micky Scott, Alan Freeman, Alan Turner and Adrian Dargie. I have a number of paper reports and photo's of those football days.
John Burtenshaw
Joe's and Brian's paths both crossed with mine in Hanwell and Northolt during the 1950's when I played for Vincent against Brentside and Walford School teams. Both were extremely good players/teams but unable to hold out against Vincent.
My earliest memories of Joe was spending our spare time running around Drayton Green track.Brian and myself both moved to Thirsk Close where we both lived.
Happy Days with endless football matches.
Paul Farley
We would love to have helped, we do have a great deal of film, in many formats, that needs digitising. But none currently of Joe. His goal against Crewe would be brilliant to have on film.