One hundred and eighty supporters mingled with Gills stars of past and present at the GISC Legends Night on Sunday 4th May 2008 in the 44Two club.

The evening saw £2,000 raised towards the Royal National Institute of Blind People which will be used to install commentary facilities for the blind and visually impaired at football stadiums throughout the UK, including Priestfield.

The evening included a raffle, auction and of course the GISC Player of the Year and Supporter of the Year presentations.

The auction raised just over £1,000 towards the grand total with a Teddy Sheringham signed Colchester United shirt the most popular item, being sold for £300.

Talking about the evening GISC chairman Gary Liptrott (left) said: "What a great way to end the season especially after the disappointment the previous day up at Leeds. It really was a fantastic evening, which reflected the work put into it by the Committee and helpers.

"The players I spoke to really enjoyed themselves and said they will spread the word if we wanted to turn this into an annual event."

He continued: "The four pages we've specially dedicated to it in our next newsletter will obviously go a long way to promoting our Legends evening as an annual affair. It will also show our members that we are capable of putting on a great show when required. What also pleased me was that we achieved the target we set ourselves in raising the £2,000 to pay for the equipment to be installed in Priestfield.

"The feedback I've received so far from Gills fans that came along has also been very good which only goes to raise the GISC's profile."

The Players

Seventeen players from 1960 to the present day attended the event and allowed fans to ask them questions and get items of memorabilia signed.

The Gills Legends

The names of the former Gills players (and former manager) who attended were:

(Bottom Row - Left to Right) Chris Hope David Quirke, Jimmy McVeigh, George Jacks, Keith Peacock, Peter Godfrey, Alan Wilks

(Middle Row) Andrew Crofts, Nicky Southall, Andy Hessenthaler

(Top Row) Gary Sutton, Dave Galvin, Graham Knight, Dick Tydeman, Bill Parry, Brian Yeo, John Arnott.

The GISC would like to once again pass their thanks onto all the players who took time to attend and support the event.

Peter Godfrey proudly displays his 1963/64 Division 4 Champions medal	Andrew Crofts with Bill Parry. Bill is Welsh after being born in  Blaenau Ffestiniog in 1933 and Andrew has also family connections with Wales.

George Jacks and John Arnott. George made 172 appearances for the Gills and was voted Player of the Year in 1973/74. John played in the 1963/64 Championship winning side and made a total of 206 appearances	Nicky Southall, Keith Peacock, Andy Hessenthaler and Andrew Crofts watch the presentations.

The Fans

Around 180 supporters attended the legends evening with all of them enjoying the atmosphere and the chance to question heroes of past and present.

The Auction

The auction raised just over £1,000 on the evening with some hotly contested items. The winners, pictured below with their favourite player, were:-

(left) Roger Triggs Gillingham FC League Book: Tony Parry
(right) Signed Michael Owen book: Kirsty Griffin

(left) Signed Gillingham Legends shirt: Jayne
(right) Signed Gillingham 1995 pennant: Gary Thorp

(left) Signed Andy Thomson \ Andy Hessenthaler \ Steve Butler \ Nick Southall picture: Mike Keskeys
(right) Signed Teddy Sheringham match worn Colchester United shirt: Gary Nelson


(left) Signed Stoke City shirt: Nicky Southall
(right) Signed Gillingham Legends football: Adrian Bones

Gary Nelson also won a pair of Jason Brown goalkeeper gloves which will be displayed in the 44Two club.

The Awards

The GISC Player of the Year, Away Player of the Year and Supporter of the Year were also announced. To find out who the winners were click here.

Jason receives his tankard from former Gills defender Chris Hope

Players and supporters who attended the event would also like to say thank you to Jason Lyndon for all the hard work he put into the event.

Jason, who wrote to all the players and organised the evening, was presented with a silver tankard to recognise the work and effort he put into the evening, supported by the GISC committee.

Further Photos

Further photos taken during the evening can be viewed in two online photo albums. Please click on the link below:-

Album One

Album Two

Please Note: All Photographs are copyright of Alan Liptrott, Mike Keskeys and the 44Two Club. If you wish to use these on any other websites please contact us.