ROVERS GREATS – DOUG HILLARD
BY GERRY PREWETT
Hall, Hillard, Jones (G), Oldfield, Davis. Those were the first five names on the teamsheet of the Rovers’ team that I first started watching back in 1963.
They seemed to be ever presents to me. Doug Hillard was something of an unsung hero of those Rovers teams. Affectionately nicknamed ‘Chunky’ by the Tote Enders, the stocky right back was famed for his ferocious free kicks. He was actually 5’9” and weighed 12st 6lbs.
He had quite a remarkable 10 year first team career at Eastville from 1958/59 up until 1967/68. He made a total of 313 and five substitute League appearances and was ever present in 1963/64 and 1965/66. During that time he managed to notch 12 goals, the majority with those free kicks. He was also twice awarded the club Player of the Year award.
Hillard started his career in local football as an inside forward but soon moved back to a defensive position where he eventually took over the role vacated by Harry Bamford’s tragic death in a motorbike accident. Hillard’s style was challenged by the tricky skilful wingers but was rarely beaten in a footrace!
The long ball out wide or a cross towards the ever reliable Alfie Biggs was something he thrived on. If he decided to head into the opposition half his physical presence seemed to make opponents disappear. On 5th September 1961 Bert Tann decided to try Hillard in an attacking role at Scunthorpe. Never one to shirk a challenge he clashed with the keeper and suffered a broken leg that kept him from first team football for seven months.
During the Eastville Bristol derby on 14th December 1963 a Hillard through ball to Geoff Bradford resulted in City Keeper Mike Gibson parrying the ball into his own net. It was the first of four Rovers goals.
A few years later, on 18th September 1965 newly promoted Oxford United made their first appearance against Rovers and it turned into a Jones day! Rovers Bobby scored a hat trick and Tony Jones scored for United
for a 3-1 home win.
Robin Perry in the Evening Post reported about Bobby Jones first goal; ‘It was probably the best goal I’ve seen Jones score. Oldfield pushed a square pass to Hillard who had moved to the centre. The right back stroked a low pass forward for Jones to take on to the edge of the penalty area. The inside left rolled the ball forward with his right foot then pulled it back again to change feet, switched direction, which flummoxed the whole defence and hammered a low left foot drive past the helpless Fearnley’.
A year later on 17th September 1966 Rovers faced Swindon Town at Eastville and secured a 3-0 victory. The first goal again described by Robin Perry; ‘Assisted by a marginal error by Goalkeeper Peter Downsborough, who carried the ball a foot too far outside his area. The linesman spotted him and Rovers were awarded a free kick smack in front of goal. Hillard moved up to take it and blasted the ball into the net off the wall of the Swindon defenders positioned between himself and the goal’. It was a typical Doug Hillard blasted free kick and cries of ‘Oh Chunky, Chunky, Chunky Hillard’ could be heard on the Tote End.
Doug Hillard was the 337th player to represent Bristol Rovers in the league when he made his debut against Sheffield United on 13th December 1958 and his final league game for the club was against Swindon Town, at Eastville, on 4th May 1968.
He and Ray Mabbutt were awarded a joint Testimonial Match against an All Star International XI in May 1967.
On a memorable night on 25th May 1989 after Rovers remarkable 4-0 victory at Craven Cottage in the second leg of the Play Off semi final, a group of us stopped off at a Pub in Chiswick. Doug was at the bar and insisted on buying all of us a beer!
What a gent!
