Joe Gadston
We are saddened to report the passing of former Rovers striker Joe Gadston at the age of 80.
Born in Hanwell on 13th September 1945 Joe spent the 1968/69 season with Rovers after joining the club from Cheltenham Town, where he had scored 39 goals in 83 games in all competitions.
He made his Rovers league debut against Walsall, on 17th August 1968 in a 2-2 draw at Fellows Park in front of a crowd of 7,593. He scored twice in his second league game for the club, a 3-2 win against Bournemouth but was injured in his fourth, against Crewe Alexandra, and appeared in just 11 league games, scoring five goals.
He joined Exeter City in November 1969 and went on to score 31 goals in 85 league games for The Grecians. Joe spent a month on loan with Poole Town in January 1972 ahead of his release from Exeter on a free transfer.
Joining Aldershot in July 1972, he played just four league games for them, and after a short spell on loan with Hartlepool, dropped into non league football with Wimbledon. He also played for Hillingdon Borough, Walton and Hersham, Slough Town, Hayes, Ruislip Manor (where he was player/manager) and Hanwell Town. He was Football in the Community Officer at Brentford and, in 1999 he became a Director at Exeter.
Basing himself in Dorset, his business plans grew and he was recorded as investing £50,000 into OTR Ltd, a company set up to launch and operate St James’ Park for Exeter City; in January 2001 he introduced his former Brentford colleague Steve Perryman to Exeter, who managed the club to a narrow escape from dropping out of the Football League the following May. Perryman went on to become Exeter’s Director of Football.
Joe Gadston taught sport at Sunninghill Prep School in Dorchester until July 2014 and, latterly, suffered with Parkinson’s Disease.
We send our condolences to Joe’s family and friends at this very sad time.