Gilbert Ivor '"Gil" Reece (2 July 1942 – 20 December 2003) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

international footballer. Described by former

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

manager Mike Smith as ''"a very quick player, sharp and tough"'', he made over 300 appearances in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

during spells with

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

, Newport County and

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...

and won 29 caps for

Club career

Reece was born in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

and represented Wales at schoolboy level before being offered an apprenticeship at his hometown club

. He made his way into the reserve side before spending a period on loan at

Ton Pentre Ton Pentre () is a village in the Rhondda, Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Historic counties of Wales, Historically part of Glamorgan, Ton Pentre, a former industrial coal mining village, is a district of the comm ...

and was released by the club during the 1962–63 season and joined Pembroke Borough. During his time in Pembroke, Reece worked as a plumber whilst playing part-time. In 1963, Newport County manager

Billy Lucas William Henry Lucas (15 January 1918 – 1998) was a Welsh international footballer in the late 1940s and 1950s. During his career, Lucas made over 400 appearances in The Football League during spells with Swindon Town, Swansea Town and Newpor ...

offered Reece another chance at professional football and, after just one season

Somerton Park Somerton Park was a football, greyhound racing and speedway stadium in Newport, South Wales. Football In April 1912, Newport County had been accepted to play in the Southern League for the 1912–13 season. Shortly afterwards, the site ...

, his impressive displays convinced

to pay £10,000 in April 1965 to sign him. Soon after he was called up to win his first cap for

against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He settled quickly with the ''Blades'', helping them to a ninth-place finish in the

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

during his first season but suffered a badly broken leg the following year which kept him out of the side for nearly a year. Despite this he went on to appear over 200 times for the club, establishing himself as a fan favourite with the

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall ...

crowd. He returned to his hometown club Cardiff City in September 1972 alongside teammate

Dave Powell David John Powell (18 February 1876 – 22 August 1953) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in ...

in an exchange deal for

Alan Warboys Alan Warboys (born 18 April 1949) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. Career Warboys began his career at Doncaster Rovers, making his debut in April 1967 at the age of 17, before moving to Sheffield Wednesday ...

. Appointed club captain, he went on to play in a variety of different roles for the club and in his first two seasons his goals helped the club win the

Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup (), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most prestigious of the cup competitions ...

, scoring a hat-trick in the second leg of the 1973 final and once in the second leg of the 1974 final. The club suffered relegation during the 1974–75 season, with Reece finishing as the club's top scorer with 8 goals, but managed to win promotion on the first time of asking the following year. Reece left the club at the end of the season and joined

where he spent a short time before retiring. After 1976 Reece played for non-League Barry Town.

After football

On retiring from his playing career he ran a family heating business before becoming a hotelier in Cardiff, running the ''Clare Court'' hotel in Grangetown. In April 2000, Reece was forced to have his right leg amputated after continually developing cysts behind his knee. He died in Cardiff, aged 61. He was also the brother of Welsh boxer Leonard "Luggie" Reece, and Grandfather of Welsh Rugby League International Lewis Reece.

Baseball

Reece has the rare distinction of being a double international at baseball and football. He was capped by Wales in baseball for the annual international against England in July 1963. Full Internationals Wales. Welsh Baseball Archive, File 2/8 R-S After retiring from professional football he returned to baseball playing well into his 40s. He played for the St Francis, Grange Catholics and Grange Albion baseball clubs.

Honours

;Cardiff City *

winner: 1972–73, 1973–74

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reece, Gil 1942 births 2003 deaths Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Cardiff City F.C. players Newport County A.F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Swansea City A.F.C. players Barry Town United F.C. players Footballers from Cardiff English Football League players Men's association football wingers Pembroke Borough A.F.C. players