Brian Gregory’s Memories

Brian was a lethal striker who had a prolific spell with Margate that spanned the 1974/75 and 1975/76 seasons and in total he scored over 200 goals in non-league football…

brian gregory four team photos

What is your full name and date and place of birth ?
Brian Gregory, 11.01.55, Belfast.

What is your marital Status?
Married since 1976 to Jackie.

Do you have children ?
Yes, Kelly (26) and Daniel (24).

Did / do any of your family play football ?
None of my family play sport.

Where do you live now ?
Marbella, Spain.

What is your occupation now ?
Retired.

What was your occupation during your time with Margate ?
Trainee accountant.

How did you come to join Margate ?
Joined on a month’s loan from Gillingham – scored goals and signed permanently.

What do you remember about your Margate debut ?
Scored a hat-trick away to Canterbury.

What were the highlights of your Margate career ?
Scoring 43 goals during 75/76 to be top goalscorer in all of the Southern League – meant a lot to me (and would to any goalscorer). Also scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over Wimbledon, they were the top non-league team and had just beaten Burnley in the FA Cup before taking Leeds to a replay. Wimbledon later tried to sign me, however I chose to return to full-time football with Luton.

What were the highlights of your entire career ?
53 goals for Crawley in season 83/84 – broke the club record for goals in a season and finished as top scorer in the entire Southern League for the second time in my career. Also the 43 goals for Margate (as mentioned above) that put me back into league football.

Top scorer Maidstone 78/79 – 25 goals
Top scorer Crawley 82/83 – 32 goals
Top scorer Bromley 85/86 – 25 goals

Sorry about the above but I always believed that a goalscorer should be judged on goals alone.

Who was the best player you played with at Margate ?
Carl Gilbert – took all the knocks up front for me to allow me to score the goals. Barry Thornley – fantastic left foot to supply the service to score. Norman Fusco – great all-round player.

Who was the best player you played against whilst with Margate ?
Many, but the best defender was Trevor Peake of Nuneaton – he went on to play for Coventry for a few seasons.

Who was the best player you played with during your whole career ?
Ricky Hill of Luton who went on to play for England.

Who was the best player you played against during your whole career ?
Trevor Francis of Nottingham Forest.

Who was / were your best friend(s) during your time with Margate ?
Barry Thornley and Norman Fusco.

Do you still keep in contact with any of your old Margate team-mates ?
No, I moved around the UK a lot with my job – my fault that I’m not in contact.

What was the best stadium you played in during your entire career ?
Highbury (Arsenal) and White Hart Lane (Tottenham).

What ground(s) did you most enjoy playing at during your time at Margate ?
Kettering.

And which ground(s) did you least like ?
Redditch and Frickley.

Who was the best manager you played under (and at which club) ?
John Maggs at Crawley.

Who was the biggest influence on your football career ?
Me – trusted nobody else in management.

What was your favourite / best Margate goal?
All of them.

What was the best goal you saw another Margate player score ?
Carl Gilbert away to Chelmsford during 75/76.

Do you keep an eye on Margate’s progress / results and if so what do you think ?
I keep a keen eye on Margate’s results – very sad that Chris Kinnear (who I played with at Maidstone) is no longer the manager, from the outside it looked like he achieved the impossible on limited resources but that’s football – hence my earlier comments above.

Did you have a nickname during your career / time at Margate?
Gregs or it could have been ‘Mr Temperamental’ which I certainly was during my time at the club (only 20 years old).

What honours did you win during your career ?
Southern League Cup runner-up 75/76 Margate v Kettering
Kent Senior Cup winner 79/80 with Maidstone
Southern League runner-up 83/84 with Crawley
Isthmian League runner-up 85/86 with Bromley

Do you ever watch Margate now or if not, when was the last time you saw them ?
Not seen Margate for many years, difficult with living in Spain now.

Who were the real characters at Margate during your time with the club ?
Norman Fusco, Carl Gilbert and Steve Bowtell spring to mind.

Can you recall any funny moments from your time at Margate ?
Can’t remember but have lots of very good memories of the playing staff.

Do you have any regrets about your football career ?
None, I decided early in my career that I’d judge it on goals alone – that way it is factual, rather than a ‘could of done but didn’t’ situation.

What do you think about being featured on a website or the fact that a Margate History site exists ?!
Honoured and also think it is a fantastic thing that has been set up – well done.

Added to the site in 2006.

In 2024, Brian was living in Spain.