Joe Gadston


Joseph Edward Gadston was an English professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League, most notably for Exeter City. He later became a director of the club.

Club career

Gadston began his career as a youth and amateur player for West Ham United, before moving to Third Division club Brentford, for whom he failed to make a first team appearance and instead played for the reserves. He had a brief spell with Corby Town before joining Southern League club Cheltenham Town for a fee of £22 and 10 shillings. Gadston is cited as one of the greatest players to play for the Robins. Gadston moved back to the Third Division to join Bristol Rovers for a £1,500 fee in 1968 and finally made his professional debut, but he only completed one season with Rovers. His most prolific spell came with Exeter City, whom he joined in November 1969, before moving to Aldershot in July 1972. After a brief loan spell with Hartlepool in February 1973, Gadston dropped back into non-League football with Wimbledon later that year. He played out the remainder of the decade in non-League football.

Managerial and coaching career

Gadston had a spell as player-manager of Ruislip Manor and as manager of Hanwell Town, whom he managed to the 1983–84 London Spartan League Senior Division championship. He subsequently served as general manager of Swanage Town & Herston and later returned to Brentford as Football in the Community Officer.

Personal life and death

Gadston worked as a coach at a sports centre in Southall between 1966 and 1968. He later became a businessman and launched a company to launch and operate Exeter City's St James Park stadium. Gadston also served as a director at Exeter City between 1999 and 2002. He ran a holiday apartment business in Dorset and served the community by running a youth football club and a ping pong tournament for pensioners. Gadston taught sport at Sunninghill Preparatory School in Dorchester until July 2014.
After a long battle with Parkinson's disease, Gadston died in January 2026, at the age of 80.

Honours

Player

Brentford Reserves

Manager

Hanwell Town

Individual