Gillespie - U's departure was a surprise

9:21am Tuesday 19th June 2012 in Sport Exclusive By Jonathan Waldron

Farewell - Steven Gillespie, pictured with Kem Izzet, has left Colchester United and joined League Two side Fleetwood Town for an undisclosed fee. Farewell - Steven Gillespie, pictured with Kem Izzet, has left Colchester United and joined League Two side Fleetwood Town for an undisclosed fee.

Steven Gillespie has admitted his Colchester United exit came as a surprise.

Gillespie has ended his four-year spell with the U’s, after signing for newly-promoted Fleetwood Town for an undisclosed fee.

The 27-year-old striker still had a year remaining on his contract at Colchester, whom he joined in 2008.

But he has chosen to drop down a division and move to Highbury, after the U’s accepted an offer from the League Two new boys.

Gillespie said: “There wasn’t much of a decision to take by me and it came as a bit of a surprise.

“The offer was made to Colchester and they accepted it; I spoke to Fleetwood and it snowballed from there.

“I spoke to the manager and the chairman there and they sold the club to me.

“It’s a club that’s going in the right direction and their ambition is to play as high as possible.

“They’re on the up and it’s a good club, so going down to League Two doesn’t concern me.

“I did that with Cheltenham Town and we got promoted.

“Being nearer to Liverpool is a bonus.

“But I moved away from there at the age of 19 and I’m now 27, so it wasn’t a big factor for me.”

See Tuesday's Gazette for more of our exclusive interview with Steven Gillespie and further reaction to his move to Fleetwood Town.

Comments(9)

Ozzie says...
12:42pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Says it all really! The fact that Gilly was hinting at a total lack of ambition at Colchester sums it up! I am really concerned! Mr Cowling and Mr Ward need to have heeded what many have been suggesting on this website for sometime now! The club needs to listen to the fans and the true fans, not the 'prawn sandwich' brigade up in the Executive suites! Make the U's more attractive to encourage families back and get that community spirit back in the club or I fear the club is in dire danger of spiralling down the football league. Act now! Let's get the ground packed each Saturday at home and make sure that the ground is easily accessible and parking issues are not a problem as they continue to be, and the employment of over-zealous expensive stewards at every home game - I mean, three stewards at each turnstile is a little over the top by any team's standards! Come on you U's!! Wake up to reality and let's get true football and the true Colchester atmosphere back! Surely it would make more sense to drop prices of matchday admissions and have a cash turnstile rather than turn fans against the club? A full ground is surely going to be better for the club than a ground less than a third full this coming season which is what is beckoning!

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crazy comments says...
12:54pm Tue 19 Jun 12

You done the best thing Gilly move on to brighter pastures new and say good riddance to the to-sers running this football club. Its obvious Ward,Cowling and some supporters were glad to see you gone. Some of them must wear blinkers. The goals that you did score were mostly your own making by chasing or getting on the end of loose balls. If openings had been created for you by other players, then you would have scored twice as many goals thats for sure and then been a hero. Take Grant Holt at Norwich for instance. He scores plenty of goals because of the service he gets from crosses and pull backs from the bye line. If we signed Holt for an example, he would also struggle through the lack of service provided. You need a team pushing forwards and making openings. I just dread if Magnus goes as well because the club I have supported all my life is just falling apart at the seams. If Ward thinks building a team around players like Heath,Izzet and Dugie is the answer, the end of next season will tell the truth. These three players are not DIv 1 players and would struggle in the blue square league.

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super waluigi says...
1:29pm Tue 19 Jun 12

A load of old nonsense by Ozzie. Nothing Ozzie said had anything to do with the thread created.

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Ozzie says...
2:11pm Tue 19 Jun 12

I think you need to re-read what I wrote, Mr Waluigi! It quite clearly states that part of the reason Gilly is leaving was to do with the drive, enthusiasm and ambition that his new employers have compared to the lacklustre, mediocre, lethargic attitude of the Colchester United Board. I am a decent,honest Colchester United supporter and have been for 50 years. Please honour and embrace all views on this website, as I do. I would never dishonour or state that anyone's views were, as you called it,'nonsense'! Up the U's!!

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Reginald47 says...
2:48pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Could it be the U's just got tired of paying good wages to a player who was injured as often as he played?

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crazy comments says...
4:16pm Tue 19 Jun 12

super waluigi wrote:
A load of old nonsense by Ozzie. Nothing Ozzie said had anything to do with the thread created.
I think what Ozzie wrote is certainly a fair comment to how he feels and not a load of old nonsense as you like to call it. He much like me has been a Col Utd supporter for well over 50 years and I think its fair to say he holds the club close to his heart and does not wish it to head South,which could happen very easily if things are not nipped in the bud now.

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super waluigi says...
4:26pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Ozzie wrote:
I think you need to re-read what I wrote, Mr Waluigi! It quite clearly states that part of the reason Gilly is leaving was to do with the drive, enthusiasm and ambition that his new employers have compared to the lacklustre, mediocre, lethargic attitude of the Colchester United Board. I am a decent,honest Colchester United supporter and have been for 50 years. Please honour and embrace all views on this website, as I do. I would never dishonour or state that anyone's views were, as you called it,'nonsense'! Up the U's!!
Yup, I have re-read it and it is still irrelevant to this thread. perhaps you should re-read what the gazette and Gilly have said, because at no point has anyone hinted that the colchester board lacks ambition.
It is fine to have that as your opinion, but it is irrelevant to this thread all the same.

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super waluigi says...
4:30pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Reginald47 wrote:
Could it be the U's just got tired of paying good wages to a player who was injured as often as he played?
Good valid point. I guess there is many reasons why this transfer happened.

I happen to think Col U could not afford Sears wages, and so they can now afford him and perhaps another. Or even they can afford to keep Woody till the end of the season.

I was hoping Gilly would come out and say "it is a life long ambition to play for Fleetwood fc".........

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Surb says...
10:13am Wed 20 Jun 12

super waluigi wrote:
A load of old nonsense by Ozzie. Nothing Ozzie said had anything to do with the thread created.
I think Ozzie's point is very good, I agree with it.
It mentions Gilly and the club showing lack of ambition so yeah he is talking about the thread. lol Unless you're reading something else.

Gilly leaving is a good thing, but saying that it only leaves Colchester United with a very limited choice of forwards... Ward needs to sort this out, selling off two strikers to league two clubs just shows that they went for clubs they feel are more ambitious.

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