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| John Gemmell |
 John O'Neill Gemmell was born on Thursday, 6th September, 1984, in Glasgow. The 6' 2 (12st 7lbs) forward signed for Gerry Collins's Thistle on Tuesday, 3rd June, 2003, having most recently been with Queen's Park. Aged 19, he made his debut appearance on Saturday, 13th September, 2003, in a 2-1 defeat away to Aberdeen in the Scottish Premier League. John scored his first goal for Thistle on Thursday, 15th July, 2004, in a 9-0 friendly win away to Royal Highland Fusiliers. He scored the last of his 5 goals on Saturday, 17th July, 2004, in an 18-0 friendly win away to Royal Highland Fusiliers, netting a haul of four on the day! He played his last game for the club on Monday, 26th July, 2004, in a 1-0 friendly defeat at home to Leicester City, having appeared as a Jag on 9 occasions. John's club-list included Giffnock North, Queen's Park, Partick Thistle, Hamilton Academical, Dumbarton, Bellshill Athletic, Albion Rovers, Cowdenbeath, Montrose, Stenhousemuir, Clyde, Hurlford United, Arthurlie, Cambuslang Rangers and Troon. |
 John began his senior career at Queens Park as a fresh-faced 17-year-old straight from the Giffnock North youth team. His time at Hampden was fruitful, with a goal record of better than 1 in 4. His powerful play quickly attracted the attention of the big boys. Indeed, Gemmell was the top scorer in his last season with the Spiders. John was tipped as a future international player when he was signed by legendary Manager John Lambie as a 19-year-old, in one of his last acts as Partick Thistle boss, and his progress was monitored under his replacement Gerry Collins. John was top scorer in Thistle reserves & made some appearances from the bench as Thistle struggled at the wrong end of the Scottish Premier League and he failed to score in 5 competitive appearances in a poor side. John's claim to Thistle fame was netting a haul of four in our record win of 18-0 over the Royal Highland Fusiliers in a 2004 pre-season jolly in Cyprus! Nicknamed 'The Beast' for his frame and menacing prowess, John went on to have a long career in the game, clocking up more than 300 appearances and scoring 101 goals in the senior Scottish Leagues alone, most notably at Stenhousemuir (29 League goals, 2012-14) and Albion Rovers (15 League goals, 2010-12). John returned to senior football in 2022-23, joining Scottish League Two side Dumbarton for a second spell with the club, having impressed as a trialist. Alas, a serious leg injury put an early end to the 38-year-old's season, so much so that he retired from the game in May 2023. In all competitions, John's goal tally at junior and senior level was heading towards the 250 mark by the end of his playing career, his appearances reaching towards 550. |
| (WIK/WS) |
