lit a candle 3h agoJust watched that old clip of him scoring twice on his Gillingham debut at Ninian Park, 1992, then saw this. Didn't expect that today.
Their story
Richard Green was an English professional footballer, a commanding centre half who captained Gillingham through some of the most demanding seasons in the club's modern history. In a 16-year career he made 436 Football League appearances for Shrewsbury Town, Gillingham, Walsall, Rochdale and Northampton Town, scoring 18 goals, and he…
Richard Green was an English professional footballer, a commanding centre half who captained Gillingham through some of the most demanding seasons in the club's modern history. In a 16-year career he made 436 Football League appearances for Shrewsbury Town, Gillingham, Walsall, Rochdale and Northampton Town, scoring 18 goals, and he was twice named Gillingham's Player of the Year.
Born Richard Edward Green in Wolverhampton on 22 November 1967, he joined the youth system at Shrewsbury Town in 1983 and turned professional in 1986. He made more than 125 appearances for the Shrews before moving to Swindon Town in 1991. A serious back injury meant he never played a first team game at the County Ground, and for a time his career was thought to be in doubt.
Gillingham signed him from Swindon in 1992. He made his debut on 10 March that year in a 3-2 win over Cardiff City at Ninian Park and marked it in style by scoring twice. Over the next seven seasons he played 253 times for the Gills in all competitions and scored 17 goals, a total that places him 27th on the club's all time appearance list, level with Bradley Dack. He was voted Player of the Year in both 1992-93 and 1993-94, and as captain he was part of the miserly defence that helped Gillingham win promotion from the old Third Division in 1996.
In 1998 Green joined Walsall, where he was part of the side that won promotion in 1998-99. A loan spell at Rochdale followed, and he then moved to Northampton Town, winning a third promotion in the 1999-2000 season. He returned to Rochdale in 2001 but did not play again before retiring.
Supporters remembered him as a dependable and intelligent defender and a leader during a difficult period for Gillingham. He was known for his calm reading of the game and for always seeming to make the right decision under pressure.
Richard Green died on Thursday 22 October 2026, aged 58. Gillingham announced his death on 25 October, saying the club was absolutely devastated, and said it would pay tribute to him before its FA Cup match against Barrow on 7 November. The cause of his death was not made public.
Biography adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), Gillingham F.C. (25 October 2026), Sky Sports, Clarke Chroniclers Rochdale history. Wikipedia ↗
Photos
1Richard Green in Gillingham's kit in the 1990s
by People Forever
That debut was something else, two goals and never looked back.