Mervyn Gill’s nine months at The Dell were a brief interlude between occasional appearances for Isthmian League Woking – keeping goal behind future Southampton assistant-manager and President, John Mortimore – and a long stint at Torquay, under ex-Saint Eric Webber.He had made nine appearances for 1^st Division Portsmouth as an amateur in 1953-54 while he completed his National Service in Thorney Island as a PE instructor with the RAF and Pompey offered him the chance to return after his discharge but an offer of £14 per week and use of a house in Swaythling persuaded him to chance his arm with Saints then in the Third Division South under new manager, Ted Bates. He made his debut in the last game of the ‘55-56 season at Walsall and after a 3-1 win attracted the following words in that evening’s Football Echo.

 “Gill was a great success in his first League game for the Saints, and the confidence which he gave the team by several good saves had a lot to do with the victory”.

But despite this promising review Gill could not settle in the area and was off shortly after the start of the new season when Eric Webber parted with “a small fee” to repatriate him to Devon. He was not lost to The Dell that long as later that same season Torquay – in an epic promotion battle with Ipswich and Colchester – visited and Gill was made captain for the day. Unfortunately, although saving an Eric Day penalty, he was partly responsible for letting Jimmy Shields score the only goal of the game after just one minute and Torquay eventually lost out on goal average to Alf Ramsey’s Ipswich.

He had six seasons at Plainmoor, making 174 appearances and then worked for English China Clay Quarries between 1962 and 1990 before retiring to Bridport in Dorset to live.