Alec Gaskell


Alexander Gaskell was an English professional footballer. He played in the Football League for Southport, Newcastle United, Mansfield Town and Tranmere Rovers.

Club career

Gaskell joined Manchester United as an amateur. He joined Mossley on trial in 1950, but remained on the Red Devils' books the following year, when he left the club to join Southport. He scored 18 goals in two seasons there. In 1953, he joined Newcastle United, but his only appearance for the Magpies came in a Boxing Day tie against Middlesbrough, where he was standing in for the injured Jackie Milburn and Alan Monkhouse. In 1954, he joined Mansfield Town. He scored 17 goals in two seasons there. On leaving Mansfield, he joined non-league Grantham Town in 1956. He left Grantham in May 1957, initially returning to Bolton to try to get back into league football, which he did with Tranmere Rovers later that year. Despite scoring six goals in six games, Gaskell left to join Rhyl.
He had a spell at Wigan Rovers, and then joined Mossley in 1960. He scored 28 times in 50 games for Mossley. He retired in 1962, after sustaining a broken wrist at Winsford United. He later found work as a cable manufacturer, working in Quality Control at the BICC complex in Leigh.
Gaskell died at the age of 81 on 14 March 2014. At the time of his death, he was living in Cheshire.