On 2nd December 1992 St Mirren lined up against Cowdenbeath in a First Division match at Love Street. On the bench for Saints was a young man called Ricky Gillies.
When he replaced his brother Kenny during the match, Ricky became the youngest player ever to represent Saints in an official competitive first team match, at 16 years and 100 days old!
Further history was made late in the match when he headed home a John Hewitt cross to become the club’s youngest scorer. The match ended 5-0 and the name Ricky Gillies was embedded into Saints’ history forever! He made two further substitute appearances before making his first start on 10th March 1993 against Raith Rovers at Love Street.
Over the next two seasons Ricky played irregularly, but soon earned a place with the first team squad and by the start of season 1995/96 he had become a regular in the starting line-up, displaying a talent and maturity beyond his years. He clocked up 31 starts that season and registered three goals. He also played in several reserve matches, scoring four times, as Saints’ second string won the Reserve League West title.
Season 1996/97 saw Ricky grow into one of Saints most consistent and creative players, despite being only 20 years old. The opening game of the season was against East Fife at Bayview and Ricky netted twice in a 4-0 victory. Bayview was to be a happy hunting ground for him that season as in the second trip there on Boxing Day 1996, he claimed his first senior hat-trick in a 3-0 win. He scored a total of eight times that season.
This form saw Ricky gain international recognition. Having been capped at Under-16, 17 and 19 levels, he gained seven Under-21 caps between August 1996 and July 1997. He had also attracted attention from a number of other clubs, most notably Liverpool and Newcastle but it was Aberdeen who tempted Ricky north in August 1997 for £35,000.
Big things were expected from him at Pittodrie, however the Dons were in a period of change and went through four managers in two-and-a-half seasons, meaning Ricky never really got the chance to prove himself in the Premier League. In his time at Pittodrie he started in 17 matches with 35 as substitute, scoring twice.
Towards the end of season 1999/2000, Ricky was well out of the first team picture at Pittodrie, and Saints stepped in to secure a short-term loan deal. He made his return as a substitute against Livingston on 15th April and went on to play in the final four matches as Saints were crowned First Division champions.
During the close season, a deal was struck to keep Ricky in Paisley permanently and he was in place for the start of the SPL season that followed. In a poor season for Saints, Ricky was one of the few highlights and ended the year as the club’s top scorer with 11 goals. His first goal of the season was against old club, Aberdeen at Pittodrie on 5th August. However, it was merely a consolation as the Dons won 2-1. He scored against the Dons again on 28th October at Love street, this time helping Saints to a 2-0 win.
Ricky’s best game of the season was against Dundee United on 23rd April. United led 1-0 going into the final 20 minutes, but Ricky scored twice to win the game and give some hope of avoiding relegation. Unfortunately, it was not enough and Saints returned to the First Division.
Back in the First Division, St Mirren underwent two seasons of mediocre performances and had to battle relegation up till the final few matches before safety was assured. In seasons of very few high points, Ricky again proved to be a stand-out and by the end of 2002/03 he was again attracting interest from other clubs.
He made his 250th start for the club against Alloa on 10th May in what was widely expected to be his final match for Saints. During the close season, there was much transfer talk, but Ricky showed his feeling for the club by pledging his future to Saints for a further two years.
He started season 2003/04 with five goals in the first few matches. Unfortunately, his form, along with the overall team performances dipped and the season was again, disappointing with a seventh place finish. Ricky finished with nine goals to top the scoring charts.
Season 2004/05 saw an upturn in team performances under new manager Gus MacPherson. Ricky played in 30 matches, but only managed two goals. He was awarded a testimonial for his service to the club and on 30th March 2005 a Celtic team made up of youngsters and a few senior pros, came to Love Street to play Saints. A single Brian McGinty goal saw Saints win 1-0, and gave the fans the chance to show their respect to a great club servant.
At the end of the season, the manager made several changes to the squad and Ricky was released, joining Partick Thistle.
In his two spells in Paisley, Ricky played in 318 games and scored 56 times, placing him 22nd in the all-time scoring charts. His youngest player record was broken in August 2003 when Scott Gemmill played, aged 16 years and 61 days. Ricky still remains the youngest scorer in the club’s history.
This article first appeared in the St Mirren matchday programme on 15th August 2017 for the match against East Kilbride.
