Jon Gittens facts for kids

Jonathan Antoni Gittens (born January 22, 1964 – died May 10, 2019) was an English professional footballer. He played as a centre back for several clubs, including Swindon Town, Southampton, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Torquay United, and Exeter City.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting at Southampton

Jon Gittens was born in Moseley, England. He began his football journey with a local team called Paget Rangers. While playing there, he was also studying menswear tailoring. His talent was noticed by Southampton, a bigger club.

Gittens joined Southampton in October 1985 for £10,000. He was a fast player, seen as a future star. He played his first league game on April 19, 1986, helping his team win 2–0 against Birmingham City. He played in the next three games too. In the following season, he played 14 games, often filling in for other defenders.

In July 1987, he left Southampton to join Swindon Town. The transfer fee was set at £40,000 by a special committee.

Time at Swindon Town

At Swindon, Gittens became a strong defender. He formed a great partnership with Colin Calderwood in the team's defense. He was known for his tough playing style and often received yellow cards, but he was only sent off twice. These red cards happened in games against Leeds United and Barnsley.

During his four years with Swindon, the team reached the play-offs twice. These play-offs decide which teams get promoted to a higher league. However, Swindon did not manage to get promoted to the First Division. In the 1989–90 season, Swindon won the play-off final. But, due to some financial issues at the club, Sunderland was promoted instead.

In March 1991, after playing 126 games for Swindon, Jon Gittens returned to Southampton. The club paid £400,000 to bring him back.

Back at Southampton

When he returned to Southampton, Gittens played in the last eight games of the 1990–91 season. He filled in for an injured player, Kevin Moore. However, in the next season, he only played 11 games. He was mostly used as a backup player.

Since he found it hard to get a regular spot at Southampton again, he joined Middlesbrough on loan in February 1992. Middlesbrough was aiming for promotion at the time.

Playing for Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough successfully got promoted to the new Premier League. Jon Gittens then made his move to Middlesbrough permanent in July of that year for £350,000. However, Middlesbrough struggled in the Premier League, and Gittens lost his place in the team. He left the club for free in August 1993 and joined Portsmouth.

Years at Portsmouth

At Portsmouth, Gittens played regularly during the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons. But after the manager, Jim Smith, was replaced in 1995, Gittens played less often. In January 1995, during an FA Cup game against Leicester City, Gittens was one of two Portsmouth players sent off.

In the 1995–96 season, he played only 15 games. His last game for Portsmouth was in January 1996, when they lost 3–0 to his old club, Southampton, in the FA Cup.

Joining Torquay United

In August 1996, after playing 99 games for Portsmouth, Gittens joined Torquay United for free. He settled in well and played regularly for the team. However, traveling from Dorchester to play was difficult for him. On March 24, 1997, after some disagreements with the management, he was released from his contract. He returned the next season and was even named the club's player of the year. He played at Wembley in the play-off final, where Torquay lost to Colchester United. Gittens gave away a penalty in that game, which some thought was a harsh decision.

Moving to Exeter City

In July 1998, Jon Gittens moved to Exeter City, a local rival, on a free transfer. He played 82 games for Exeter. He was released at the end of the 1999–2000 season as many players left the team. He then joined Conference side Nuneaton Borough in August 2000. His time at Nuneaton was not very successful, and he joined Dorchester Town on a three-month loan in January 2001.

Coaching and Management Career

After his playing career, Gittens started coaching. He joined the coaching staff at Fareham Town in December 2001. In June 2002, he became the manager of the team. While managing Fareham, he had a disagreement with a referee's assistant during a game in 2004 and was asked to leave the sidelines.

Gittens resigned from Fareham in July 2004 after a disagreement with the club, especially about their decision to stop having a reserve team.

After leaving Fareham, he managed and coached the successful Team Solent at Solent University. In May 2007, he became the manager of Wessex League Division 1 team, Blackfield & Langley. His team won promotion to the Wessex Senior League in April 2009. He left his manager position in August 2010.

Jon Gittens was a highly qualified coach, holding a UEFA "A" license. He also worked part-time as a Coach Educator while studying at Bournemouth University.

Death and Legacy

Jon Gittens passed away on May 10, 2019, at the age of 55. In 2021, the Football Association (FA) announced a special tribute to him. A new artificial pitch at St George's Park in Staffordshire was named "The Jon Gittens Pitch." This pitch will be used to help train and develop new football coaches, honoring his contributions to the sport and coaching education.

Career Statistics