Jason Lillis

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Jason Lillis
Personal information
Full name Jason Warren Lillis
Date of birth (1969-10-01) 1 October 1969 (age 54)
Place of birth Chatham, Kent, England
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
Gillingham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1989 Gillingham 29 (3)
1989 FF Jaro 6 (3)
1989 Queens Park Rangers 0 (0)
1989–1992 Maidstone United 75 (18)
1991Carlisle United (loan) 4 (1)
1992–1993 Sittingbourne 28 (21)
1993–1994 Walsall 25 (6)
1994–1995 Cambridge United 19 (4)
1995Dover Athletic (loan)
1995 Sittingbourne 7 (3)
1995 Lordswood
1995–1996 Chatham Town
1996–1997 Ashford Town 3 (0)
1997 Lordswood
1998–1999 Palmerston
Managerial career
1998–1999 Maidstone United
Herne Bay
Lordswood
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jason Warren Lillis (born 1 October 1969)[1] is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He made a total of 151 appearances scoring 22 goals in the Football League playing for Gillingham, Maidstone United, Carlisle United, Walsall and Cambridge United.[2]

Career[edit]

Lillis progressed from the Gillingham junior ranks and made his league debut aged 18 in a Third Division match on 29 August 1987 against Southend United. His first goal for the club, scored on 14 November 1987, was Gillingham's first in a 2–1 FA Cup victory over Fulham.[3] After making a total of 29 league appearances scoring three goals Lillis was released by Gillingham in the spring of 1989 and, via a spell with FF Jaro in Sweden and a short period with Queens Park Rangers (where he played a few reserve team games)[4] his next matches in the Football League were for newcomers Maidstone United in the Fourth Division. He signed for the club, managed by his former Gillingham manager Keith Peacock, in the summer of 1989[4] and spent three seasons with the club appearing in 75 league games scoring 18 goals, which included a hat-trick on 10 March 1990 against Colchester United. During his time with Maidstone United in February 1991 Lillis had a short loan spell with Carlisle United, playing in four league matches scoring one goal.

On leaving Maidstone United, in June 1992 Lillis joined Sittingbourne.[5] The club were newly promoted to the Southern League and they won the 1992–93 Southern Division when he was with the club. In October 1993 Lillis returned to the Football League when he was signed by Third Division club Walsall.[6] He played in 24 league matches scoring six goals for the club in the 1993–94 season but after a single substitute appearance[7] at the start of the next season he left the club and was signed on a non-contract basis by Second Division club Cambridge United.[8] After scoring four league goals in 19 appearances for Cambridge, Lillis moved to non-league football: in March 1994 he was loaned to Dover Athletic[9] and, although briefly recalled by Cambridge United,[10] in April 1994 Lillis signed for former club Sittingbourne.[11] Thereafter he played with Ashford Town[12] of the Southern League, Kent League clubs Chatham Town[13] and twice with Lordswood,[14][15] before, in 1998 turning out for Palmerston of the Medway Sunday league.[16]

In 1998 Lillis was manager at the new Maidstone United in the Kent County League[17] and was then assistant manager of Whitstable Town.[18] Lillis also had spells as manager of Lordswood,[19] and as a coach at Folkestone Invicta and in 2018 Lillis was Head of Academy Education at Gillingham. [20][21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. ptbc. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X.
  2. ^ "Jason Lillis". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Jason Lillis". Gillingham FC Scrapbook. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Attractive friendlies lined up for Preistfield". Chatham News. Chatham. 9 June 1989. p. 60.
  5. ^ "Lillis an instant success". East Kent Gazette. Sittingbourne. 29 July 1992. p. 43.
  6. ^ "Bescot lifeline for Lillis". Birmingham Daily Post. Birmingham. 16 October 1993. p. 15.
  7. ^ Jason Lillis at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  8. ^ "Lillis move". Sandwell Evening Mail. Birmingham. 30 September 1994. p. 95.
  9. ^ Butt, Randall (28 February 1995). "United players on loan". Cambridge Daily News. Cambridge. p. 28.
  10. ^ "New boy in as Johnson shakes it up". Cambridge Daily News. Cambridge. 10 March 1995. p. 48.
  11. ^ "Lillis out for vital match". East Kent Gazette. Sittingbourne. 5 April 1995. p. 47.
  12. ^ "Lillis signs for Nuts and Bolts". Heartland Evening News. Nuneaton. 21 December 1996. p. 22.
  13. ^ "Lillis puts in appearance but even he can't stave off surprise". Medway Standard. Chatham. 19 September 1995. p. 38.
  14. ^ "Problem at home leaves Lords playing friendly". Medway Standard. Chatham. 12 September 1995. p. 42.
  15. ^ "It's that man again!". Folkestone Herald. Folkestone. 6 February 1997. p. 78.
  16. ^ "Miller has mixed fortune but Ship sail close to top". East Kent Gazette. Sittingbourne. 29 April 1998. p. 57.
  17. ^ "(foot of column 4)". Medway Standard. Chatham. 24 March 1998. p. 35.
  18. ^ "Assistant Manager Jason Lillis Speaks After Redhill Win". Whitstable Town F.C. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Jason Lillis returns to manage Lordswood and brings familar [sic] faces back with him". Kentish Football. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  20. ^ Watters, David. "Ex-Gills striker Lillis joins touchline team". isthmian.co.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  21. ^ Cawdell, Luke (23 October 2017). "Gills get helping hand". Kent Online. Retrieved 11 December 2018.