Earlier this week, Barry Town United lost one of its finest locally produced inside forwards, with the untimely passing of Ken Gully, at the age of 82.
Born at 86 Morel Street in December 1943, Ken played for Holton Road and Gladstone Road schools as well as the representative Barry Schools team. Aged just 15 he played in the Barry & District League’s Junior Division for the successful Barry Dock Wanderers, winners of the South Wales & Mon FA Youth Cup in May 1960. True to form, Ken scored a fine hat-trick in the 6-0 win against ICI Dowlais.
Two months later, despite strong interest from Swindon Town, Ken joined his hometown club and enjoyed a prodigious career in an often struggling team.
He made his first team debut on 31 August 1960 versus Hereford at Jenner Park against Hereford United, Town winning 3-1 in front of 1800 supporters.
His first goal came in the return leg in mid-September at Edgar Street and it was the first of many.
Ken’s record was simply excellent as he proved to be a menace to opposition despite his slight size. He played
204 Southern League matches scoring 95 goals (9 pens), 43 cup games scoring 30 goals (2 pens) plus a minimum of 40 Welsh League games which brought him 44 goals. 287 games, 165 goals was a magnificent return for the Linnets.
Playing as a part-time professional, Ken worked at Bailey’s Dry Dock of which Town Chairman, John Bailey, was a director.
At the end of the 1960-61 season, he joined a cosmopolitan Barry Town squad which toured Malta on behalf of Baileys (Malta) which had not long taken over the Naval Dockyards at Malta’s Grand Harbour. He scored in the final game of an unbeaten tour against Valletta, the match ending in a 3-3 draw.
His statistics included six first team hat-tricks, the first of which came against Lovells Athletic in a 5th round Welsh Cup tie during the 1961-62 season. That campaign also saw Town, then managed by the famous Welsh international Alf Sherwood, saw Ken play against QPR in the FA Cup, Town losing in a replay.
Later in 1962 Ken married Maureen, the couple staying together until his passing.
In addition to his six first team hat-tricks he also scored four Welsh League hat-tricks in an 14 day period between 17th and 30th April 1965.
The following season, 1965/66, he formed a formidable partnership with Scot Gordon Fraser, previously of Elgin City and Cardiff City. The pair netted 60 goals, Ken scoring 35, his best return in Barry’s colours of racing green.
He top scored for the Linnets in seasons 1961/62, 1963/64. 1964/65 and 1965/66. In what proved to be his final season at Barry, he scored all four of Barry’s goals in the 4-2 win against Bexley United on Good Friday, 8 April 1966.
His final Barry goal came in the 2-1 win against Crawley Town on 10 May 1967.
At season’s end, with clubs throughout the country eager to sign one of Barry’s finest ever talents, Ken was awarded a richly deserved testimonial for his efforts, a game which drew the great and good of Welsh Football at the time to Jenner Park. Over 2,000 fans turned up for the game against an International XI which included Barrians Dai Ward jr and Derek Tapscott, the Charles brothers ( John and Mel) and former Wales forward Colin Webster, all to wave goodbye to their favourite son as Ken soon after joined Kettering Town in July 1966. The offer of a better paid job and extra pay for playing football proving too good to turn down for Ken and his young family.
At Kettering his record was magnificent 153 goals in 294 matches.
Just before he returned to Barry for good, he played one last game for the Linnets versus Tynte Rovers in the Welsh League at Jenner Park, Town winning 1-0 on 23 August 1975 – permission from Kettering granted for him to play one last time on his old home ground.
An absolute gentleman , Ken was a fine cricketer and golfer as well as a keen darts player, playing from the old social club.
The club sends its deepest condolences to his family.
The world’s lost a good one, one of the best.
Ken Gully, RIP