Peter Gelson

Brentford Joining Brentford at a young age, Gelson progressed through the club's youth, 'A' and reserve teams before making his professional debut at age 19 in a 2–0 Third Division defeat to Halifax Town on 22 August 1961. Despite still being a part-time player, but a loss of form saw him lose it to Bobby Ross four months later. Gelson was known for his long-range goals and scored three times from behind the halfway line. A "hard man" as a player, in 1970 he ended the career of Colchester United's Bobby Howlett in a challenge which resulted in a broken leg for the Us defender. Gelson went on to be a fixture at centre back until his final appearance for the club in September 1974. He was inducted into the Brentford Hall of Fame in November 2014 and remained a season ticket holder up until the final seasons at Griffin Park. Non-League football After his departure from Brentford, Gelson played on in non-League football, appearing for Hillingdon Borough (two spells), Hounslow and Walton & Hersham. == Personal life ==

In his early days as a part-time player at Brentford, Gelson worked in telecommunications for the Post Office. His Brentford teammate Gordon Phillips remained a lifelong friend and the pair were godparents to each other's children. He worked for a number of years in Doha, Qatar as a loadmaster for Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani's multiple private aircraft. He retired and returned to the UK in 2007. Gelson was married and as of June 2010, had five grandchildren. ==Career statistics==

Brentford • Football League Fourth Division: 1962–63 • Football League Fourth Division third-place promotion: 1971–72 Individual • Brentford Supporters' Player of the Year: 1972–73, 1973–74 • Brentford Players' Player of the Year: 1973–74 • Brentford Hall of Fame ==References==