Gary Elkins

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Gary Elkins (born 4 May 1966 in Wallingford) was an English football player; most notable for the unusual statistic of his having started exactly 100 league games for both Fulham F.C. and Wimbledon F.C. He has also proved a source of fascination for fans of both those clubs as he was signed for £20,000 by Wimbledon - at that time an established top-flight club - following seven years of largely unheralded and irregular service for a then third-tier Fulham side. Indeed, less than a year prior to his move he had been loaned out to lowly Exeter City. It was thought that new Wimbledon manager Ray Harford remembered Elkins fondly from his own time as Fulham manager in the mid-1980s. Most unbelievably of all, and adding to the fascination that exists about this workmanlike defender, Steve Perryman has revealed that he resigned as manager of Brentford F.C. solely on account of his chairman's refusal to let him sign Elkins for a nominal fee. The reason given by the chairman was that the player had 'shifty eyes' [1].

Once at Wimbledon, Elkins achieved status as a cult hero of sorts, albeit one often criticised by fans of the club. He was a sturdy and tough defender, slow to commit to a rash challenge but instead prone to holding up wingers by strong positioning. Indeed, some of the games best wide-men, in particular Andrei Kanchelskis and Anders Limpar, found Elkins tough to negotiate, their game preferring defenders to put a foot in. Elkins finest moment was probably a last-minute equaliser, albeit heavily deflected, against Liverpool F.C. at Selhurst Park in 1994.

In 1996, Elkins career took a turn for the worse as he was signed by Steve McMahon at Swindon Town. Signed for £100,000 by a club facing financial difficulties, the pressure was on Elkins to help inspire a promotion bid to the Premiership. As it was, he started only 19 games for the club, his form and fitness (in particular his weight) in doubt. He soon moved into non-league football, working too as a coach at the Elms Soccer School in Middlesex.