HE’S sat on the bench for Dunfermline Athletic at three cup finals – and he’s never kicked a ball for the team.

But the town’s longest serving GP, who played a vital role at the football club, has now hung up his stethoscope.

A former club doctor at East End Park, Dr Gerry Gillespie has been based at the Hospital Hill Surgery for 33 years since coming to West Fife after finishing his training in 1984.

Dr Gillespie started out working at the practice’s former premises at Abbey Park Place before the new Hospital Hill surgery was opened in 1986.

“I have been in the same room for 30 years!” he told the Press.

“I changed the position of my desk about four years ago so I could look at a different wall.

“When we first started, we didn’t have a computer so everything was written out by hand.

“With the sheer volume of prescriptions that are generated every day now, you could not possibly do that without computerisation.”

Born and bred in Glasgow, he went to St Andrews University before continuing his studies in Manchester and completing his training for general practice at Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital.

He moved to Dunfermline and in 1992, Dr Gillespie took over as the main club doctor at the Pars, fulfilling that role until 2007.

Since then, he has stepped in to help when his successor, Bobby Robertson, was unavailable.

“I had the privilege of being club doctor for three cup finals between around 2004 and 2007,” he said.

“Unfortunately all three were against Celtic and we were unable to bring the cup home as Dunfermline had done in the sixties.

“Now I can look forward to sitting in the crowd with my pals and not having to worry if I see a clash of heads.

“It was great fun though. I got to know the players well.

“I was the doctor to them both on and off the field. Particularly the ones who lived locally so I knew the players and their families and sometimes the managers as well.

“Over time there were two or three leg breaks, cheek bones, broken wrists.

“Usually they would be patched up and sent to hospital. I would be there to stitch players who required to be stitched and get them back on the field as quickly as possible.”

Dr Gillespie, 60, who is married to Teresa and has two daughters, is planning on keeping active in his retirement.

“I will retire to the golf course and try not to lose too many golf balls.” he added.

“I have two granddaughters who live locally so I will spend more time with them.

“My wife was also keen for me to retire so we can do some travelling together as well.”