WELL FLOAT MY BOAT
Gillespie aims to keep Steelmen’s heads above water
Mark Gillespie woke up to find his team- mates’ cars FLOATING down the street outside as floods hit Carlisle.
The Motherwell keeper was trapped alone inside a house with water coming upstairs to meet him.
While the rest of his pals were away playing in the FA Cup, Gillespie was pleading with a rescue team to get him out of a window and into a boat.
The Cumbria f loods of 2015 had a devastating effect on the area and Carlisle United, where the Fir Park shot-stopper spent seven years.
Now he’s hoping to use his experience to keep the Steelmen’s heads above water in the Premiership.
It has been a difficult season for Stephen Robinson’s side who are stuck fourth bottom of the league but with a healthy safety cushion over bottom pair Dundee and St Mirren.
Gillespie, 26, is now first choice at Fir Park as he deputises for Trevor Carson who’s still getting treatment for deep vein thrombosis. But he hopes more results like Well’s 1- 0 win over Hibs last midweek can help the team swim instead of sink further in the league.
He said: “Scotland has a reputation for bad weather – but hopefully nothing like the Carlisle floods happens up here.
“Carlisle United gave me a chance to play first-team football at a young age and I gained a lot from that.
“I’m really enjoying being part of the team at Motherwell. We’re looking upwards and if we show consistency we can push up the table.”
December 6, 2015, will live long in his memory though as Storm Desmond hit Cumbria hard.
Tens of thousands of people were af fected whi le homes, cars and businesses were destroyed.
Carlisle’s Brunton Park was left under water – it still hasn’t fully recovered – and Gillespie, along with the rest of the United squad, played a part in lifting the spirit of a whole community.
The Well No.1 said: “The floods were mad. We had an FA Cup game at Welling that day but I was injured so didn’t travel.
“I was in a house just next to Brunton Park that the players could stay in.
“Rain and floods had been forecast but I was in my bed ill. I got a knock on the door about midnight saying if I had anywhere else to go, I should move. “But I didn’t, I lived in Newcastle. “The next day, the lads were ringing and asking if I could move their cars – but I couldn’t do anything.
“I woke up and could barely see any of the cars outside for water.
“It was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen. At first I was just shocked.
“Then you realise it’s people’s houses and livelihoods. That’s scary.
“The main road had turned into a river. I was there until 6pm that night with no food, nothing.
“Obviously it was important the rescue services looked after the elderly and other people first.
“Eventually I was able to climb out of
the window and get into a boat. The floodwater was halfway up the stairs inside the house. It was unbelievable.
“There was a red car that should’ve been outside our house. But you couldn’t see it.”
Gillespie was able to ring the emergency services but faced an anxious wait before being rescued.
In the weeks and months that followed, players had to live in hotels and games were held away from Brunton Park.
The goalie said: “Special services helped me.
“Next to me, there was another family with two dogs on this boat.
“Unless you were involved in the incident you probably couldn’t understand it.
“Luckily I had my laptop so was able to charge my phone. I rang the police early and they said there was nothing I could really do.
“I just had to wait. There was high risk people like the elderly and young children to consider.
“I thought I might be there overnight but was more worried about the people around me. I saw an old woman trying to get out of a townhouse.
“It was scary watching that from the window. I was waiting for someone to stop for me but there were people who really needed the help.
“The club house I was in was a write-off. We were put in hotels for 18 months.
“It was a crazy experience and one I’ll never forget.
“The following week all the lads at Carlisle chipped in and helped with carpets and sofas. But a year later, there were still skips outside people’s homes. “It certainly opened my eyes to what can happen.
“The cars of five or six lads playing in the FA Cup game were write-offs.
“After the flood, we had to play games at Blackburn Rovers and Preston. It was six weeks before we were back at Brunton Park.”
But adversity often brings people together. Led by skipper Danny Grainger, the ex- Hearts and Dundee United defender, the community rallied and it brought people closer to the club.
Gillespie said: “Everyone came together. The community and the club got closer after the floods.
“We walked into people’s homes and mucked in instead of going to training. Danny led from the front.
“And the supporters were really with us for the rest of that season.
“I was at Carlisle from the age of 16 to 24 so I have fond memories and a bond with the place. Brunton Park is almost back up and running now. The last time I was there all the skips were gone.”
Gillespie started his career as a kid at Newcastle and still has ambitions of playing at the highest level.
The 26-year-old said: “The minute you don’t have those dreams you might as well pack it in. Newcastle were my local team so it was really disappointing not to make the grade there.”
It brought community and club together .. we mucked in instead of training