Gill made his senior debut for Bradford Northern in September 1978 against Barrow.[6] Gill made only occasional appearances for the first team, as David Barends and David Redfearn were firmly established as the club's first choice wingers.[5] In 1979, Gill suffered a serious knee injury, which further hampered his progress.[4] In 1980, he was sold to Second Division club Rochdale Hornets for a fee of £9,000.[7]
Gill quickly established himself in the first team at Rochdale, scoring 15 tries for the club during the 1980–81 season. His performances caught the attention of Wigan, who signed him in October 1981 for a fee of £30,000.[7]
Gill struggled with injuries during his final two seasons at Wigan, and was sold to his former club Bradford Northern in December 1989 for a fee of £30,000.[15] He finished his Wigan career with 145 tries, and was also an occasional goal-kicker for the club, scoring over 100 goals.
International honours
Gill first international honours came shortly after signing for Wigan in 1981, when he was called up for England as a replacement for John Joyner.[7] He scored a try in the 20–15 win against Wales at Ninian Park in Cardiff.
He also represented Great Britain 15 times between 1981 and 1988, and was selected to go on the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour of Australasia. He scored two tries in a 26–12 win against Australia in the Third Test of the series, with the game being most remembered for Gill's dancing celebration after scoring his second try, described as "a bit of a boogie" by the Australian TV commentator.[16][17] His last Test was against New Zealand in Christchurch.