Phil Gilchrist brought a touch of class to the Pools defence when he arrived from Middlesbrough halfway through the 1992/93 season. His arrival coincided with a worrying goal drought that included a 13-game run without scoring, but his displays alongside John MacPhail helped to ensure that this lack of goals did not relegate the club. Relegation did arrive the next season, and Gilchrist left for Oxford in February 1995. He went on to have a good career at a higher level.