 He then dropped out of league football and joined non-league side Grantham Town.He spent one-and-a-half season at Grantham, then moved to Spalding United where he spent another year-and-a-half, and then returned to Grantham.In 2003, Gilbert joined his other hometown side, Lincoln United of the Northern Premier League and remained until the summer of 2007 when he followed the Lincoln United manager John Wilkinson in rejoining Grantham Town.