His first semi-professional experience came as a member of the Victoria Riptides. Gilbert was the Canadian Soccer League's inaugural Most Valuable Player selection as he led the league in goals in 1987 as a member of the Calgary Kickers, with 10.[1] He was the 6th leading goal scoring in 1988 with 11[2] as he split time between Calgary and the Toronto Blizzard. In the league's 7-year existence Gilbert was its 7th all-time highest goal scorer with 36.[3] Gilbert played four games for the Vancouver 86ers in 1993, all starts, and scored a goal, on 30 July in a 2–1 win over the Montreal Impact.
Gilbert first played for the national team in the 1984 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, in a tournament in which Canada finished runners-up. He earned his first senior cap as a 22-year-old in a February 1988 friendly played in Hamilton, Bermuda that ended scoreless, and his last one in September 1992 in a 0–2 loss to the United States, a friendly played in Saint John, New Brunswick. Gilbert earned a total of 10 caps and scored once for Canada.
International goals
Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.