Gillingham F.C.
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| Full name | Gillingham Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Gills | ||
| Founded | 1893 | ||
| Ground | Priestfield Stadium Gillingham | ||
| Capacity | 11,582 | ||
| Chairman |  Paul Scally | ||
| Manager | Ronnie Jepson | ||
| League | Football League One | ||
| 2005-06 | League One, 14th | ||
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For the team based in Dorset, see Gillingham Town F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is a football team based in the town of Gillingham, Medway, Kent. They are currently in the Football League One. They play home games at Priestfield Stadium.
The team play in blue and white with red trim at home, and red and white with blue trim away. Their third alternate kit is white and blue, with red trim. They are currently sponsored by Medway Housing Society. Previous kit sponsors include ferry company SeaFrance, the Medway News newspaper, radio station Invicta FM, Kool (a yoghurt manufacturer) and Zanussi.
Gillingham were voted out of the Football League in favour of Ipswich Town at the end of the 1937-38 season, but returned to the league 12 years later after it expanded from 88 to 92 clubs. Twice in the late 1980s they came close to winning promotion to the second tier of English football, but a decline then set in and in 1993 they narrowly avoided relegation to the Conference.
Between 2000 and 2005, Gillingham were in the second tier of the English league for the only time in their history, achieving a club record highest league finish of eleventh place in 2002/03.
History
The Early Years: 1893-1920
In May 1893, the local success of a junior football side, Chatham Excelsior F.C., encouraged a group of businessmen to meet at the "Napier Arms" pub, with a view to creating a football club which could compete in larger competitions. To do this, the club would need to have at its disposal its own admittance-only playing area, which Excelsior did not. New Brompton F.C. was formed from the meeting, incorporating a number of Excelsior players, the gentlemen also purchasing the plot of land which would later become Priestfield Stadium.
On 2nd September 1893, New Brompton played their first competitive match, sporting Excelsior's black and white stripes. The team were defeated 1-5 by Woolwich Arsenal's reserve side in front of a crowd of 2,000. The club was accepted into the F.A. Cup and Amateur Cup for the first time, and was successful in winning the Chatham Charity Cup.
New Brompton formed part of the inaugural Southern League upon its creation in 1894, placed into Division Two, due to the club being young in comparison to others in the League. Upon joining the league, New Brompton turned professional, and were named Division Two Champions in the first season (1894/5). With a record of one defeat and eleven victories from twelve matches, they concluded the season with a "test match" against Swindon Town, who had finished bottom in Division One. As 5-1 winners, New Brompton were promoted, taking Swindon's place in Division One the following season.
However, in the seasons to follow, the club struggled in Division One, finishing bottom in 1907/8 season, and avoiding relegation only due to expansion of the league. Whilst the club's league performance was disappointing, the side did manage a famous cup victory over Sunderland, remembered for a hat-trick from Charlie McGibbon.
In the 1912/3 season, the side renamed itself Gillingham F.C. as a result of the growth of the Borough of Gillingham. This, however, did not lead to a change of fortune on the pitch, the side again finishing bottom of the division in the 1914/5 season. However, Gillingham avoided relegation for a second time after the outbreak of WW1, which caused the leagues to be suspended.
Once the competition resumed after the war, Gillingham continued to do poorly, again finishing bottom of Division One in the 1919/20 season. For a record third time, however, the side was not relegated from the Southern League Division One, due to subsequent election to the Football League Division Three in 1920, with many other Southern League clubs.
Into the Football League: 1920-1938
In the first season of the newly-created Football League Division Three, the 1920/21 season, Gillingham again finished bottom. In the years to follow there was little improvement on this, the club continually finishing in the lower reaches of the bottom division.
A change of strip in 1931 did little to change the team's on-pitch fortunes, the club's directors replacing New Brompton's black and white striped shirts to a blue shirt with white shorts, colours which have remained associated with Gillingham ever since. The black and white stripes are still visible in the club's badge.
In 1938, the team finished bottom of the Third Division, and required re-election to the division for the fifth time since joining it in 1920. This bid for re-election failed, with Ipswich Town promoted in their place. Gillingham were relegated from the Football League Division Three, and returned to the Southern League.
The Wilderness Years: 1938-1950
Following the club's relegation to the Southern League, Gillingham quickly established itself as a solid upper-half side in the division. By the end of WW2, it was beginning to regularly challenge for silverware.
Success in this period included a memorable local double of the Kent League and Kent Senior Cup in the 1945/6 season. This was quickly followed in 1946/7 season with victories in both the Southern League Cup and the Southern League itself, including a club record 12-1 victory over Gloucester.
Although Gillingham were pipped to the Championship the next season, finishing runners-up, they again captured the Kent Senior Cup, as well as setting a club record attendance of 23,002 for a cup match against Q.P.R.. The club bounced back in the league, and successfully regained the trophy in 1948/9. In 1950, plans were in place to expand the Football League Division Three from 22 to 24 teams and, taking into account their local success in the interim, Gillingham were re-elected to the Football League with a landslide vote.
Return to the Football League: 1950-1974
After a tough start to life back in the Football League, the club gradually pulled themselves up the table, finishing regularly in the top half of the Third Division (South) until a decline in form in 1958 left the club in the bottom half of the division. This position meant that with the restructuring of the league system for the 1958/9 season, Gillingham were placed in the newly-created Fourth Division- a top-half finish would have led to placement in the (now-national) Third Division.
The club remained in the Fourth Division until the appointment of manager Freddie Cox, who fashioned a formidable defensive outfit which succeeded in gaining promotion in 1964, winning the first and only championship in the club's history. The club finished the season level on 60 points with Carlisle United, but with a better goal average (59-30 against 113-58).
Despite relegation back to the Fourth Division in 1970/71, the club were soon promoted back to the Third Division (as runners-up to Peterborough) in 1973/74 under the management of Andy Nelson. With the help of players such as Brian Yeo, who equalled the club record for most league goals in a season with 31, the Gills scored a total of 90 league goals, the highest of any league club in that season.
Consolidation, then collapse: 1974-1995
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After this promotion, the club seemed to find its level in Division Three. Under Len Ashurst, Gerry Summers and then Keith Peacock, every season saw a run for promotion which ultimately fell just short, never more so than in 1986/87 when the club reached the play-offs (in their first year of existence) only to lose in the final to Swindon Town. Players from this era who went on to achieve success at a higher level included Micky Adams, Steve Bruce and Tony Cascarino, who was famously bought from a local non-league team for a set of tracksuits and some corrugated iron. He was eventually sold to Millwall for £225,000. Other heroes at the time included Dave Shearer, Terry Cochrane and Ken Price.
In 1987 the Gills hit the headlines when, on consecutive Saturdays, they beat Southend United 8-1 and Chesterfield 10-0 (the latter a club record). However, just a few months later Peacock was controversially sacked and within 18 months the club had slid into Division Four.
Gillingham finally had a local derby in 1989 when Maidstone United won promotion to the Football League, but this rivalry lasted just three seasons before Maidstone went out of business. Around the same time it looked as though Gillingham might also suffer the same fate. The Gills faced Halifax Town on the final day of the 1992-93 Division Three campaign, in what was to be the deciding game for relegation to the Football Conference. Many fans were convinced that if the Gills were to be relegated out of the League, the club would fold altogether. In the event, the Gills won the game to achieve survival and Halifax were relegated. Nonetheless, the financial crisis continued at Priestfield, and steadily improving league form did little to disguise the fact that Gillingham were in real danger of going out of existence.
The club eventually went into administration in January 1995, and by the end of the 1994/95 season, with the threat of being expelled from the Football League and closed down, fans were wondering whether they had seen the last ever Gills match. However help was on its way in the form of a last ditch purchase of the club.
The Paul Scally Era: 1995 to present
In the summer of 1995, a former office supplies salesman, Paul Scally, stepped in and bought the club for £1.00. He brought in Tony Pulis as manager, who signed almost a complete new team and led Gillingham to promotion in his first season, finishing second in the old Division Three, now Football League Two. This season was also notable for the fact that the team only conceded 20 league goals - a league record for a 46-game season. They consolidated their league position in Division Two in 1996/97 with an eleventh place finish, then the season after the club were unfortunate to miss out on the playoffs on goal difference, finishing eighth. In 1999 they made the playoffs, finishing fourth, but lost an infamous Football League Second Division play-off final against Manchester City. Following goals by the prolific partnership of Bob Taylor and Carl Asaba, 'The Gills' were 2-0 up with less than two minutes left only to see Manchester City score twice, the equaliser in a hotly disputed six minutes of injury time, and after that win a penalty shoot-out 4-2.
Following this, Tony Pulis was sacked for gross misconduct and Peter Taylor became manager. In this season Gillingham went on a club record breaking FA Cup run beating then Premiership teams Bradford City and Sheffield Wednesday before reaching the quarter final against Chelsea where they lost 5-0. They also finished in third place in the league, missing out on automatic promotion by losing on the last day to Wrexham, and qualified for the Football League Play-Offs again. They beat Stoke City over two legs of the semi-final and faced Wigan Athletic at Wembley Stadium. The game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes with Iffy Onuora scoring for the Gills. During the first period of extra time the Gills went 2-1 behind to ten-men Wigan. However thanks to goals in the second period from Steve Butler and Andy Thomson the club was promoted for the first time to Division One.
As Peter Taylor had only signed a 1 year deal, Leicester City, then in the Premiership poached him to be their new manager. Former team captain Andy Hessenthaler was then appointed player-manager of the side, having previously served as player-coach. He led the club to league finishes of 13th, 12th and 11th in his first 3 seasons in charge, however the 2003-04 season saw the club escape relegation by a whisker, with a last day goalless draw at Stoke City keeping them above Walsall by a single goal. John Gorman, who was Glenn Hoddle's assistant as England manager, was appointed to help Andy Hessenthaler as the side started the 2004/2005 season poorly, but as they continued to struggle at the wrong end of the table Hessenthaler resigned as manager in late November. Somewhat uniquely he continued to be employed as a player. Gorman succeeded Hessenthaler in a caretaker capacity before leaving the club to take the manager's job at Wycombe Wanderers. Gillingham then appointed former Burnley boss Stan Ternent as manager, but despite a late run of positive results, he couldn't prevent the Gills' relegation to League One on the last day of the season. In a cruel reversal of the previous season's fortunes, Crewe Alexandra, the team above them, survived by just one goal.
The 2005/06 season started with Neale Cooper being appointed as the new manager and several new players being signed. Performances, however, were largely disappointing, despite a 3-2 victory over Premiership side Portsmouth FC in the Carling Cup, and shortly after defeat in the 1st round of the FA Cup by UniBond Premier side Burscough, Neale Cooper left the club. He was replaced, initially in a caretaker capacity, by Ronnie Jepson, who had been assistant to both Ternent and Cooper. Although relegation fears dogged the club for much of the season, The Gills recovered to end the season in 14th position, by which time Paul Scally had given Jepson a 2 year contract.
Managers
| 1896-1906 | William Ironside Groombridge |
| 1906-08 | Michael Morris |
| 1908-19 | William Ironside Groombridge |
| 1919-20 | George Collins |
| 1920-23 | John McMillan |
| 1923-26 | Harry Curtis |
| 1926-29 | Albert Hoskins |
| 1929-31 | Dick Hendrie |
| 1932-37 | Fred Mavin |
| 1937-38 | Alan Ure |
| 1938-39 | Bill Harvey |
| 1939-58 | Archie Clarke |
| 1958-62 | Harry Barratt |
| 1962-65 | Freddie Cox |
| 1966-71 | Basil Hayward |
| 1971-74 | Andy Nelson |
| 1974-75 | Len Ashurst |
| 1975-81 | Gerry Summers |
| 1981-87 | Keith Peacock |
| 1987-88 | Paul Taylor |
| 1988-89 | Keith Burkinshaw |
| 1989-92 | Damien Richardson |
| 1992-93 | Glenn Roeder |
| 1993-95 | Mike Flanagan |
| 1995 | Neil Smillie (caretaker) |
| 1995-99 | Tony Pulis |
| 1999-2000 | Peter Taylor |
| 2000-04 | Andy Hessenthaler |
| 2004 | John Gorman (caretaker) |
| 2004-05 | Stan Ternent |
| 2005 | Neale Cooper |
| 2005- | Ronnie Jepson |
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Backroom Staff
- Chairman: Paul Scally
- Vice Chairman: Peter Spokes
- Manager: Ronnie Jepson
- Assistant Manager: Mick Docherty
- First team Coach: Bobby Paterson
- Youth Team Coach: Paul Hilton
- Community officer: Steve Lovell
- Senior Physio: Simon Webber
- Kit manager: Bob Lewin
- Club Secretary: Gwen Poynter
- First Team Pole Dancer: Jasmine Fields
Club colours
Since 1931 the Gills have traditionally worn blue shirts and white shorts, although for a few seasons during the 1990s black stripes were added to the shirt, recalling the original colours of the club's predecessor, New Brompton. Many fans have a particular fondness for the blue and black striped kit, as it was worn during both the club's promotion years.
In the summer of 2003 it was controversially announced the club's first choice shirts for the following season would be white, with a blue and black shirt as an away kit. After a hostile response from fans, this decision was reversed.
Famous supporters
The late ITV commentator Brian Moore was a supporter and director of the club. Wine expert Oz Clarke is a Gills fan and once invited then Gills stars Carl Asaba and Iffy Onuora as guests on his TV programme . Other celebrities who are Gills fans include comedian Chris Langham, Television presenter Kate Garraway, and actor Chris Simmonds.Comedian Dave Lee,a long time fan,is now a Director.
International players
Present
- Ian Cox - Trinidad and Tobago
- Andrew Crofts - Wales
- Brent Sancho - Trinidad and Tobago - The first Gillingham player to appear at a World Cup, at Germany 2006.
Goalkeeper Kelvin Jack has also played internationally for Trinidad and Tobago, but has not gained any caps since joining Gillingham
Past
- Jason Brown - Wales
- Tony Cascarino - Ireland
- Terry Cochrane - Northern Ireland
- Freddie Fox - England
- Damien Richardson - Ireland
- Mamady Sidibe - Mali
Famous players
- Micky Adams began his playing career at Gillingham and also had spells at Coventry City, Leeds United and Southampton. His preferred position was left-back. He has subsequently had spells as manager of Fulham, Swansea City, Brentford F.C. , Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Leicester City F.C and Coventry City.
- Gary Breen played for Maidstone United, Gillingham, Peterborough United, Birmingham City, Coventry City, West Ham United and Sunderland; and played for the Republic of Ireland on over 60 occasions and scored in the 2002 FIFA World Cup against Saudi Arabia in a 3-0 win.
- Steve Bruce began his footballing career with Gillingham on leaving school in the summer of 1977. He remained at Gillingham until 1983 when he was transferred to Norwich City, and subsequently enjoyed great success at Manchester United.
- Tony Cascarino joined Gillingham from Crockenhill in 1982. He went on to play for Millwall, Aston Villa, Celtic, Chelsea, Olympique de Marseille and Nancy, and gained 88 caps for Republic of Ireland.
- Gavin Peacock joined Gillingham from QPR in December 1987 after a loan spell for £40,000: his signing was one of the last acts as manager of Gillingham by his father, Keith Peacock.
Other former players who went on to become Football League managers include Ron Saunders, Iffy Onuora and Tony Pulis.
Rivalries
Due to Gillingham's position geographically, there have traditionally not been fierce local rivalries with neighbouring clubs, as the closest other League teams are based in London. A 2003 fan survey[1] revealed that Gillingham (as well as Macclesfield Town, Stockport County, Torquay United and York City) were not considered rivals by supporters of any other club.
- Millwall are considered by many fans to be the closest the Gills have to local rivals.
- Swindon Town - Seen by some Gillingham fans as their biggest rivals, stemming from ill-tempered matches in 1979 and 1987 [2]. While Swindon fans generally do not consider Gillingham their biggest rivals, there was violence when they met at Priestfield in the 2005/06 season, in their first meeting since a promotion play-off match in 1987.
- Maidstone United - Following their promotion in 1989, Maidstone United became Kent's second League side. A friendly rivalry with Gillingham developed over the following seasons, with several Kent derby games, until Maidstone's financial troubles forced them to resign from the League in 1992.
See also
- Brian Moore's Head Looks Uncannily Like London Planetarium - webzine devoted to the club, which previously existed from 1988-2006 as a paper fanzine. Named in honour of the club's most famous supporter, the late commentator Brian Moore.