Jump to content

History of Gillingham F.C.

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ChrisTheDude (talk | contribs) at 20:56, 25 August 2007 (→‎The Wilderness Years: 1938-1950: per PR). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For a statistical breakdown by season, see Gillingham F.C. seasons

Gillingham F.C. is an English football (soccer) club based in Gillingham, Kent. The history of Gillingham F.C. covers the years from the club's formation to the present day. The club was formed in 1893 and played in the Southern League until 1920 when that league's top division was absorbed into the Football League as its new Division Three. The "Gills" were voted out of the league in favour of Ipswich Town at the end of the 1937–38 season, but returned to the league twelve years later when it was expanded from 88 to 92 clubs. Twice in the late 1980s the team 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 Football Conference. In 2000 Gillingham reached the second tier of the English league for the first time in their history, where they spent five seasons, achieving a club record highest league finish of eleventh place in 2002–03.

In the 2007–08 season Gillingham are playing in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The Gills have traditionally been one of the league's smaller clubs, and the only honour the club has ever won at a professional level was the Football League Fourth Division championship in 1963–64.

The Early Years: 1893-1920

The New Brompton team of 1894.

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,[1] with a view to creating a football club which could compete in larger competitions. To do this, the club required an enclosed playing area where an admission fee could be charged, which Excelsior lacked.[2] New Brompton F.C. was formed from the meeting, incorporating a number of Excelsior players. The gentlemen also purchased the plot of land which would later become Priestfield Stadium,[3] where a pitch was quickly laid and a pavilion constructed.[2] On 2 September 1893, New Brompton played their first competitive match, sporting Excelsior's black and white stripes, with the new team being defeated 1–5 by Woolwich Arsenal's reserve side in front of a crowd of 2,000.[4] The club was accepted into the FA Cup and FA Amateur Cup for the first time, and was successful in winning the Chatham Charity Cup.[4]

New Brompton joined the Southern League upon its creation in 1894, although as one of the last clubs to be invited to join, they were placed in Division Two. Upon joining the league, New Brompton turned professional, with the players agreeing to be paid 12 shillings per match, and promptly won the Division Two championship in their first season of league competition (1894–95). 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 of Division One. As 5–1 winners, New Brompton were promoted, taking Swindon's place in Division One the following season.[5] In 1896 the club appointed its first known manager, William Ironside Groombridge, who continued to be associated with the club until well after World War I.[6]

File:StephenSmith1895.jpg
Stephen Smith managed New Brompton from 1906 to 1908

Following their promotion New Brompton struggled in Division One, generally finishing close to the foot of the table. In 1899 the team reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time, where they lost 1–0 to Southampton. In the same season the club was forced to play a league fixture at the home ground of Woolwich Arsenal when Priestfield was closed due to crowd trouble in a match aganst Millwall.[7]

In the 1907–08 season, under the management of the former England international Stephen Smith,[8] the team finished bottom of the table, [9] avoiding relegation only due to the expansion of the league, although they did manage a cup victory over First Division Sunderland, remembered for a hat-trick from Charlie McGibbon.[7]

In 1913 the club renamed itself Gillingham F.C. as a result of the growth of the Borough of Gillingham,[10] and adopted a new kit of red shirts with blue sleeves.[11] The side again finished bottom of the division in the 1914–15 season, but avoided relegation for a second time when the league was suspended due to the escalation of World War I.

Once the competition resumed after the war Gillingham, now back in their earlier kit of black and white,[11] continued to fare poorly, again finishing bottom of Division One in the 1919–20 season. For a third time, however, the club avoided relegation, due to the subsequent elevation of all Southern League Division One clubs to form the new Football League Division Three.[12]

Into the Football League: 1920-1938

The Gillingham team line up before their first ever Football League match in 1920.

In their first match in the newly-created Football League Division Three, Gillingham held Southampton to a 1–1 draw in front of a club record crowd of 11,500, with Tom Gilbey scoring the club's first goal in league competition.[13] Under new manager John McMillan the team struggled and finished the 1920–21 season bottom of the table, and in the years to follow there was little improvement on this, the club regularly finishing in the lower reaches of the bottom division. Gillingham did not manage to finish in the top half of the table until 1925–26,[14] when they finished in 10th place, due mainly to the goals of Dick Edmed, who was promptly signed by Liverpool for a fee of £1,750, a new Gillingham record.[15] Manager Harry Curtis departed soon afterwards to take over at Brentford,[16] and former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Albert Hoskins stepped down a division to manage the club,[17] but he could do little to change the team's fortunes and left in 1929 after the team finished bottom of the table once again.[18]

Striker Fred Cheesmur set a new club record in the 1929–30 season when he scored six goals in a match against Merthyr Town. This remains to this day the highest number of goals scored by a Gillingham player in a professional match,[19] but it was not enough to save Gillingham from having to apply for re-election to the league. The following year the club abandoned its traditional black and white striped shirts in favour of blue shirts and white shorts, colours which have remained associated with Gillingham ever since,[11] although the black and white stripes are still visible in the current version of the club's badge. In 1932–33 former Crystal Palace manager Fred Maven led Gillingham to their highest league finish to date when they ended the season in 7th place,[20] but it was a feat which could not be repeated and the team returned to struggling at the foot of the table once again.[14]

Sim Raleigh died as a result of an injury sustained during a match in 1934.

The 1934–35 season was marked by tragedy when, in a match against Brighton & Hove Albion on 1 December, centre-forward Sim Raleigh, the club's top scorer the previous season and a player seen as a future star,[21] suffered a haemorrhage following a blow to the head and died in hospital later the same day. The club raised over £250 for his widow and child.[22]

In 1938 the Gills finished bottom of the Third Division South once more, and were required to apply for re-election to the Football League for the fifth time since joining it in 1920. This time their bid for re-election failed, with Ipswich Town registering 36 votes to Gillingham's 28 and being promoted into the League in their place. At the time it was considered a distinct possibility that the club, saddled with heavy debts incurred during the preceding unsuccessful seasons, might fold altogether,[23] but the club carried on, and returned to the Southern League the following season, albeit without manager Alan Ure, who was replaced by Bill Harvey.[24]

The Wilderness Years: 1938-1950

The club's second stint in the Southern League was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II in 1939, which saw newly-appointed manager Archie Clark and most of the players assigned to work at the local dockyards.[22] When competitive football resumed, Gillingham played in the Kent League (not the same league that exists today), where they dominated, winning the title in both 1944–45 and 1945–46.[25] In the second of these seasons they also won the Kent Senior Cup, Kent County Challenge Cup and Kent League Cup, to complete a clean sweep of every senior trophy in the county.[22] Following their Kent League triumphs, the Gills returned to the Southern League for the 1946–47 season, in which the team again won two trophies, claiming both the Southern League Cup and the Southern League title itself, and registered a club record 12–1 victory over Gloucester City. Striker Hughie Russell scored nine goals in the match, and hit the bar late in the game with a shot which could have given him ten.[26]

Although Gillingham were pipped to the Southern League title the following season, finishing as runners-up,[9] they again captured the Kent Senior Cup, as well as setting a club record attendance of 23,002 for a cup match against Queens Park Rangers.[27] Gillingham applied for re-election to the Football League in the summer of 1948 but, despite producing a glossy brochure detailing the team's achievements, the club saw its application rejected, with only one vote cast in its favour.[26] Despite this disappointment, the team continued to perform strongly in the Southern League and successfully regained the league title in 1948–49.[9] In 1950 plans were announced to expand the Football League Division Three South from 22 to 24 teams and, taking into account their local success in the interim, Gillingham were re-elected to the Football League, receiving the highest number of votes amongst the candidate clubs.[28]

Return to the Football League: 1950-1974

In their first game back in the Football League, Gillingham held fellow new entrants Colchester United to a 0–0 draw at Priestfield in front of 19,542 fans.[29] The 1950–51 season saw the Gills both concede and score nine goals in individual matches,[30] and finished with them bottom of the table, a performance which was repeated the following season.[14] In 1952 striker Jimmy Scarth wrote his name into the record books with a lightning-fast hat-trick against Leyton Orient which was officially recognised as the fastest hat-trick in the history of the Football League until February 2004.[31]

The team gradually pulled themselves up the table and finished in the top half of the Third Division (South) on three occasions, helped by the goals of Ernie Morgan, who in 1954–55 set a new club record by scoring 31 league goals.[32] In 1956–57 and 1957–58, however, the Gills found themselves once again rooted firmly to the bottom of the table, and this meant that with the restructuring of the league system for the 1958–59 season, Gillingham were placed in the newly-created Fourth Division - a top-half finish would have led to placement in the newly national Third Division.[14] 1958 also saw the departure of long-serving manager Archie Clark, who had held the post since before World War II, with Harry Barratt taking over in the hot-seat.[24]

The top of the Division 4 table for the 1963–64 season, showing the tight finish between Gillingham and Carlisle

The Gills were still in the Fourth Division in 1962 when Barratt was replaced as manager by Freddie Cox, who inherited a team which had just finished 20th in the table. Cox set about fashioning a formidable defensively-oriented team[33] which finished in 5th place in 1962–63 and went on to gain promotion the following year, winning the first and thus far only championship in the club's history. With goalkeeper John Simpson setting a new club record by conceding only 30 goals all season,[34] the team finished the season level on 60 points with Carlisle United, but with a fractionally better goal average and thus claimed the championship in the tightest finish in Football League history.[35]

Gillingham initially performed well at the higher level, twice coming close to promotion, but performances then declined and the team were relegated back to the Fourth Division in 1970–71.[36] They quickly bounced back, however, and were promoted back to the Third Division in 1973–74 under the management of Andy Nelson.[37] With the help of players such as Brian Yeo, who equalled Ernie Morgan's record for most league goals in a season with 31, the team scored a record total of 90 league goals on their way to finishing as runners-up to Peterborough United.[38]

Consolidation, then collapse: 1974-1995

After guiding the club to promotion Andy Nelson left to take over as manager of Charlton Athletic[39] and was replaced by Len Ashurst, but his managerial reign lasted only 16 months.[24] Gerry Summers took over and was to take the team the closest they had ever come to promotion to Division Two when, in 1978–79, the Kent club finished just one point off a promotion place,[40] but two years later Summers was sacked, to be replaced by Keith Peacock.[41] Peacock put together a team which developed a reputation for exciting, attacking play,[42] and also brought through the ranks a number of young players who went on to achieve success at a higher level, including Micky Adams,[43] Steve Bruce,[44] and Tony Cascarino, who was famously bought from non-league Crockenhill in exchange for a set of tracksuits.[45] The team came close to promotion several times during his reign, with four top-six finishes in six years,[14] and in 1986–87 reached the play-offs (in their first year of existence) only to lose in the final to Swindon Town.[33] Deadlocked at 2–2 after the home and away legs of the final, the two teams had to play a third match at a neutral venue, which Swindon won 2–0.[14]

File:TownEnd1980s.jpg
Gillingham (blue shirts) in action in a match from the 1985-86 season.

The team's failure to gain promotion meant that they would be unable to hang on to the ambitious Cascarino,[46] who was sold to Millwall for £225,000, but despite the loss of the team's star striker the Gills' 1987–88 season began with a flurry of goals. On consecutive Saturdays the team beat Southend United 8–1 and Chesterfield 10–0 (the latter a new club record for a professional match), but the early-season promise faded and in December Peacock was controversially sacked after a 6–0 defeat to Aldershot.[47] His assistant, Paul Taylor, was promoted to manager, but after an unsuccessful spell in charge Taylor was himself replaced in October 1988 by former Tottenham Hotspur manager Keith Burkinshaw.[24] Burkinshaw was unable to turn the team's fortunes around, however, and departed shortly before the club's relegation to Division Four was confirmed at the end of the 1988–89 season.[33]

Former Gillingham player Damien Richardson became the club's next manager, with veteran goalkeeper Ron Hillyard as his assistant, but the club's financial situation was poor and the pair struggled to produce results with a squad comprised of ageing journeymen and untried youngsters, and both men were sacked in September 1992,[48] with Glenn Roeder taking over as manager.[49] The Gills' league status was at stake for most of the 1992–93 Division Three campaign, with relegation to the Football Conference a distinct possibility until the last home match of the season, when a 2–0 win over Halifax Town ensured the club's survival.[33] Nonetheless, the financial crisis continued at Priestfield, and steadily improving league form over the next two seasons did little to disguise the fact that Gillingham were in real danger of going out of existence.[50]

The club eventually went into receivership in January 1995,[51] and by the end of the 1994–95 season, with the club facing the threat of being expelled from the Football League and closed down, fans were wondering whether they had seen the last ever Gills match.[51] However help was on its way in the form of a last ditch purchase of the club.[33][50]

The Paul Scally era: 1995 to present

In June 1995 a London-based former office supplies salesman, Paul Scally, stepped in and bought the club for a nominal fee from former owners Tony and Val Smith.[50][52] Scally brought in new manager Tony Pulis, who signed almost a complete new team and led Gillingham to promotion in his first season, finishing second in Division Three (now Football League Two).[14] This season was also notable for the fact that the team only conceded 20 league goals - a league record for a 46-game season. In 1999 the Gills reached the playoffs, but lost in the Football League Second Division play-off final against Manchester City. Following goals by the prolific partnership of Robert 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 injury time, and after that win a penalty shoot-out 3–1.[53]

Gillingham fans at the 2000 Division Two play-off final.

Soon after the play-off loss, Pulis was sacked for gross misconduct [54] and Peter Taylor appointed manager. In the 2000–01 season Gillingham went on a club record breaking FA Cup run, beating then-Premiership teams Bradford City and Sheffield Wednesday before reaching the quarter-finals where they lost 5–0 to Chelsea.[14] They also finished in third place in the league and thus qualified for the play-offs again, where they faced Wigan Athletic at Wembley Stadium in the final. The game finished 1–1 after 90 minutes but thanks to goals in extra time from substitutes Steve Butler and Andy Thomson the club was promoted to Division One for the first time.[53] As Taylor had only signed a one-year deal, Leicester City, then in the Premiership, approached him to be their new manager. Former team captain Andy Hessenthaler was appointed player-manager of the side, having previously served as player-coach,[55] and led the club to league finishes of 13th, 12th and 11th in his first three seasons in charge.[14]

Nicky Southall slumps to the ground in despair after the Gills' relegation in 2005

In contrast the 2003–04 season saw the club escape relegation by the narrowest of margins, with a last day goalless draw keeping them above Walsall on goal difference, with just one goal separating the two teams.[56] John Gorman was appointed to help Hessenthaler as the side started the 2004–05 season poorly, but as they continued to struggle at the wrong end of the table Hessenthaler resigned as manager in late November. Somewhat unusually he continued to be employed as a player.[57] Gorman succeeded Hessenthaler in a caretaker capacity but left the club to take the manager's job at Wycombe Wanderers.[58] Gillingham then appointed former Burnley boss Stan Ternent as manager,[59] 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 reversal of the previous season's fortunes, Crewe Alexandra, the team above them, survived by just one goal.[60]

Ronnie Jepson was appointed Gillingham manager in 2005

The 2005–06 season started with Neale Cooper being appointed as the new manager,[61] but, although the team registered a 3–2 victory over Premiership side Portsmouth in the Football League Cup, they struggled in the league, and shortly after defeat in the first round of the FA Cup by Northern Premier League side Burscough, Cooper left the club.[62] He was replaced by Ronnie Jepson,[62][63] who led the team to a mid-table finish which was repeated the following season.[64]

References

  1. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ a b "Local history: Gillingham Football Club". Medway Council. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  3. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p8. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ a b Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p4. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p5. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ "W I Groombridge's managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
  7. ^ a b Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p6. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ "Player Profile: Stephen Smith". England FC. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
  9. ^ a b c "England - Southern League Final Tables". RSSSF. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  10. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p9. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ a b c "Gillingham". www.historicalkits.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
  12. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p10. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p11. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Gillingham". The Football Club History Database. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
  15. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p12. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ "Harry Curtis's managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  17. ^ "Albert Hoskins's managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  18. ^ "England 1928-29". RSSSF. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  19. ^ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. p349. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  20. ^ "England 1932-33". RSSSF. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  21. ^ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. p347. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  22. ^ a b c Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p13. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  23. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p14. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  24. ^ a b c d "Manager History for Gillingham". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  25. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p54. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  26. ^ a b Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p16. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  27. ^ "Gillingham all time records". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  28. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. p. 19. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  29. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p20. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  30. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p44. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  31. ^ Mark Mitchener (2004-02-25). "Hayter keeps feet on ground". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  32. ^ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. p226. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  33. ^ a b c d e "Gillingham FC History (1893- )". Gillingham F.C. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
  34. ^ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. p295. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  35. ^ Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893-1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p26. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  36. ^ "Season 1970-71". RSSSF. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  37. ^ "Season 1973-74". RSSSF. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  38. ^ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. p344. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  39. ^ "Andy Nelson". Charlton Athletic F.C. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  40. ^ "Season 1978-79". RSSSF. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  41. ^ Keith Pestell (2000-06-01). "History Page 3". GillsConnect.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  42. ^ Haydn Parry (2000-10-21). "Past players; Terry Cochrane". Gillingham F.C. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  43. ^ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. p38. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  44. ^ Haydn Parry (2000-09-16). "Past Players: Steve Bruce". Gillingham F.C. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
  45. ^ Matt Davison. "Past Players: Tony Cascarino". Gillingham F.C. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
  46. ^ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. p84. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  47. ^ Christopher Davies (2004-01-01). "Peacock's proud return evokes worthy memories". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  48. ^ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. p158. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  49. ^ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. p278. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  50. ^ a b c Paul Kelso (2002-02-15). "Scally's rocky road to Highbury". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  51. ^ a b Glenn Moore (1995-03-27). "FOOTBALL COMMENTARY : Little pity for the poor relations". The Independent. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  52. ^ "The Magic Flowers - Sunday March 26th 1995 to Monday May 29th 2000". www.gillingham-mad.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
  53. ^ a b "Play-Off Finals". The Football League. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
  54. ^ "Who is Tony Pulis?". www.vitalfootball.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
  55. ^ Keith Pestell (2006-06-21). "Andy Hessenthaler Testimonial: Ticket details". Gills Connect. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
  56. ^ "England 2003/2004". RSSSF. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  57. ^ "Hessenthaler steps down at Gills". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
  58. ^ "Gorman appointed Wycombe manager". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
  59. ^ "Gills unveil Ternent as manager". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
  60. ^ "England 2004/2005". RSSSF. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  61. ^ "Cooper named as Gillingham boss". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
  62. ^ a b "Gillingham manager Cooper resigns". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
  63. ^ "Jepson braced for crucial meeting". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
  64. ^ "England 2006/2007". RSSSF. Retrieved 2007-08-24.

Template:Fb start

Template:Fb end

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_Gillingham_F.C.&oldid=153614356"