1995–96 Gillingham F.C. season
| 1995–96 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Paul Scally | |
| Manager | Tony Pulis | |
| Football League Third Division | 2nd | |
| FA Cup | Third Round | |
| League Cup | Second Round | |
| Football League Trophy | First round | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Leo Fortune-West (12) All: Leo Fortune-West (15) | |
| Highest home attendance | 10,595 vs Preston North End (9 March 1996) | |
| Lowest home attendance | 1,866 vs Hereford United (7 November 1995) | |
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The 1995–96 season was the sixty-fourth season in which football club Gillingham competed in the Football League, and the forty-sixth since the club's return to the League in 1950. Having been saved from going out of business during the summer of 1995 after being taken over by new chairman Paul Scally, Gillingham finished the season in second place in the Football League Third Division, gaining promotion to the Second Division.[1] Goalkeeper Jim Stannard kept 29 clean sheets and conceded only 20 goals, both records for a 46-match League season.[2]
Background
In January 1995 Gillingham, after nearly a decade of financial difficulties, went into receivership, owing approximately £2,000,000,[3] leading to suggestions that the club was close to going out of existence.[4]
Football League
Gillingham began the season with a 2–1 victory at home to Wigan Athletic.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-Aug-1995 | Wigan Athletic | H | 2 – 1 | Foster, Fortune-West | 4099 |
| 19-Aug-1995 | Lincoln City | A | 3 – 0 | Fortune-West, Bailey, own goal | 2822 |
| 26-Aug-1995 | Cambridge United | H | 3 – 0 | Fortune-West, Bailey, Rattray | 5093 |
| 29-Aug-1995 | Barnet | A | 2 – 0 | Rattray, Naylor | 3077 |
| 2-Sep-1995 | Colchester United | H | 0 – 1 | 7677 | |
| 9-Sep-1995 | Scunthorpe United | A | 1 – 1 | Bailey | 2423 |
| 12-Sep-1995 | Hereford United | A | 0 – 0 | 1740 | |
| 16-Sep-1995 | Cardiff City | H | 1 – 0 | Fortune-West | 5314 |
| 23-Sep-1995 | Chester City | A | 1 – 1 | Martin | 3886 |
| 30-Sep-1995 | Bury | H | 3 – 0 | Bailey, Fortune-West 2 | 6018 |
| 7-Oct-1995 | Rochdale | H | 1 – 0 | A.Watson | 7782 |
| 14-Oct-1995 | Darlington | A | 0 – 1 | 2043 | |
| 21-Oct-1995 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 4 – 0 | O'Connor, Ratcliffe, Bailey, Harris | 6302 |
| 28-Oct-1995 | Hartlepool United | A | 1 – 1 | Bailey (pen.) | 2355 |
| 31-Oct-1995 | Exeter City | A | 0 – 0 | 3024 | |
| 4-Nov-1995 | Northampton Town | H | 0 – 0 | 7206 | |
| 18-Nov-1995 | Scarborough | A | 2 – 0 | Green, Fortune-West | 1546 |
| 25-Nov-1995 | Fulham | H | 1 – 0 | Fortune-West | 7608 |
| 16-Dec-1995 | Bury | A | 0 – 1 | 3045 | |
| 23-Dec-1995 | Preston North End | A | 0 – 0 | 10682 | |
| 26-Dec-1995 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 1 – 0 | S.Butler (pen.) | 9651 |
| 1-Jan-1996 | Leyton Orient | A | 1 – 0 | Fortune-West | 7090 |
| 9-Jan-1996 | Chester City | H | 3 – 1 | S.Butler 3 | 9186 |
| 13-Jan-1996 | Lincoln City | H | 2 – 0 | Fortune-West, Ratfcliffe | 8040 |
| 20-Jan-1996 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1 – 2 | Green | |
| 30-Jan-1996 | Mansfield Town | H | 2 – 0 | Rattray, T.Butler | 6111 |
| 3-Feb-1996 | Cambridge United | A | 0 – 0 | 4114 | |
| 10-Feb-1996 | Torquay United | H | 2 – 0 | Smith, Ratcliffe | 7116 |
| 13-Feb-1996 | Barnet | H | 1 – 0 | S.Butler | 6428 |
| 17-Feb-1996 | Hereford United | H | 1 – 1 | Castle | 6987 |
| 24-Feb-1996 | Cardiff City | A | 0 – 2 | 3028 | |
| 27-Feb-1996 | Scunthorpe United | H | 0 – 0 | 5547 | |
| 2-Mar-1996 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0 – 1 | 8540 | |
| 9-Mar-1996 | Preston North End | H | 1 – 1 | Harris | 10595 |
| 12-Mar-1996 | Torquay United | A | 0 – 0 | 2406 | |
| 16-Mar-1996 | Mansfield Town | A | 1 – 0 | Gayle | 2698 |
| 23-Mar-1996 | Leyton Orient | H | 1 – 1 | Gayle | 8004 |
| 30-Mar-1996 | Rochdale | A | 0 – 2 | 2098 | |
| 2-Apr-1996 | Darlington | H | 0 – 0 | 6419 | |
| 6-Apr-1996 | Hartlepool United | H | 2 – 0 | T.Butler, Bailey | 6263 |
| 8-Apr-1996 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 1 – 0 | Bailey | 1783 |
| 13-Apr-1996 | Exeter City | H | 1 – 0 | Puttnam | 7692 |
| 16-Apr-1996 | Colchester United | A | 1 – 1 | Gayle | 4953 |
| 20-Apr-1996 | Northampton Town | A | 1 – 1 | Fortune-West | 7427 |
| 27-Apr-1996 | Fulham | A | 0 – 0 | 10320 | |
| 4-May-1996 | Scarborough | H | 1 – 0 | Fortune-West | 10420 |
Squad statistics
| Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | League Trophy | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| Andy Ansah | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Andy Arnott | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Dennis Bailey | 45 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 10 |
| Kevin Bremner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Steve Brown | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tony Butler | 36 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 7 |
| Steve Butler | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 |
| Richard Carpenter | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Steve Castle | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Joe Dunne | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Leo Fortune-West | 40 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 15 |
| Adrian Foster | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 3 |
| Darren Freeman | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 1 |
| John Gayle | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| Richard Green | 35 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 2 |
| Mark Harris | 44 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 2 |
| Billy Manuel | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Dave Martin | 31 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 2 |
| Gary Micklewhite | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Dominic Naylor | 31 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 2 |
| Alan Nicholls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mark O'Connor | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| Dave Puttnam | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 1 |
| Simon Ratcliffe | 41 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 4 |
| Kevin Rattray | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 3 |
| Neil Smith | 37 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 1 |
| Jim Stannard | 46 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 0 |
| Glen Thomas | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Alex Watson | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Paul Watson | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
References
- ^ Brown, Tony (2003). The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record. Soccerdata. p. 105. ISBN 1-899468-20-X.
- ^ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. p. 306. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X.
- ^ Moore, Glenn (27 March 1995). "Football Commentary : Little pity for the poor relations". The Independent. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ Kelso, Paul (15 February 2002). "Scally's rocky road to Highbury". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 January 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2011.