Английская Википедия:1994–95 Gillingham F.C. season

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Шаблон:Featured article Шаблон:Use British English Шаблон:Use dmy dates Шаблон:Infobox football club season During the 1994–95 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League Third Division, the fourth tier of the English football league system. It was the 63rd season in which Gillingham competed in the Football League, and the 45th since the club was voted back into the league in 1950. In January 1995, after several seasons spent near the bottom of the Football League and nearly a decade of financial difficulties, the club was declared insolvent and placed in receivership. Mike Flanagan was made redundant as the club's manager and replaced by player-coach Neil Smillie for the remainder of the season. Gillingham finished the season 19th in the Third Division, but the club's continued existence remained in doubt until June, when it was purchased by businessman Paul Scally.

In addition to the Football League, Gillingham competed in three knock-out competitions. The team reached the third round of the FA Cup, at which stage they lost to Sheffield Wednesday of the FA Premier League, and the second round of the Football League Trophy, but were eliminated at the earliest stage of the Football League Cup. Gillingham played a total of 50 competitive matches, winning 12, drawing 12, and losing 26. Chris Pike was the team's leading goalscorer with 18 goals. Paul Watson made the most appearances, playing 47 times. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground, Priestfield Stadium, was 10,425, for the FA Cup game against Sheffield Wednesday. The lowest attendance was 963, for a Football League Trophy game against Brighton & Hove Albion, which was the smallest crowd recorded for a competitive match at Priestfield for more than 20 years.

Background and pre-season

Footballer Ron Hillyard
The club staged a testimonial match for former long-serving player Ron Hillyard (pictured in 2001).

The 1994–95 season was Gillingham's 63rd season playing in the Football League and the 45th since the club was elected back into the League in 1950 after being voted out in 1938.Шаблон:Sfn It was the club's sixth consecutive season in the English football league system's fourth tier, which had been named the Football League Third Division since 1992.Шаблон:Sfn Since being relegated to the fourth tier in 1989, Gillingham had only once finished in the top half of the league table, with a low point in the 1992–93 season when the team finished 21st out of 22 teams and narrowly avoided being relegated into non-League football.Шаблон:Sfn In the 1993–94 season, Gillingham had finished 16th.[1]

At the start of the 1994–95 season, Mike Flanagan was the club's manager, a position he had held since the summer of 1993.Шаблон:Sfn He was assisted by Neil Smillie, who held the position of player-coach.Шаблон:Sfn Adrian Foster, a forward, was the only new player to join the club before the start of the season, arriving from Torquay United for a transfer fee of Шаблон:Inflation.Шаблон:Sfn Gillingham lost their top goalscorer of the previous season, however, as Nicky Forster rejected the offer of a new contract and left to join Brentford of the Second Division, for which Gillingham received a fee of Шаблон:Inflation.Шаблон:Sfn

The team prepared for the new season with a number of friendly matches, including a testimonial match for Ron Hillyard, who played for the club from 1974 until 1990,[2]Шаблон:Sfn and a match to mark the club's centenary, which had been celebrated during the preceding season. Arsenal of the FA Premier League provided the opposition for the centenary match;[3] the same club, then known as Woolwich Arsenal, had been the opposition in the first match contested by Gillingham, then known as New Brompton, in 1893.Шаблон:Sfn The previous season's kit was retained for a further year. It had been designed to mark the club's centenary and added panels of black and white stripes to the usual blue shirts, which were worn with white shorts and socks;Шаблон:Sfn the club's original shirts when it was founded in 1893 featured black and white stripes.Шаблон:Sfn The away kit, to be worn in the event of a clash of colours with the home team, was all red with similar black and white panels on the shirts.Шаблон:Sfn

Third Division

August–December

Springfield_Park
Gillingham won their first away game of the season at Wigan Athletic's Springfield Park (pictured Шаблон:Circa 1982), but did not win another Third Division match away from home in 1994.

Gillingham's first match was at home to Hartlepool United and resulted in a goalless draw.Шаблон:Sfn Foster made his debut, but had to be substituted after injuring his ankle. Although he was able to continue playing for two weeks, the injury then recurred and kept him out of the team until November.Шаблон:Sfn He scored his first goal for the team in the second league match of the season, a 3–0 victory away to Wigan Athletic; this was Gillingham's biggest win away from home for more than three years.Шаблон:Sfn The team extended their unbeaten run from the start of the season to three games with a 1–1 draw at home to Rochdale but then lost away games against Scunthorpe United and Exeter City.Шаблон:Sfn In Foster's absence, Andy Arnott was brought into the starting line-up against Scunthorpe for the first time since the opening game of the season.Шаблон:Sfn Neither he nor fellow forward Paul Baker were able to score against Scunthorpe or Exeter, however, and Gillingham lost both games 3–0.Шаблон:Sfn In response to the lack of goals, Flanagan signed Scottish forward Paul Ritchie on loan from Dundee.Шаблон:Sfn It was the second loan spell at Priestfield Stadium for Ritchie, who had played six Third Division games for Gillingham in 1993.Шаблон:Sfn He scored on his second debut for Gillingham to help the team to a 3–1 win at home to Scarborough on 10 September.Шаблон:Sfn

Gillingham then began a run of consecutive defeats, losing at home to Preston North End and away to Hartlepool and Walsall.Шаблон:Sfn With Foster still out of action and Ritchie due to return to Dundee, Flanagan signed experienced Welsh forward Chris Pike from Hereford United for Шаблон:Inflation;Шаблон:Sfn he made his debut on 1 October at home to Mansfield Town.Шаблон:Sfn The match resulted in a fourth consecutive league defeat, leaving Gillingham 20th in the table, only two places off the bottom of the entire Football League.Шаблон:Sfn[4] A week later, Pike scored his first goal at home to Torquay United as Gillingham won 1–0 to end the run of defeats.Шаблон:Sfn He scored four more goals in the next four games, which resulted in two defeats, one win, and one draw,Шаблон:Sfn after which Gillingham had risen to 17th in the table.[5]

Gillingham extended their unbeaten league run to four games with two more draws in the last two games of November, but then began December with consecutive defeats at home to Wigan Athletic and away to Rochdale.Шаблон:Sfn Paul Watson, the only player to have played in every game up to this point in the season,Шаблон:Sfn was sent off in the defeat to Wigan.[6] Foster scored his first goal since August against Rochdale.Шаблон:Sfn Gillingham ended the year by playing three games in six days. On Boxing Day the team won 4–1 at home to Fulham, the first time Gillingham had scored four goals in a game for nearly two years. The attendance of 4,737 would prove to be the largest of the season for a Third Division game at Priestfield.Шаблон:Sfn The following day Gillingham lost 1–0 away to Barnet. The team's final match of 1994 was a 1–0 defeat at home to Carlisle United on New Year's Eve; Gillingham finished the year 18th in the table.Шаблон:Sfn[7] Although the team had only lost 3 of 10 league games at Priestfield up to this point in the season, their league position suffered from the fact that they had only won once and drawn twice in 11 games on their opponents' grounds, the worst away record in the division.[8][9]

January–May

Sixfields Stadium
Gillingham's first league match of 1995 took place at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium.

On 9 January, after nearly a decade of financial difficulties and with debts estimated at £2 million (equivalent to £Шаблон:Inflation million in Шаблон:Inflation/year), the club was declared insolvent and placed in receivership. Administrators from accountants Kidsons Impey took over the day-to-day running of the club while searching for a buyer.Шаблон:Sfn[10] The first game after this announcement was away to Northampton Town and resulted in a 2–0 defeat for Gillingham, the team's third consecutive league defeat.Шаблон:Sfn The next game, which did not take place until 4 February due to the postponement of two scheduled matches,Шаблон:Sfn was a goalless draw at home to Lincoln City, the fourth consecutive league game in which the team had failed to score;Шаблон:Sfn the result meant that Gillingham had again slipped to 20th in the table.[11] The team ended the goalless run with a 2–1 victory away to Doncaster Rovers in the first game of February, Pike scoring twice.Шаблон:Sfn It was the first time Gillingham had won away from home in the Third Division since August.Шаблон:Sfn The team's form away from home remained poor, however; they played three further away matches during February, against Chesterfield, Darlington and Mansfield Town, and lost all three without scoring a goal.Шаблон:Sfn

On 28 February, three days after Gillingham lost to Mansfield, the administrators made Flanagan redundant as a cost-saving measure; Smillie was appointed player-manager for the remainder of the season.Шаблон:Sfn[12] His first game in charge resulted in a 3–1 defeat at home to Walsall.Шаблон:Sfn Following this game, however, Gillingham did not lose for five games, their longest unbeaten run of the season.Шаблон:Sfn The sequence began with a 0–0 draw away to Scarborough, only the second time in the last eight away games that Gillingham had not lost, and continued with a 2–2 draw at home to Scunthorpe United.Шаблон:Sfn Gillingham then won 3–0 at home to Exeter City, another team struggling near the foot of the division,[13] before achieving draws away to Preston North End and at home to Bury.Шаблон:Sfn In the game at Preston, defender Joe Dunne scored his only goal in over 130 games played for Gillingham between 1990 and 1996.Шаблон:Sfn Steve Brown, newly signed from Colchester United in a player exchange deal under which Robbie Reinelt was transferred in the opposite direction,Шаблон:Sfn made his debut against Bury in place of Pike and scored Gillingham's goal; Brown would start every game for the remainder of the season, paired with either Foster or Pike.Шаблон:Sfn The unbeaten run ended with a defeat away to Carlisle United, which was followed three days later by another at home to Colchester.Шаблон:Sfn

Gillingham beat Barnet 2–1 at Priestfield on 15 April to climb slightly to 18th in the table,[14] but two days later lost 1–0 away to Fulham.Шаблон:Sfn On 22 April, Pike achieved the team's only hat-trick of the season, scoring three times in a 4–2 win over Doncaster Rovers.Шаблон:Sfn The final home game of the season was a goalless draw with Hereford United; at the end of the game the Gillingham fans invaded the pitch to mark what many believed could be the last game ever played at Priestfield due to the club's still-unresolved financial issues.Шаблон:Sfn Gillingham's last game of the season was away to Torquay United and resulted in a 3–1 defeat, which meant that Gillingham finished 19th in the 22-team Third Division.Шаблон:Sfn Even if they had finished bottom (which would normally have resulted in relegation into non-League football) they would have retained their League status as Macclesfield Town, who won the fifth-tier Football Conference, were ineligible for promotion because their stadium did not meet the required standard.Шаблон:Sfn

Match details

Key

Шаблон:Col-begin Шаблон:Col-2

  • In result column, Gillingham's score shown first
  • H = Home match
  • A = Away match

Шаблон:Col-2

Шаблон:Col-end

ResultsШаблон:Sfn
Date Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
13 August 1994 Hartlepool United (H) 0–0 2,959
20 August 1994 Wigan Athletic (A) 3–0 Foster, Reinelt, Watson 1,514
27 August 1994 Rochdale (H) 1–1 Butler 3,009
30 August 1994 Scunthorpe United (A) 0–3 2,098
3 September 1994 Exeter City (A) 0–3 2,241
10 September 1994 Scarborough (H) 3–1 Palmer, Ritchie, Baker 2,438
13 September 1994 Preston North End (H) 2–3 Smith, Baker 2,653
17 September 1994 Hartlepool United (A) 0–2 1,756
24 September 1994 Walsall (A) 1–2 Micklewhite 3,654
1 October 1994 Mansfield Town (H) 0–2 2,569
8 October 1994 Torquay United (H) 1–0 Pike 2,450
15 October 1994 Hereford United (A) 1–2 Arnott 2,470
22 October 1994 Bury (A) 2–3 Pike (2, 1 pen.) 2,976
29 October 1994 Darlington (H) 2–1 Pike, Smillie 2,841
5 November 1994 Colchester United (A) 2–2 Reinelt, Pike 3,817
19 November 1994 Chesterfield (H) 1–1 Reinelt 2,730
26 November 1994 Lincoln City (A) 1–1 Arnott 2,919
10 December 1994 Wigan Athletic (H) 0–1 2,257
17 December 1994 Rochdale (A) 1–2 Foster 1,665
26 December 1994 Fulham (H) 4–1 Reinelt, Micklewhite, Foster (2) 4,737
27 December 1994 Barnet (A) 0–1 2,074
31 December 1994 Carlisle United (H) 0–1 3,709
14 January 1995 Northampton Town (A) 0–2 5,529
4 February 1995 Lincoln City (H) 0–0 4,191
7 February 1995 Doncaster Rovers (A) 2–1 Pike (2) 1,740
11 February 1995 Chesterfield (A) 0–2 3,070
18 February 1995 Northampton Town (H) 3–1 Ramage, Green, Foster 4,072
21 February 1995 Darlington (A) 0–2 1,548
25 February 1995 Mansfield Town (A) 0–4 3,182
4 March 1995 Walsall (H) 1–3 Foster 3,757
11 March 1995 Scarborough (A) 0–0 1,949
18 March 1995 Scunthorpe United (H) 2–2 Foster, Pike 2,501
25 March 1995 Exeter City (H) 3–0 Foster, Pike (pen.), Butler 3,364
1 April 1995 Preston North End (A) 1–1 Dunne 9,095
4 April 1995 Bury (H) 1–1 Brown 2,957
8 April 1995 Carlisle United (A) 0–2 6,786
11 April 1995 Colchester United (H) 1–3 Watson 3,404
15 April 1995 Barnet (H) 2–1 Brown, Pike 3,457
17 April 1995 Fulham (A) 0–1 3,612
22 April 1995 Doncaster Rovers (H) 4–2 Kirby (o.g.), Pike (3) 3,069
29 April 1995 Hereford United (H) 0–0 4,200
6 May 1995 Torquay United (A) 1–3 Stamps (o.g.) 2,638

Partial league table

Шаблон:Main {{#invoke:sports table|main|style=WDL| |float=left |teamwidth=auto |title=Football League Third Division final table, bottom positions |res_col_header=PR

|highest_pos=17 |team17=WRE|name_WRE=Northampton Town |team18=POR|name_POR=Hartlepool United |team19=GIL|name_GIL=Gillingham |team20=BRE|name_BRE=Darlington |team21=BUR|name_BUR=Scarborough |team22=CHE|name_CHE=Exeter City

|win_WRE=10|draw_WRE=14|loss_WRE=18|gf_WRE=45|ga_WRE=67 |win_POR=11|draw_POR=10|loss_POR=21|gf_POR=43|ga_POR=69 |win_GIL=10|draw_GIL=11|loss_GIL=21|gf_GIL=46|ga_GIL=64 |win_BRE=11|draw_BRE=8|loss_BRE=23|gf_BRE=43|ga_BRE=57 |win_BUR=8|draw_BUR=10|loss_BUR=24|gf_BUR=49|ga_BUR=70 |win_CHE=8|draw_CHE=10|loss_CHE=24|gf_CHE=36|ga_CHE=70

|update=complete|title_source=Шаблон:Sfn }} Шаблон:-

Cup matches

FA Cup

As a Third Division team, Gillingham entered the 1994–95 FA Cup in the first round and were paired with Heybridge Swifts of the Isthmian League First Division, three levels lower in the English football league system. Heybridge had progressed through five qualifying rounds to reach this stage of the competition for the first time.Шаблон:Sfn[15] Due to Heybridge's stadium failing to meet the requirements for this stage of the competition, the match was played at Colchester United's Layer Road ground.Шаблон:Sfn Gillingham defeated their semi-professional opponents 2–0.Шаблон:Sfn In the second round, they played fellow Third Division team Fulham at Priestfield; the initial match finished 1–1, necessitating a replay at Fulham's Craven Cottage stadium. The replay also finished 1–1 but the rules of the competition meant that on this occasion extra time was played; Reinelt scored the winning goal during the extra period.Шаблон:Sfn In the third round, Gillingham played Sheffield Wednesday of the Premier League; the match drew a crowd of 10,425, the largest attendance recorded at Priestfield since 1987.Шаблон:Sfn Sheffield Wednesday took a 2–0 lead in the first half and, despite having their starting goalkeeper, Kevin Pressman, sent off and Pike scoring from a penalty kick, the Premier League team held on for a 2–1 victory. David Hunn of the Sunday Times wrote that Gillingham "dashed incessantly at their mighty but depleted visitors" and "went hell for leather for the equaliser" but were thwarted by substitute goalkeeper Lance Key.[16]

Match details

Key

Шаблон:Col-begin Шаблон:Col-2

  • In result column, Gillingham's score shown first
  • H = Home match
  • A = Away match

Шаблон:Col-2

Шаблон:Col-end

ResultsШаблон:Sfn
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
11 November 1994 First Heybridge Swifts (A)Шаблон:Ref label 2–0 Reinelt, Pike 4,614
3 December 1994 Second Fulham (H) 1–1 Pike 6,253
13 December 1994 Second (replay) Fulham (A) 2–1 Pike, Reinelt 6,536
7 January 1995 Third Sheffield Wednesday (H) 1–2 Pike (pen.) 10,425

a. Шаблон:Note The match was played at Colchester United's Layer Road ground, but remained officially a home game for Heybridge rather than being considered to have taken place at a neutral venue.Шаблон:Sfn

Football League Cup

As a Third Division team, Gillingham entered the 1994–95 Football League Cup in the first round and were paired with Reading of the Football League First Division, the second tier of English football. Gillingham lost the first leg of the two-legged tie 1–0 and the second 3–0 and were eliminated from the competition by an aggregate score of 4–0.Шаблон:Sfn

Match details

Key

Шаблон:Col-begin Шаблон:Col-2

  • In result column, Gillingham's score shown first
  • H = Home match
  • A = Away match

Шаблон:Col-2

Шаблон:Col-end

ResultsШаблон:Sfn
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
16 August 1994 First (first leg) Reading (H) 0–1 2,556
23 August 1994 First (second leg) Reading (A) 0–3 3,436

Football League Trophy

The 1994–95 Football League Trophy, a tournament exclusively for Second and Third Division teams, began with a round in which the teams were drawn into groups of three, contested on a round-robin basis. Gillingham were grouped with Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion, both of the Second Division. Gillingham's first match was at home to Brighton and resulted in a 1–1 draw;Шаблон:Sfn the game drew an attendance of only 963, the lowest crowd for a competitive match at Priestfield since 1973.Шаблон:Sfn Gillingham's second group match was away to Brentford, who had already won their match against Brighton to top the group with maximum points from their two games.Шаблон:Sfn Gillingham lost 3–1 and finished the group stage with one point, the same as Brighton, but Pike's goal meant that his team finished second and qualified for the next round as they had scored more goals in total than Brighton. Gillingham's opponents in the second round were Birmingham City, another Second Division team.Шаблон:Sfn The game was played at Birmingham's St Andrew's stadium and drew a crowd of 17,028, by far the largest attendance for a match involving Gillingham during the season.Шаблон:Sfn Birmingham won 3–0 to eliminate Gillingham from the competition.Шаблон:Sfn

Match details

Key

Шаблон:Col-begin Шаблон:Col-2

  • In result column, Gillingham's score shown first
  • H = Home match
  • A = Away match

Шаблон:Col-2

Шаблон:Col-end

ResultsШаблон:Sfn
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
27 September 1994 First (group) Brighton & Hove Albion (H) 1–1 Carpenter 963
8 November 1994 First (group) Brentford (A) 1–3 Pike 1,795
29 November 1994 Second Birmingham City (A) 0–3 17,028

Player details

Footballer Darren Freeman
Darren Freeman (pictured in 2017) made his debut for the club in March.Шаблон:Sfn

During the course of the season, 31 players played for Gillingham in competitive matches. Watson made the most appearances, playing in 47 of the team's 50 games. He missed the final three Third Division matches of 1994,Шаблон:Sfn but played in every other league game as well as every game in the FA Cup, League Cup, and League Trophy. Four other players made over 40 appearances: Richard Green (44), Steve Banks and Gary Micklewhite (both 43), and Tony Butler (40). In contrast, both Jon Hooker and Abdul Kamara played only in one League Trophy match; in both cases it was the only appearance the player ever made for Gillingham.Шаблон:Sfn

Seventeen players scored at least one goal for Gillingham during the season. Pike was the top scorer with 13 goals in the Third Division and 18 in total. Foster was the only other player to reach double figures, scoring 8 goals in Third Division matches and 10 in total.Шаблон:Sfn

Player statisticsШаблон:Sfn
Player Position Third Division FA Cup League Cup League Trophy Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Шаблон:Sortname FW 28 2 4 0 2 0 2 0 36 2
Шаблон:Sortname FW 8 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 10 2
Шаблон:Sortname GK 38 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 43 0
Шаблон:Sortname GK 4 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 8 0
Шаблон:Sortname DF 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 8 0
Шаблон:Sortname FW 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 2
Шаблон:Sortname DF 33 2 3 0 2 0 2 0 40 2
Шаблон:Sortname MF 29 0 4 0 0 0 2 1 35 1
Шаблон:Sortname DF 35 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 39 1
Шаблон:Sortname FW 29 8 3 0 2 0 1 2 35 10
Шаблон:Sortname FW 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Шаблон:Sortname DF 37 1 4 0 2 0 1 0 44 1
Шаблон:Sortname FW 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Шаблон:Sortname MF 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 7 0
Шаблон:Sortname FW 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Шаблон:Sortname FW 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Шаблон:Sortname MF 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Шаблон:Sortname MF 12 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 13 0
Шаблон:Sortname DF 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
Шаблон:Sortname MF 35 2 4 0 2 0 2 0 43 2
Шаблон:Sortname DF 10 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 14 1
Шаблон:Sortname FW 27 13 4 4 0 0 2 1 33 18
Шаблон:Sortname MF 13 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 15 1
Шаблон:Sortname FW 27 4 4 2 2 0 3 0 36 6
Шаблон:Sortname FW 5 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 1
Шаблон:Sortname MF 15 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 19 1
Шаблон:Sortname MF 33 1 3 0 2 0 1 0 39 1
Шаблон:Sortname DF 9 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 10 0
Шаблон:Sortname DF 39 2 4 0 2 0 2 0 47 2
Шаблон:Sortname FW 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0
Шаблон:Sortname FW 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

Шаблон:Refbegin FW = [[Шаблон:Fb position|Forward]], MF = [[Шаблон:Fb position|Midfielder]], GK = [[Шаблон:Fb position|Goalkeeper]], DF = [[Шаблон:Fb position|Defender]] Шаблон:Refend

Aftermath

At the end of the 1994–95 season, with no rescue deal finalised, fans were unsure whether the club would still be in existence to start the next season;Шаблон:Sfn one takeover bid had already collapsed when the leader of the consortium resigned after adverse publicity surrounding his financial status.[17][18] In early June, however, shareholders and creditors voted overwhelmingly to accept a takeover bid from Sevenoaks-based businessman Paul Scally, who paid a nominal fee to purchase the club.Шаблон:Sfn[19] The deal was finalised at the end of the month, one day before a deadline imposed on the club by the Football League to be out of receivership or face expulsion, and Scally was officially named as the club's new chairman.Шаблон:Sfn[20] Having signed many new players, Gillingham began the 1995–96 season strongly and remained in the top three positions in the Third Division for the entire season, finishing in second place.Шаблон:Sfn The club thus gained promotion to the Second Division seven years after being relegated from the third tier.Шаблон:Sfn

References

Шаблон:Reflist

Works cited

Шаблон:Gillingham F.C. seasons Шаблон:1994–95 in English football