1920–21 Gillingham F.C. season
Sixth qualifying round | ||
Top goalscorer | League: Tommy Hall (9) All: Tommy Hall (11) | |
---|---|---|
Highest home attendance | Approx. 12,000 vs Southampton (28 August 1920) and vs Millwall (30 October 1920) | |
Lowest home attendance | Approx. 5,000 vs Portsmouth (15 September 1920) | |
| ||
During the
Gillingham also competed in the FA Cup, being eliminated in the sixth qualifying round. The team played 45 competitive matches, winning 10, drawing 12 and losing 23. Tommy Hall was the team's top goalscorer; he scored nine goals in league matches and two in the FA Cup. He was one of three players who tied for the most appearances made during the season: Hall, Jack Branfield and Jock Robertson each missed only one game. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground, Priestfield Road, was approximately 12,000 for league games against Southampton on 28 August and Millwall on 30 October.
Background and pre-season
On 12 May, the club appointed
In preparation for the new season the club signed
Third Division
August–December
The club's first Football League match was against
Gillingham played Plymouth Argyle in both the last match of September and first of October and lost both games. Wood, Gillingham's top goalscorer in the previous season, played his first game of the season in the second of the two matches.[15] He failed to score as Gillingham lost 1–0 to a goal in the last few minutes which the Weekly Dispatch's reporter described as "unexpected".[11][19] Wood scored his first Football League goal for Gillingham a week later against Exeter City but his team lost for the fourth consecutive game,[15] after which they had slipped to 19th in the table.[20] Gillingham beat Exeter 2–1 at Priestfield Road on 16 October, but it would prove to be their last Third Division win for more than three months.[15] They lost 4–0 away to Millwall on 23 October, after which the Dispatch's reporter noted that Millwall were considerably better than Gillingham,[21] and ended the month with a goalless draw against the same opponents. The crowd for the latter game was reported as 12,000, tying with the game against Southampton in August for the largest recorded attendance of the season at Priestfield Road.[15]
For the third consecutive match, Gillingham failed to score a goal when they lost 1–0 away to
January–April
Gillingham's first match of 1921 was away to Watford on 1 January and resulted in a fourth consecutive league defeat. Roe, brought into the team for the first time since November, gave his team the lead but Watford scored three times to secure what the Dispatch's correspondent described as an easy victory.[27] Two weeks later, the team lost by the same score at home to Brentford; both Branfield and Robertson were missing from the team, the only time that either was absent during the season.[15] The losing run came to an end with a 3–3 draw against Brentford on 22 January; Needham scored two goals and Wood one. Seven days later the team won their first Third Division match for more than three months when a goal from Needham gave them a 1–0 win at home to Bristol Rovers.[15] Despite the victory, Gillingham remained bottom of the division at the end of January.[28]
In February, Gillingham played four matches, which resulted in a draw and three defeats; the team only scored one goal in the four games. A week after beating Bristol Rovers at home, they lost 2–0 away to the same opponents,
Gillingham began April with a 2–1 victory at home to Grimsby Town and followed it up with a 1–0 victory away to
Match details
- Key
|
|
- Results[15]
Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
28 August 1920 | Southampton (H) | 1–1 | Gilbey | 12,000 |
1 September 1920 | Reading (A) | 2–1 | Roe, Gilbey | 7,000 |
4 September 1920 | Southampton (A) | 0–3 | 14,000 | |
8 September 1920 | Reading (H) | 1–0 | Gilbey | 7,000 |
11 September 1920 | Merthyr Town (H) | 0–0 | 9,500 | |
15 September 1920 | Portsmouth (H) | 1–1 | Battiste | 5,000 |
18 September 1920 | Merthyr Town (A) | 1–6 | Thompson |
14,000 |
25 September 1920 | Plymouth Argyle (A) | 1–3 | Hall | 16,000 |
2 October 1920 | Plymouth Argyle (H) | 0–1 | 10,000 | |
9 October 1920 | Exeter City (A) | 1–2 | Wood |
10,000 |
16 October 1920 | Exeter City (H) | 2–1 | Battiste (2, 1 pen.) | 10,000 |
23 October 1920 | Millwall (A) | 0–4 | 20,000 | |
30 October 1920 | Millwall (H) | 0–0 | 12,000 | |
6 November 1920 | Newport County (A)
|
0–1 | 8,000 | |
13 November 1920 | Newport County (H)
|
1–4 | Needham | 8,000 |
27 November 1920 | Portsmouth (A) | 2–2 | Gilbey, Robinson | 15,000 |
11 December 1920 | Swindon Town (A) | 1–1 | Gilbey | 9,000 |
25 December 1920 | Northampton Town (H) | 2–5 | Gilbey, Hall | 8,000 |
27 December 1920 | Northampton Town (A) | 0–2 | 10,000 | |
28 December 1920 | Luton Town (A) | 0–5 | 11,000 | |
1 January 1921 | Watford (A) | 1–3 | Roe | 6,000 |
15 January 1921 | Brentford (H) | 1–3 | Hall | 8,000 |
22 January 1921 | Brentford (A) | 3–3 | Wood (pen.) |
9,000 |
29 January 1921 | Bristol Rovers (H) | 1–0 | Needham | 8,000 |
5 February 1921 | Bristol Rovers (A) | 0–2 | 9,000 | |
12 February 1921 | Norwich City (H) | 0–0 | 7,000 | |
19 February 1921 | Norwich City (A) | 1–2 | Hall | 8,000 |
26 February 1921 | Crystal Palace (H) | 0–1 | 8,000 | |
5 March 1921 | Crystal Palace (A) | 1–4 | Hall | 10,000 |
12 March 1921 | Brighton & Hove Albion (H) | 1–0 | Waugh | 7,000 |
16 March 1921 | Watford (H) | 1–1 | Hall | 6,000 |
19 March 1921 | Brighton & Hove Albion (A) | 0–1 | 9,000 | |
25 March 1921 | Southend United (H) | 1–1 | Hall | 11,000 |
26 March 1921 | Grimsby Town (A) | 0–2 | 11,000 | |
28 March 1921 | Southend United (A) | 0–1 | 10,000 | |
2 April 1921 | Grimsby Town (H) | 2–1 | Wood |
7,000 |
9 April 1921 | Queens Park Rangers (A) | 1–0 | Wood |
10,000 |
13 April 1921 | Swindon Town (H) | 1–1 | Wood |
8,000 |
16 April 1921 | Queens Park Rangers (H) | 1–2 | Hall | 8,000 |
23 April 1921 | Swansea Town (A)
|
0–2 | 13,000 | |
30 April 1921 | Swansea Town (H)
|
2–1 | Wood |
8,000 |
7 May 1921 | Luton Town (H) | 0–0 | 6,000 |
Partial league table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19 | Exeter City | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 39 | 54 | 0.722 | 35 | |
20 | Reading | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 42 | 59 | 0.712 | 31 | |
21 | Brentford | 42 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 42 | 67 | 0.627 | 30 | Required to apply for re-election |
22 | Gillingham | 42 | 8 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 74 | 0.459 | 28 |
FA Cup
Gillingham entered the 1920–21 FA Cup at the fourth qualifying round stage, where they were drawn to play near-neighbours Maidstone United of the Kent League.[15][40] Maidstone's goalkeeper saved two penalty kicks by Battiste but a goal from Gilbey meant that Gillingham beat their non-League opponents 1–0.[41] In the fifth qualifying round, Gillingham played another non-League team, Dulwich Hamlet of the Isthmian League, and won 2–1.[42] In the sixth and final qualifying round, Gillingham's opponents were fellow Third Division team Northampton Town, who won 3–1 to eliminate Gillingham from the competition.[43][44]
Match details
- Key
|
|
- Results[15]
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 November 1920 | Fourth qualifying | Maidstone United (H) | 1–0 | Gilbey | 6,725 |
4 December 1920 | Fifth qualifying | Dulwich Hamlet (H) | 2–1 | Hall, Gilbey | 8,000 |
18 December 1920 | Sixth qualifying | Northampton Town (A) | 1–3 | Hall | 10,000 |
Players
During the season, 26 players made at least one appearance for Gillingham. Robertson, Branfield and Hall made the most; each missed only one match. Three players made only one appearance each: McCormick,
Hall finished the season as the team's top scorer, with nine goals in the Third Division and two in the FA Cup; despite playing in fewer than a third of the team's games, Gilbey was the second highest-scoring player with eight goals in total.[15]
Player | Position | Third Division
|
FA Cup | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Wally Battiste | FW | 33 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 3 |
Tom Baxter
|
HB | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
Jack Branfield | GK | 41 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
Albert Carter | FW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Tom Gilbey | FW | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 8 |
Syd Gore | FW | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Joseph Griffiths | HB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Tommy Hall | FW | 41 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 11 |
Andy Holt | FW | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Fred Howard
|
FW | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Donald McCormick | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Stuart McMillan | FW | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
Alfred Milton
|
FB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
George Needham | HB | 36 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 4 |
Ernest Ollerenshaw | GK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Jock Robertson | FB | 41 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
Thomas Robinson | FW | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Archie Roe | FW | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 2 |
George Russell | FW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
George Shaw
|
FB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Tom Sisson | FB | 40 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
Tom Thompson
|
HB | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 1 |
John Waugh | HB | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 |
Clive Wigmore | HB | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Arthur Wood
|
FW | 30 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 6 |
Harry Wright
|
FW | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
FW = Forward, HB = Half-back, GK = Goalkeeper, FB = Full-back
Aftermath
As a result of finishing bottom of the Third Division, Gillingham were required to apply for re-election to the Football League, but retained their place.[39] They remained one of the strugglers in the division, which was renamed the Third Division South when a parallel Third Division North was introduced for the 1921–22 season, and it was not until the 1925–26 season that they managed to finish in the top half of the table.[46] In 1938, Gillingham finished in the bottom two for the fifth time;[46] on this occasion their application for re-election was unsuccessful and they were voted out of the league, returning to the Southern League.[3]
References
- ^ Bradley & Triggs 1994, p. 392.
- ^ Brown 2003, p. 33.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Reeves & Tyler 2013, p. 140.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 97.
- ^ a b Elligate 2009, p. 101.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 86.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 104.
- ^ Bradley & Triggs 1994, p. 65.
- ^ Triggs 2001, pp. 10, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 30, 32.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 103.
- ^ a b Brown 2003, pp. 33–34.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 9.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Brown 2003, p. 34.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Division Three (South) Table After Close of Play on 08 September 1920". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Division Three (South) Table After Close of Play on 09 October 1920". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Division Three (South) Table After Close of Play on 13 November 1920". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Brown 2003, pp. 34, 125.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Division Three (South) Table After Close of Play on 31 December 1920". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Division Three (South) Table After Close of Play on 31 January 1921". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
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- ^ a b Soar & Tyler 1983, p. 189.
- ^ a b Elligate 2009, p. 82.
- Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Brown 2003, p. 123.
- ^ a b Soar & Tyler 1983, p. 110.
Works cited
- Bradley, Andy; Triggs, Roger (1994). Home of the Shouting Men: Complete History of Gillingham Football Club 1893–1993. ISBN 0-9523361-0-3.
- Brown, Tony (2003). The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record. ISBN 1-899468-20-X.
- Elligate, David (2009). Gillingham FC On This Day. ISBN 978-1-9054-1145-0.
- Mitchell, Colin; Reeves, Jon; Tyler, Daniel (2013). The History of English Football Clubs. London: ISBN 978-1-78009-449-6.
- Soar, Phil; Tyler, Martin (1983). Encyclopedia of British Football. London: Collins Willow. ISBN 978-0-0021-8049-8.
- Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X.