1973–74 Gillingham F.C. season

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Gillingham
1973–74 season
ChairmanClifford Grossmark
ManagerAndy Nelson
Fourth Division2nd
FA CupFirst Round
League CupSecond Round
Top goalscorerLeague: Brian Yeo (31)
All: Brian Yeo (32)
Highest home attendance12,297 vs Peterborough United (3 April 1974)
Lowest home attendance3,864 vs Doncaster Rovers (29 September 1973)
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1974–75
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During the

league table. In mid-February, they lost a Fourth Division game for the first time in more than four months, after which two consecutive wins in mid-March took them to the top of the table. Although Gillingham slipped from first place, they remained in the top three, and a victory over Colchester United on 20 April ensured that the team would be promoted to the Third Division at the end of the season. In their final game of the season on 1 May, first-placed Gillingham lost to second-placed Peterborough United
, who overtook them to win the championship of the division.

Gillingham also competed in two

Football League Cup to Carlisle United. The team played 49 competitive matches, winning 26, drawing 12 and losing 11. Brian Yeo was the team's top goalscorer; he scored 31 goals in Fourth Division matches and 32 in all competitions. His 31 Football League goals in a season equalled the club record set by Ernie Morgan in the 1954–55 season. George Jacks and Dick Tydeman made the most appearances; both played in every game of the season. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground, Priestfield Stadium
, was 12,297 for a game against Peterborough United on 3 April 1974.

Background and pre-season

The

1972–73 season, Gillingham had finished 9th out of 24 teams in the Fourth Division.[1]

friendlies in August, against Luton Town and Sheffield Wednesday of the Second Division, Brighton & Hove Albion of the Third, and semi-professional team Sittingbourne.[6] The team's kit for the new season was all-blue, a departure from the club's traditional blue shirts and white shorts.[7]

Fourth Division

August–December

Gresty Road football stadium
Gillingham began the season with an away game at Gresty Road, home of Crewe Alexandra (pictured in 1998).

Gillingham's first match of the season was away to

hat-trick to take his total to five goals in the last three games and break the record held by Brian Gibbs for the highest number of Football League goals scored for Gillingham.[8][12][14]

Gillingham ended September with another high-scoring win, defeating

Bury 3–0, and in their next game they beat Chester 4–2.[8] Yeo scored twice in both games, taking his tally of league goals for the season to 12 in 12 games.[8] Coxhill made his first appearance in the starting line-up in a 1–1 draw away to Scunthorpe on 23 October and was a regular starter for the remainder of the season.[11] At the end of October, Gillingham were in seventh place in the Fourth Division table,[17] one point below the four promotion positions.[18]

During November and December Gillingham played nine matches, winning seven and drawing two.

Swansea City on 29 December and ended in a 1–1 draw,[8] which left Gillingham second in the Fourth Division, one point behind leaders Colchester.[23]

January–May

Priestfield Stadium in Gillingham
In January 1974, Priestfield Stadium (pictured c.1986) hosted a Football League match on a Sunday for the first time.

Gillingham began 1974 with two consecutive draws and then beat Darlington 3–1 on 12 January;[8] it was the last game that highly rated defender David Peach played for the club as he was transferred to Southampton of the First Division for £50,000 (equivalent to £550,000 in 2021), a new record for the highest fee received by Gillingham for a player.[20][24][25] In his absence, Glenn Aitken became the regular starter at left back.[26] On 20 January, the first Football League game to be played at Priestfield on a Sunday took place; playing on Sunday had been prohibited until January 1974 when the Football League agreed to allow Sunday matches for the first time, and Priestfield was one of twelve grounds to host a game on the first available Sunday.[27] At the end of January, Gillingham were still second in the table, now three points behind Colchester United albeit with the advantage of having played one fewer game.[28]

Gillingham began February with victories over

goal average despite losing their next game 2–0 away to Stockport County.[20][33] The team then won two consecutive games 1–0, Richardson scoring the winning goal in both matches,[20] after which they were top of the Fourth Division table.[34] They then lost two consecutive games and ended March back in second place, three points behind Colchester.[20][35]

Gillingham began April with a home game against Peterborough United; Peterborough were third in the table going into the match, behind Gillingham only on goal average.[36] The game between the two promotion-chasing teams drew an attendance of 12,297, the largest crowd of the season at Priestfield.[20] A goal from Lindsey gave Gillingham a 1–0 victory,[37] but the team drew their next two games and Peterborough overtook them to move into second place. On 20 April, Gillingham defeated Colchester 2–0, Yeo scoring both goals; the result meant that third-placed Gillingham could no longer be overtaken by any team outside the top four and were thus guaranteed promotion to the Third Division at the end of the season.[38] Yeo scored his 31st league goal of the season in the 2–0 win over Lincoln on 24 April, equalling the club record set by Ernie Morgan in the 1954–55 season.[39] Despite playing in both the remaining games of the season, he failed to score the goal which would give him the record outright.[8] The team's final game of the season was away to Peterborough United;[8] immediately before the game, Gillingham were top of the table, one point ahead of second-placed Peterborough, although Peterborough had the advantage that they had two more games still to play after the match against Gillingham.[40] Gillingham lost the game 4–2, meaning that Peterborough overtook them and won the Fourth Division championship;[41] Gillingham finished the season in second place, three points behind Peterborough and two ahead of third-placed Colchester.[42] It was only the second time in 42 seasons in the Football League that Gillingham had gained promotion to a higher division.[1]

Match details

Key


Results[8]
Date Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
25 August 1973 Crewe Alexandra (A) 0–1 2,091
1 September 1973
Newport County
(H) 		1–1 Yeo 3,971
8 September 1973
Swansea City
(A) 		3–0 Lindsey, Yeo, Tydeman 2,144
12 September 1973 Scunthorpe United (H) 7–2 Yeo (3), Wilks, Richardson (2), Tydeman 4,610
15 September 1973 Darlington (H) 0–1 5,446
18 September 1973 Rotherham United (A) 1–1 Yeo 3,660
22 September 1973 Hartlepool (A) 1–2 Jacks 1,383
29 September 1973 Doncaster Rovers (H) 5–1 Yeo, Wilks, Richardson (2), Peach (pen.) 3,864
3 October 1973 Rotherham United (H) 1–1 Yeo 5,330
6 October 1973 Exeter City (A) 1–2 Peach 4,744
13 October 1973 Bury (H) 3–0 Hill, Yeo (2) 4,527
20 October 1973 Chester (A) 4–2 Peach, Yeo (2), Richardson 2,055
23 October 1973 Scunthorpe United (A) 1–1 Jacks 2,402
27 October 1973 Stockport County (H) 2–1 Peach (pen.), Wilks 5,757
31 October 1973 Bradford City (A) 0–0 2,567
3 November 1973 Reading (A) 1–0 Yeo 8,082
10 November 1973 Torquay United (H) 2–1 Yeo (2) 6,201
14 November 1973
Workington
(H) 		4–0 Wilks (3), Yeo 6,804
17 November 1973 Mansfield Town (A) 2–2 Yeo, Peach (pen.) 3,004
1 December 1973 Brentford (A) 3–0 Richardson (2), Galvin 5,570
8 December 1973 Colchester United (H) 4–1 Richardson, Wilks (2), Jacks 8,411
22 December 1973 Doncaster Rovers (A) 2–1 Tydeman, Jacks 1,878
26 December 1973 Northampton Town (H) 3–1 Yeo (3) 11,363
29 December 1973
Swansea City
(H) 		1–1 Jacks 9,977
1 January 1974
Newport County
(A) 		3–3 Jacks, Wilks, Peach 5,888
5 January 1974 Barnsley (H) 1–1 Richardson 6,825
12 January 1974 Darlington (A) 3–1 Richardson, Peach, Yeo 2,204
20 January 1974 Crewe Alexandra (H) 3–0 Yeo, Richardson (pen.), Jacks 11,478
3 February 1974 Lincoln City (A) 3–2 Wilks, Yeo (2) 7,154
10 February 1974 Hartlepool (H) 3–0 Potter (o.g.), Wilks, Yeo 8,754
17 February 1974 Bury (A) 2–3 Swan (o.g.), Coxhill 8,813
23 February 1974 Exeter City (H) 2–1 Yeo, Wilks 7,994
3 March 1974 Northampton Town (A) 0–0 8,583
10 March 1974 Stockport County (A) 0–2 1,940
17 March 1974 Chester (H) 1–0 Richardson 7,541
23 March 1974 Torquay United (A) 1–0 Richardson 2,748
26 March 1974 Barnsley (A) 1–3 Richardson 4,916
30 March 1974 Reading (H) 0–1 7,340
3 April 1974 Peterborough United (H) 1–0 Lindsey (pen.) 12,297
6 April 1974
Workington
(A) 		3–3 Richardson (2), Jacks 1,176
13 April 1974 Mansfield Town (H) 2–2 Lindsey (pen.), Yeo 7,872
15 April 1974 Bradford City (H) 2–0 Yeo, Wilks 7,720
20 April 1974 Colchester United (A) 2–0 Yeo (2) 10,007
24 April 1974 Lincoln City (H) 2–0 Yeo, Tydeman 9,094
27 April 1974 Brentford (H) 1–0 Hill 9,337
1 May 1974 Peterborough United (A) 2–4 Lindsey (pen.), Wilks 17,569

Partial league table

Main article: 1973–74 Football League § Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division final table, leading positions[18]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Peterborough United 46 27 11 8 75 38 1.974 65 Division Champions, promoted
2 Gillingham 46 25 12 9 90 49 1.837 62 Promoted
3 Colchester United 46 24 12 10 73 36 2.028 60
4 Bury 46 24 11 11 81 49 1.653 59
5 Northampton Town 46 20 13 13 63 48 1.313 53

Cup matches

FA Cup

As a Fourth Division club, Gillingham entered the 1973–74 FA Cup in the first round but were beaten 3–2 by Cambridge United of the Third Division.[18][20]

Match details

Key
Results[20]
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
24 November 1973 First Cambridge United (A) 2–3 Richardson, Tydeman 4,831

Football League Cup

Gillingham entered the 1973–74 Football League Cup at the first round stage and were paired with fellow Fourth Division team Colchester United. Gillingham won the match at Priestfield 4–2 to progress to the second round, where they were drawn to play Carlisle United of the Second Division, again at home. Gillingham were beaten 2–1 by their higher-division opponents and eliminated from the competition.[18][20]

Match details

Key
Results[20]
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
29 August 1973 First Colchester United (H) 4–2 Peach, Quirke, Wilks, Yeo 3,991
10 October 1973 Second Carlisle United (H) 1–2 Richardson 7,871

Players

During the season, 19 players made at least one appearance for Gillingham. Two, George Jacks and Dick Tydeman, played in all 49 competitive matches. Five others, Richardson, Wilks, Yeo, Joe Jacques, and Mike Gibson, each made over 40 appearances. Two players, Kevin Johnson and Ken Rogers, each made only one appearance; in Johnson's case it was the only appearance he made in a Gillingham shirt.[43]

Yeo finished the season as the team's top scorer, with 31 goals in the Fourth Division and 32 in all competitions; the former figure made him the season's top goalscorer across all four divisions of the Football League, the first time a Gillingham player had achieved this feat.[44] Richardson was Gillingham's second-highest scorer, with 16 goals in the league and 18 in total, and Wilks also reached double figures, scoring 15 times in total. Jacks was voted the club's player of the year by Gillingham supporters;[45] both Yeo and Peach were voted into the Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year for the Fourth Division by their fellow professionals.[46]

Player statistics[20]
Player Position
Fourth Division
 FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Glenn Aitken DF 15 0 0 0 0 0 15 0
Dave Coxhill MF 30 1 1 0 0 0 31 1
Dave Galvin DF 34 1 1 0 0 0 35 1
Mike Gibson GK 41 0 1 0 2 0 44 0
Kenny Hill DF 24 2 0 0 2 0 26 2
George Jacks MF 46 8 1 0 2 0 49 8
Joe Jacques DF 42 0 1 0 2 0 45 0
Kevin Johnson MF 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Graham Knight DF 23 0 1 0 0 0 24 0
Keith Lindsey DF 37 4 0 0 2 0 39 4
David Peach DF 27 7 1 0 2 1 30 8
Dave Quirke MF 20 0 0 0 2 1 22 1
Damien Richardson FW 43 16 1 1 2 1 46 18
Ken Rogers FW 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Ian Thorpe GK 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Dick Tydeman MF 46 4 1 1 2 0 49 5
Alan Wilks FW 43 14 1 0 2 1 46 15
Dave Wiltshire DF 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Brian Yeo FW 43 31 1 0 2 1 46 32

FW = Forward, MF = Midfielder, GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender

Aftermath

Two days after the final match of the season, Nelson resigned as the club's manager to take over at

his first season in charge, Gillingham finished 10th in the Third Division,[49] but in October 1975 he unexpectedly resigned to take the manager's job at Sheffield Wednesday, sparking a two-year dispute between the two clubs over financial compensation.[50] Gillingham would spend fifteen seasons in the Third Division before being relegated back to the Fourth in 1989.[51]

Footnotes

a. ^ The club has in the past claimed that goalkeeper Freddie Fox made his one appearance for England in 1925 while registered with Gillingham.[52] Although it is possible that he was still with Gillingham when the team selection was announced, he had left the club to join Millwall by the time the match actually took place.[53]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Soar & Tyler 1983, p. 110.
  2. ^ Rollin & Rollin 1999, p. 174.
  3. ^ Triggs 2001, p. 291.
  4. ^ Triggs 2001, p. 96.
  5. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 103.
  6. ^ Bradley & Triggs 1994, p. 424.
  7. ^ Triggs 1999, p. 103.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Dunk 1974, p. 254.
  9. ^ "Blues News". Gillingham Vs Colchester United Matchday Programme. 29 August 1973.
  10. Newspapers.com
    .
  11. ^ a b Dunk 1974, p. 255.
  12. ^ a b Triggs 2001, p. 344.
  13. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 143.
  14. Newspapers.com
    .
  15. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 30 September 1973". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  16. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 6 October 1973". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  17. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 31 October 1973". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d Soar & Tyler 1983, p. 237.
  19. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 7 December 1973". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Brown 2003, p. 83.
  21. Newspapers.com
    .
  22. ^ Brown 2003, pp. 81–83.
  23. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 29 December 1973". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  24. ^ Triggs 2001, p. 250.
  25. ^ "Osgood out for two to three weeks". The Times. 15 January 1974. p. 8. Retrieved 3 August 2022 – via Gale.
  26. ^ Triggs 2001, p. 40.
  27. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 22.
  28. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 31 January 1974". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  29. Newspapers.com
    .
  30. ^ "Palace defeat companions of dishonour". The Times. 18 February 1974. p. 9. Retrieved 3 August 2022 – via Gale.
  31. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 28 February 1974". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  32. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 3 March 1974". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  33. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 10 March 1974". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  34. ^ "Richardson puts Gillingham at top of table". The Times. 18 March 1974. p. 10. Retrieved 3 August 2022 – via Gale.
  35. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 30 March 1974". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  36. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 2 April 1974". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  37. Newspapers.com
    .
  38. ^ Green, Geoffrey (22 April 1974). "Bursting bubble of the double". The Times. p. 9. Retrieved 23 August 2022 – via Gale.
  39. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 68.
  40. ^ "League Division Four table after close of play on 30 April 1974". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  41. ^ "Peterborough make sure of championship". The Times. 2 May 1974. p. 10. Retrieved 23 August 2022 – via Gale.
  42. ^ "League Division Four end of season table for 1973-74 season". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  43. ^ Triggs 2001, p. 175.
  44. ^ Rollin 1988, pp. 124–127.
  45. ^ Triggs 2001, p. 171.
  46. ^ Triggs 2001, p. 352.
  47. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 77.
  48. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 81.
  49. ^ Soar & Tyler 1983, p. 238.
  50. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 160.
  51. ^ Rollin 1990, p. 253.
  52. ^ "Gillingham FC History (1893–)". Gillingham F.C. Archived from the original on 15 November 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  53. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 91.

Works cited

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