1984–85 Gillingham F.C. season
First round | |||
Top goalscorer | League: Tony Cascarino (16) All: Tony Cascarino (20) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Highest home attendance | 8,881 vs Leeds United (25 September 1984) | ||
Lowest home attendance | 963 vs Colchester United (23 January 1985) | ||
| |||
During the
Gillingham also competed in three
Background and pre-season
The 1984–85 season was Gillingham's 53rd season playing in the Football League and the 35th since the club was elected back into the League in 1950 after being voted out in 1938. It was the club's 11th consecutive season in the Football League Third Division, the third tier of the English football league system, since the team gained promotion from the Fourth Division in 1974.[2] In the 10 seasons since then, the team had achieved a best finish of fourth place, one position away from promotion to the Second Division, in the 1978–79 season.[2] The club had never reached the second level of English football in its history.[3]
Having attracted the attention of a number of
Third Division
August–December
Gillingham's first game of the season was at home to Newport on 25 August; Oakes made his debut against his former club and Hinnigan also played his first game for Gillingham. The match ended in a 1–1 draw;
In the first match of October, Gillingham were 3–0 down to
Robinson scored his first goal for the club to secure a 1–0 win away to
January–May
The team's first match of 1985 was a 2–0 defeat away to
Gillingham's unbeaten run came to an end with a 3–1 defeat to Bristol City on 16 March; Fry was dropped for the next game and replaced by the Republic of Ireland international goalkeeper Jim McDonagh, whom Peacock had signed on loan from Notts County.[15][40] Another new signing, defender Dave Rushbury, made his debut on 23 March against Millwall,[41] a game which Gillingham lost 2–1.[42] A draw against Burnley, who were struggling near the bottom of the table, left Gillingham in fifth place at the end of March, two positions below the places which would result in promotion.[43][44] Derek Hales, a veteran forward signed from Charlton Athletic, made his debut against Burnley in place of Shearer, who had suffered another injury in the match against Millwall.[15][42][45] Gillingham beat Cambridge United on 2 April to end a run of four games without a win, before losing to Derby four days later, after which they were in fourth place.[15][46]
Hales scored his first goal for the team in a 3–2 victory over AFC Bournemouth on 9 April.
League match results
Key
|
|
Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
25 August 1984 | Newport County (H)
|
1–1 | Cascarino | 3,422 |
1 September 1984 | Orient (A)
|
4–2 | Cascarino, Corbett (o.g.), Leslie, Oakes | 2,750 |
8 September 1984 | Cambridge United (H) | 3–0 | Cascarino, Leslie, Mehmet | 3,352 |
15 September 1984 | Wigan Athletic (A) | 1–0 | Cascarino | 3,198 |
18 September 1984 | Hull City (A)
|
0–2 | 6,420 | |
22 September 1984 | Walsall (H) | 3–0 | Cascarino (2), Leslie | 4,102 |
29 September 1984 | Swansea City (A)
|
1–0 | Mehmet | 3,784 |
2 October 1984 | Plymouth Argyle (H) | 3–3 | Cascarino, Hinnigan, Oakes | 4,442 |
6 October 1984 | Millwall (H) | 1–4 | Sage | 6,881 |
13 October 1984 | Bristol City (A) | 0–2 | 7,088 | |
20 October 1984 | Brentford (A) | 2–5 | Cochrane, Oakes | 4,053 |
23 October 1984 | Reading (H) | 4–1 | Cascarino (2), Cochrane, Wood (o.g.) | 3,568 |
27 October 1984 | Bradford City (H)
|
2–2 | Weatherly, Cascarino | 3,896 |
3 November 1984 | York City (A) | 1–7 | Shearer | 2,921 |
6 November 1984 | Burnley (A) | 1–0 | Robinson | 3,578 |
10 November 1984 | Rotherham United (H) | 2–1 | Mehmet, Shearer | 3,568 |
24 November 1984 | Bolton Wanderers (A) | 2–1 | Cochrane, Shearer | 4,361 |
1 December 1984 | Preston North End (H) | 4–0 | Cascarino, Shearer (2), Welsh (o.g.) | 4,055 |
15 December 1984 | Lincoln City (A) | 0–2 | 1,920 | |
22 December 1984 | Doncaster Rovers (A) | 1–0 | Cochrane | 3,035 |
26 December 1984 | Derby County (H) | 3–2 | Hinnigan, Shearer (2) | 7,140 |
29 December 1984 | Bristol Rovers (H) | 4–1 | Cochrane, Hinnigan, Robinson, Shearer | 6,598 |
1 January 1985 | AFC Bournemouth (A) | 0–2 | 4,500 | |
12 January 1985 | Orient (H)
|
2–0 | Robinson (2) | 4,899 |
2 February 1985 | Swansea City (H)
|
1–1 | Robinson | 4,821 |
23 February 1985 | York City (H) | 1–0 | Robinson | 5,193 |
26 February 1985 | Hull City (H)
|
1–0 | Mehmet | 6,051 |
2 March 1985 | Bradford City (A)
|
1–1 | Shearer | 8,344 |
9 March 1985 | Brentford (H) | 2–0 | Hinnigan, Mehmet (pen.) | 5,799 |
12 March 1985 | Newport County (A)
|
3–0 | Cascarino, Mehmet, Musker | 2,129 |
16 March 1985 | Bristol City (H) | 1–3 | Cascarino | 6,369 |
19 March 1985 | Plymouth Argyle (A) | 1–1 | Mehmet (pen.) | 4,852 |
23 March 1985 | Millwall (A) | 1–2 | Mehmet | 8,230 |
29 March 1985 | Burnley (H) | 1–1 | Oakes | 5,935 |
2 April 1985 | Cambridge United (A) | 2–1 | Mehmet, Robinson | 1,803 |
6 April 1985 | Derby County (A) | 0–1 | 10,002 | |
9 April 1985 | AFC Bournemouth (H) | 3–2 | Cochrane, Hales, Robinson | 5,257 |
13 April 1985 | Rotherham United (A) | 0–1 | 3,022 | |
16 April 1985 | Walsall (A) | 1–0 | Cascarino | 3,585 |
20 April 1985 | Bolton Wanderers (H) | 2–3 | Hinnigan, Cochrane | 5,132 |
27 April 1985 | Preston North End (A) | 0–0 | 3,190 | |
4 May 1985 | Lincoln City (H) | 3–2 | Mehmet (2), Robinson | 3,219 |
7 May 1985 | Bristol Rovers (A) | 2–3 | Robinson, Shaw | 2,761 |
11 May 1985 | Doncaster Rovers (H) | 2–1 | Cascarino, Mehmet | 2,332 |
14 May 1985 | Reading (A) | 2–0 | Cascarino, Mehmet | 2,091 |
17 May 1985 | Wigan Athletic (H) | 5–1 | Collins, Oakes, Shearer (3, 1 pen.) | 2,604 |
Partial league table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bradford City
|
46 | 28 | 10 | 8 | 77 | 45 | +32 | 94 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Millwall | 46 | 26 | 12 | 8 | 73 | 42 | +31 | 90 | Promoted |
3 | Hull City
|
46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 78 | 49 | +29 | 87 | |
4 | Gillingham | 46 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 80 | 62 | +18 | 83 | |
5 | Bristol City | 46 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 74 | 47 | +27 | 81 |
FA Cup
As a Third Division club, Gillingham entered the
FA Cup match results
Key
|
|
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
17 November 1984 | First | Windsor & Eton (H) | 2–1 | Mehmet, Cascarino | 3,597 |
8 December 1984 | Second | Colchester United (A) | 5–0 | Shearer (3), Robinson, Cascarino | 4,487 |
21 January 1985 | Third | Cardiff City (H) | 2–1 | Robinson, Leslie | 5,452 |
26 January 1985 | Fourth | Ipswich Town (A) | 2–3 | Leslie, Sage | 16,547 |
Football League Cup
As a Third Division team, Gillingham entered the
Football League Cup match results
Key
|
|
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
28 August 1984 | First (first leg) | Colchester United (H) | 3–2 | Weatherly, Mehmet, Leslie | 2,689 |
4 September 1984 | First (second leg) | Colchester United (A) | 2–0 | Weatherly (2) | 2,162 |
25 September 1984 | Second (first leg) | Leeds United (H) | 1–2 | Cascarino | 8,881 |
10 October 1984 | Second (second leg) | Leeds United (A) | 2–3 | Shearer, Cascarino | 11,109 |
Associate Members' Cup
Gillingham entered the 1984–85 Associate Members' Cup, a competition exclusively for Third and Fourth Division clubs, at the first round stage, and were again paired with Colchester, meaning that the two teams had met in three different competitions during the season. The tournament was regarded as of little importance and the first leg of the two-legged tie drew an attendance of only 963, the lowest recorded for a competitive match at Priestfield since the Second World War.[66] Teenagers Paul Collins, who had made only one previous appearance for the first team, and Ian Young, who had made none, were both included in a Gillingham team held to a 2–2 draw by their Fourth Division opponents.[30] Two weeks later, Colchester won the second leg 2–0, eliminating Gillingham from the competition by an aggregate score of 4–2.[67]
Associate Members' Cup match results
Key
|
|
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
23 January 1985 | First (first leg) | Colchester United (H) | 2–2 | Oakes, Shinners | 963 |
5 February 1985 | First (second leg) | Colchester United (A) | 0–2 | 1,762 |
Player details
During the season, 26 players made at least one appearance for Gillingham. Oakes made the most, playing in 54 of the team's 56 competitive games; Mehmet and Cascarino both played 50 or more times. Young made the fewest appearances, playing only once. His appearance in an Associate Members' Cup game was the only match he played for Gillingham and he never played in the Football League for any club.[68][69] Four other players made fewer than five appearances during the season, including another teenager, Paul Edwards, who played as a substitute in both Associate Members' Cup games.[30] He was the only player to appear for Gillingham during the season without being selected in the starting line-up at any point,[30] and like Young he did not make any other first-team appearances.[68]
Fifteen players scored at least one goal for Gillingham. Cascarino was top scorer with 16 goals in Third Division matches, 2 in the FA Cup, and 2 in the League Cup for a total of 20 in all competitions; Shearer was the second-highest scorer with 16 and Mehmet and Robinson also reached double figures. It was the first of three consecutive seasons in which Cascarino was Gillingham's top scorer.[70]
Player | Position | Third Division
|
FA Cup | Football League Cup | Associate Members' Cup | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Tony Cascarino | FW | 43 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 20 |
Terry Cochrane | MF | 35 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 7 |
Paul Collins | MF | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
Paul Edwards | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
David Fry | GK | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
Derek Hales | FW | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
Ron Hillyard | GK | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
Joe Hinnigan | DF | 37 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 5 |
Jeff Johnson | MF | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
John Leslie | FW | 20 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 6 |
Ian Macowat | DF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Jim McDonagh | GK | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
Dave Mehmet | MF | 45 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 15 |
Tarki Micallef | MF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Russell Musker | MF | 28 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 |
Keith Oakes | DF | 45 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 54 | 6 |
Martin Robinson | FW | 33 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 12 |
Dave Rushbury | DF | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
Mel Sage | DF | 36 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 2 |
John Sharpe | DF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Peter Shaw | DF | 41 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 1 |
Dave Shearer | FW | 23 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 16 |
Paul Shinners | FW | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
John Sitton | DF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Mark Weatherly | DF | 35 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 4 |
Ian Young | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
FW = Forward, MF = Midfielder, GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender
Aftermath
Writing in the matchday programme for the final game of the season, Peacock acknowledged that the club's supporters would be disappointed at the team's failure to secure promotion, and said that to achieve it in the subsequent season, "we must improve our performance level by 10 per cent".[71] Cochrane won the club's Player of the Year award.[72] Cascarino was voted into the Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year for the Third Division by his fellow professionals, the fourth consecutive season in which a Gillingham player had been selected.[73] During the break between seasons, there was speculation that he might move to a higher-level club, with Coventry City of the First Division reported to be interested in signing him,[74] but ultimately he remained at Gillingham. With a largely unchanged squad, Gillingham were again contenders for promotion in the 1985–86 season. They were in the top three as late as early April, but three defeats in the last six games meant that they finished fifth and again missed out.[75]
References
- ^ Bradley & Triggs 1994, p. 392.
- ^ a b Brown 2003, pp. 83–90, 114.
- ^ "Second Time Lucky for Gills". BBC Sport. 28 May 2000. Archived from the original on 3 March 2003. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ Bateson 1986, p. 252.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 93.
- ^ Peacock, Keith (25 August 1984). "Management Talk". Gillingham Vs Newport County Matchday Programme.
- ^ a b Elligate 2009, p. 201.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 70.
- ^ Triggs 2001, pp. 160, 236.
- ^ Triggs 2001, pp. 220, 289, 292.
- ^ "Action Flashback". Gillingham Vs Newport County Matchday Programme. 25 August 1984.
- ^ "Open Day Pictorial". Gillingham Vs Newport County Matchday Programme. 25 August 1984.
- ^ Dunk 1985, p. 171.
- ^ Hudd, Tony (25 August 1984). "Gills Chat". Gillingham Vs Newport County Matchday Programme.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Dunk 1985, p. 170.
- ^ "League Division 3 Table After Close of Play on 15 September 1984". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
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- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 282.
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- ^ "League Division 3 Table After Close of Play on 06 April 1985". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
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- ^ Dunk 1985, p. 238.
- ^ "League Division 3 Table After Close of Play on 13 April 1985". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
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- ^ "League Division 3 Table After Close of Play on 04 May 1985". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "League Division 3 Table After Close of Play on 11 May 1985". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 87.
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- ^ Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
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- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 348.
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Works cited
- Bateson, Bill; Sewell, Albert, eds. (1986). News Of The World Football Annual 1986–87. London: Invincible Press. ISBN 978-0-85543-076-4.
- Bradley, Andy; Triggs, Roger (1994). Home of the Shouting Men: Complete History of Gillingham Football Club 1893–1993. ISBN 978-0-9523361-0-5.
- Brown, Tony (2003). The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record. ISBN 978-1-899468-20-1.
- Dunk, Peter, ed. (1985). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1985–86. London: ISBN 978-0-35610-872-8.
- Dunk, Peter, ed. (1986). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1986–87. London: ISBN 978-0-35612-334-9.
- Elligate, David (2009). Gillingham FC On This Day. ISBN 978-1-9054-1145-0.
- ISBN 978-1-85291-665-7.
- Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. ISBN 978-0-75242-243-5.