1987–88 Gillingham F.C. season
Group stage | |||
Top goalscorer | League: Steve Lovell (25) All: Steve Lovell (27) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Highest home attendance | 9,267 vs Birmingham City (9 January 1988) | ||
Lowest home attendance | 2,558 vs Leyton Orient (27 October 1987) | ||
| |||
During the
During the season, Gillingham also reached the third round of the
Background and pre-season
The
Following Gillingham's failure to win promotion,
Third Division
August–December
Gillingham's first match of the season was at home to
Victory over
The team's unbeaten run ended with a 1–0 defeat at home to Brentford on 3 November and the rest of the month's matches resulted in two draws and another defeat, after which Gillingham had once again fallen to 12th place in the league table.[37] During November, the club signed Bobby Hutchinson from Walsall on loan, but he suffered an injury less than 10 minutes into his first training session and the loan was curtailed.[38] In early December, Gavin Peacock rejoined the club, this time on a permanent basis for a fee of £40,000.[35][39] The team defeated Rotherham United 2–1 on 12 December, but then lost to Walsall. Gillingham's last match of 1987 was away to Aldershot and resulted in a 6–0 defeat, the most goals conceded by Gillingham in a match for more than three years.[40] The team had now won only one of the last eight games and had slipped into the bottom half of the league table.[41] The following day, manager Peacock was dismissed from his job by the club's board of directors.[42][43][44] Assistant manager Taylor was appointed to the manager's role for the remainder of the season.[45][46]
January–May
The team's first match under new manager Taylor was away to Southend United on 1 January 1988 and resulted in a 3–1 win for Gillingham;
Gillingham were unbeaten in five matches played in February, winning three and drawing two,
Over the Easter weekend, Gillingham lost to both promotion-chasing Brighton & Hove Albion and Northampton Town. In the next game away to Brentford, Gillingham took the lead eight minutes from the end of the game but then conceded a late equaliser;[54] the draw left them 11th in the table.[55] The team next defeated Preston 4–0, their biggest victory since September, but the attendance of 2,721 was the lowest of the season for a league game at Priestfield.[56] Gillingham then lost consecutive matches to Bury and Rotherham. The final match of the season was away to third-placed Walsall, and finished as a 0–0 draw; the team had only won two of the last twelve games of the season and finished in 13th place in the Third Division, the same position as when Keith Peacock was dismissed in December.[11][57]
Match details
Key
|
|
Results[11]
Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
15 August 1987 | Blackpool (H) | 0–0 | 4,430 | |
22 August 1987 | Grimsby Town (A) | 0–2 | 2,901 | |
29 August 1987 | Southend United (H) | 8–1 | Lovell (4), Shearer, Smith (2), Pritchard | 4,154 |
31 August 1987 | Wigan Athletic (A) | 1–1 | Shearer | 3,412 |
5 September 1987 | Chesterfield (H) | 10–0 | Pritchard (2), Shearer (2), Shipley (2), Elsey (2), Smith, Greenall | 4,099 |
12 September 1987 | Fulham (A) | 2–0 | Lovell, Shearer | 7,404 |
15 September 1987 | Sunderland (H)
|
0–0 | 9,184 | |
19 September 1987 | York City (H) | 3–1 | Elsey (2), West | 5,507 |
26 September 1987 | Bristol City (A) | 3–3 | Lovell, Smith, Elsey | 10,070 |
29 September 1987 | Chester City (H) | 0–1 | 5,193 | |
3 October 1987 | Doncaster Rovers (A) | 2–4 | Lovell, Eves | 1,647 |
10 October 1987 | Bristol Rovers (H) | 3–0 | Smith, Lovell, Pritchard | 4,399 |
17 October 1987 | Mansfield Town (A) | 2–2 | Lovell, Quow (pen.) | 2,957 |
20 October 1987 | Preston North End (A) | 1–1 | Cooper | 5,676 |
24 October 1987 | Notts County (H) | 3–1 | Lovell (2), Cooper | 5,551 |
31 October 1987 | Port Vale (A) | 0–0 | 3,495 | |
3 November 1987 | Brentford (H) | 0–1 | 4,529 | |
7 November 1987 | Brighton & Hove Albion (H) | 1–1 | Greenall (pen.) | 6,437 |
21 November 1987 | Northampton Town (A) | 1–2 | Lovell | 5,151 |
28 November 1987 | Bury (H) | 3–3 | West, Eves (2) | 3,984 |
12 December 1987 | Rotherham United (A) | 2–1 | Pritchard, Eves | 2,557 |
18 December 1987 | Walsall (H) | 0–1 | 4,020 | |
26 December 1987 | Bristol City (H) | 1–1 | Smith | 6,457 |
28 December 1987 | Aldershot (A) | 0–6 | 4,734 | |
1 January 1988 | Southend United (A) | 3–1 | Peacock, Cooper, Lovell | 5,254 |
2 January 1988 | Fulham (H) | 2–2 | Cooper (2) | 6,001 |
16 January 1988 | York City (A) | 2–0 | Lovell, Pritchard | 2,129 |
23 January 1988 | Wigan Athletic (H) | 0–1 | 4,256 | |
30 January 1988 | Sunderland (A)
|
1–2 | Cooper | 16,195 |
2 February 1988 | Grimsby Town (H) | 1–1 | Cooper | 2,995 |
6 February 1988 | Chesterfield (A) | 4–1 | Hunter (o.g.), Lovell (3) | 2,141 |
13 February 1988 | Aldershot (H) | 2–1 | Lovell (pen.), Gernon | 4,001 |
20 February 1988 | Blackpool (A) | 3–3 | Lovell (2), Elsey | 3,405 |
27 February 1988 | Doncaster Rovers (H) | 3–1 | Lovell (2, 1 pen.), Cooper | 4,041 |
2 March 1988 | Chester City (A) | 1–3 | Pritchard | 1,638 |
5 March 1988 | Mansfield Town (H) | 0–0 | 3,720 | |
12 March 1988 | Bristol Rovers (A) | 0–2 | 3,846 | |
19 March 1988 | Port Vale (H) | 0–0 | 3,459 | |
26 March 1988 | Notts County (A) | 1–0 | Lovell | 6,473 |
2 April 1988 | Brighton & Hove Albion (A) | 0–2 | 9,256 | |
4 April 1988 | Northampton Town (H) | 1–2 | Lovell | 4,126 |
9 April 1988 | Brentford (A) | 2–2 | Peacock, Eves | 3,875 |
23 April 1988 | Preston North End (H) | 4–0 | Lovell, Eves (2), Smith | 2,721 |
30 April 1988 | Bury (A) | 1–2 | Pritchard | 1,433 |
2 May 1988 | Rotherham United (H) | 0–2 | 3,015 | |
7 May 1988 | Walsall (A) | 0–0 | 8,850 |
Partial league table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | Blackpool | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 71 | 62 | +9 | 65 |
11 | Port Vale | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 58 | 56 | +2 | 65 |
12 | Brentford | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 53 | 59 | −6 | 62 |
13 | Gillingham | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 77 | 61 | +16 | 59 |
14 | Bury | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 58 | 57 | +1 | 59 |
15 | Chester City | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 51 | 62 | −11 | 58 |
16 | Preston North End | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 48 | 59 | −11 | 58 |
Cup matches
FA Cup
As a Third Division team, Gillingham entered the 1987–88 FA Cup in the first round and were drawn to play fellow Third Division team Fulham; Gillingham won 1–0 with a goal from Greenall.[59] In the second round they played another Third Division team, Walsall, whom they defeated 2–1.[60] The First and Second Division teams entered the competition in the third round and Gillingham were drawn to play Birmingham City of the Second Division.[61] Greenall scored an own goal after three minutes and Birmingham added two more goals to win 3–0 and end Gillingham's participation in the FA Cup. Further protests against Peacock's dismissal occurred at the Birmingham game.[62]
Match details
- Key
|
|
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 November 1987 | First | Fulham (H) | 1–0 | Greenall | 6,444 |
5 December 1987 | Second | Walsall (H) | 2–1 | Lovell, Elsey | 4,916 |
9 January 1988 | Third | Birmingham City (H) | 0–3 | 9,267 |
Football League Cup
As a Third Division team, Gillingham entered the
Match details
- Key
|
|
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 August 1987 | First (first leg) | Brighton & Hove Albion (H) | 1–0 | Greenall | 4,162 |
26 August 1987 | First (second leg) | Brighton & Hove Albion (A) | 0–1 | 5,479 | |
22 September 1987 | Second (first leg) | Stoke City (A) | 0–2 | 7,198 | |
6 October 1987 | Second (second leg) | Stoke City (H) | 0–1 | 5,039 |
Associate Members' Cup
The 1987–88 Associate Members' Cup, a tournament exclusively for Third and Fourth Division teams, began with a preliminary round in which the teams were drawn into groups of three, contested on a round-robin basis. Gillingham's group also contained Aldershot of the Third Division and Leyton Orient of the Fourth. Gillingham lost 3–1 to Aldershot in their first match and drew 2–2 with Leyton Orient in the second and finished bottom of the group, which meant that they failed to qualify for the next round.[72]
Match details
- Key
|
|
- Results[72]
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 October 1987 | Preliminary (southern section) | Aldershot | 1–3 | Lovell | 1,810 |
27 October 1987 | Preliminary (southern section) | Leyton Orient | 2–2 | Greenall (2, 1 pen.) | 2,558 |
Players
Lovell made the highest number of appearances during the season; he was in the starting line-up for every one of the club's 55 matches. Pritchard and West also made over 50 appearances, each playing 51 times. Both players played in every game in the FA Cup, League Cup, and Associate Members' Cup, but each missed four Third Division matches.
Lovell was also the team's top goalscorer, with 25 goals in the Third Division and a total of 27 in all competitions, three times as many as any other player. It was the first of four consecutive seasons in which he would be Gillingham's top scorer.[74] He was the season's overall top scorer in Third Division matches; Southend's David Crown finished the season with 26 league goals, but this included 9 scored in the Fourth Division for Cambridge United before he was transferred in November.[75][76]
Player | Position | Third Division
|
FA Cup | League Cup | Associate Members' Cup | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Les Berry | DF | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
Mark Cooper | FW | 31 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 8 |
Ian Docker | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Karl Elsey | MF | 39 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 7 |
Mel Eves | FW | 15 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 |
Irvin Gernon | DF | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
Colin Greenall | DF | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 5 |
Ivan Haines | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Paul Haylock | DF | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
Ron Hillyard | GK | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
Phil Kite | GK | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
Jason Lillis | FW | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
Steve Lovell | FW | 46 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 55 | 27 |
Neil Luff
|
MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Lee Palmer | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Tony Parks | GK | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Gavin Peacock | MF | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 2 |
Graham Pearce | DF | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
Howard Pritchard | FW | 42 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 9 |
Trevor Quow | MF | 40 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 1 |
Dave Shearer | FW | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 5 |
George Shipley | MF | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 |
Dave Smith | FW | 35 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 7 |
Malcolm Smith | MF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Alan Walker | DF | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Mark Weatherly | DF | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
Gary West | DF | 42 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 2 |
FW = Forward, MF = Midfielder, GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender
Aftermath
Taylor remained manager of Gillingham for the start of the 1988–89 season, but was dismissed in October 1988, after only ten months in the job, following a run of poor results.[77][78] Gillingham finished 23rd in the Third Division and were relegated to the fourth tier of English football,[76] where they would remain for seven seasons.[25] Peacock returned to management in the summer of 1989 when he was appointed by Maidstone United after they were promoted into the Fourth Division to become Kent's second Football League club.[79] He remained a popular figure with Gillingham supporters, referred to as "Sir Keith". Speaking in 2004, he attributed his dismissal in part to the inexperience of the club's directors, saying "A new board had taken over and they were a little bit green. They got carried away by the play-off final and 18 goals in two weekends, thinking we would steamroller the league. I'm proud of my time with the club, though."[80]
References
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- ^ Hudd, Tony (15 August 1987), "Gills Chat", Gillingham V Blackpool Matchday Programme: 11
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- ^ Triggs 2001, pp. 293, 332.
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- ^ "John Letley On Film", Gillingham V Bristol Rovers Matchday Programme: 8–9, 10 October 1987
- ^ Hudd, Tony (18 August 1987), "Gills Chat", Gillingham V Brighton & Hove Albion Matchday Programme: 11,
Gillingham are off to Wembley next year! Those supporters who have long dreamed of seeing their favourites play on the stadium's hallowed turf will have their wish granted on April 16. As part of the Football League's centenary celebrations, all 92 clubs compete in a non-stop outdoor six-a-side tournament at Wembley.
- ^ Dunk 1987, p. 960.
- ^ Bateson 1987, p. ifc.
- ^ Rollin 1988, p. 429.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 97.
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- ^ "League Division 3 table after close of play on 19 September 1987". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
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- ^ "League Division 3 table after close of play on 31 October 1987". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
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- ^ "Football: Gillingham dismiss Peacock as manager". The Times. 30 December 1987. Retrieved 19 September 2021 – via Gale.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 202.
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- ^ "League Division 3 table after close of play on 29 February 1988". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 34.
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Works cited
- Bateson, Bill; Sewell, Albert, eds. (1987). News Of The World Football Annual 1987–88. London: Invincible Press. ISBN 978-0-85543-100-6.
- Bateson, Bill; Sewell, Albert, eds. (1988). News Of The World Football Annual 1988–89. London: Invincible Press. ISBN 978-0-85543-145-7.
- Bateson, Bill; Sewell, Albert, eds. (1989). News Of The World Football Annual 1989–90. London: Invincible Press. ISBN 978-0-85543-172-3.
- Brown, Tony (2003). The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record. ISBN 978-1-89946-820-1.
- Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: ISBN 978-0-35614-354-5.
- Elligate, David (2009). Gillingham FC On This Day. ISBN 978-1-90541-145-0.
- Rollin, Jack, ed. (1988). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1988–89. London: ISBN 978-0-35615-880-8.
- Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (1996). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1996–97. London: ISBN 978-0747277811.
- Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. ISBN 978-0-75242-243-5.