1991–92 Gillingham F.C. season
First round | |||
Top goalscorer | League: David Crown (22) All: David Crown (24) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Highest home attendance | 7,328 vs Brentford (29 November 1991) | ||
Lowest home attendance | 2,300 vs Maidstone United (10 December 1991) | ||
| |||
During the
Gillingham also competed in three
Background and pre-season
The 1991–92 season was Gillingham's 60th season playing in the Football League and the 42nd since the club was elected back into the League in 1950 after being voted out in 1938.[1] It was the club's third consecutive season in the Football League Fourth Division, the fourth tier of the English football league system.[1] In the previous two seasons since being relegated from the Third Division, Gillingham had finished 14th and 15th out of 24 teams.[2] In the 1991–92 season, the Fourth Division unusually had an odd number of teams due to league expansion and re-organisation, beginning the season with 23 members.[3]
At the start of the season,
The club adopted a new
Fourth Division
August–December
Gillingham's first match of the season was at their home ground,
Gillingham ended their winless league run on 12 October, beating
Gillingham extended their unbeaten league run to six games with draws against Carlisle United, Cardiff City and Maidstone United,[13] after which they were 13th in the table.[23] The game against Maidstone, Gillingham's local rivals, drew an attendance of 6,716, Gillingham's largest home crowd of the season for a Fourth Division match.[24] The team's unbeaten run came to an end with a 4–3 defeat away to Mansfield Town on 23 November. Gillingham defeated Aldershot 3–1 on 30 November,[25] ending a run of seven games without a win in all competitions,[24] and then drew twice more, against Rotherham United and York City.[13] Crown scored in all three matches to take his total of league goals for the season so far to 13, nearly half the total scored by the entire team.[13] The team's final match of 1991 was on 26 December against the same opponents they had faced in the first game of the season, Scunthorpe United;[13] Gillingham lost 2–0,[26] which left them 15th in the league table.[27]
January–May
Gillingham began the new year with a 2–1 victory at home to Hereford United on 1 January.[28] The team beat Walsall 4–0 on 11 January, Crown scoring his second hat-trick of the season, but then conceded four in a defeat to promotion-chasing Burnley.[29] A win over Doncaster Rovers on 1 February left Gillingham 13th in the table.[30] On 15 February, the team followed two consecutive goalless draws by beating Rotherham United, who were fifth in the table, 5–1 at Priestfield; Steve Lovell scored the team's third hat-trick of the season.[31] It was the first time that Gillingham had scored five goals in a game since September 1989.[32] A week later, Gillingham won 1–0 away to Walsall, the first time during the season that the team had won two consecutive league matches, however their unbeaten league run ended with a 3–1 defeat at home to Lincoln City on 29 February.[13]
On 3 March, Gillingham achieved a 3–0 victory over Burnley, who had not lost for seven games and would go on to win the Fourth Division championship; Crown scored the first goal, the first of four consecutive league games in which he scored.[33] A week later, defender Richard Green, recently signed on loan from Swindon Town, scored twice on his Gillingham debut as the team defeated Cardiff City 3–2 at Ninian Park.[13] It would prove to be Gillingham's final league win away from home until October 1993, a run of 30 consecutive away league games without a victory.[34] The team failed to win in the next three games but ended the month with consecutive home victories over Mansfield Town and Wrexham,[13] which took them up to 10th in the league table.[13] Another loan signing, Watford's Rod Thomas, made his debut against Mansfield.[35] Three days before that game, Aldershot were expelled from the Football League after the club went into liquidation;[36] all their results up to that point in the season were expunged from the league table, meaning that Gillingham lost the four points they had acquired from a win and a draw against Aldershot.[37][38]
On 11 April, Gillingham defeated Blackpool 3–2 at Priestfield despite finishing the game with nine players. Both Crown and Lim were sent off, leading to defender
Match details
- Key
|
|
- Results[13]
Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
17 August 1991 | Scunthorpe United (H) | 4–0 | Elsey, Crown, O'Connor, Beadle | 3,480 |
24 August 1991 | York City (A) | 1–1 | Crown | 2,324 |
4 September 1991 | Hereford United (A) | 0–2 | 2,544 | |
7 September 1991 | Scarborough (H) | 2–0 | Arnott, Lovell | 3,375 |
14 September 1991 | Wrexham (A)
|
1–2 | Elsey | 1,602 |
17 September 1991 | Blackpool (A) | 0–2 | 3,035 | |
21 September 1991 | Barnet (H) | 3–3 | Eeles, Crown (2) | 4,864 |
28 September 1991 | Crewe Alexandra (A) | 1–2 | Trusson (pen.) | 3,126 |
5 October 1991 | Chesterfield (H) | 0–1 | 2,835 | |
12 October 1991 | Halifax Town (A) | 3–0 | Crown (2), Beadle | 1,435 |
19 October 1991 | Doncaster Rovers (A) | 1–1 | Lovell | 1,468 |
26 October 1991 | Northampton Town (H) | 3–1 | Crown (3) | 2,544 |
2 November 1991 | Carlisle United (A) | 0–0 | 1,672 | |
5 November 1991 | Cardiff City (H) | 0–0 | 2,641 | |
9 November 1991 | Maidstone United (H) | 1–1 | O'Connor | 6,716 |
23 November 1991 | Mansfield Town (A) | 3–4 | Lovell, Crown, Arnott | 3,287 |
30 November 1991 | Aldershot (H) | 3–1[a] | Crown, Arnott, Smith | 2,566 |
14 December 1991 | Rotherham United (A) | 1–1 | Crown | 3,137 |
21 December 1991 | York City (H) | 1–1 | Crown | 2,711 |
26 December 1991 | Scunthorpe United (A) | 0–2 | 3,883 | |
1 January 1992 | Hereford United (H) | 2–1 | Lovell, Smith | 3,392 |
4 January 1992 | Lincoln City (A) | 0–1 | 2,169 | |
11 January 1992 | Walsall (H) | 4–0 | Crown (3), Elsey | 2,715 |
18 January 1992 | Burnley (A) | 1–4 | Walker | 8,908 |
1 February 1992 | Doncaster Rovers (H) | 2–1 | Smith, O'Connor | 2,366 |
8 February 1992 | Northampton Town (A) | 0–0 | 3,007 | |
11 February 1992 | Aldershot (A) | 0–0[a] | 2,986 | |
15 February 1992 | Rotherham United (H) | 5–1 | Lovell (3), Dempsey, Crown | 2,486 |
22 February 1992 | Walsall (A) | 1–0 | Dempsey | 2,987 |
29 February 1992 | Lincoln City (H) | 1–3 | Lovell | 3,160 |
3 March 1992 | Burnley (H) | 3–0 | Crown, Beadle, Lovell | 3,729 |
7 March 1992 | Rochdale (A)
|
1–2 | Crown | 1,941 |
10 March 1992 | Cardiff City (A) | 3–2 | Green (2), Crown | 8,521 |
14 March 1992 | Carlisle United (H) | 1–2 | Crown | 2,789 |
17 March 1992 | Rochdale (H)
|
0–0 | 2,322 | |
21 March 1992 | Maidstone United (A) | 1–1 | Lovell | 3,264 |
28 March 1992 | Mansfield Town (H) | 2–0 | Lovell, Beadle | 2,682 |
31 March 1992 | Wrexham (H)
|
2–1 | Lovell (pen.), Green | 3,078 |
4 April 1992 | Scarborough (A) | 1–2 | Crown | 1,174 |
11 April 1992 | Blackpool (H) | 3–2 | Lovell, Crown, Beadle | 3,684 |
18 April 1992 | Barnet (A) | 0–2 | 4,049 | |
20 April 1992 | Crewe Alexandra (H) | 0–1 | 2,928 | |
25 April 1992 | Chesterfield (A) | 3–3 | Thomas, Lovell, Green | 2,109 |
2 May 1992 | Halifax Town (H) | 2–0 | Lovell (2, 1 pen.) | 2,413 |
a. ^ Result expunged following Aldershot's expulsion from the Football League
Partial league table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | Rochdale
|
42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 57 | 53 | +4 | 67 |
9 | Cardiff City | 42 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 66 | 53 | +13 | 66 |
10 | Lincoln City | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 62 |
11 | Gillingham | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 63 | 53 | +10 | 57 |
12 | Scarborough | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 64 | 68 | −4 | 57 |
13 | Chesterfield | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 49 | 61 | −12 | 53 |
Cup matches
FA Cup
As a Fourth Division team, Gillingham entered the 1991–92 FA Cup in the first round and were paired with Brentford, who were top of the Third Division. The match at Brentford's Griffin Park stadium ended in a 3–3 draw after Gillingham had trailed 3–1 with less than 20 minutes remaining, necessitating a replay at Priestfield.[43][44] The second match drew an attendance of 7,328, the largest recorded at Priestfield during the season.[24] Captain Walker scored a goal, following on from two he had scored in the initial match, but Gillingham lost 3–1 and were eliminated from the competition.[43][45]
Match details
- Key
|
|
- Results[43]
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 November 1991 | First | Brentford (A) | 3–3 | Walker (2), Smith | 5,838 |
26 November 1991 | First (replay) | Brentford (H) | 1–3 | Walker | 7,328 |
Football League Cup
Gillingham entered the
Match details
- Key
|
|
- Results[48]
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 August 1991 | First (first leg) | Portsmouth (A) | 1–2 | Beadle | 4,801 |
27 August 1991 | First (second leg) | Portsmouth (H) | 3–4 | Crown, Walker, Beadle | 5,114 |
Associate Members' Cup
The 1991–92 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 their local rivals Maidstone United as well as Fulham of the Third Division. Gillingham's first match resulted in a 2–0 defeat away to Fulham;[49] as the Third Division side had already beaten Maidstone they were now guaranteed to top the group and qualify for the first round proper, leaving the game between the two Kent-based teams to determine the second qualifier.[50] Gillingham defeated Maidstone 4–2 in front of a crowd of 2,300, the lowest attendance at Priestfield during the season,[24] to reach the first round. The random draw for the first round paired Gillingham with Fulham again.[51] The game again took place at Fulham's Craven Cottage ground and the result was identical to the earlier meeting between the two sides, Fulham winning 2–0 to eliminate Gillingham from the competition.[52]
Match details
- Key
|
|
- Results[53]
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 November 1991 | Group | Fulham (A) | 0–2 | 1,108 | |
10 December 1991 | Group | Maidstone United (H) | 4–2 | Smith (2), Crown, Haylock (o.g.) | 2,300 |
14 January 1992 | First | Fulham (A) | 0–2 | 1,483 |
Players
Twenty-eight players made at least one appearance for Gillingham during the season. Clark and Lovell made the most; both players were ever-present during the season, playing in all 51 games, including the two which were expunged following Aldershot's expulsion from the Football League in March. Lim, O'Connor, Walker, and Crown all made more than 40 appearances. Two players, both goalkeepers, played only once during the season. Branagan made one league appearance in October and Tim Dalton played in one League Trophy game. Both left the club without making any further appearances.[54]
Thirteen players scored at least one goal for Gillingham during the season. Crown was the top goalscorer, with 22 goals in Football League matches and a total of 24 in all competitions; these figures do not include a goal which he scored against Aldershot. Lovell, the team's top scorer for the previous four seasons,[55] scored 16; no other player scored more than 7.
Player | Position | Fourth Division
|
FA Cup | League Cup | Associate Members' Cup
|
Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Andy Arnott | MF | 19+2 | 2+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23+2 | 2+1 |
Peter Beadle | FW | 33+2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 37+2 | 7 |
Austin Berkley | MF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Keith Branagan | GK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Tony Butler | DF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Richard Carpenter | MF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Paul Clark | DF | 42+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49+2 | 0 |
Brian Clarke | DF | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
David Crown | FW | 36+1 | 22+1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 42+1 | 24+1 |
Tim Dalton | GK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Mark Dempsey | DF | 30+2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35+2 | 2 |
Joe Dunne | DF | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
Tony Eeles | MF | 14+1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20+1 | 1 |
Karl Elsey | MF | 27+1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32+1 | 3 |
Richard Green | DF | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 |
Lee Harrison | GK | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Harvey Lim | GK | 39+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45+2 | 0 |
Steve Lovell | FW | 42+2 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49+2 | 16 |
Eliot Martin | DF | 22+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25+1 | 0 |
Mark O'Connor | MF | 39+2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45+2 | 3 |
Tim O'Shea | DF | 30+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36+2 | 0 |
Lawrence Osborne | MF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Lee Palmer | DF | 11+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12+1 | 0 |
Andy Polston | DF | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
Neil Smith | MF | 26+2 | 2+1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 31+2 | 5+1 |
Rod Thomas | MF | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
Mike Trusson | MF | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
Alan Walker | DF | 40+2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 45+2 | 5 |
FW = Forward, MF = Midfielder, GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender
Superscript figures represent appearances and goals in the two games against Aldershot which were expunged when the team was expelled from the Football League.
Aftermath
Walker was voted into the
References
- ^ a b c Rollin 1993, p. 231.
- ^ a b Rollin 1992, p. 233.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 23.
- ^ Bateson & Sewell 1992, p. 300.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 158.
- ^ "Priestfield Profile". Gillingham Vs Scunthorpe United Matchday Programme. 17 August 1991.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 110.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 89.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 232.
- ^ "Team Photograph Season 1990/91". Gillingham Vs Shrewsbury Town Matchday Programme. 28 August 1990.
- ^ Triggs 1999, p. 12.
- ^ a b "Matchpoints". Gillingham Vs Scunthorpe United Matchday Programme. 17 August 1991.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Rollin 1992, p. 234.
- ^ a b Rollin 1992, pp. 234–235.
- ^ "Matchpoints". Gillingham Vs Barnet Matchday Programme. 21 September 1991.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 450.
- ^ "Weekend Football Results and Tables". The Times. 9 September 1991. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via Gale.
- ^ "Weekend Football Results and Tables". The Times. 7 October 1991. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via Gale.
- ^ Blackmore, Keith (23 September 1991). "Barnet's brave new world; Football". The Times. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via Gale.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 63.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 235.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 301.
- ^ "Weekend Football Results and Tables". The Times. 11 November 1991. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via Gale.
- ^ a b c d e f Brown 2003, p. 101.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 32.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 456.
- ^ "Boxing Day Results and Tables". The Times. 27 December 1991. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via Gale.
- ^ "Yesterday's Results, Tables and Goalscorers". The Times. 2 January 1992. Retrieved 3 May 2022 – via Gale.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 122.
- ^ "Weekend Football Results and Tables". The Times. 3 February 1992. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via Gale.
- ^ Rollin 1992, pp. 234, 444.
- ^ Brown 2003, pp. 99–101.
- ^ Rollin 1992, pp. 122, 234.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 48.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 318.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 19.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 33.
- ^ Beet, Don (27 March 1992). "Soccer: League puts official seal on demise of Aldershot". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2022 – via Gale.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 62.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 76.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 27.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 595.
- ^ a b c Rollin 1992, p. 661.
- ^ "Soccer: Gillingham sting back the Bees". The Guardian. 19 November 1991. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via Gale.
- ^ Taylor, Louise (27 November 1991). "Brentford prove to be too strong; Football". The Times. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via Gale.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 624.
- ^ a b Rollin 1992, p. 626.
- ^ Rollin 1992, pp. 624, 626.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 642.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 641.
- ^ Rollin 1992, pp. 643, 644.
- ^ Rollin 1992, p. 644.
- ^ Rollin 1992, pp. 641, 643, 644.
- ^ Brown 2003, pp. 118, 127.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 348.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 352.
- ^ Bateson & Sewell 1992, p. 353.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 326.
- ^ Triggs 2001, p. 55.
- ^ Bateson & Sewell 1992, p. 5.
- ^ Murray, Andrew (19 April 2021). "How the Premier League breakaway happened: The first season of 1992/93, as told by its heroes". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 155.
- ^ "Soccer: Roeder lands Gillingham job". The Guardian. 27 October 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2021 – via Gale.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 75.
- Sunday Times. Retrieved 6 December 2021 – via Gale.
- ^ Elligate 2009, p. 72.
Works cited
- Bateson, Bill; Sewell, Albert, eds. (1992). News of the World Football Annual 1992–93. London: Invincible Press. ISBN 978-0-85543-188-4.
- 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.
- Rollin, Jack, ed. (1992). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1992–93. London: ISBN 978-0-74727-905-1.
- Rollin, Jack, ed. (1993). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1993–94. London: ISBN 978-0-74727-895-5.
- Triggs, Roger (1999). Images of England: Gillingham Football Club. ISBN 978-0-75241-567-3.
- Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. ISBN 978-0-75242-243-5.