1998–99 Gillingham F.C. season
1998–99 season | |||
---|---|---|---|
Chairman | Paul Scally | ||
Manager | Tony Pulis | ||
Second Division | 4th | ||
FA Cup | First round | ||
League Cup | First round | ||
League Trophy | Southern section semi-final | ||
Top goalscorer | League: Carl Asaba (20) All: Carl Asaba (22) | ||
Highest home attendance | 10,400 (v Manchester City, 17 April 1999) | ||
Lowest home attendance | 4,575 (v Wycombe Wanderers, 10 October 1998) | ||
| |||
During the
Gillingham also reached the southern section semi-final of the
Background and pre-season
The 1998–99 season was Gillingham's 67th in the Football League and the 49th since the club was elected back into the League in 1950 after being voted out in 1938. It was Gillingham's third consecutive season in the Football League Second Division, the third tier of the English football league system.[1] The club had never reached the second level of English football in its history.[2] In the previous season, Gillingham had finished eighth, tying on points with three other teams for the last two places in the play-offs for promotion to the First Division, but missing out having scored the fewest goals of the four teams.[3]
The club adopted a new first-choice
Second Division
August–December
Gillingham began the Second Division season with a home game against Walsall and lost 1–0. The next three games all resulted in draws, after which Gillingham were in 18th place in the 24-team
The 1–1 draw against Colchester United on 12 September marked the start of an unbeaten run which would last for the remainder of the year. Two weeks later, Gillingham drew 1–1 away to Preston North End; before the game the players were presented to Sepp Blatter, president of world football's governing body FIFA, who was in attendance to open the National Football Museum, located at Preston's Deepdale stadium.[22][23] The following game, a 2–2 draw at home to Macclesfield Town, was preceded by the arrival by helicopter of the club's new mascot, Tommy T. Trewblu.[24] Between 20 October and 10 November, Asaba scored in five consecutive games, four of which resulted in victories, taking his total number of league goals to ten.[25] Taylor, however, had only scored three league goals and was receiving negative reactions from some Gillingham supporters, who considered him out of shape and his large transfer fee a waste of money.[11]
On 21 November, Gillingham played away to
January–May
The team won their first game of 1999, defeating Blackpool 1–0 to extend their unbeaten league run to 17 games and move up to fifth place.[30] Seven days later, however, Gillingham were defeated in the league for the first time since September, losing 2–1 away to Walsall.[25][31] In each of the next three matches the team scored three goals, resulting in two wins and a draw, which kept Gillingham in the top six of the table.[25][32]
On 20 February, Asaba scored Gillingham's goal in a 1–1 draw with Colchester United but was then sent off for apparently head-butting Colchester's David Greene. Two weeks later, however, the red card was overturned by a special commission convened by the Football Association, the sport's governing body in England, based on evidence provided by police officers present at the game.[33] In the final game of February, Gillingham recorded their best ever Football League win away from home when they beat Burnley 5–0 at Turf Moor; Taylor scored all five goals.[34][35] It was the first time that a Gillingham player had scored as many goals in a single match since Fred Cheesmur scored six against Merthyr Town in 1930.[36] In the following match, Taylor scored in the final minute to gain the team a draw against fellow promotion contenders Preston North End.[37][38]
In March, Gillingham lost 4–1 to
Match details
Key
|
|
Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
8 August 1998 | Walsall (H) | 0–1 | 5,712 | |
15 August 1998 | York City (A) | 1–1 | Saunders | 2,634 |
22 August 1998 | Bristol Rovers (H) | 0–0 | 4,896 | |
29 August 1998 | Blackpool (A) | 2–2 | Saunders, Carr | 3,994 |
1 September 1998 | Wrexham (H)
|
4–0 | Smith, Hessenthaler (2), Asaba | 5,349 |
5 September 1998 | Chesterfield (A) | 0–1 | 3,766 | |
8 September 1998 | Northampton Town (H) | 2–3 | Smith (2, 1 pen.) | 5,072 |
12 September 1998 | Colchester United (A) | 1–1 | Asaba | 4,612 |
19 September 1998 | Burnley (H) | 2–1 | Galloway, Taylor | 5,702 |
26 September 1998 | Preston North End (A) | 1–1 | Asaba | 10,506 |
3 October 1998 | Macclesfield Town (H) | 2–2 | Carr, Hodge | 6,093 |
10 October 1998 | Wycombe Wanderers (H) | 3–0 | Saunders, Taylor (2) | 4,575 |
17 October 1998 | Reading (A) | 0–0 | 11,467 | |
20 October 1998 | AFC Bournemouth (A) | 3–3 | Asaba (2), Southall | 5,183 |
24 October 1998 | Luton Town (H) | 1–0 | Asaba | 5,602 |
31 October 1998 | Lincoln City (A) | 2–1 | Asaba (2) | 4,366 |
7 November 1998 | Wigan Athletic (H) | 2–0 | Asaba, Balmer (o.g.) | 5,869 |
10 November 1998 | Oldham Athletic (H)
|
2–1 | Asaba, Patterson | 5,188 |
21 November 1998 | Manchester City (A) | 0–0 | 26,529 | |
28 November 1998 | Fulham (H) | 1–0 | Taylor | 7,614 |
12 December 1998 | Stoke City (A) | 0–0 | 17,233 | |
19 December 1998 | Notts County (H) | 4–0 | Asaba (3), Taylor | 6,072 |
29 December 1998 | Millwall (H) | 1–1 | Galloway | 9,221 |
2 January 1999 | Blackpool (H) | 1–0 | Southall | 7,022 |
9 January 1999 | Walsall (A) | 1–2 | Patterson | 5,495 |
16 January 1999 | York City (H) | 3–1 | Asaba, Taylor, Butters | 6,242 |
30 January 1999 | Millwall (A) | 3–3 | Southall, Taylor, Saunders | 10,442 |
6 February 1999 | Chesterfield (H) | 3–1 | Asaba, Hessenthaler, Southall | 6,582 |
13 February 1999 | Northampton Town (A) | 1–0 | Smith | 5,981 |
20 February 1999 | Colchester United (H) | 1–1 | Asaba | 7,276 |
23 February 1999 | Bristol Rovers (A) | 1–0 | Hessenthaler | 5,735 |
27 February 1999 | Burnley (A) | 5–0 | Taylor (5, 1 pen.) | 8,981 |
6 March 1999 | Preston North End (H) | 1–1 | Taylor | 9,581 |
9 March 1999 | Macclesfield Town (A) | 0–1 | 1,868 | |
13 March 1999 | Wigan Athletic (A) | 1–4 | Lisbie | 4,248 |
20 March 1999 | Lincoln City (H) | 4–0 | Hessenthaler (2), Lisbie (2) | 7,023 |
27 March 1999 | Luton Town (A) | 0–1 | 6,705 | |
1 April 1999 | Reading (H) | 2–1 | Saunders, Asaba | 8,195 |
5 April 1999 | Wycombe Wanderers (A) | 2–0 | Ashby, Asaba | 6,688 |
9 April 1999 | AFC Bournemouth (H) | 2–1 | Hessenthaler, Lisbie | 7,813 |
13 April 1999 | Fulham (A) | 0–3 | 13,119 | |
17 April 1999 | Manchester City (H) | 0–2 | 10,400 | |
20 April 1999 | Wrexham (A)
|
1–2 | Butters | 1,871 |
24 April 1999 | Oldham Athletic (A)
|
4–1 | Asaba, Smith, Galloway, Taylor | 5,331 |
1 May 1999 | Stoke City (H) | 4–0 | Taylor (2), Butters, Smith | 8,289 |
8 May 1999 | Notts County (A) | 1–0 | Asaba | 7,815 |
Partial league table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Fulham | 46 | 31 | 8 | 7 | 79 | 32 | +47 | 101 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Walsall | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 63 | 47 | +16 | 87 | Promoted |
3 | Manchester City | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 69 | 33 | +36 | 82 | Participated in play-offs |
4 | Gillingham | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 75 | 44 | +31 | 80 | |
5 | Preston North End | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 78 | 50 | +28 | 79 | |
6 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 75 | 48 | +27 | 76 |
Play-offs
In the play-off semi-finals, Gillingham played fifth-place finishers Preston North End. In the first match of the
In
Match details
Key
|
|
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 May 1999 | Semi-final (first leg) | Preston North End (A) | 1–1 | Taylor | 18,584 |
19 May 1999 | Semi-final (second leg) | Preston North End (H) | 1–0 | Hessenthaler | 10,505 |
30 May 1999 | Final
|
Manchester City (N) | 2–2 ( a.e.t. )
|
Asaba, Taylor | 76,935 |
Cup matches
FA Cup
As a Second Division team, Gillingham entered the 1998–99 FA Cup in the first round and were drawn to play fellow Second Division team Oldham Athletic. Gillingham lost 2–0 and were thus eliminated from the competition.[54]
Match details
Key
|
|
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 November 1998 | First | Oldham Athletic (A)
|
0–2 | 3,173 |
Football League Cup
As a Second Division team, Gillingham entered the 1998–99 Football League Cup in the first round and were paired with Southend United of the Third Division. Gillingham lost both legs of the tie 1–0.[55]
Match details
Key
|
|
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 August 1998 | First (first leg) | Southend United (A) | 0–1 | 2,509 | |
18 August 1998 | First (second leg) | Southend United (H) | 0–1 | 3,417 |
Football League Trophy
In the first round of the 1998–99 Football League Trophy, a competition for Second and Third Division teams, Gillingham played Colchester United. Goals from Asaba, Pennock and Paul Smith and two from Taylor resulted in a 5–1 victory. In the second round, Gillingham defeated Swansea City 1–0 and then beat Torquay United by the same score in the third round. This secured the team a place in the semi-final of the southern section of the competition; their opponents were Millwall. In front of a crowd of 11,555 at Millwall's The New Den, Gillingham lost 1–0 and were eliminated from the competition.[56]
Match details
Key
|
|
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 December 1998 | First | Colchester United (A) | 5–1 | Asaba, Pennock, Taylor (2), Smith | 1,742 |
5 January 1999 | Second | Swansea City (A)
|
1–0 | Hessenthaler | 5,126 |
23 January 1999 | Third | Torquay United (A) | 1–0 | Taylor | 3,121 |
16 February 1999 | Semi-final (southern section) | Millwall (A) | 0–1 | 11,555 |
Players
Smith made the most appearances for Gillingham during the season, playing in 54 of the team's 56 matches; he missed only one Second Division game and one match in the League Trophy. Three other players made over 50 appearances; Bartram played 53 times and both Southall and Taylor 51 times.[58] Two players made only a single appearance during the season.[58] Brian Statham was restricted to one game in the 1998–99 season although he had played 23 games in the season before.[59] The one game in which French defender Franck Rolling played, however, was the only appearance of his Gillingham career.[60]
Asaba was the team's leading goalscorer during the season. He scored 20 times in the Second Division during the regular season, once in the play-offs, and once in the League Trophy for a total of 22 in all competitions. Taylor scored 16 goals in the Second Division and 21 overall. No other player reached double figures.[58]
Player | Position | Second Division
|
Play-offs | FA Cup | League Cup | League Trophy | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Carl Asaba | FW | 41 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 49 | 22 |
Barry Ashby | DF | 38 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 1 |
Vince Bartram | GK | 44 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 53 | 0 |
Kenny Brown | DF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Marcus Browning | MF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Matt Bryant | DF | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
Steve Butler | FW | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Guy Butters | DF | 23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 3 |
Darren Carr | DF | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 2 |
Tony Dobson | DF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Roland Edge | DF | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
Stuart Elliott | MF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Mick Galloway | MF | 25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 3 |
Andy Hessenthaler | MF | 39 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 47 | 9 |
John Hodge | FW | 34 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 1 |
Kevin Lisbie | FW | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
Nyron Nosworthy | DF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Mark Patterson | DF | 42 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 2 |
Adrian Pennock | DF | 40 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 48 | 1 |
James Pinnock | FW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Franck Rolling | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Mark Saunders | MF | 34 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 5 |
Paul Smith | MF | 45 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 54 | 7 |
Nicky Southall | MF | 42 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 51 | 4 |
Jim Stannard | GK | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Brian Statham | DF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Robert Taylor | FW | 43 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 51 | 21 |
Paul Williams | DF | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
FW = Forward, MF = Midfielder, GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender
Aftermath
One month after the play-off final, Pulis was dismissed from his job as the club's manager, amid accusations of gross misconduct on his part,[61] a decision which led to a lengthy and acrimonious court case between him and Scally.[62] The relationship between the two had deteriorated during the 1998–99 season, in particular following an interview with local newspaper Kent Today, which quoted Scally as saying that being a manager was an "easy job". Following the interview, which Scally said misquoted him, the paper's reporters were banned from Priestfield Stadium for more than five years.[63] Pulis brought a case against the club for unfair dismissal and ultimately accepted an out-of-court settlement of £75,000 (equivalent to £132,000 in 2021).[64]
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Works cited
- Brown, Eric, ed. (1998). News of the World Football Annual 1998–99. London: Invincible Press. ISBN 978-0-00218-857-9.
- Brown, Tony (2003). The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record. ISBN 978-1-89946-820-1.
- Elligate, David (2009). Gillingham FC On This Day. ISBN 978-1-90541-145-0.
- Mitchell, Colin; Reeves, Jon; Tyler, Daniel (2013). The History of English Football Clubs. ISBN 978-1-78009-449-6.
- Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (1999). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1999–2000. London: ISBN 978-0-74722-166-1.
- Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. ISBN 978-0-75242-243-5.