1995–96 Gillingham F.C. season

English football club season February 2015 October 2022 Gillingham 1995–96 Tony Pulis Paul Scally Third Division 2nd FA Cup Third round League Cup First round League Trophy Group stage Leo Fortune-West (12) Leo Fortune-West (15) 10,595 vs Preston North End (9 March 1996) 1,866 vs Hereford United (7 November 1995) _blackstripes_thin4 _blacksides 0000ff 0000ff 0000ff 0000ff 0000ff _blackstripes_thin4 _blacksides e00000 e00000 e00000 000000 e00000 1994–95 1996–97 During the 1995–96 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League Third Division, the fourth tier of the English football league system. It was the 64th season in which Gillingham competed in the Football League, and the 46th since the club was voted back into the league in 1950. After being in severe financial difficulties for several months, Gillingham had been saved from going out of business during the summer of 1995 by new chairman Paul Scally, who purchased the club for a nominal fee and appointed Tony Pulis as the team's new manager. Having signed many new players, Gillingham began the season strongly with four consecutive wins and remained in the top three positions in the Third Division for the entire season, finishing in second place. The club thus gained promotion to the Second Division seven years after being relegated from the third tier. Gillingham reached the third round of the FA Cup, but were eliminated at the earliest stage of both the Football League Cup and the Football League Trophy. The team played a total of 54 competitive matches, winning 24, drawing 20, and losing 10. The team's top goalscorer was Leo Fortune-West, who scored 12 goals in the Third Division and 15 across all competitions. Goalkeeper Jim Stannard played the most games for Gillingham, being absent for only one of the team's 54 matches; he played in all the club's League matches, in which he kept 29 clean sheets and conceded only 20 goals, both new Football League records for a 46-match season. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground, Priestfield Stadium, was 10,595, for a game against promotion rivals Preston North End. Background and pre-season thumb|right|alt=Football manager Tony Pulis|Tony Pulis (pictured in 2014) was appointed as the club's new manager. The 1995–96 season was Gillingham's 64th season playing in the Football League and the 46th since the club was elected back into the League in 1950 after being voted out in 1938. It was the club's seventh consecutive season in the fourth tier of the English football league system, which since 1992 had been named the Football League Third Division.Brown 2003 99–105 In the 1994–95 season, Gillingham had finished 19th, three places off the bottom of the division.Sewell 1995 57 In January 1995, after nearly a decade of financial difficulties, the club had been declared insolvent and placed in administrative receivership with debts of approximately £2,000,000.Elligate 2009 14 https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-commentary--little-pity-for-the-poor-relations-1613046.html Football Commentary : Little pity for the poor relations 9 August 2021 27 March 1995 Glenn Moore The Independent At the end of the 1994–95 season, with no rescue deal finalised, fans were unsure whether the club would still be in existence to start the next season;Elligate 2009 81 one takeover bid had already collapsed when the leader of the consortium resigned after adverse publicity surrounding his financial status. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A170630473/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=2be7f796 The Guardian 14 July 2021 Gale Soccer: Kendall shock at 'ruthless' dismissal Mark Redding 3 April 1995 subscription https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/united-in-row-over-injections-1614091.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/united-in-row-over-injections-1614091.html 1 May 2022 subscription live United in row over injections The Independent Guy Hodgson 2 April 1995 14 July 2021 In early June, however, shareholders and creditors voted overwhelmingly to accept a takeover bid from Sevenoaks-based businessman Paul Scally, who paid a nominal fee to purchase the club.Elligate 2009 105https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/feb/15/sport.facup Scally's rocky road to Highbury 26 May 2011 15 February 2002 Paul Kelso The Guardian https://web.archive.org/web/20080126191836/http://football.guardian.co.uk/FA_Cup/Story/0%2C%2C650495%2C00.html 26 January 2008 live The deal was finalised at the end of the month, one day before a deadline imposed on the club by the Football League to be out of receivership or face expulsion, and Scally was officially named as the club's new chairman.Elligate 2009 109 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A171368914/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=35e3592e The Observer John Farrell 21 July 2021 Gale Football: Inglorious for Wigan 13 August 1995 subscription He appointed former Gillingham player Tony Pulis to the vacant position of manager;Sewell 1995 307 Pulis had been out of football for a year since leaving the manager's job at AFC Bournemouth.Triggs 2001 264 Pulis significantly rebuilt the team ahead of the new season, with eight new players joining the club. Three new signings were announced at the same time as Scally's takeover and the appointment of Pulis: forward Leo Fortune-West joined from non-League club Stevenage Borough for a transfer fee of £5,000, which was donated by Gillingham's official supporters' club from funds collected earlier in the year as part of its efforts to save the club,Triggs 2001 122 goalkeeper Jim Stannard was signed from Fulham,Triggs 2001 306 and Kevin Rattray arrived from non-League club Woking.Triggs 2001 270 Subsequent signings included midfielder Mark O'Connor, who had previously played for the club between 1989 and 1993; he had played under Pulis's management at Bournemouth.Triggs 2001 237 Midfielder Dave Martin joined from Bristol City on a free transfer and was immediately installed as the new club captain.Triggs 2001 210 Simon Ratcliffe joined from Brentford,Triggs 2001 269 and shortly before the first match of the season, Mark Harris and Dominic Naylor arrived from Swansea City and Plymouth Argyle respectively.Triggs 2001 150, 231 The team prepared for the new season with a number of friendly matches, including one against Premier League club Chelsea, who sent a full-strength team including high-profile new signings Ruud Gullit and Mark Hughes. The match drew a crowd of over 10,000, with many more turned away, and provided a significant funding boost for the club.https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/chelsea-debutants-come-out-in-style-1593338.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/chelsea-debutants-come-out-in-style-1593338.html 1 May 2022 subscription live Chelsea debutants come out in style The Independent Glenn Moore 25 July 1995 2 July 2021 Gillingham adopted a new first-choice kit featuring blue and black striped shirts; the away shirts, to be worn in the event of a clash of colours with the home team, were red and black. The team were forced to wear the previous season's kit for the first four games, however, as the suppliers of the new kit failed to deliver it on time. Gillingham F.C. 1996 Going Up: A Year to Remember DVD 12:37–13:46 Third Division August–December thumb|right|alt=Footballer Mark O'Connor|Mark O'Connor (pictured in 2013) suffered a broken leg in November and missed the rest of the season. Gillingham began the season with a 2–1 victory at home to Wigan Athletic; new signings Martin, Naylor, Fortune-West, Ratcliffe, Stannard, O'Connor and Harris all made their debuts for the club and Fortune-West scored the winning goal.Brown 2003 105 Seven days later Dennis Bailey, who had joined the club from Queens Park Rangers shortly after the opening game,Triggs 2001 48 made his league debut and scored in a 3–0 win over Lincoln City. The team's winning run extended to four games with victories over Cambridge United and Barnet, after which Gillingham were top of the league table; it was the first time that Gillingham had opened a league season with four wins.Elligate 2009 123 The winning run came to an end with a defeat by Colchester United on 2 September and in the next two games the team only managed two draws and dropped to second place in the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-3/12-September-1995/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 12 September 1995 11v11 AFS Enterprises 15 July 2021 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A170515299/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=4c73a239 The Guardian 16 July 2021 Gale Soccer: Scally puts wag back into Gillingham – Martin Thorpe meets the Third Division club's off-field saviour who cannot prevent a 1-0 defeat by Colchester 4 September 1995 Martin Thorpe subscription The team held another promotion-chasing team, Chester City, to a 1–1 draw and then secured two more wins without conceding a goal. The second of these, at home to Rochdale, drew an attendance of 7,782, the largest of the season to date and the highest attendance for a league game at Priestfield Stadium since 1989.Brown 2003 99–105 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A171370930/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=25280802 The Observer 21 July 2021 Gale Football: Buoyant Gills are on the crest of a wave 8 October 1995 Tom Watt subscription Alex Watson, recently signed on loan from Pulis' former club Bournemouth,Triggs 2001 328 scored the only goal of that game.Rollin 1996 168 Pulis was named the divisional Manager of the Month for September, the first time that a Gillingham manager had achieved this feat for ten years. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A115373842/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=77c56d02 The Times 16 July 2021 Gale Gillingham find a new way forward; Football 9 October 1995 David Powell subscription Gillingham achieved their biggest win of the season on 21 October, defeating Doncaster Rovers 4–0.Rollin 1996 168 After this result, Gillingham were three points clear of second-placed Preston North End and had conceded only five goals in thirteen matches, fewer than half the number allowed by any other team in the division.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-3/21-October-1995/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 21 October 1995 11v11 AFS Enterprises 11 July 2021 The team only scored a single goal across the next three games, however, achieving a 1–1 draw and two 0–0 draws, after which they had slipped to third in the table.Rollin 1996 168https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-3/04-november-1995/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 4 November 1995 11v11 AFS Enterprises 12 July 2021 Victory over Scarborough on 18 November took Gillingham back into second place in the division.Rollin 1996 168 A week later, the team played Fulham in a match noted for its aggression; two Fulham players were sent off and close to the end of the game Gillingham's O'Connor suffered a broken leg after a rough tackle by an opponent.Triggs 2001 237 This incident led to a mass brawl involving almost every player on the pitch; both clubs were later fined by the football authorities for failing to control their players.Elligate 2009 182 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A115358559/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=044bb948 The Times 21 July 2021 Gale Clubs charged by FA; Football 8 December 1995 subscription O'Connor would not play another game for more than a year after the injury and was forced to retire from professional football in 1997.Triggs 2001 237 The scheduled game against Chester City on 9 December was postponed, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A171373496/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=cbf07632 The Observer 16 July 2021 Gale Football (League Review): Rampant Rams on rise under Bald Eagle 10 December 1995 Stephen Bradfield subscription allowing Preston North End to move above Gillingham into second place on goal difference.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-3/09-december-1995/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 9 December 1995 11v11 AFS Enterprises 16 July 2021 The team played away to Preston on 23 December in front of a crowd of 10,682, the largest attendance of the season for any match involving Gillingham.Brown 2003 105Rollin 1996 168 The game between the two promotion contenders ended in a 0–0 draw. Gillingham's final match of 1995 resulted in a 1–0 victory over Plymouth Argyle; the year ended with Gillingham in second place, two points behind Chester City, although Chester had played one more game.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-3/31-december-1995/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 31 December 1995 11v11 AFS Enterprises 11 July 2021 Gillingham would remain in the top two positions for the rest of the season.Rollin 1996 168 January–May thumb|right|alt=Footballer Steve Castle|Steve Castle (pictured in 2020) scored on his debut for the club in February. Gillingham began 1996 with consecutive wins over Leyton Orient, Chester City, and Lincoln City. The first of these victories took the team back to the top of the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-3/01-january-1996/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 01 January 1996 11v11 AFS Enterprises 13 July 2021 Against Chester, Steve Butler, who had joined the club from Cambridge United in December,Triggs 2001 76 achieved the team's only hat-trick of the season, scoring all three goals in a 3–1 victory in a 17-minute spell.Triggs 2001 76 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A67287118/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=73d5ea43 The Independent 22 July 2021 Gale Butler's hat-trick lifts Gillingham to top 10 January 1996 Simon O'Hagan subscription On 3 February, the team were held to a 0–0 draw by Cambridge after both Ratcliffe and Fortune-West were sent off, reducing the Gillingham team to nine players.Elligate 2009 29 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A72174117/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=bc53b160 Sunday Times 22 July 2021 Gale The Football Column; Opinion 4 February 1996 subscription By mid-February, Gillingham were eight points ahead of second-placed Preston and had still only conceded 10 goals in 29 matches; the second-best defensive record in the division was held by Preston, who had conceded 25 goals, and only two other teams in the division had allowed fewer than 30.Rollin 1996 168https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-3/15-february-1996// League Division 3 table after close of play on 15 February 1996 11v11 AFS Enterprises 15 July 2021 Midfielder Steve Castle joined on loan from Birmingham City and scored on his debut against Hereford United on 17 February.Triggs 2001 84 The team failed to score any goals in the next three games, however, resulting in a draw and two defeats.Rollin 1996 168 Striker Bailey, who had scored six goals in his first 13 games for the club, had now gone 19 games without scoring at all.Rollin 1996 168 On 9 March, first-placed Gillingham drew 1–1 at home to second-placed Preston; the crowd of 10,595 was the largest attendance of the season at Priestfield Stadium.Brown 2003 105 During the following week, with the team having only scored one goal in five games, Pulis bolstered his attacking options by signing striker John Gayle on loan from Stoke City.Triggs 2001 131 Gayle scored the only goal on his debut in a 1–0 victory over Mansfield Town and scored again a week later in a 1–1 draw with Leyton Orient.Brown 2003 105 The next game resulted in a 2–0 defeat to Rochdale, after which Gillingham fell to second place in the table and were overtaken by Preston, who would go on to remain atop the division for the rest of the season.Rollin 1996 168, 284 On 6 April, Gillingham beat Hartlepool United 2–0. It was the 25th game of the season in which Stannard had kept a clean sheet, breaking the previous club record set by John Simpson in the 1963–64 season.Rollin 1996 167 After an unbeaten run of six games following the defeat to Rochdale, Gillingham went into the penultimate match of the season away to Fulham knowing that victory would clinch promotion to the Second Division. Although the match ended in a 0–0 draw, third-placed Bury's failure to defeat Exeter City meant that promotion was still confirmed.Elligate 2009 72 Gillingham's final match resulted in a 1–0 victory at home to Scarborough. The team finished the season in second place, three points behind Preston and four points ahead of third-placed Bury.Rollin 1996 547 The season was notable for the team's strong defence but also the low number of goals they scored; in only 12 out of 46 games did the team score more than one goal, and the total of 49 goals scored was the lowest of any team that finished in the top half of any of the Football League's three divisions.Rollin 1996 546–547 In March, Keith Pike of The Times had characterised the Gillingham team as "an army of six-footers able to belt the ball into orbit and tackle themselves into a frenzy" and stated that their approach to the game was effective but unattractive to watch and had "no craft, no flair, no guile". https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A115114470/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=e02ca805 The Times Keith Pike 22 July 2021 Gale Gillingham happy to win points, not friends; Football 11 March 1996 subscription After the final game of the season, the same writer said that Gillingham had "not endeared themselves to the third division and, with luck, will get found out in the second". https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A115101475/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=809d37a8 The Times Keith Pike 22 July 2021 Gale Gillingham remain mean to the last after securing record; Football 6 May 1996 subscription Match details Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsBrown 2003 105 DateOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance12 August 1995Wigan Athletic (H)2–1Foster, Fortune-West 4,09919 August 1995Lincoln City (A) 3–0Fortune-West, Bailey, Brightwell (o.g.) 2,82226 August 1995Cambridge United (H)3–0Fortune-West, Bailey, Rattray 5,09329 August 1995Barnet (A) 2–0Rattray, Naylor 3,0772 September 1995Colchester United (H)0–1 7,6779 September 1995Scunthorpe United (A) 1–1Bailey 2,42312 September 1995Hereford United (A) 0–0 1,74016 September 1995Cardiff City (H)1–0Fortune-West 5,31423 September 1995Chester City (A) 1–1Martin 3,88630 September 1995Bury (H)3–0Bailey, Fortune-West (2) 6,0187 October 1995Rochdale (H)1–0A.Watson 7,78214 October 1995Darlington (A) 0–1 2,04321 October 1995Doncaster Rovers (H)4–0O'Connor, Ratcliffe, Bailey, Harris 6,30228 October 1995Hartlepool United (A) 1–1Bailey (pen.) 2,35531 October 1995Exeter City (A) 0–0 3,0244 November 1995Northampton Town (H)0–0 7,20618 November 1995Scarborough (A) 2–0Green, Fortune-West 1,54625 November 1995Fulham (H)1–0Fortune-West 7,60816 December 1995Bury (A) 0–1 3,04523 December 1995Preston North End (A) 0–0 10,68226 December 1995Plymouth Argyle (H)1–0S.Butler (pen.) 9,6511 January 1996Leyton Orient (A) 1–0Fortune-West 7,0909 January 1996Chester City (H)3–1S.Butler (3) 9,18613 January 1996Lincoln City (H)2–0Fortune-West, Ratfcliffe 8,04020 January 1996Wigan Athletic (A) 1–2Green 2,77330 January 1996Mansfield Town (H)2–0Rattray, T.Butler 6,1113 February 1996Cambridge United (A) 0–0 4,11410 February 1996Torquay United (H)2–0Smith, Ratcliffe 7,11613 February 1996Barnet (H)1–0S.Butler6,42817 February 1996Hereford United (H)1–1Castle 6,98724 February 1996Cardiff City (A) 0–2 3,02827 February 1996Scunthorpe United (H)0–0 5,5472 March 1996Plymouth Argyle (A) 0–1 8,5409 March 1996Preston North End (H)1–1 Harris 10,59512 March 1996Torquay United (A) 0–0 2,40616 March 1996Mansfield Town (A) 1–0Gayle 2,69823 March 1996Leyton Orient (H)1–1Gayle 8,00430 March 1996Rochdale (A) 0–2 2,0982 April 1996Darlington (H)0–0 6,4196 April 1996Hartlepool United (H)2–0T.Butler, Bailey 6,2638 April 1996Doncaster Rovers (A) 1–0Bailey 1,78313 April 1996Exeter City (H)1–0Puttnam 7,69216 April 1996Colchester United (A) 1–1Gayle 4,95320 April 1996Northampton Town (A) 1–1Fortune-West 7,42727 April 1996Fulham (A) 0–0 10,3204 May 1996Scarborough (H)1–0Fortune-West 10,420 Partial league table 1995–96 Football League#Third Division main WDL left auto Football League Third Division final table, leading positions PR PRE Preston North End GIL Gillingham BUR Bury PLY Plymouth Argyle DAR Darlington HER Hereford United COL Colchester United 23 17 6 78 38 22 17 7 49 20 22 13 11 66 48 22 12 12 68 49 20 18 8 60 42 20 14 12 65 47 18 18 10 61 51 Division Champions, promoted CP Promoted P P Participated in play-offs PP PP PP PP complete Rollin 1996 547 Cup matches FA Cup thumb|right|alt=Football ground Elm Park|Gillingham were eliminated from the FA Cup at Elm Park, home of Reading. As a Third Division team, Gillingham entered the 1995–96 FA Cup in the first round and were drawn to play away to Wycombe Wanderers of the Second Division. Bailey scored as Gillingham held their higher-division opponents to a draw, meaning that a replay was required. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A115365192/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=c2c37a1a The Times 16 July 2021 Gale Bailey goal grants Gillingham second opportunity; Football 14 November 1995 Keith Pike subscription Gillingham won the replay 1–0 when veteran Wycombe defender Terry Howard scored an own goal.Rollin 1996 599 In the second round, Gillingham played semi-professional club Hitchin Town of the Isthmian League and won 3–0.Rollin 1996 600 The Premier League and Football League First Division teams entered the competition in the third round and Gillingham were paired with Reading of the First Division. Although Martin scored a goal to give Gillingham the lead at half time, Reading scored three times after the break to eliminate Gillingham from the competition. Gillingham finished the game with nine players after both Neil Smith and Martin were sent off and Pulis was also ejected from the technical area for arguing with the referee.Rollin 1996 603Elligate 2009 12 Match details Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsBrown 2003 105 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance13 November 1995FirstWycombe Wanderers (A)1–1 Bailey 5,06421 November 1995First (replay)Wycombe Wanderers (H)1–0 Howard (o.g.) 8,5852 December 1995SecondHitchin Town (H)3–0 Fortune-West (2), Ratcliffe 7,1426 January 1996ThirdReading (A)1–3 Martin 10,324 Football League Cup Gillingham entered the 1995–96 Football League Cup in the first round and were drawn against Bristol Rovers of the Second Division. The first round was played over two legs, with the first taking place at Priestfield. Naylor scored his first of only two goals for the club as Gillingham held their higher-level opponents to a 1–1 draw.Rollin 1996 576 Bristol Rovers won the second leg 4–2, however, meaning that Gillingham were eliminated from the competition, losing 5–3 on aggregate.Rollin 1996 576 Match details Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsBrown 2003 105 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance15 August 1995First (first leg)Bristol Rovers (H)1–1Naylor 3,82723 August 1995First (second leg)Bristol Rovers (A)2–4Bailey, Fortune-West 3,601 Football League Trophy The 1995–96 Football League Trophy, a tournament exclusively for Second and Third Division teams, began with a preliminary round in which the teams were drawn into groups of three, contested on a round-robin basis. Gillingham were grouped with Cardiff City and Hereford United, both of the Third Division. In their first match of the tournament, Gillingham lost 3–2 to Cardiff.Rollin 1996 587–588 As Cardiff had already drawn with Hereford, they were now guaranteed to top the group and progress to the next round and Gillingham needed to beat Hereford to finish second and join them. A 2–2 draw, however, meant that Gillingham's participation in the competition ended at the earliest stage.Rollin 1996 589 The game drew a crowd of 1,866, the lowest attendance at Priestfield during the season.Brown 2003 105 Match details Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsBrown 2003 105 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance17 October 1995Preliminary (southern section)Cardiff City (A)2–3 Freeman, Foster 1,0347 November 1995Preliminary (southern section)Hereford United (H)2–2 T.Butler, Foster 1,866 Players thumb|right|upright|alt=Footballer Leo Fortune-West|Leo Fortune-West (pictured in 2008) was the team's top scorer. Stannard made the most appearances of any Gillingham player during the season; he played in 53 of the team's 54 matches, missing only one game in the Football League Trophy.Brown 2003 105 In his 46 Third Division appearances, he kept 29 clean sheets and conceded only 20 goals, both new Football League records for a 46-match season.Triggs 2001 306 At the end of the season, he was elected by his fellow professionals into the PFA Team of the Year for the Third Division.Triggs 2001 352 No other player played in every league game; Bailey came closest, playing 45 times, followed by Harris with 44.Brown 2003 105 Three players played in only one match during the season: Steve Brown, Alan Nicholls and Kevin Bremner. Brown, who had only joined the club in March 1995 but did not figure in Pulis' plans once he took over as manager, left the club early in October to join Lincoln City.Triggs 2001 68 Nicholls joined the club on a one-month contract to serve as cover for Stannard and played once in the League Trophy.Brown 2003 127 His one-month contract was not extended and he joined non-League club Stalybridge Celtic but was killed in a motorcycle accident on 25 November.James Stuart Alan Nicholls, the maverick goalkeeper who should have played for England but died far too young https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/nov/19/alan-nicholls-maverick-goalkeeper-plymouth 30 June 2021 The Guardian 19 November 2015 Bremner, the coach of the club's youth team, played as a substitute in a League Trophy match; it was his only appearance for Gillingham.Brown 2003 127 Fortune-West was the team's top goalscorer; he scored 12 goals in Third Division matches, 2 in the FA Cup and 1 in the League Cup for a total of 15 goals. Bailey was the only other player to reach double figures, scoring 10 goals. Chairman Scally registered himself as a player towards the end of the season in the hope that, if the club had already secured promotion, he would be able to play in the final game and thereby win a bet with friends, but Pulis refused to select him. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A67123304/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=a29ed8f6 The Independent 22 July 2021 Gale That was the weekend that was 1 April 1996 Jon Culley subscription https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A67113891/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=35f102b5 The Independent on Sunday 21 July 2021 Gale Chairman gutted by Gills exclusion; Gillingham 1 Fortune-West 21 Scarborough 0 Attendance: 10,421 5 May 1996 Stan Hey subscription +Player statisticsBrown 2003 105PlayerPositionThird DivisionFA CupLeague CupLeague TrophyTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAndy AnsahMF 2000000020Andy ArnottFW 1000001020Dennis Bailey Dennis Bailey (footballer born 1965)FW 4584121005110Kevin BremnerFW 0000001010Steve Brown Steve Brown (footballer born 1973)FW 1000000010Steve Butler Steve Butler (footballer)FW 205000000205Tony Butler Tony Butler (footballer)DF 362222221427Richard Carpenter Richard Carpenter (footballer)MF 120100020150Steve CastleMF 6100000061Joe DunneDF 2010102060Leo Fortune-WestFW 40123221004515Adrian Foster Adrian Foster (footballer)FW 111002022153Darren FreemanFW 90100021121John Gayle John Gayle (footballer)FW 9300000093Richard Green Richard Green (footballer)DF 352402020432Mark Harris Mark Harris (English footballer)DF 442402000502Billy ManuelMF 100000000100Dave Martin Dave Martin (footballer born 1963)MF 311411010372Gary MicklewhiteDF 310400020370Dominic NaylorDF 311302110372Alan NichollsGK 0000001010Mark O'Connor Mark O'Connor (English footballer)MF 181202000221Dave PuttnamFW 261300010301Simon RatcliffeMF 413312000464Kevin RattrayMF 263201020313Neil Smith Neil Smith (footballer)MF 371401010431Jim StannardGK 460402010530Glen ThomasDF 150000000150Alex Watson Alex Watson (footballer)DF 101000000101Paul Watson Paul Watson (footballer born 1975)DF 80200020120 FW = Forward, MF = Midfielder, GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender Aftermath The club's players and officials celebrated promotion with an open-top bus parade through the streets of Rochester, Chatham, and Gillingham.Gillingham V Scarborough Matchday Programme From The Top 4 May 1996 Paul Scally Gillingham F.C. 1996 Going Up: A Year to Remember DVD 1:24:56–1:25:14 Following promotion, Pulis again overhauled his squad ahead of the upcoming season in the Second Division, and several players who had played significant roles in the 1995–96 season moved on. Martin, who had captained the team to promotion, and Naylor both left the club after a single season and joined Leyton Orient.Triggs 2001 210, 231 Gary Micklewhite, one of the few players to have been with the club before Pulis' arrival and to have remained a regular in the team during the 1995–96 season, retired from professional football and joined non-League club Slough Town.Triggs 2001 220 Gillingham signed a number of new players, including spending a new club record fee to sign Watford's Andy Hessenthaler, who would go on to have a long association with the club as player and subsequently manager.Triggs 2001 156https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/17991390 Andy Hessenthaler steps down as Gillingham manager BBC Sport 14 July 2021 8 May 2012 In the 1996–97 season, the team secured a mid-table finish in their first season at the higher level, finishing 11th in the Second Division.Brown 2003 106 References Bibliography Brown Tony The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record Soccerdata 2003 1-899468-20-X Nottingham Elligate David Gillingham FC On This Day Pitch Publishing 2009 978-1-9054-1145-0 Durrington Rollin Glenda Rollin Jack Rothmans Football Yearbook 1996–97 Headline Publishing Group 1996 978-0747277811 Rollin 1996 London Sewell Albert News of the World Football Annual 1995–96 Invincible Press 1995 9780855432331 London Roger Triggs The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club Tempus Publishing Ltd 2001 0-7524-2243-X Stroud Category:Gillingham F.C. seasons Gillingham Fc Season, 1995-96