1987 Football League Third Division play-off final

June 2017 March 2021 1987 Football League Third Division play-off final Gillingham 2 Swindon Town 2 First leg 1 0 1987 5 22 yes Priestfield Stadium Gillingham Alf Buksh 16,775 Second leg 1 2 1987 5 25 yes County Ground Swindon Lester Shapter 14,382 Swindon Town won 2–0 in a replay Replay 0 2 1987 5 29 yes Selhurst Park Croydon John Martin 18,491 1988 The 1987 Football League Third Division play-off final was an association football match contested by Gillingham and Swindon Town over two legs on 22 and 25 May 1987, followed by a replay on 29 May, to determine which club would play the next season in the Second Division. Gillingham had finished in fifth place in the Third Division while Swindon finished third. They were joined in the play-offs by fourth-placed Wigan Athletic and Sunderland, who had finished 20th in the division above. Gillingham defeated Sunderland in their semi-final on away goals and Swindon defeated Wigan in the other semi-final. Swindon had previously had two spells in the Second Division, but Gillingham were aiming to reach the second tier of English football for the first time in their history. The 1986–87 season was the first in which the teams who had missed out on automatic promotion had the opportunity to compete in play-offs for a further promotion place. The first leg of the final was played at Priestfield Stadium, in front of a crowd of 16,775. Dave Smith scored the only goal of the game to give Gillingham a one-goal lead heading into the second leg. Three days later at the County Ground, 14,382 people saw Karl Elsey score the opening goal of the match in the 17th minute, to double Gillingham's lead. This was followed by two goals from Peter Coyne and Charlie Henry to give Swindon a 2–1 victory in the match. Although Gillingham's semi-final had been decided on away goals, the same rule did not apply in the final, so a replay was held at Selhurst Park, where two goals from Steve White secured Swindon a place in the Second Division. The following season, Swindon finished in 12th position in the Second Division and Gillingham finished 13th in the Third Division, only nine points ahead of the relegation zone. Background Gillingham and Swindon Town were competing to be promoted from the Football League Third Division to the Second Division for the 1987–88 season. https://www.theguardian.com/football/that-1980s-sports-blog/2015/may/22/first-football-league-play-offs-1987-charlton-swindon-aldershot The Guardian 28 March 2021 How Charlton, Swindon and Aldershot triumphed in the first play-offs in 1987 Steven Pye 22 May 2015 3 June 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200603105618/https://www.theguardian.com/football/that-1980s-sports-blog/2015/may/22/first-football-league-play-offs-1987-charlton-swindon-aldershot live The 1986–87 season was the inaugural season of the Football League play-offs, which were introduced as part of the Heathrow Agreement, a ten-point proposal to restructure the Football League.Foster 2015 8 For the first two years of the play-offs, the club which had finished immediately above the automatic relegation places in the Second Division competed with three clubs from the Third Division for a place in the Second Division for the following season. https://www.theguardian.com/football/the-agony-and-the-ecstasy/2017/may/04/football-league-play-offs-30-1987-finals-championship-league-one-two The Guardian Richard Foster The Football League play-offs at 30: a quick fix that survived and thrived 4 May 2017 19 January 2021 12 November 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201112011651/https://www.theguardian.com/football/the-agony-and-the-ecstasy/2017/may/04/football-league-play-offs-30-1987-finals-championship-league-one-two live The play-offs raised an extra £1 million in revenue in their first year, half of which would be shared by all member clubs, and a spokesman for the Football League dubbed them "a phenomenal success". They were criticised by some in the game, however. Oldham Athletic manager Joe Royle was scathing of them after losing in the semi-final of the Second Division play-offs, saying "We finished seven points clear of Leeds. So to go out on away goals to them means there is something unjust. I welcomed the play-offs but possibly hadn't considered the long-term ramifications." The Swindon manager Lou Macari was also dissatisfied with the play-offs, arguing "we have proved ourselves the better team over 46 games this season but then see our future decided in Cup-style matches". https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/74663494/the-guardian/ The Guardian 29 March 2021 Clubs swallow play-offs with spoonfuls of money Newspapers.com 29 May 1987 29 Russell Thomas 30 March 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210330111015/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/74663494/the-guardian/ live Swindon had played in the Second Division between 1963 and 1965 and between 1969 and 1974,Encyclopedia of British Football CollinsWillow London 1983 Phil Soar Martin Tyler amp 130 978-0-0021-8049-8 but Gillingham were aiming to reach the second tier of English football for the first time in their history.Pete Lansley Football: Taylor believes Gills will pass character test The Independent 27 May 2000 https://www.proquest.com/docview/311630440 subscription 11 February 2021 30 March 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210330110946/https://www.proquest.com/docview/311630440/D6C4786F02BE4D3CPQ/1 311630440 live After being relegated to the Fourth Division in 1982, Swindon had slumped to a lowest-ever finish of 17th in the Football League's lowest division in 1984, after which Macari was appointed as the club's new manager.https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/4562378.25-years-ago-lou-leads-the-way-for-town/ 25 years ago: Lou leads the way for Town 24 August 2009 30 March 2021 Swindon Evening Advertiser 1 July 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210701183225/https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/4562378.25-years-ago-lou-leads-the-way-for-town/ live Two years later he had led the team to the championship of the Fourth Division with a Football League record total of 102 points, and was aiming for a second consecutive promotion. Under manager Keith Peacock, Gillingham had come close to promotion from the Third Division in both the two previous seasons, having finished in fourth place in 1984–85 and fifth in 1985–86.Brown 2003 94–96 The teams had met twice during the regular season; Swindon had won 3–1 at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium in December, and the match at Swindon's County Ground in May had ended in a 1–1 draw.Brown 2003 94–96 According to bookmakers, Swindon were clear favourites to secure promotion to the Second Division.Dramatic climax to an amazing season for the pride of Priestfield Chatham Rochester & Gillingham News 8 22 May 1987 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19870521/659/0070 The Football League Play-Off Finals British Newspaper Archive subscription 30 March 2021 70 Liverpool Echo 21 May 1987 Route to the final 1987 Football League play-offs 1986–87 Football League main WDL Q right auto 20 Football League Second Division final table, bottom positions SUN Sunderland GRI Grimsby Town B&HA Brighton & Hove Albion 12 12 18 49 59 10 14 18 39 59 9 12 21 37 54 complete https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/1987/ 11v11 AFS Enterprises 27 March 2021 League Division Two end of season table for 1986–87 season 21 January 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210121112210/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/1987/ live main WDL Q right auto Football League Third Division final table, leading positions BOU Bournemouth MID Middlesbrough SWI Swindon Town WIG Wigan Athletic GIL Gillingham 29 10 7 76 40 28 10 8 67 30 25 12 9 77 47 25 10 11 83 60 23 9 14 65 48 complete https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/1987/ 11v11 AFS Enterprises 27 March 2021 League Division Three end of season table for 1986–87 season 30 March 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210330111007/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/1987/ live Swindon finished in third place in the Third Division, seven points behind Middlesbrough and ten behind Bournemouth, both of whom were promoted automatically. At Christmas 1986, Gillingham had been in second place,Gillingham V Walsall Matchday Programme 15 Today League Division Three: As it Stands 1 January 1987 but the team's form declined in the second half of the season, with 9 defeats in 20 games between January and April.Brown 2003 94–96 As a result, Gillingham ended the regular season in fifth place, 9 points behind Swindon and 16 points outside the automatic promotion places. Gillingham's opposition for their play-off semi-final were Sunderland, who finished the 1986–87 season in 20th place in the Second Division. The first match of the two-legged tie took place at Priestfield Stadium in Gillingham on 14 May 1987. Mark Proctor scored a penalty kick to give Sunderland a 1–0 lead at half-time, but in the second half Tony Cascarino scored a hat-trick to put Gillingham 3–1 up. Proctor scored a second goal late in the game to make the final score 3–2.Elligate 2009 87 The second leg was held at Roker Park in Sunderland three days later.Foster 2015 194 After just four minutes, Howard Pritchard scored for Gillingham, but two goals from Eric Gates put Sunderland in front. In the second half, a goal from Cascarino made the scoreline 2–2 on the day and 5–4 on aggregate, but with less than a minute remaining, Gary Bennett of Sunderland brought the aggregate scores level to send the game into extra time. Both teams scored one more goal in the extra period, making the score 6–6 on aggregate, but as Gillingham had now scored more away goals, they progressed to the final. Sunderland were thus relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in the club's history.Elligate 2009 89 In the other semi-final, Swindon faced Wigan Athletic, and the first leg was held at Springfield Park in Wigan on 14 May 1987. The home side took an early lead after two minutes when Chris Thompson scored from around 20 yd. Wigan doubled their lead after 15 minutes when Swindon's goalkeeper Fraser Digby dropped a free kick, allowing Bobby Campbell to put the loose ball into the Swindon goal. In the second half, Digby saved from Paul Jewell and Swindon started to dominate. Wigan's goalkeeper Roy Tunks dived at the feet of Jimmy Quinn to deny a goalscoring chance, but the ball fell to Dave Bamber, who scored. In the 80th minute, Quinn equalised with a firm header from a Steve Berry free kick. With two minutes remaining, Swindon's Mark Jones crossed from the right and Peter Coyne scored with a header, making the final score 3–2.Mattick 2004 100 The return leg took place at the County Ground three days later.Foster 2015 194 As the match ended in a 0–0 draw, Swindon progressed to the final with a 3–2 aggregate score. https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/74660656/the-guardian/ The Guardian Newspapers.com Sunderland and Bolton are sunk 28 18 May 1987 29 March 2021 30 March 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210330111015/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/74660656/the-guardian/ live Match Alf Buksh was selected as the referee for the first leg and Lester Shapter for the second. The latter referee had caused controversy when he disallowed a goal in a match involving Swindon earlier in the season; Macari had been reported to the Football Association, the governing body of the sport in England, for his comments about Shapter after the match.Play-off ref is shock choice Swindon Evening Advertiser 12 19 May 1987 Jon MurrayAnother Shapter chapter Swindon Evening Advertiser 12 25 May 1987 Tickets for both legs went on sale before the first, and such was the demand that fans camped outside Priestfield Stadium overnight to secure them.Priestfield full house Swindon Evening Advertiser 28 21 May 1987 David Powell of The Times highlighted the clash between Gillingham's Colin Greenall and Swindon's Bamber, close friends off the pitch, as a potential key element of the final. Clive King of the Swindon Evening Advertiser said that his local team's main concern would be preventing Cascarino from scoring.Swindon Evening Advertiser Clive King Tim gets stopper orders 22 May 1987 32 First leg Summary thumb|right|alt=Priestfield Stadium|The first leg of the final took place at Priestfield Stadium. The first leg of the final drew a crowd of 16,775 and gate receipts of £49,377, a new record for Priestfield Stadium.Elligate 2009 93 Chris Kamara was an injury doubt for Swindon, and Gillingham's Steve Lovell, Joe Hinnigan, Mark Weatherly and Irvin Gernon were all out. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002471/19870522/417/0031 British Newspaper Archive Reading Evening Post Untitled 30 March 2021 22 May 1987 31 subscription Gillingham manager Peacock told the press "Everyone here is very excited to be so close, but Lou Macari has done a terrific job at Swindon, and you can be sure any team he fields will run for 90 minutes. We will have our hands full." https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A117629437/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=97d67b55 The Times 11 September 2021 Gale Football: Bamber aims to be best man 22 May 1987 David Powell 13 September 2021 subscription https://web.archive.org/web/20210913203828/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA117629437&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=97d67b55 live Before the match, trouble flared between rival groups of fans and two British Transport Police officers were injured by thrown projectiles.https://books.google.com/books?id=MR2tCwAAQBAJ&q=gillingham+swindon+1987+violence&pg=PT111 Tracking the Hooligans: The History of Football Violence on the UK Rail Network Amberley Publishing Limited Stroud 2016 Michael Layton Alan Pacey 978-1-4456-5181-1 16 April 2021 24 June 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210624213000/https://books.google.com/books?id=MR2tCwAAQBAJ&q=gillingham+swindon+1987+violence&pg=PT111 live Having scored five goals in the semi-final, Gillingham centre-forward Cascarino found himself closely marked by Swindon's Tim Parkin and Colin Calderwood. Phil Kite made two saves from Kamara before Quinn headed over the bar and Bamber's goal was disallowed for offside. Quinn was later substituted after receiving a strong tackle from Gillingham defender Les Berry. According to Powell of The Times, Swindon were "superior in all departments except the telling ones – finishing and goalkeeping", and Kite made two further saves, both from Steve Berry. The game remained goalless until the 81st minute when Gillingham took the lead. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A117629223/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=STND&xid=3009cfa4 The Times 30 March 2021 Gale Gillingham hopes high as a Kite 23 May 1987 David Powell 30 March 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210330110950/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA117629223&v=2.1&it=r&sid=STND&asid=3009cfa4 live Dave Smith received the ball on the edge of the Swindon penalty area following Trevor Quow's free kick and hit a fierce shot past Swindon goalkeeper Digby, to give his team a one-goal lead going into the second leg.Elligate 2009 93 https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/74662622/the-guardian/ The Guardian 29 March 2021 Newspapers.com 23 May 1987 Smith breathes life into the shaky Gills Robert Armstrong 16 30 March 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210330110946/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/74662622/the-guardian/ live Details uncollapsed 1 22 May 1987 19:45 Gillingham 1–0 Swindon Town Smith 81 Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham 16,775 Alf Buksh right _whiteborder _whitesides _whiteborder _bluesides _blueline 0000ff 0000ff 0000ff FFFFFF FFFFFF Gillingham right _red,_with_white_border_&_small_stripes _thinwhitestripes _red,_with_white_border_&_small_stripes _whitesides _whiteline FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 Swindon Town 1Phil Kite2Paul Haylock3Graham Pearce4Les Berry5Trevor Quow6Colin Greenall7Howard Pritchard8Dave Shearer9Dave Smith10Karl Elsey11Tony CascarinoManager:Keith Peacock1Fraser Digby2Dave Hockaday3Phil King4Leigh Barnard5Tim Parkin6Colin Calderwood7Mark Jones8Chris Kamara9Jimmy Quinn 10Dave Bamber11Steve BerrySubstitute used:12Charlie Henry Manager:Lou Macari Second leg Summary right|alt=Swindon's County Ground|thumb|The second leg took place at the County Ground in Swindon. Both teams made one change for the second leg, which took place three days later. Gillingham manager Peacock picked Steve Lovell in place of goalscorer Smith, who was named as a substitute.Brown 2003 94–96 Swindon's Macari brought in Coyne in place of Quinn. Gillingham took the lead in the 17th minute against the run of play. Paul Haylock played a cross towards the edge of the Swindon penalty area which Karl Elsey struck on the volley into the net past a static Digby. Swindon's Kamara sustained an injury during the first half and was replaced by Charlie Henry. Bamber, Parkin and Henry all had headers saved by Kite in the Gillingham goal, who was described in The Guardian as "unbeatable... for a good hour". Further goalbound efforts from both White and Henry struck the Gillingham crossbar before Swindon equalised just after the hour mark. Henry controlled a pass from Berry with his chest and passed to Coyne, who took the ball past two Gillingham players before hitting a fierce shot into the goal from around 15 yd. Gillingham attacked again after Smith came on in place of Elsey, but Swindon's defenders closed down their opponents. In the 79th minute, Swindon's Dave Hockaday crossed for Henry to score with a left-footed drive from the edge of the Gillingham penalty area, making the final score on the day 2–1 to Swindon and the aggregate score across the two legs 2–2. If the rules governing the play-off final had been the same as the semi-final, Gillingham would have won on away goals; the rules for the final, however, stated that if the aggregate scores were level at the end of the second leg, away goals would not be taken into consideration but instead a replay would take place at a neutral stadium.Elligate 2009 94 Robert Armstrong, writing in The Guardian, described the second leg as "an epic battle, in the best Anglo-Saxon tradition of the knockout competition". After the match, Peacock said "It was disappointing to give away two goals after getting ourselves into a commanding position....we must now pick ourselves up and prepare for the game on Friday." Macari said "I knew that if we could keep them under the kind of pressure we were putting them under they would have to crack."Charlie is an angel! Swindon Advertiser 12 26 May 1987 Clive King Details uncollapsed 1 25 May 1987 19:45 Swindon Town 2–1 2–2 Gillingham https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/74663116/the-guardian/ The Guardian Newspapers.com 29 March 2021 26 May 1987 28 Swindon spirit pulls back two-goal lead Robert Armstrong 30 March 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210330110946/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/74663116/the-guardian/ live Coyne 61 Henry 80 Elsey 17 County Ground, Swindon 14,382 Lester Shapter right _red,_with_white_border_&_small_stripes _thinwhitestripes _red,_with_white_border_&_small_stripes FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FFFFFF FF0000 Swindon Town right _bluenewolympic _whitesides _whiteline FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 0000FF 0000FF Gillingham 1Fraser Digby2Dave Hockaday3Phil King4Peter Coyne5Tim Parkin6Colin Calderwood7Dave Bamber8Chris Kamara 9Steve Berry10Steve White11Leigh BarnardSubstitute used:12Charlie Henry Manager:Lou Macari1Phil Kite2Paul Haylock3Graham Pearce4Les Berry5Trevor Quow6Colin Greenall7Howard Pritchard8Dave Shearer9Steve Lovell10Karl Elsey 11Tony CascarinoSubstitute used:12Dave Smith Manager:Keith Peacock Replay Summary alt=Selhurst Park|right|thumb|The replay took place at Selhurst Park. The replay took place at Selhurst Park, home of Crystal Palace, four days after the second leg; the game was scheduled for the slightly later than usual time of 8.00pm to allow the two sets of fans time to travel to the ground.Fans fear for terraces risk Swindon Advertiser 12 26 May 1987 As a result of their participation in the FA Cup and Football League Cup, and a run to the southern section semi-finals of the Associate Members' Cup, all alongside the Football League programme, it was Gillingham's 63rd match of the season, a new record for the most games the team had played in a season since joining the Football League.Elligate 2009 96 Both teams again made one change for the replay. Swindon's Henry, who had come on as a substitute in both previous games, was named in the starting line-up in place of Kamara, who was hospitalised after his injury in the previous match.Kammy in hospital Swindon Advertiser 12 26 May 1987 Gillingham brought in Martin Robinson in place of Lovell.Brown 2003 94–96 Swindon remained the bookmakers' favourites to win promotion.Danger man Swindon Advertiser 32 29 May 1987 Swindon took the lead after just two minutes, when an error by the Gillingham defence allowed Steve White to score.Elligate 2009 96 A long pass from a King free kick was headed on by Henry to White who outran Berry to score past Kite in the Gillingham goal. Neither side dominated the first half; just before half-time, Elsey played a one-two with Quow, but his shot went outside the far post. The second half saw Gillingham begin to dominate possession and Digby saved a Cascarino header at full stretch. A shot from Shearer then passed over the bar with Digby motionless in the goal.Mattick 2004 102 Midway through the second half Swindon's Bamber began an attack and Leigh Barnard played the ball to White, who scored again to double his team's lead.Elligate 2009 96 Gillingham increased the pressure, Digby denying Pritchard and then saving from Quow before punching away a header from Cascarino.Mattick 2004 102 With seven minutes remaining Gillingham's Smith set up a goal-scoring opportunity for Dave Shearer but his close-range shot went wide of the goal. Details uncollapsed 1 29 May 1987 20:00 Swindon Town 2–0 Gillingham https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55278305/the-guardian/ The Guardian 29 March 2021 Newspapers.com 30 May 1987 Russell Thomas Swindon remount on White's night 17 30 March 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210330110946/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55278305/the-guardian/ live White 2 65 Selhurst Park, Croydon 18,491 John Martin right _red,_with_white_border_&_small_stripes _thinwhitestripes _red,_with_white_border_&_small_stripes _whitesides _whiteline FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 Swindon Town right _bluenewolympic _whitesides _whiteline FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 0000FF 0000FF Gillingham 1Fraser Digby2Dave Hockaday3Phil King4Peter Coyne5Tim Parkin6Colin Calderwood7Dave Bamber8Steve Berry9Charlie Henry10Steve White11Leigh BarnardManager:Lou Macari1Phil Kite2Paul Haylock3Graham Pearce4Les Berry5Trevor Quow6Colin Greenall7Howard Pritchard8Dave Shearer9Martin Robinson 10Karl Elsey11Tony CascarinoSubstitute used:12Dave Smith Manager:Keith Peacock Post-match Despite his team's victory, Swindon manager Macari was sympathetic to his opposition because of the manner in which they missed out on promotion: "Nothing can compensate for the feeling of disappointment in the Gillingham dressing room at this moment."Mattick 2004 103 He was critical of the play-off system, saying "This is one of the greatest moments of my career, but I never want to go through a game like this again. The League should scrap the play-offs."https://www.theguardian.com/football/that-1980s-sports-blog/2015/may/22/first-football-league-play-offs-1987-charlton-swindon-aldershot Steven Pye The Guardian How Charlton, Swindon and Aldershot triumphed in the first play-offs in 1987 22 May 2015 29 March 2021 3 June 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200603105618/https://www.theguardian.com/football/that-1980s-sports-blog/2015/may/22/first-football-league-play-offs-1987-charlton-swindon-aldershot live After he led the team to a second consecutive promotion, reporters asked Macari if he would be joining a more high-profile club, but he was focused on the play-off victory: "This is the greatest feeling of triumph in my career, even better than playing at the FA Cup Final at Wembley." https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002487/19870530/336/0031 British Newspaper Archive 30 March 2021 30 May 1987 subscription 31 Sandwell Evening Mail Macari hits the heights as Swindon go up again Gillingham manager Peacock called the play-offs "good for the game", but noted that he felt "as low as I have ever felt in football". Roy Wood, chairman of Gillingham's board of directors, said "we are bloody disappointed, but we are not going to sit down and cry".Chatham News 5 June 1987 31 Cash available as the rebuilding starts The following season, Swindon began the season strongly in the Second Division and in October were in 4th place, challenging for a third consecutive promotion.Rollin 1988 358 Their performances declined in the second half of the season, and they finished in 12th position. https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/1988/ 11v11 AFS Enterprises 28 March 2021 League Division Two end of season table for 1987–88 season 29 October 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201029202812/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/1988/ live Gillingham began the season mounting another challenge for promotion from the Third Division, including defeating Southend United 8–1 and Chesterfield 10–0 on consecutive Saturdays,Elligate 2009 138 but the team's form slumped and manager Peacock was sacked in December 1987.Elligate 2009 203 Gillingham finished the 1987–88 season in 13th place in the Third Division, only nine points above the relegation zone. https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/1988/ 11v11 AFS Enterprises 28 March 2021 League Division Three end of season table for 1987–88 season 30 March 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210330111010/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/1988/ live They finally reached the second tier of English football in 2000.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/767702.stm Second time lucky for Gills BBC Sport 6 August 2008 28 May 2000 3 March 2003 https://web.archive.org/web/20030303203928/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/767702.stm live References Works cited Brown Tony The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record Soccerdata Nottingham 2003 978-1-8994-6820-1 Elligate David Gillingham FC On This Day Pitch Publishing 2009 978-1-9054-1145-0 Durrington The Agony & The Ecstasy Richard Foster 978-1-9109-0600-2 Ockley Books 2015 Huddersfield Rollin Jack Rothmans Football Yearbook 1988–89 Queen Anne Press 1988 978-0-35615-880-8 London Swindon Town Football Club – Fifty of the Finest Matches Dick Mattick Stroud 978-0-7524-2866-6 Tempus Publishing Limited 2004 1 3 Category:EFL League One play-off finals Play-off Final 1987 Play-off Final 1987 Category:Football League Third Division play-off finals Football League Third Division play-off final