1987–88 Gillingham F.C. season

English football club season February 2015 February 2015 Gillingham 1987–88 Keith Peacock (until 29 December 1987)Paul Taylor (from 29 December 1987) Roy Wood Third Division 13th FA Cup Third round League Cup Second round Associate Members' Cup Group stage Steve Lovell (25) Steve Lovell (27) 9,267 vs Birmingham City (9 January 1988) 2,558 vs Leyton Orient (27 October 1987) _whitenewolympic 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF FFFFFF FFFFFF _bluenewolympic _whitesides _whiteline FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 0000FF 0000FF 1986–87 1988–89 During the 1987–88 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League Third Division. It was the 56th season in which the club competed in the Football League, and the 38th since the club was voted back into the league in 1950. In the previous season, Gillingham had qualified for the final of the play-offs for promotion to the Football League Second Division but had been defeated. The team began the new season strongly, including winning matches 8–1 and 10–0 on consecutive Saturdays, but their performances quickly declined and by December the team had slipped down the league table. After a heavy loss to Aldershot in the last game of 1987, manager Keith Peacock was dismissed from his job and replaced by his former assistant Paul Taylor, a decision which was extremely unpopular with the club's supporters. Although the team's performances improved in the second half of the season, briefly bringing them close to a potential play-off place, their form declined once again and they finished the season 13th in the 24-team division, the same position as when Peacock lost his job. During the season, Gillingham also reached the third round of the FA Cup and the second round of the Football League Cup, but were eliminated from the Associate Members' Cup at the earliest stage. The team played 55 competitive matches, winning 17, drawing 17, and losing 21. Steve Lovell was the club's leading goalscorer, with 27 goals in all competitions, three times as many as any other player. He also made the most appearances, playing in all of the team's 55 matches; two other players each appeared over 50 times. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground, Priestfield Stadium, was 9,267 for an FA Cup match against Birmingham City. Background and pre-season thumb|right|upright|The previous season's top goalscorer, Tony Cascarino (pictured 1987), left the club during the summer.|alt=Footballer Tony Cascarino The 1987–88 season was Gillingham's 56th season playing in the Football League and the 38th since the club was elected back into the League in 1950 after being voted out in 1938. It was the club's 14th consecutive season in the Football League Third Division, the third tier of the English football league system, since the team gained promotion from the Fourth Division as runners-up in 1974.Brown 2003 83–90, 114 In the 13 seasons since then, the team had achieved a best finish of fourth place, one position away from promotion to the Second Division, a feat achieved in both the 1978–79 and 1984–85 seasons.Brown 2003 83–90, 114 In the 1986–87 season, Gillingham had finished fifth, qualifying for the newly introduced play-offs for the third promotion place, but lost to Swindon Town in the final. The two teams drew 2–2 on aggregate, necessitating a replay at a neutral venue, which Swindon won 2–0 to ensure that Gillingham would again be playing in the Third Division the following season. 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 Elligate 2009 96 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 Keith Peacock was the club's manager for a seventh season, having been appointed in July 1981.Dunk 1987 171Bateson 1987 255 Paul Taylor continued in the role of assistant manager, having been appointed at the same time as Peacock.Dunk 1987 171Gillingham V Burnley Matchday Programme 3 Management Talk 29 August 1981 Bill Collins, who had been with the club in a variety of roles since the early 1960s,Triggs 2001 94 held the post of first-team trainer, and John Gorman managed the youth team.Rollin 1988 171 Mark Weatherly was club captain, but for much of the early part of the season he was unable to play following an operation and subsequent injuries, so Colin Greenall served as captain on the field of play in his absence.Gillingham V Blackpool Matchday Programme 11 Gills Chat 15 August 1987 Tony HuddRollin 1988 172 Following Gillingham's failure to win promotion, Tony Cascarino, the previous season's top goalscorer, joined Millwall of the Second Division for a transfer fee of £225,000. This was at the time the highest fee which Gillingham had ever received for a player.Triggs 2001 82–84https://www.newspapers.com/image/722337976 Robinson may become a Mechelen man The Guardian 17 December 1986 28 June 2021 Newspapers.com subscription 34 Despite having lost the highest-scoring player of the previous season, the club did not immediately sign any new forwards; the only two players to join the club ahead of the new season were George Shipley, a midfielder signed from Charlton Athletic for £40,000, and Gary West, a defender who arrived from Lincoln City for £50,000.Triggs 2001 293, 332 The Gillingham team prepared for the new season with several friendly matches and the club also staged an open day, when supporters could attend autograph sessions with players and watch them training.Gillingham V Blackpool Matchday Programme 8–9 John Letley On Film 15 August 1987 The club's first-choice kit featured shirts in the club's traditional blue with a white zigzag band across the chest;Rollin 1988 171 the away shirts, to be worn in the event of a clash of colours with the home team, were the reverse of this.Gillingham V Bristol Rovers Matchday Programme 8–9 John Letley On Film 10 October 1987 At the start of the season, Gillingham were anticipating playing at Wembley Stadium, England's national stadium, for the first time in the club's history, as all 92 League teams were originally set to play there in April 1988 in the Football League Centenary Tournament.Gillingham V Brighton & Hove Albion Matchday Programme 11 Gills Chat 18 August 1987 Tony Hudd 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 960Bateson 1987 ifc The format of the tournament was later significantly changed, however, such that only 16 teams would compete.Rollin 1988 429 Gillingham failed to qualify for the revised tournament and did not make their first appearance at Wembley until 1999.Elligate 2009 97 Third Division August–December thumb|right|alt=Former footballer Keith Peacock|Keith Peacock (pictured in 2025) was dismissed from his role as the club's manager in December. Gillingham's first match of the season was at home to Blackpool and resulted in a 0–0 draw. After a second consecutive league match in which the team failed to score a goal, a 2–0 defeat away to Grimsby Town, Gillingham defeated Southend United 8–1 on 29 August, the most goals scored by Gillingham in a single match in the Football League since a 9–4 victory over Exeter City in 1951.Elligate 2009 133 Forward Steve Lovell scored four times, the first time a Gillingham player had scored as many goals in a league game since 1958.Elligate 2009 133 Seven days later, Gillingham played Chesterfield, who were joint top of the league table going into the game and had the best defensive record in the division, having not conceded any goals in the first four matches of the season.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/03-september-1987/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 3 September 1987 11v11 AFS Enterprises 21 September 2021https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85919411/ Peacock pride on joyless day Patrick Barclay Patrick Barclay The Independent Newspapers.com 7 September 1987 24 September 2021 Gillingham won the game 10–0, setting a new record for the club's biggest win in the Football League;Rollin 1996 167 four players each scored two goals but on this occasion Lovell did not score at all.Elligate 2009 138https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000521/19870907/257/0031 Derby Daily Telegraph Blues run into a barrage 7 September 1987 23 September 2021 British Newspaper Archive subscription The win was the largest by any team in the Football League since 1964;Bateson 1989 262 it was the 61st game in Football League history in which a team scored double figures, but the first such game in which no player scored more than twice.Rollin 1988 14 Victory over York City on 19 September left Gillingham second in the table,https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/19-september-1987/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 19 September 1987 11v11 AFS Enterprises 21 September 2021 but one draw and two defeats in the next three games meant that the team dropped to twelfth.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/03-october-1987/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 3 October 1987 11v11 AFS Enterprises 22 September 2021 New signing Shipley was seriously injured against York and did not play again for nearly six months.Triggs 2001 293 In early October, the club signed forward Mark Cooper from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £102,500, setting a new record for the highest fee Gillingham had paid to sign a player.Triggs 2001 94Elligate 2009 155 He went straight into the starting line-up for the home game against Bristol Rovers on 10 October and scored his first goal two games later in a 1–1 draw with Preston North End.Rollin 1988 173 Gavin Peacock, son of the manager, also made his debut against Bristol Rovers, having joined the club on a one-month loan from Queens Park Rangers.Triggs 2001 251 An unbeaten run of five games pushed Gillingham back up among the teams contending for a play-off place; the team ended the month of October in seventh position, two places behind the lowest position which would qualify for the play-offs.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/31-october-1987/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 31 October 1987 11v11 AFS Enterprises 22 September 2021 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.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/30-november-1987/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 30 November 1987 11v11 AFS Enterprises 24 September 2021 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.Elligate 2009 182 In early December, Gavin Peacock rejoined the club, this time on a permanent basis for a fee of £40,000.Triggs 2001 251https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85919884/ Millwall count cost Evening Standard Newspapers.com 9 December 1987 24 September 2021 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.Brown 2003 94–97 The team had now won only one of the last eight games and had slipped into the bottom half of the league table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/28-december-1987/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 28 December 1987 11v11 AFS Enterprises 22 September 2021 The following day, manager Peacock was dismissed from his job by the club's board of directors. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A117506930/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=32a48136 The Times 11 September 2021 Gale Football: Gillingham respond to protest 4 January 1988 subscription https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A117544809/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=e43f2e13 The Times 19 September 2021 Gale Football: Gillingham dismiss Peacock as manager 30 December 1987 subscription Elligate 2009 202 Assistant manager Taylor was appointed to the manager's role for the remainder of the season.Elligate 2009 203https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85920072/ Peacock sacked Evening Standard Newspapers.com 29 December 1987 24 September 2021 Steve Stammers January–May thumb|right|alt=Priestfield Stadium|Gillingham's home ground, Priestfield Stadium (pictured 1987) 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;Rollin 1988 172 veteran goalkeeper Ron Hillyard, who was in his 14th season with the club but had been kept out of the team by Phil Kite before Christmas, was recalled to the team.Rollin 1988 173 The first home game since the change of manager took place the following day and ended in a 2–2 draw with Fulham. The home fans staged a protest against the dismissal of Peacock, who was in attendance at the game; after the match some supporters caught up with the former manager in the car park and carried him on their shoulders down the road outside the stadium. Afterwards Peacock told the press "There was no way I could have stopped the fans doing what they did. Everything was very orderly and non-violent and I considered it merely the supporters' way of saying thank you for what I have done at Gillingham."https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85920253/ Red hot Roker The Observer Newspapers.com 3 January 1988 24 September 2021 Louise Taylor The team ended the month of January with consecutive defeats to Wigan Athletic and Sunderland.Rollin 1988 172 Gillingham were unbeaten in five matches played in February, winning three and drawing two,Rollin 1988 172 which took the team back up to eighth in the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/29-february-1988/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 29 February 1988 11v11 AFS Enterprises 21 September 2021 During this run, Greenall was transferred to Oxford United for a new club-record fee of £285,000.Elligate 2009 34Bateson 1989 260 Lovell scored a total of eight goals in the five matches, including his second hat-trick of the season in a 4–1 win over Chesterfield.Elligate 2009 31 Gillingham scored only a single goal in the next four games, which resulted in two draws and two defeats.Rollin 1988 172 Shipley made his return to the team in the defeat away to Chester City, having not played since the previous September.Rollin 1988 173 On 26 March, Gillingham ended their run of winless games by defeating league leaders Notts County away from home.Rollin 1988 172 Defender Alan Walker, a new signing from Millwall, made his debut in that match,Triggs 2001 325 after which Gillingham were ninth in the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/26-march-1988/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 26 March 1988 11v11 AFS Enterprises 21 September 2021 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;https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002482/19880415/467/0055 Hammersmith & Shepherds Bush Gazette Sinton levels Bees' account 15 April 1988 23 September 2021 British Newspaper Archive Karl Mercer subscription the draw left them 11th in the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/09-april-1988/ League Division 3 table after close of play on 9 April 1988 11v11 AFS Enterprises 30 September 2021 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.Brown 2003 97 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.Rollin 1988 172https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/31-may-1988/ League Division Three end of season table for 1987–88 season 11v11 AFS Enterprises 21 September 2021 Match details Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsRollin 1988 172 DateOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance 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 1987–88 Football League#Third Division main WDL left auto Football League Third Division final table, positions 10–16 PR 10 BLA Blackpool POR Port Vale BRE Brentford GIL Gillingham BUR Bury CHE Chester City PRE Preston North End 17 14 15 71 62 18 11 17 58 56 16 14 16 53 59 14 17 15 77 61 15 14 17 58 57 14 16 16 51 62 15 13 18 48 59 complete Rollin 1988 412 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.Rollin 1988 478 In the second round they played another Third Division team, Walsall, whom they defeated 2–1.Rollin 1988 480 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.Rollin 1988 482 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.Elligate 2009 14 Match details Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsRollin 1988 478, 480, 482Bateson 1989 72 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance14 November 1987FirstFulham (H)1–0Greenall6,4445 December 1987SecondWalsall (H)2–1Lovell, Elsey4,9169 January 1988ThirdBirmingham City (H)0–3 9,267 Football League Cup As a Third Division team, Gillingham entered the 1987–88 Football League Cup in the first round and were drawn to play fellow Third Division team Brighton. In the first match of the two-legged tie, Gillingham won 1–0 with a goal from Greenall.Rollin 1988 445 In the second leg, Chris Hutchings scored for Brighton midway through the first half to level the aggregate score. Shortly afterwards, Gillingham goalkeeper Kite was sent off for fouling an opposition player, reducing his team to ten men. As no substitute goalkeeper was available, defender Paul Haylock volunteered to take over in goal. With his team-mates adopting a defensive strategy, Haylock conceded no goals during the remainder of the game; with the scores still level, a penalty shoot-out was required. Both teams scored with their first four penalties; Gillingham scored their fifth and then Haylock saved Brighton's fifth kick to give Gillingham the victory.Elligate 2009 130 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A117571982/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=eb07f0d3 The Times 19 September 2021 Gale Football: Haylock fills breach to save Gillingham 27 August 1987 Ian Stafford subscription https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85919110/ Results The Guardian 27 August 1987 24 September 2021 Newspapers.com In the second round, Gillingham played Stoke City of the Second Division, who won the first leg 2–0 and the second 1–0 to eliminate Gillingham from the competition.Rollin 1988 449–450 Match details Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsRollin 1988 445, 448–450Bateson 1989 88–90 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance18 August 1987First (first leg)Brighton & Hove Albion (H)1–0Greenall4,16226 August 1987First (second leg)Brighton & Hove Albion (A)0–15,47922 September 1987Second (first leg)Stoke City (A)0–27,1986 October 1987Second (second leg)Stoke City (H)0–15,039 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.Rollin 1988 459–460 Match details Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsRollin 1988 459–460 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance13 October 1987Preliminary (southern section)Aldershot1–3Lovell1,81027 October 1987Preliminary (southern section)Leyton Orient2–2Greenall (2, 1 pen.)2,558 Players thumb|right|upright|alt=Footballer Ron Hillyard|Veteran Ron Hillyard (pictured in 2001) was one of three goalkeepers who played for the team during the season. 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.Brown 2003 97 Four other players made more than 40 appearances.Brown 2003 97 Four players, all members of the club's youth team, played only one game each. Of these, Ian Docker, Ivan Haines and Lee Palmer would all go on to become regulars in the first team, but Neil Luff's single appearance as a substitute would prove to be the only game of his professional career.Triggs 2001 103, 144, 205, 244 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.Triggs 2001 348 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.Rollin 1988 422Bateson 1989 53 +Player statisticsBrown 2003 97PlayerPositionThird DivisionFA CupLeague CupAssociate Members' CupTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsLes Berry Les Berry (footballer)DF 200001020230Mark Cooper Mark Cooper (footballer, born 1967)FW 318200020358Ian DockerMF 1000000010Karl ElseyMF 396314010477Mel EvesFW 157203000207Irvin GernonDF 211102000241Colin GreenallDF 252303112325Ivan HainesDF 1000000010Paul HaylockDF 320304020410Ron HillyardGK 180100000190Phil Kite Phil Kite (footballer)GK 260204020340Jason LillisFW 70111020111Steve Lovell Steve Lovell (Welsh footballer)FW 46253140215527Neil LuffMF1000000010Lee Palmer DF1000000010Tony ParksGK 2000000020Gavin Peacock MF262100020292Graham Pearce Graham Pearce (English footballer)DF 320202020380Howard PritchardFW 428314020519Trevor QuowMF 401203010461Dave ShearerFW 115004000155George Shipley George Shipley (footballer)MF152002000172Dave Smith Dave Smith (footballer, born 1961)FW 357104020427Malcolm Smith Malcolm Smith (footballer, born 1970)MF 2110000031Alan Walker Alan Walker (footballer)DF 7000000070Mark WeatherlyDF 170200000190Gary WestDF422304020512 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. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A117358999/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=38ef9429 The Times 17 September 2021 Gale Billy Bonds; Gillingham FC 26 October 1988 subscription Elligate 2009 164 Gillingham finished 23rd in the Third Division and were relegated to the fourth tier of English football,Bateson 1989 53 where they would remain for seven seasons.Rollin 1996 167 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.https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/sport/legend-gall-on-stones-league-22269/ Maidstone United legend Mark Gall remembers the club's Football League debut 25 years on Kent Online Kent Messenger Group 22 August 2014 21 September 2021 Craig Tucker 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."https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2370515/Peacocks-proud-return-evokes-worthy-memories.html Daily Telegraph Peacock's proud return evokes worthy memories Christopher Davies 2 January 2004 https://web.archive.org/web/20210716130947/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2370515/Peacocks-proud-return-evokes-worthy-memories.html 26 September 2021 16 July 2021 References Works cited Bateson Bill Sewell Albert News Of The World Football Annual 1987–88 Invincible Press 1987 978-0-85543-100-6 Bateson 1987 London Bateson Bill Sewell Albert News Of The World Football Annual 1988–89 Invincible Press 1988 978-0-85543-145-7 Bateson 1988 London Bateson Bill Sewell Albert News Of The World Football Annual 1989–90 Invincible Press 1989 978-0-85543-172-3 Bateson 1989 London Brown Tony The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record Soccerdata 2003 978-1-89946-820-1 Nottingham Dunk Peter Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88 Queen Anne Press 1987 978-0-35614-354-5 London Elligate David Gillingham FC On This Day Pitch Publishing 2009 978-1-90541-145-0 Durrington Rollin Jack Rothmans Football Yearbook 1988–89 Queen Anne Press 1988 978-0-35615-880-8 London Rollin Glenda Rollin Jack Rothmans Football Yearbook 1996–97 Headline Publishing Group 1996 978-0747277811 Rollin 1996 London Roger Triggs The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club Tempus Publishing Ltd 2001 978-0-75242-243-5 Stroud Category:Gillingham F.C. seasons Gillingham