1996–97 Gillingham F.C. season

English football club season April 2022 Gillingham 1996–97 Tony Pulis Paul Scally Second Division 11th FA Cup Third round League Cup Fourth round League Trophy First round Iffy Onuora (21) Iffy Onuora (23) 10,603 vs Coventry City (22 October 1996) 1,193 vs Cardiff City (10 December 1996) _whitecollarplain _redbottom 0000ff 0000ff 0000ff 0000ff ffffff _whitecollarplain ff0000 ff0000 ff0000 ff0000 ffffff 1995–96 1997–98 During the 1996–97 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division, the third tier of the English football league system. It was the 65th season in which Gillingham competed in the Football League, and the 47th since the club was voted back into the league in 1950. In the previous season, the team had gained promotion from the Third Division. Prior to the new season, Gillingham signed seven new players, paying a new club record transfer fee for Watford's Andy Hessenthaler. The team's form was poor in the first half of the season and at the end of 1996, Gillingham were in 21st position in the 24-team league table, putting them in danger of relegation back to the fourth tier. The club signed Ade Akinbiyi from Norwich City for another record fee in early January. In the second half of the season the team's performances improved and they finished the season in 11th position in the table. Gillingham also competed in three knock-out competitions. The team reached the fourth round of the Football League Cup; in the third round they held Coventry City of the FA Premier League to a draw at home and won the replay. It was the first time Gillingham had beaten a team from the top division of English football since 1908. They also reached the third round of the FA Cup but were eliminated from the Football League Trophy in the first round. The team played 57 competitive matches, winning 25, drawing 12 and losing 20. Simon Ratcliffe made the most appearances during the season, playing 52 times. Iffy Onuora, who joined the club at the start of the season, was top goalscorer, with 21 goals in the Second Division and a total of 23 across all competitions. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground, Priestfield Stadium, was 10,603, for the League Cup match against Coventry City. Background and pre-season thumb|right|alt=Footballer Andy Hessenthaler|Gillingham paid a new record fee to sign Andy Hessenthaler (pictured in 2007) from Watford. The 1996–97 season was Gillingham's 65th playing in the Football League and the 47th since the club was elected back into the League in 1950 after being voted out in 1938.Rollin 2001 183 In the previous season, Gillingham had finished second in the Third Division. The team had thus been promoted to the Second Division, returning to the third tier of the English football league system for the first time since 1989.Rollin 2001 182–183 Tony Pulis was the club's manager for a second season, having been appointed in 1995 after chairman Paul Scally purchased the club.Triggs 2001 265Rollin 1996 167 Following the club's promotion, there was a significant turnover in the playing squad. A number of players who had been regulars at the lower level departed, including Dave Martin, captain of the promotion-winning team.Triggs 2001 210 He was replaced as captain by Andy Hessenthaler, who joined from Watford; the transfer fee for the midfielder was UK 235,000 1996 eq yes £ -4, a new record for the highest fee paid by Gillingham to sign a player.Triggs 2001 156 Hessenthaler would go on to have a lengthy career at the club, both as a player and a manager, and in 2014 was voted Gillingham's greatest ever player by supporters.Triggs 2001 155–156https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/17991390 Andy Hessenthaler steps down as Gillingham manager BBC Sport 14 July 2021 8 May 2012 14 July 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210714144310/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/17991390 livehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/have_your_say/sport/gills_player.shtml Greatest ever Gills BBC 24 September 2014 12 October 2020 6 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210506015806/http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/have_your_say/sport/gills_player.shtml live Six other players joined the club prior to the start of the new season, four of whom incurred a transfer fee. The highest fee other than that paid for Hessenthaler was UK 65,000 1996 eq yes £ -4 for Lenny Piper, a teenaged midfielder who joined the club from Wimbledon.Triggs 2001 257 Matt Bryant and Jon Ford, both defenders, arrived from Bristol City for UK 60,000 1996 eq yes £ -4 and Bradford City for UK 15,000 1996 eq yes £ -4 respectively,Triggs 2001 70, 121 and Iffy Onuora, a forward, joined from Mansfield Town for UK 12,500 1996 eq yes £ -4.Triggs 2001 235 Two further players, both defenders, arrived on free transfers: Ian Chapman from Brighton & Hove Albion and John Humphrey from Charlton Athletic.Triggs 2001 87, 167 The club adopted a new kit, replacing the previous season's blue and black striped shirts with plain blue. The away kit, to be worn in the event of a clash of colours with the home team, was red.Rollin 1997 172–173 The team prepared for the new season with a number of friendly matches; most were against semi-professional non-League clubs, but the team also played Nottingham Forest of the FA Premier League.Gillingham Vs Bristol City Matchday Programme A review of the pre-season 17 August 1996 Dave Taylor Second Division August–December thumb|right|upright|alt=Footballer Leo Fortune-West|Leo Fortune-West (pictured in 2008), the previous season's leading goalscorer, suffered a serious injury in September. Gillingham began the season with a home game at Priestfield Stadium against Bristol City. New signings Bryant, Ford, Humphrey, Hessenthaler, Chapman and Onuora were all in the starting line-up, and Piper came on as a substitute to score the winning goal in the final minute to give his team a 3–2 victory.Triggs 2001 257 In the next three matches the team only managed to score a single goal, and the month of August ended with two consecutive defeats.Rollin 1997 175 Gillingham beat Burnley on 7 September but then again lost twice in a row.Rollin 1997 175 In the second of these defeats, a 1–0 away defeat against Walsall, Leo Fortune-West, the previous season's top goalscorer, suffered a broken ankle and was unable to play again for seven months.Triggs 2001 123 In the next game, Onuora achieved the team's only hat-trick of the season, scoring all three goals in a 3–1 victory at home to Rotherham United.Rollin 1997 175 The forward also scored Gillingham's only goal in each of the next three matches, which produced one win, one draw, and one defeat; after this run Gillingham were 14th in the 24-team league table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/05-october-1996/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 5 October 1996 11v11 AFS Enterprises 20 October 2021 20 October 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211020094054/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/05-october-1996/ live On 15 October, Gillingham defeated Shrewsbury Town 2–1, but then began a run of five league games without a win.Rollin 1997 175 With Fortune-West missing, Pulis paired Onuora with various different players in the forward positions.Rollin 1997 175 One of these, Steve Butler, scored two penalty kicks against Millwall on 19 October, making him only the fourth player to score from more than one penalty for Gillingham in a Football League match, but Gillingham lost 3–2.Triggs 2001 76Triggs 2001 349 Defender Guy Butters, a UK 225,000 1996 eq yes £ -4 signing from Portsmouth, made his debut in the draw with Preston North End on 26 October,Triggs 2001 76 and Pulis further bolstered his defensive options by signing Adrian Pennock from AFC Bournemouth for UK 25,000 1996 eq yes £ -4.Triggs 2001 254 Gillingham ended the winless run with a victory over Peterborough United on 19 November, despite goalkeeper Jim Stannard suffering an injury and defender Mark Harris having to take over in goal.Gillingham Vs York City Matchday Programme The Management 23 November 1996 Lindsay Parsons Pulis quickly signed goalkeeper Andy Marshall on loan from Norwich City and he saved a penalty on his debut against York City,Triggs 2001 208 but Gillingham lost both that game and the next one, after which they had dropped to 20th in the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/30-november-1996/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 30 November 1996 11v11 AFS Enterprises 20 October 2021 20 October 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211020094055/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/30-november-1996/ live The team began December with a win over Crewe Alexandra and followed the victory with draws against two teams who were in the top six of the league table, Bury and Watford.Rollin 1997 102, 157, 376 It was the first time that the team had gone three consecutive league games without losing during the season.Rollin 1997 175 This short unbeaten run was followed, however, by a defeat at home to Luton Town on Boxing Day. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A67074284/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=4bb069d3 S9 The Independent 19 October 2021 Gale Forster's double boost for Brentford; Football: Second Division round-up 27 December 1996 subscription 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115003/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA67074284&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=4bb069d3 live Gillingham's final match of 1996 was away to Burnley, who won 5–1; Onuora was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for angrily throwing the ball at the assistant referee. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A61159885/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=dd91d6eb 68 Sunday Mirror 14 October 2021 Gale Gills' bitter pills 29 December 1996 subscription 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115109/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA61159885&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=dd91d6eb live https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A76265307/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=ad1341f0 The Observer 9 November 2021 Gale Football League Review: Karama ref row 4 29 December 1996 subscription 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115004/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA76265307&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=ad1341f0 live The defeat left Gillingham 21st in the table, putting them in the relegation places.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/28-december-1996/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 28 December 1996 11v11 AFS Enterprises 13 October 2021 28 October 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211028165210/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/28-december-1996/ liveRollin 1997 31 January–May Due to the postponement of a number of scheduled matches, the first league game of 1997 did not take place until 18 January and resulted in a 1–1 draw with Notts County.Rollin 1997 174 Forward Ade Akinbiyi made his debut, having joined the club days earlier from Norwich City for another new club record fee of UK 250,000 1996 eq yes £ -4.Triggs 2001 41 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A67068948/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=b8ee4bb9 21 The Independent 19 October 2021 Gale Football: Norwich take Rocastle on loan 8 January 1997 subscription He scored his first goal for the club seven days later in a 4–1 victory over Plymouth Argyle, the team's biggest win of the season.Rollin 1997 175 Gillingham remained undefeated in the league in 1997 until the end of February, a run of six games.Rollin 1997 175 The team followed a win over Bristol Rovers on 8 February with victory over York City, the first time they had won two consecutive league games all season, and then gained a third consecutive win by defeating Peterborough United.Rollin 1997 175 After this run, Gillingham had climbed to 15th in the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/22-february-1997/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 22 February 1997 11v11 AFS Enterprises 21 October 2021 21 October 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211021155342/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/22-february-1997/ live In March, Fortune-West was fit again after his injury but could not regain a place in the team due to the form of Onuora and Akinbiyi and was sent on loan to Leyton Orient of the Third Division.Triggs 2001 123 Gillingham began the month with a 3–2 defeat to Crewe Alexandra, the first time the team had lost in the league in 1997, but followed it up by defeating sixth-placed Watford, Butler scoring the winning goal against his former club in the final minute.Rollin 1997 174, 376Triggs 2001 75 Beginning with the game against Wycombe Wanderers on 22 March, Onuora scored in five consecutive matches, making him only the seventh player to achieve this feat for Gillingham in the Football League.Rollin 1997 175Triggs 2001 347 The first three games of this run resulted in victories over Wycombe, Rotherham and Bristol City.Rollin 1997 174 In the next game, against promotion-chasing Brentford, Onuora gave Gillingham the lead but their opponents scored twice to win;Rollin 1997 82, 174 Gillingham ended March 15th in the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/31-march-1997/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 31 March 1997 11v11 AFS Enterprises 25 October 2021 25 October 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211025160511/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/31-march-1997/ live Gillingham's first match of April resulted in a 2–2 draw against Chesterfield; Gillingham were winning until the final minute but then conceded an equalising goal.Rollin 1997 130, 174 Seven days later, Gillingham drew 2–2 against AFC Bournemouth in identical circumstances, conceding an equaliser in the 90th minute.Rollin 1997 74, 174 Butler scored in both games and also scored in the next two, a victory over Stockport County and a defeat to Blackpool.Rollin 1997 174 Gillingham ended the season with three consecutive 2–0 victories, defeating Millwall, Walsall and Shrewsbury. Onuora scored two goals and Akinbiyi three during this run.Rollin 1997 174 Gillingham finished the season in 11th place in the table, six points below the promotion play-off places.Rollin 1997 31 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 1997 175 DateOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance 17 August 1996 Bristol City (H)3–2Fortune-West, Harris, Piper7,217 24 August 1996 Wycombe Wanderers (A)1–1Ratcliffe4,582 27 August 1996 Brentford (A)0–25,384 31 August 1996 Chesterfield (H)0–15,934 7 September 1996 Burnley (H)1–0Fortune-West6,116 10 September 1996 Luton Town (A)1–2Chapman4,604 14 September 1996 Walsall (A)0–13,419 21 September 1996 Rotherham United (H)3–1Onuora (3)4,920 28 September 1996 Stockport County (A)1–2Onuora6,049 1 October 1996 Notts County (H)1–0Onuora5,482 5 October 1996 AFC Bournemouth (H)1–1Onuora6,162 12 October 1996 Blackpool (A)0–24,320 15 October 1996 Shrewsbury Town (A)2–1Onuora, Bailey2,042 19 October 1996 Millwall (H)2–3Butler (2 pens.)9,305 26 October 1996 Preston North End (H)1–1Onuora6,256 29 October 1996 Plymouth Argyle (A)0–24,787 2 November 1996 Bristol Rovers (A)0–05,530 9 November 1996 Wrexham (H)1–2Ratcliffe5,094 19 November 1996 Peterborough United (A)1–0Onuora4,136 23 November 1996 York City (H)0–15,048 30 November 1996 Preston North End (A)0–19,616 3 December 1996 Crewe Alexandra (H)2–1Pennock, Smith3,575 14 December 1996 Bury (H)2–2Butler, Ratcliffe5,542 21 December 1996 Watford (A)0–07,809 26 December 1996 Luton Town (H)1–2Onuora8,598 28 December 1996 Burnley (A)1–5Bailey10,004 18 January 1997 Notts County (A)1–1Puttnam5,008 25 January 1997 Plymouth Argyle (H)4–1Curran (o.g.), Green, Ratcliffe, Akinbiyi5,465 1 February 1997 Wrexham (A)1–1Akinbiyi3,193 8 February 1997 Bristol Rovers (H)1–0Hessenthaler6,900 15 February 1997 York City (A)3–2Onuora, Ratcliffe, Akinbiyi2,748 22 February 1997 Peterborough United (H)2–1Onuora (2)6,552 1 March 1997 Crewe Alexandra (A)2–3Green, Akinbiyi3,555 8 March 1997 Watford (H)3–1Hessenthaler, Onuora (pen.), Butler7,385 15 March 1997 Bury (A)0–33,492 22 March 1997 Wycombe Wanderers (H)1–0Onuora5,932 25 March 1997 Rotherham United (A)2–1Onuora, Ratcliffe2,664 29 March 1997 Bristol City (A)1–0Onuora (pen.)11,276 31 March 1997 Brentford (H)1–2Onuora7,361 5 April 1997 Chesterfield (A)2–2Butler, Onuora3,926 12 April 1997 AFC Bournemouth (A)2–2Butler, Pennock5,008 16 April 1997 Stockport County (H)1–0Butler4,485 19 April 1997 Blackpool (H)2–3Galloway, Butler5,151 26 April 1997 Millwall (A)2–0Akinbiyi, Onuora8,946 29 April 1997 Walsall (H)2–0Onuora, Butler4,095 3 May 1997 Shrewsbury Town (H)2–0Akinbiyi (2)6,183 Partial league table 1996–97 Football League#Second Division main WDL left auto Football League Third Division final table, positions 8–14 PR AAA BBB CCC DDD EEE FFF GGG 8 WRE Wrexham POR Burnley BRE Chesterfield GIL Gillingham BUR Walsall CHE Watford PRE Millwall 17 18 11 55 50 19 11 16 71 55 18 14 14 42 39 19 10 17 60 59 19 10 17 54 53 16 19 11 45 38 16 13 17 50 55 complete Rollin 1997 31 Cup matches FA Cup As a Second Division team, Gillingham entered the 1996–97 FA Cup in the first round. A goal from Butler gave Gillingham 1–0 victory over Hereford United of the Third Division.Rollin 1997 598 In the second round, Gillingham played another Third Division team, Cardiff City, and won 2–0 with goals from Onuora and Hessenthaler.Rollin 1997 600 The teams from the top two divisions of English football entered the competition in the third round and Gillingham were paired with Derby County of the FA Premier League. The game took place on 14 January and by the midway point of the second half remained goalless, however the referee abandoned the match due to the frozen pitch.Elligate 2009 17 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A76250164/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=e745b872 20 The Guardian Trevor Haylett 19 October 2021 Gale Soccer: Gillingham are put on ice – Cup round-up 15 January 1997 subscription 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130114956/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA76250164&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=e745b872 live The game was rescheduled for a week later; with forwards Onuora, Akinbiyi and Bailey all unavailable due to injury or suspension, Gillingham played poorly and lost 2–0.Elligate 2009 22 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A67066857/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=3183ec2b 26 The Independent 19 October 2021 Gale Derby have the measure of Gills; Gillingham 0 Derby County 2 Glenn Moore 22 January 1997 subscription 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115023/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA67066857&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=3183ec2b live 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 1997 598–603 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance16 November 1996 FirstHereford United (H)1–0Butler5,2807 December 1996 SecondCardiff City (A)2–0Onuora, Hessenthaler3,47421 January 1997 ThirdDerby County (H)0–2 9,508 Football League Cup As a Second Division team, Gillingham entered the 1996–97 Football League Cup in the first round and were drawn to play Swansea City of the Third Division. Gillingham won the first leg of the two-legged tie 1–0 at Swansea's Vetch Field and then won the second leg at Priestfield 2–0 to progress 3–0 on aggregate.Rollin 1997 578–579 In the second round, Gillingham played Barnsley of the First Division. The first leg at Barnsley's Oakwell ground ended in a 1–1 draw and Gillingham won the second leg 1–0 to eliminate their higher-level opponents.Rollin 1997 580, 582 In the third round, Gillingham were paired with Coventry City of the FA Premier League.Rollin 1997 584 The match drew an attendance of 10,603, the largest of the season at Priestfield.Brown 2003 106 Coventry scored two goals in the first half, but goals from Onuora and Ratcliffe in the second half earned Gillingham a draw. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A76303819/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=8864142b 22 The Guardian 22 October 2021 Gale Soccer: Gills catch their breath through Onuora – Gillingham 2, Coventry City 2 23 October 1996 subscription Paul Weaver 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130114959/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA76303819&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=8864142b live https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A114991837/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=60379d3e 44 The Times 22 October 2021 Gale Coventry are held back by power of Ratcliffe; Football 23 October 1996 subscription Russell Kempson 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115117/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA114991837&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=60379d3e live The replay took place at Coventry's Highfield Road ground, and a second half goal from Neil Smith gave Gillingham a 1–0 win; Trevor Haylett of The Guardian attributed Gillingham's victory to their "compact, disciplined rearguard in which their three centre-halves stood tall all night against a Coventry attack whose ideas petered out after a bright opening spell". https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A76281897/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=7293e65b 22 The Guardian 22 October 2021 Gale Soccer: Gills leave Strachan stricken – Coca-Cola Cup, third-round replays: Coventry City 0, Gillingham 1 14 November 1996 subscription Trevor Haylett 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115000/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA76281897&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=7293e65b live https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A67078752/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=30b19fc5 28 The Independent 22 October 2021 Gale Football: Smith ruins Strachan's opening night 14 November 1996 subscription Simon O'Hagan 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115003/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA67078752&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=30b19fc5 live It was the club's first victory over a team from the top division of English football since 1908 and first ever win over top-level opposition away from home.Elligate 2009 174 Gillingham's opponents in the fourth round were Ipswich Town of the First Division. A goal approximately 15 minutes from the end of the game gave Ipswich a 1–0 win and Gillingham, for whom Ratcliffe was sent off, were eliminated from the League Cup. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A76254199/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=c7ff9301 32 The Guardian 22 October 2021 Gale Soccer: Naylor's Suffolk punch floors battling Gills – Ipswich Town 1, Gillingham 0 27 November 1996 subscription Trevor Haylett 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115005/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA76254199&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=c7ff9301 live https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A67075003/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=5bf95dfa 19 The Independent 22 October 2021 Gale Football: Naylor ends Gillingham siege 27 November 1996 subscription Mike Rowbottom 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115124/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA67075003&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=5bf95dfa live Bryant was missing from the Gillingham team and Pulis admitted after the match that this was because the defender had been accidentally shot in the leg while participating in field sports. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A114942406/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=f7078168 46 The Times 21 October 2021 Gale Shooting star; Football 30 November 1996 subscription 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115047/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA114942406&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=f7078168 live https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A67074821/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=84e6c688 28 The Independent 21 October 2021 Gale Player hurt in shotgun accident 28 November 1996 subscription 30 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130115007/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA67074821&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-STND&asid=84e6c688 live Match details Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal Results DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance20 August 1996First (first leg) Swansea City (A)1–0Torpey (o.g.)2,7114 September 1996First (second leg) Swansea City (H)2–0Fortune-West, Butler3,63317 September 1996Second (first leg) Barnsley (A)1–1Ratcliffe4,49124 September 1996Second (second leg) Barnsley (H)1–0Puttnam5,66622 October 1996ThirdCoventry City (H)2–2Onuora, Ratcliffe10,60313 November 1996Third (replay)Coventry City (A)1–0Smith12,63926 November 1996 FourthIpswich Town (A)0–113,537 Football League Trophy In the first round of the 1996–97 Football League Trophy, a tournament exclusively for Second and Third Division teams, Gillingham played Cardiff City of the Third Division. The score was 1–1 after 90 minutes, but Cardiff scored a golden goal winner in extra time to eliminate Gillingham from the competition;Rollin 1997 588 it was the first time Gillingham had ever lost to such a goal.Elligate 2009 191 The attendance of 1,193 was the lowest of the season at Priestfield.Brown 2003 106 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 1997 588 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance10 December 1996FirstCardiff City (H)1–2 Piper1,193 Players thumb|right|upright|alt=Footballer Ade Akinbiyi|Ade Akinbiyi (pictured in 2009) made 19 appearances and scored 7 goals. Thirty players made at least one appearance for Gillingham during the season. Ratcliffe made the most, playing in 52 of the team's 57 games. Smith played 51 times and five other players made more than 40 appearances. Two players made only one appearance each. Richard Carpenter, who had played for Gillingham since 1990, played in one game at the start of the season before being transferred to Fulham.Triggs 2001 80 Andrew Sambrook, a teenager from the club's youth team, made one appearance for the first team; the club offered him a professional contract at the end of the season, but he opted to accept a sporting scholarship to a university in the United States.Triggs 2001 284 Fifteen players scored at least one goal for Gillingham during the season. Onuora was the top scorer; he scored 21 times in the Second Division, once in the FA Cup, and once in the League Cup. His total of 23 goals was the highest by a Gillingham player for five seasons; it was more than twice that of the next highest scorer, Butler, who achieved a total of 11 goals across all competitions. +Player statisticsPlayerPositionSecond DivisionFA CupLeague CupLeague TrophyTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAde AkinbiyiFW197000000197Craig Armstrong Craig Armstrong (footballer)DF100002010130Dennis Bailey Dennis Bailey (footballer, born 1965)FW302107010392Matt Bryant Matt Bryant (footballer)DF390206000470Steve Butler Steve Butler (footballer)FW3893151004611Guy ButtersDF300300000330Richard Carpenter Richard Carpenter (footballer)MF1000000010Ian Chapman Ian Chapman (footballer)DF231305010321Jon Ford Jon Ford (footballer)DF4010301090Leo Fortune-WestFW7200110083Mick GallowayMF9100000091Jonathan Gould goalkeeperGK3000000030Richard Green Richard Green (footballer)DF292302000342Mark Harris Mark Harris (English footballer)DF211206010301Andy HessenthalerMF382317000483John Humphrey John Humphrey (footballer)DF90003010130Billy ManuelMF110100010130Andy MarshallGK5000101070Mark Morris Mark Morris (footballer, born 1962)DF6000200080Mark O'Connor Mark O'Connor (English footballer)FW220301000260Iffy OnuoraFW40212161004823Adrian PennockDF262201010302James PinnockFW2000001030Lenny PiperMF191104011252Dave PuttnamFW141206110232Simon RatcliffeDF436207200528Andrew SambrookDF1000000010Neil Smith Neil Smith (footballer)MF421207100512Jim StannardGK380306000470Glen ThomasDF100100010120 FW = Forward, MF = Midfielder, GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender Aftermath At the end of the season, the Gordon Road stand at Priestfield was demolished and replaced with a new stand in the first significant redevelopment of the stadium for more than 30 years.Elligate 2009 53 Harris and Smith left the club to join Cardiff City and Fulham respectively.Triggs 2001 150, 301 Following on from the strong finish to the 1996–97 season, Gillingham began the following season mounting a challenge for promotion, which would take the club to the second tier of English football for the first time, but the team ultimately fell short of the play-offs, finishing seventh.Brown 1998 28https://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 Eric News of the World Football Annual 1998–99 Invincible Press 1998 978-0-00218-857-9 London Brown Tony The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record Soccerdata 2003 978-1-89946-820-1 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 978-0-74727-781-1 Rollin 1996 London Rollin Glenda Rollin Jack Rothmans Football Yearbook 1997–98 Headline Publishing Group 1997 978-0-74727-738-5 Rollin 1997 London Rollin Glenda Rollin Jack Rothmans Football Yearbook 2001–02 Headline Book Publishing 2001 978-0-74727-260-1 London Rollin 2001 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