1999–2000 Gillingham F.C. season

English football club season February 2015 February 2015 Gillingham 1999–2000 Peter Taylor Paul Scally Second Division 3rd (promoted via play-offs) FA Cup Sixth round League Cup Second round League Trophy First round Robert Taylor (15) Robert Taylor (18) 10,386 (v Stoke City, 17 May 2000) 2,718 (v Torquay United, 7 December 1999) _black_stripes _blackstripes_thin4 _black_stripes _bluesides _blueline 0000ff 0000ff 0000ff 000000 000000 ffff00 ffff00 ffff00 0000ff ffff00 1998–99 2000–01 During the 1999–2000 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 68th season in which Gillingham competed in the Football League, and the 50th since the club was voted back into the league in 1950. The team started the season in poor form, failing to win any of the first five league games, but then went on a much-improved run and began challenging for promotion to the Football League First Division. Robert Taylor scored 18 goals in 19 games by November, after which he was signed by Manchester City for £1.5 million, a new record fee for Gillingham. On the last day of the regular season, the team had a chance to gain automatic promotion, but lost and instead had to enter the play-offs. After defeating Stoke City in the semi-finals, Gillingham beat Wigan Athletic in the final to gain promotion to the second tier of the English football league system for the first time in the club's history. Gillingham also had their best run to date in the FA Cup, beating two Premier League teams before being knocked out by a third, Chelsea, at the quarter-final stage. The team reached the second round of the Football League Cup but were eliminated in the first round of the Football League Trophy. The team played 62 competitive matches, winning 34, drawing 12, and losing 16. Despite leaving the club before the mid-point of the season, Taylor was the team's top goalscorer with 18 goals. Nicky Southall made the most appearances, playing 59 times. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground, Priestfield Stadium, was 10,386, for the home leg of the play-off semi-final against Stoke City. Having led the team to promotion, manager Peter Taylor left the club after a single season to become manager of Leicester City of the Premier League. Background and pre-season thumb|left|upright|alt=Football manager Peter Taylor|Peter Taylor (pictured in 2011) took over as manager before the season. The 1999–2000 season was Gillingham's 68th season playing in the Football League and the 50th since the club was elected back into the League in 1950 after being voted out in 1938. It was the club's fourth consecutive season in the Football League Second Division, the third tier of the English football league system.Brown 2003 106–109 In the 1998–99 season, Gillingham had reached the Second Division play-off final but lost to Manchester City following a penalty shoot-out and thus missed out on promotion to the First Division.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/767702.stm Second time lucky for Gills BBC Sport 28 May 2000 4 July 2021 3 March 2003 https://web.archive.org/web/20030303203928/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/767702.stm live One month after the play-off final, Tony Pulis was dismissed from his job as the club's manager, amid accusations of gross misconduct on his part, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A66750530/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=23e44267 The Independent 24 August 2021 Gale Football: Wenger's buy from Brazil Gordon Tynan 1 July 1999 subscription a decision which led to a lengthy and acrimonious court case between Pulis and club owner Paul Scally.https://www.theguardian.com/football/2001/apr/26/newsstory.sport1 Pulis 'drank champagne' after sacking The Guardian Jon Brodkin 26 April 2001 1 April 2021 In early July, Scally appointed Peter Taylor as the club's new manager;Elligate 2009 112 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A58234668/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=363e18a0 The Times 24 August 2021 Gale Gillingham; Football 8 July 1999 subscription Taylor had left his post as head coach of the England under-21 team the previous month.https://www.uefa.com/under21/news/0257-0de66d20bc7f-a78678d9f662-1000--taylor-back-at-u21-helm/ UEFA Taylor back at U21 helm 8 July 2004 19 August 2021 The new manager appointed Andy Hessenthaler, who had played for the club since 1996, to a player-coach role;Triggs 2001 156 Steve Butler, who had left the club a year earlier, returned from Peterborough United to take up a similar position.Triggs 2001 76 The club signed several other new players before the start of the season. Taylor's first signing was Junior Lewis, a midfielder who joined from non-League club Hendon; he had previously played under Taylor's management at Dover Athletic.Triggs 2001 195 Barry Miller, a defender, also stepped up from non-League football, having last played for Farnborough, and former Port Vale defender Brian McGlinchey also joined the club; both players had been released by their previous clubs at the end of the preceding season but played for Gillingham on a trial basis during pre-season and performed well enough to be offered contracts.Triggs 2001 215, 222 Andy Thomson and Christian Lee, both forwards, were signed from Oxford United and Northampton Town respectively; Gillingham paid transfer fees of £25,000 for Thomson and £35,000 for Lee.Triggs 2001 191, 319 The club also signed Anthony Williams on loan from Blackburn Rovers to act as back-up for Vince Bartram, the club's first-choice goalkeeper.Triggs 2001 337 The team prepared for the upcoming season with a number of friendly matches against non-League teams.Gillingham V Bristol Rovers Matchday Programme Pre-season Friendlies 31–32 14 August 1999 Writing in The Times, Nick Szczepanik did not tip Gillingham for a top-six finish, stating that the team had "missed their chance" following the previous season's play-off final defeat. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A58569314/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=72efb100 The Times 24 August 2021 Gale Ambitious Wigan are without peer Nick Szczepanik 26 July 1999 subscription Significant redevelopment work took place at the club's Priestfield Stadium in the close season. The Rainham End terracing was demolished and a new stand of the same name built in its place over the summer.Elligate 2009 91, 125 The main stand was also demolished, but the work to build its replacement encountered various delays. The new Medway Stand did not open to spectators until the latter stages of the season, and some of the facilities would not be completed until more than a year after work began. The project also caused financial problems for the club, as the work eventually cost significantly more than had been originally estimated.http://www.gillinghamfootballclub.premiumtv.co.uk/page/PriestfieldStadium/0,,10416,00.html Gillingham F.C. The Changing Face of KRBS Priestfield 7 September 2007 9 August 2021 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071115155957/http://www.gillinghamfootballclub.premiumtv.co.uk/page/PriestfieldStadium/0%2C%2C10416%2C00.html 15 November 2007 http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11737_2224411,00.html Gills May Be Forced to Sell Sky Sports 9 August 2021 Stephen BatemanElligate 2009 105 The team's first-choice kit, featuring blue and black striped shirts, was unchanged from the previous season with the exception of local newspaper the Medway News replacing dairy brand Kool as the shirt sponsor. A new away kit, to be worn in the event of a clash of colours with the home team, was adopted, with yellow shirts replacing the previous season's black and red stripes.Gillingham V Bristol Rovers Matchday Programme Gillingham F.C. 1999/2000 28–29 14 August 1999Gillingham V Bristol Rovers Matchday Programme Match Action 35 14 August 1999Gillingham V Preston North End Matchday Programme Gillingham FC Official Merchandise Catalogue 32 19 May 1999 Second Division August–December thumb|right|alt=Football ground Priestfield Stadium|Gillingham's home ground, Priestfield Stadium, with the new Rainham End stand visible to the left Gillingham began the season with an away game against Bury; Thomson scored on his debut but Gillingham lost 2–1.Rollin Rollin 2000 176 The first home game a week later against Bristol Rovers also resulted in a defeat.Rollin Rollin 2000 176 The team then gained three consecutive draws, and after five games were in 22nd position in the 24-team division.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/30-august-1999/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 30 August 1999 11v11 AFS Enterprises 1 September 2021 The match against Blackpool on 21 August included a controversial incident after Gillingham goalkeeper Bartram intentionally kicked the ball out of play so that an injured Blackpool player could receive medical treatment; when Blackpool took the throw-in they retained possession of the ball and scored the equalising goal. Manager Taylor was ejected from the technical area by the referee for entering the field of play and arguing with him over an unwritten rule that in such circumstances the player taking the throw-in returns the ball to the opposition.Elligate 2009 141 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A57988692/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=613d9093 The Times 24 August 2021 Gale Taylor off; Football round-up Peter Wilson 22 August 1999 subscription Gillingham gained their first league win of the season at the sixth attempt on 4 September, defeating Oldham Athletic 2–1 after scoring two goals in the first six minutes of the match.Rollin Rollin 2000 176 The second was scored by Emmanuel Omoyinmi on his debut after joining on loan from West Ham United;Triggs 2001 238Brown 2003 109 the following week he scored again as Gillingham beat Oxford United 2–1 to move into the top half of the league table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/11-september-1999/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 11 September 1999 11v11 AFS Enterprises 25 August 2021 The team then suffered another setback, losing to Preston North End. September ended with Gillingham in 15th place in the division.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/30-september-1999/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 30 September 1999 11v11 AFS Enterprises 25 August 2021 On 9 October, Gillingham achieved their biggest win of the season, defeating Wrexham 5–1 at Priestfield; Robert Taylor scored a hat-trick inside the last half-hour of the game.Rollin Rollin 2000 176 Four games later, he repeated the feat, scoring all three goals in a 3–0 victory over Bristol City.Rollin Rollin 2000 176 That match marked Pulis's first appearance at Priestfield since his dismissal from the role of Gillingham manager, as he was now in charge of Bristol City; he received a standing ovation from the home fans.Elligate 2009 168 Taylor scored for the fifth consecutive game in a 4–1 win over Scunthorpe United on 23 November, taking his total to 15 goals in 15 Second Division games; two days later, he was signed by Manchester City for a transfer fee of £1.5 million, a new record for the highest fee received by Gillingham for a player.Elligate 2009 182Triggs 2001 313 His initial replacement in the starting line-up was Rodney Rowe, a recent signing from York City.Rollin Rollin 2000 176Triggs 2001 281 Despite losing their most prolific goalscorer, the team won their first three games without Taylor and were in fifth position in the league table after a 2–1 victory over Colchester United on 26 December.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/26-december-1999/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 26 December 1999 11v11 AFS Enterprises 26 August 2021 Gillingham's final match of 1999 resulted in a 2–0 defeat away to Wigan Athletic.Brown 2003 109 January–May Gillingham signed two new players on 2 January, making them the first club in English professional football to conclude transfer business in the year 2000.Elligate 2009 10 Striker Iffy Onuora and midfielder Ty Gooden both joined from Swindon Town for a combined transfer fee of £200,000.Elligate 2009 10 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A75795966/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=c1dde679 The Guardian 2 September 2021 Gale Football: Swindon sack 14 backroom staff Mark Tallentire 7 January 2000 subscription It marked the start of a second spell at the club for Onuora, who had played for Gillingham between 1996 and 1998;Triggs 2001 239 he was a regular starter for the remainder of the season, with Rowe largely used only as a substitute.Rollin Rollin 2000 177 The team's first match of 2000 resulted in a 2–2 draw at home to Reading; Thomson gave Gillingham the lead in the 90th minute, but their opponents then equalised in injury time.Rollin Rollin 2000 176 The next two games both ended in defeat, and a goalless draw away to Chesterfield in the first match of February meant that the team had gone five games without a win.Rollin Rollin 2000 176 This left the team in seventh position in the table, albeit having played fewer games than all the teams above them.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/01-february-2000/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 01 February 2000 11v11 AFS Enterprises 1 September 2021 thumb|right|alt=Football stadium the Racecourse Ground|Defeat on the final day of the regular season at the Racecourse Ground, home of Wrexham, meant that Gillingham missed out on automatic promotion. On 5 February, Gillingham won a Second Division match for the first time in 2000, defeating Stoke City 3–0.Rollin Rollin 2000 176 It was the start of a run of four consecutive victories, which also included a win away to Preston North End, who had been top of the division going into the match.Rollin Rollin 2000 176https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/25-february-2000/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 25 February 2000 11v11 AFS Enterprises 26 August 2021 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A59904633/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=ebef59a7 Sunday Times 2 September 2021 Gale Asaba double; Football Round-up Peter Wilson 27 February 2000 subscription In the match against Preston, striker Carl Asaba, the team's top goalscorer in the previous season, made his first Football League appearance for nine months following a lengthy absence due to a hernia which required three operations.Triggs 2001 45 In March, Gillingham inflicted Bristol City's first home league defeat of the season. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A60077483/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=e504f4a4 The Times 2 September 2021 Gale Hessenthaler plays the sympathy card; Football David Powell 13 March 2000 subscription Gillingham lost consecutive away games against Colchester United and Wycombe Wanderers over the Easter weekend, but then beat Chesterfield 1–0, beginning an eight-game unbeaten run.Rollin Rollin 2000 176 This run included victories within four days over two of the other teams chasing promotion, Wigan Athletic and Burnley; https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A61546549/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=1836935c The Times 1 September 2021 Gale Wigan hit traffic problems; Nationwide League David Powell 17 April 2000 subscription https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A61581516/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=91cae86b The Times 1 September 2021 Gale Taylor praises perfect timing; Football Stephen Wood 19 April 2000 subscription following the latter win, Stephen Wood of The Times noted that Gillingham were "entering their best form at the perfect moment". In the penultimate game of the season, Asaba scored Gillingham's third hat-trick of the season as the team beat Cardiff City 4–1.Rollin Rollin 2000 176 The result left Gillingham second in the table going into the final game, ahead of Burnley on goal difference;https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/02-may-2000/ League Division 2 table after close of play on 2 May 2000 11v11 AFS Enterprises 26 August 2021 Gillingham would finish in that position and gain automatic promotion to the First Division if their result away to Wrexham matched or bettered that achieved by Burnley away to Scunthorpe United. Gillingham, however, lost 1–0, while Burnley won and thus moved above Gillingham into second place. Finishing third meant that Gillingham entered the play-offs for the final promotion place along with the three teams that finished below them.Rollin Rollin 2000 33 After the match, manager Taylor told the press "We are a bit sore, but we will be fine. It's up to me to earn my money and lift them. But I've got no doubts; I've always said that the spirit is first-class. Now it's going to be tested". https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0501343637/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=9a841aa9 The Times 20 August 2021 Gale Taylor thwarted at the last Nick Szczepanik 8 May 2000 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 109 DateOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance7 August 1999Bury (A)1–2Thomson 4,01414 August 1999Bristol Rovers (H)0–16,23421 August 1999Blackpool (A)1–1Ashby 4,20328 August 1999Wycombe Wanderers (H)2–2Taylor (pen.), McGlinchey6,18030 August 1999Stoke City (A)1–1Taylor8,3694 September 1999Oldham Athletic (H)2–1Taylor, Omoyinmi5,88411 September 1999Oxford United (A)2–1Southall (pen.), Omoyinmi5,41818 September 1999Preston North End (H)0–26,61025 September 1999Cambridge United (A)2–2Taylor, Butters4,7082 October 1999Millwall (H)2–0Lewis, Taylor6,6169 October 1999Wrexham (H)5–1Thomson, Southall, Taylor (3)5,99716 October 1999Luton Town (A)1–3Lewis6,39419 October 1999Brentford (A)2–1Omoyinmi, Saunders6,26423 October 1999Cambridge United (H)2–1Thomson (2)6,4172 November 1999Bristol City (H)3–0Taylor (3)6,8926 November 1999Notts County (A)1–1Taylor6,02312 November 1999Bournemouth (H)4–1Hessenthaler, Thomson, Taylor6,33623 November 1999Scunthorpe United (A)4–1Taylor, Thomson, Lewis, Nosworthy3,44427 November 1999Cardiff City (A)2–1Hessenthaler, Thomson7,6084 December 1999Bury (H)1–0Edge7,03626 December 1999Colchester United (H)2–1Rowe, Southall7,33828 December 1999Wigan Athletic (A)0–28,0543 January 2000Reading (H)2–2Southall, Thomson7,45315 January 2000Bristol Rovers (A)1–2Onuora8,33122 January 2000Blackpool (H)1–3Southall6,8051 February 2000Chesterfield (A)0–02,8985 February 2000Stoke City (H)3–0Onuora, Gooden, Rowe7,80112 February 2000Oldham Athletic (A)3–1Gooden, Ashby, Rowe5,14426 February 2000Preston North End (A)2–0Asaba (2)13,2464 March 2000Oxford United (H)1–0Lewis6,9667 March 2000Notts County (H)0–16,91511 March 2000Bristol City (A)1–0Hessenthaler9,33214 March 2000Burnley (H)2–2Butters, Asaba7,34718 March 2000Scunthorpe United (H)3–1Lewis, Thomson, Southall (pen.)6,82221 March 2000Bournemouth (A)1–0Onuora4,44325 March 2000Colchester United (A)1–2Rowe4,33728 March 2000Wycombe Wanderers (A)0–14,1831 April 2000Chesterfield (H)1–0Butler6,7727 April 2000Reading (A)2–2Southall, Onuora11,06415 April 2000Wigan Athletic (H)2–1Onuora, Lewis7,74618 April 2000Burnley (A)3–0Gooden, Ashby, Smith17,02622 April 2000Luton Town (H)2–0Hessenthaler, Southall8,66724 April 2000Millwall (A)2–2Gooden, Hessenthaler17,92929 April 2000Brentford (H)2–0Onuora, Butler9,0012 May 2000Cardiff City (H)4–1Asaba (3), Southall9,1786 May 2000Wrexham (A)0–18,811 Partial league table main WDL left auto Football League Second Division final table, leading positions PR PRE Preston North End GIL Gillingham BUR Burnley WIG Wigan Athletic MIL Millwall STO Stoke City 28 11 7 74 37 25 13 8 69 47 25 10 11 79 48 22 17 7 72 38 23 13 10 76 50 23 13 10 68 42 Division Champions, promoted CP Promoted P PP Participated in play-offs PP PP PP complete http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=3&seasonid=129&teamid=1098 https://archive.today/20120910181948/http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=3&seasonid=129&teamid=1098 dead 10 September 2012 Final 1999/2000 Football League Second Division Table Soccerbase 15 October 2009 Play-offs thumb|right|alt=Wembley Stadium|Gillingham fans waving banners in the build-up to the play-off final at Wembley Stadium In the play-off semi-finals, Gillingham played sixth-place finishers Stoke City. In the first match of the two-legged tie, Stoke scored two goals in the first eight minutes. Although Gooden scored after 18 minutes, Stoke extended their lead to 3–1 in the second half. In the fifth minute of injury time, Hessenthaler scored to make the final score 3–2.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/747442.stm Stoke secure slim lead over Gills BBC Sport 8 August 2008 13 May 2000Elligate 2009 88 Before half-time of the second leg, Stoke's Clive Clarke was sent off. Graham Kavanagh was also dismissed early in the second half, leaving Stoke with just nine players, after which Barry Ashby scored a goal for Gillingham to bring the aggregate score level at 3–3. In extra time, Onuora and Paul Smith scored further goals for Gillingham, who thus secured victory by a final aggregate score of 5–3.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/752886.stm Gills crush nine-man Stoke BBC Sport 8 August 2008 17 May 2000 26 May 2004 https://web.archive.org/web/20040526094942/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/752886.stm liveElligate 2009 8Rollin Rollin 2000 35 The crowd of 10,386 was the season's largest attendance at Priestfield.Brown 2003 109 Gillingham played Wigan Athletic in the final at Wembley Stadium. Gillingham took the lead in the first half when Wigan defender Pat McGibbon scored an own goal under pressure from Onuora.https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/may/29/newsstory.sport10 Gills save their best for last The Guardian 9 August 2008 29 May 2000 Jon Brodkin 9 May 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140509013842/http://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/may/29/newsstory.sport10 livehttps://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/may/28/newsstory.sport15 Gills edge out Wigan in a Wembley classic The Guardian 9 August 2008 28 May 2000 9 May 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140509013820/http://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/may/28/newsstory.sport15 live Wigan equalised shortly after half-time, and believed they had taken the lead when Southall blocked a shot from Wigan's Arjan de Zeeuw on the goal-line; the Wigan players believed that the ball had in fact crossed the line, but the referee ruled otherwise. With no further goals being scored by either team, the match went into extra time, during which Wigan took a 2–1 lead when Stuart Barlow scored a penalty kick. Gillingham scored two goals in the last six minutes through Butler and Thomson, both of whom had come on as substitutes, to win 3–2. Gillingham thus gained promotion to the second tier of English football for the first time in the club's 107-year history. Match details Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match N = Match played at a neutral venue pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsBrown 2003 109 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance13 May 2000Semi-final (first leg)Stoke City (A) 2–3Gooden, Hessenthaler22,12417 May 2000Semi-final (second leg)Stoke City (H) 3–0 Ashby, Onuora, Smith10,38628 May 2000FinalWigan Athletic (N) 3–2 McGibbon (o.g.), Butler, Thomson53,764 Cup matches FA Cup thumb|right|alt=Football stadium Stamford Bridge|Gillingham were eliminated from the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea. As a Second Division team, Gillingham entered the 1999–2000 FA Cup in the first round and were drawn to play away to Cheltenham Town, newly-promoted into the Football League Third Division from the Football Conference.Rollin Rollin 2000 127 The match at Cheltenham's Whaddon Road ground ended 1–1, necessitating a replay at Priestfield, which Gillingham won 3–2.Rollin Rollin 2000 590 In the second round, Gillingham played Darlington of the Third Division and won 3–1.Rollin Rollin 2000 593 Darlington were reinstated into the competition, however, when they were randomly selected from all the teams defeated in the second round to fill the vacant slot in the third round left by Manchester United's decision to withdraw from the FA Cup to take part in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/fa_cup/544737.stm Lucky Darlington land Villa trip BBC 1 December 1999 26 August 2021 In the third round, Gillingham played away to Walsall of the First Division and held them to a 1–1 draw.Rollin Rollin 2000 596 The replay also finished 1–1, but unlike in the initial match the rules of the competition meant that extra time was played and Gillingham scored again to win 2–1.Rollin Rollin 2000 597 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A59292766/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=c4967cb1 Sunday Times 2 September 2021 Gale Gills' late winner sees off Walsall; Football Phil Craigie 9 January 2000 subscription Gillingham's opponents in the fourth round were Bradford City of the Premier League. Gillingham took a two-goal lead and, although Bradford scored in the last 15 minutes, Gillingham scored a third moments later and defeated their higher-level opponents 3–1Rollin Rollin 2000 598 to reach the last 16 of the FA Cup for only the second time in the club's history.Elligate 2009 15 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A75796866/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=3b1b1ab8 The Guardian 2 September 2021 Gale Football:FA Cup fourth round: Tenth top-flight club falls as Thomson strikes again Trevor Haylett 12 January 2000 subscription It was also the first time that Gillingham had defeated a team from the highest division of English football in the FA Cup since 1908.Elligate 2009 15 In the fifth round, Gillingham played another Premier League team, Sheffield Wednesday. Wednesday scored in the first half and with 20 minutes of the match left, the score remained 1–0. Mark Saunders scored an equalising goal in the 70th minute and two minutes later Thomson scored to give Gillingham the lead. Southall added a third goal in the last 10 minutes and Gillingham won 3–1 to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time.Elligate 2009 26 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A66410237/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=0b447046 The Independent on Sunday 2 September 2021 Gale Football: Giant Gillers make Cup history Geoff Brown 30 January 2000 subscription https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A75790794/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=121ffe82 The Guardian 2 September 2021 Gale Football: FA Cup: Gillingham earn a crack at favourites Dominic Fifield 31 January 2000 subscription For the third consecutive round, Gillingham faced Premier League opposition, this time Chelsea. Although Gillingham restricted their opponents to a single goal in the first half, the Premier League team scored a further four after the interval to make the final score 5–0.Elligate 2009 37Rollin Rollin 2000 599 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A59740335/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=b3504b35 The Times 2 September 2021 Gale Chelsea gambol at giant-killers' expense; Football Russell Kempson 21 February 2000 subscription Match results Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsBrown 2003 109 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance30 October 1999First Cheltenham Town (A)1–1Southall3,1889 November 1999First (replay)Cheltenham Town (H)3–2Thomson, Pennock, McGlinchey4,35220 November 1999Second Darlington (H)3–1Butters, Taylor (2)5,16811 December 1999ThirdWalsall (A)1–1Southall4,3148 January 2000Third (replay)Walsall (H)2–1 Barras (o.g.), Thomson6,53811 January 2000FourthBradford City (H)3–1Thomson, Ashby, Hodge7,09129 January 2000FifthSheffield Wednesday (H)3–1Saunders, Thomson, Southall10,13020 February 2000Sixth / quarter-finalChelsea (A)0–534,205 Football League Cup As a Second Division team, Gillingham entered the 1999–2000 Football League Cup in the first round and were drawn to play Brighton & Hove Albion of the Third Division. The first leg of the two-legged tie took place at the Withdean Stadium, Brighton's new home after a period spent sharing Priestfield Stadium,https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-39626640 Brighton and Hove Albion fans' joy at Seagulls promotion BBC 18 April 2017 1 September 2021 and resulted in a 2–0 win for Gillingham.Rollin Rollin 2000 572 The score was the same in the second leg, so Gillingham progressed to the second round with a 4–0 win on aggregate.Rollin Rollin 2000 573 In the next round Gillingham were paired with Bolton Wanderers of the First Division. The first leg at Priestfield ended in a 4–1 victory for the visitors and Bolton won the second leg 2–0 to secure a 6–1 aggregate victory and eliminate Gillingham from the competition.Rollin Rollin 2000 576 Gillingham's participation in the League Cup had repercussions months after the team were eliminated from the competition. Omoyinmi, who was on loan from West Ham United, played in both matches against Bolton.Brown 2003 109 When his loan ended, he returned to West Ham and played briefly as a substitute in their League Cup quarter-final victory over Aston Villa in December. As he had already played for a different team earlier in the competition, however, he was cup-tied and therefore not eligible to play for West Ham. Due to the presence on the pitch of an ineligible player, the teams were ordered to replay the match and West Ham lost the second game and were eliminated from the competition.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gravesend_and_northfleet/3749179.stm Omoyinmi seals Fleet switch BBC Sport 26 May 2004 5 August 2021https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-redknapp-hits-out-at-harsh-replay-decision-1133661.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-redknapp-hits-out-at-harsh-replay-decision-1133661.html 1 May 2022 subscription live Football: Redknapp hits out at 'harsh' replay decision The Independent 20 December 1999 5 August 2021 Match results Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsBrown 2003 109 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance11 August 1999First (first leg)Brighton & Hove Albion (A) 2–0Ormerod (o.g.), Hessenthaler5,61324 August 1999First (second leg)Brighton & Hove Albion (H) 2–0Taylor, Southall4,59214 September 1999Second (first leg)Bolton Wanderers (H)1–4Hessenthaler 4,99621 September 1999Second (second leg)Bolton Wanderers (A)0–23,673 Football League Trophy In the first round of the 1999–2000 Football League Trophy, a competition for Second and Third Division teams, Gillingham played Torquay United of the Third Division. With several regular players rested, Gillingham were defeated 3–0 by their lower-division opponents and were thus eliminated from the competition at the earliest stage.Rollin Rollin 2000 582 The attendance of 2,718 was the lowest of the season at Priestfield.Brown 2003 109 Match results Key In result column, Gillingham's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal ResultsBrown 2003 109 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance7 December 1999First (southern section)Torquay United (H)0–32,718 Players thumb|right|upright|alt=Footballer Andy Hessenthaler|Andy Hessenthaler (pictured in 2009) made 57 appearances during the season. Southall made the most appearances for Gillingham during the season, playing in 59 of the team's 62 matches; he missed only one Second Division game, one FA Cup game, and one League Cup game. Six other players made over 50 appearances: Paul Smith played 58 times, Hessenthaler and Ashby 57 times each, Bartram 56 times, Lewis 55 times, and Butters 54 times. Two players, both goalkeepers, played only one game during the season. Charlie Mitten played in goal in the team's one match in the League Trophy,Brown 2003 109 and Steve Mautone played in one league match when Bartram was unable to make it to the ground in time due to a traffic accident.Triggs 2001 212 In both cases it was the only appearance the player ever made for Gillingham.Brown 2003 123 Even though he left before the mid-point of the season, Taylor was the team's leading goalscorer, with 18 goals in 19 games before his move to Manchester City; his total was made up of 15 goals in the Second Division, 2 in the FA Cup and 1 in the League Cup. His two hat-tricks, scored within a little over three weeks of each other, made him only the 13th player in 68 seasons to score multiple Football League hat-tricks for Gillingham.Triggs 2001 349 Thomson scored 14 times across all competitions, and Southall was the only other player to reach double figures, with 13 goals. +Player statisticsBrown 2003 109https://enfa.co.uk/ Matches: 18 September 1999: Gillingham 0–2 Preston North End English National Football Archive 10 August 2021 subscription Gillingham V Bristol Rovers Matchday Programme Squad line-up 56 14 August 1999 Gillingham V Stoke City Matchday Programme Squad line-up 56 17 May 2000No.PlayerPositionSecond DivisionPlay-offsFA CupLeague CupLeague TrophyTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals1Vince BartramGK430308020005602Mark Patterson Mark Patterson (footballer born 1968)DF90000010001003Roland EdgeDF261308000003714Paul Smith Paul Smith (footballer born 1971)MF441317030105825Barry AshbyDF413318140105756Guy ButtersDF402308120105437Nicky SouthallMF4593073311059138Andy HessenthalerMF424327042105789Carl AsabaFW1162010000014610James PinnockMF20000010104011.1 11No aRobert Taylor Robert Taylor (footballer, born 1971)FW151500222100191811.2 11No aTy GoodenMF1643100000019512Nyron NosworthyDF2911080301042114Marcus BrowningMF10102000004015Mark Saunders Mark Saunders (footballer)MF2610071301037216John Hodge John Hodge (English footballer)MF1500041300022117Adrian PennockDF3403061401048119 Mick GallowayMF20000010003020Matt Bryant Matt Bryant (footballer)DF60001010008021Charlie Mitten Charlie Mitten (footballer, born 1974)GK00000000101022 Christian Lee footballerFW30000020005023Barry Miller Barry Miller (footballer)DF40000030007024Junior LewisMF4263070201055625Brian McGlincheyDF1300041401022226Steve Butler Steve Butler (footballer)FW1022130001016327Andy Thomson Andy Thomson (Scottish footballer)FW28911543000371428Rodney Rowe footballerFW2240000001023429Iffy OnuoraFW2263100000025735Jon Bass footballerDF70000000007036Lee Matthews Lee Matthews (footballer)FW50000000005038.1 38No aEmmanuel OmoyinmiFW930000200011338.2 38No aSteve MautoneGK10000000001039Anthony Williams Anthony Williams (Welsh footballer)GK200000200040 FW = Forward, MF = Midfielder, GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender a. No Gooden joined the club after Taylor left and was allocated the squad number which Taylor had previously worn. Mautone joined the club after Omoyinmi left and was allocated the squad number which Omoyinmi had previously worn. Aftermath Following the play-off final, the Gillingham players and officials celebrated promotion with an open-top bus parade around the town of Gillingham.https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/7406167.onuora-claims-his-iffy-wembley-goal-by-sam-wheeler/ Onuora claims his Iffy Wembley goal Sam Wheeler Gazette and Herald 30 May 2000 30 January 2021 2 April 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210402083112/https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/7406167.onuora-claims-his-iffy-wembley-goal-by-sam-wheeler/ live The club offered a new contract to Taylor to remain as manager for Gillingham's first season in the First Division, but he rejected it and left to take over as manager of Premier League team Leicester City.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/787483.stm The Peter principle BBC Sport 7 August 2008 12 June 2000 2 April 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210402083128/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/787483.stm live In his place, the club appointed Hessenthaler to a player-manager position, the first managerial appointment of his career.Triggs 2001 156 Gillingham secured a mid-table finish in the club's first season in the second tier of English football, ending the season in 13th position in the 24-team division.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-1/01-june-2001/ League Division 1 end of season table for 2000–01 season 11v11 AFS Enterprises 1 September 2021 The team spent five seasons in the second tier, renamed the Football League Championship in 2004, before being relegated at the end of the 2004–05 season.Barnes 2013 67–68 References Bibliography Nationwide Football Annual 2013–2014 2013 SportsBooks Limited 978-1-907524-38-7 Stuart Barnes Cheltenham 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 978-1-90541-145-0 Durrington Rollin Glenda Rollin Jack Rothmans Football Yearbook 2000–01 Headline Book Publishing 2000 978-0-74727-232-8 London Roger Triggs The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club Tempus Publishing Ltd 2001 978-0-75242-243-5 Stroud 1999-2000 Gill