1920–21 Gillingham F.C. season

English football club season February 2015 February 2015 Gillingham 1920–21 John McMillan E. N. CrawleyBradley Triggs 1994 392 Third Division 22nd FA Cup Sixth qualifying round Tommy Hall (9) Tommy Hall (11) Approx. 12,000 vs Southampton (28 August 1920) and vs Millwall (30 October 1920) Approx. 5,000 vs Portsmouth (15 September 1920) _black_stripes _blackstripes _black_stripes _2_white_stripes ffffff ffffff ffffff ffffff 000000 1919–20 1921–22 During the 1920–21 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League for the first time. The team had previously played in Division One of the Southern League, but in 1920 the Football League added the Third Division to its existing set-up by absorbing the entire Southern League Division One. The club appointed Robert Brown as manager, but the arrangement turned out to be only a casual one and he accepted another job before the season started. Under his replacement, John McMillan, Gillingham's results were poor, including a spell of over three months without a league victory, and at the end of the season they finished bottom of the league table. Gillingham also competed in the FA Cup, being eliminated in the sixth qualifying round. The team played 45 competitive matches, winning 10, drawing 12 and losing 23. Tommy Hall was the team's top goalscorer; he scored nine goals in league matches and two in the FA Cup. He was one of three players who tied for the most appearances made during the season: Hall, Jack Branfield and Jock Robertson each missed only one game. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground, Priestfield Road, was approximately 12,000 for league games against Southampton on 28 August and Millwall on 30 October. Background and pre-season Gillingham, founded in 1893, had played in the Southern League since the competition's formation in 1894, apart from when the league was suspended due to the First World War, but had achieved minimal success and had finished bottom of Division One in the 1919–20 season.Brown 2003 33Mitchell Reeves Tyler 2013 140 At the annual general meeting (AGM) of the national Football League on 31 May 1920, the clubs in the existing two divisions voted to admit those in the Southern League's top division en masse to form the new Third Division.Elligate 2009 97 Initially it was unclear if Gillingham, by virtue of their last-place finish, would be relegated to the Southern League Division Two before this took effect and thus miss out on a place in the Football League; at the club's own AGM on 3 June angry supporters demanded to know what the club's status would be for the coming season but the board of directors was unable to give an answer. Shortly afterwards it was confirmed that Gillingham would indeed be entering the Football League.Elligate 2009 101 On 12 May, the club appointed Robert Brown as the club's new manager, replacing George Collins.Elligate 2009 86 At the time, the impression was given that Brown had been appointed on a permanent basis, but at the AGM the directors admitted that he was only working on a temporary basis, although they hoped to persuade him to stay.Elligate 2009 101 Less than a week later, he resigned to take the manager's position at Sheffield Wednesday, leaving Gillingham without ever taking charge of a match.Elligate 2009 104 He was replaced by John McMillan, who was paid a wage of UK 7 1920 eq yes £ per week, and who was assisted by Jim Kennedy as trainer.Bradley Triggs 1994 65 In preparation for the new season the club signed Wally Battiste from Grimsby Town, Tommy Hall from Newcastle United, Tom Thompson from Sunderland, Tom Gilbey from Darlington, Tom Baxter from Chelsea, Tom Sisson from Hucknall Byron, Clive Wigmore from Aston Villa, George Needham from Derby County, Andy Holt from Chesterfield Municipal and Archie Roe from Birmingham.Triggs 2001 10, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 30, 32 Hall was signed for a transfer fee of over UK 1,000 1920 eq yes £ -2, the first time that Gillingham had paid a four-figure sum to sign a player.Elligate 2009 103 Only 6 out of the 39 players who had represented the club in the final Southern League season went on to make appearances in the Football League: Jock Robertson, Jack Branfield, Syd Gore, Joseph Griffiths, Donald McCormick and Arthur Wood, and of these only Robertson, Branfield and Wood remained regular starters.Brown 2003 33–34 The team wore their usual black and white-striped shirts with white shorts and black socks.Triggs 2001 9 Third Division August–December thumb|right|upright=1.4|A cartoon printed in the Chatham Observer newspaper after the team's first game of the season|alt=A cartoon depicting events during the Gillingham v Southampton football match in August 1920 The club's first Football League match was against Southampton at Gillingham's home ground, Priestfield Road; Sisson, Battiste, Baxter, Wigmore, Holt, Hall, Gilbey and Roe all made their debuts. In front of a crowd of approximately 12,000 fans, Gilbey scored the club's first Third Division goal, but the game ended in a 1–1 draw. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108463773 Daily Herald 28 August 2022 Newspapers.com subscription 'Saints' Secure a Point at Gillingham 30 August 1920 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108463797 Western Daily Press 28 August 2022 Newspapers.com subscription The League – Division III 30 August 1920 Gilbey scored again four days later as Gillingham beat Reading 2–1 away from home to register their first victory.Brown 2003 34 Gillingham lost 3–0 away to Southampton on 4 September, a game in which the correspondent for the Daily Herald described them as "hopelessly outclassed", https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108530604 Daily Herald 29 August 2022 Newspapers.com subscription 'Saints' Easy Win Over Gillingham 6 September 1920 but then again beat Reading, after which they were 7th out of 22 teams in the league table, only one point behind leaders Portsmouth.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/division-three-south/08-September-1920/ Division Three (South) Table After Close of Play on 08 September 1920 11v11 AFS Enterprises 29 August 2022 The team drew their next two games but were then heavily defeated away to Merthyr Town, losing 6–1.Brown 2003 34 The Daily Telegraphs reporter stated that the size of the defeat was more down to Gillingham's poor defence than the quality of their opponents' attack. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108596774 Daily Telegraph 30 August 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Crystal Palace Advancing 20 September 1920 Needham made his debut in the defeat and would play in every game for the remainder of the season.Brown 2003 34 Gillingham played Plymouth Argyle in both the last match of September and first of October and lost both games. Wood, Gillingham's top goalscorer in the previous season, played his first game of the season in the second of the two matches.Brown 2003 34 He failed to score as Gillingham lost 1–0 to a goal in the last few minutes which the Weekly Dispatchs reporter described as "unexpected".Brown 2003 33–34 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108609906 Weekly Dispatch 30 August 2022 Newspapers.com subscription An Ambling Game 3 October 1920 Wood scored his first Football League goal for Gillingham a week later against Exeter City but his team lost for the fourth consecutive game,Brown 2003 34 after which they had slipped to 19th in the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/division-three-south/09-October-1920/ Division Three (South) Table After Close of Play on 09 October 1920 11v11 AFS Enterprises 30 August 2022 Gillingham beat Exeter 2–1 at Priestfield Road on 16 October, but it would prove to be their last Third Division win for more than three months.Brown 2003 34 They lost 4–0 away to Millwall on 23 October, after which the Dispatchs reporter noted that Millwall were considerably better than Gillingham, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108664485 Weekly Dispatch 31 August 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Millwall's Advance 24 October 1920 and ended the month with a goalless draw against the same opponents. The crowd for the latter game was reported as 12,000, tying with the game against Southampton in August for the largest recorded attendance of the season at Priestfield Road.Brown 2003 34 For the third consecutive match, Gillingham failed to score a goal when they lost 1–0 away to Newport County in the first match of November. A 4–1 defeat at home to the same opponents a week later left Gillingham bottom of the table.Brown 2003 34https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/division-three-south/13-November-1920/ Division Three (South) Table After Close of Play on 13 November 1920 11v11 AFS Enterprises 1 September 2022 Hall was absent from the team for the only time during the season on 27 November; his replacement Thomas Robinson scored Gillingham's second goal as they came back from two goals down to draw 2–2 against Portsmouth, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108784219 Weekly Dispatch 2 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription A Defeat Avenged 28 November 1920 but it would prove to be the last of his three appearances for the team.Brown 2003 34, 125 Gillingham drew 1–1 away to Swindon Town on 11 December but then began a run of five consecutive league defeats. A week after losing to Northampton Town in the FA Cup, Gillingham were defeated by the same opponents in the league, losing 5–2 at home on Christmas Day.Brown 2003 34 They then lost away to Northampton two days later.Brown 2003 34 Gillingham's final match of 1920 resulted in another heavy defeat as the team lost 5–0 away to Luton Town; the correspondent for the Daily Telegraph stated that, had it not been for the performance of goalkeeper Branfield, "Gillingham would have suffered a more severe reverse". https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108784460 Daily Telegraph 2 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Luton Outplay Gillingham 29 December 1920 At the end of December Gillingham remained bottom of the Third Division.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/division-three-south/31-December-1920/ Division Three (South) Table After Close of Play on 31 December 1920 11v11 AFS Enterprises 30 August 2022 January–April thumb|right|upright|alt=Footballer Arthur Wood|Arthur Wood scored five goals in the second half of the season. Gillingham's first match of 1921 was away to Watford on 1 January and resulted in a fourth consecutive league defeat. Roe, brought into the team for the first time since November, gave his team the lead but Watford scored three times to secure what the Dispatchs correspondent described as an easy victory. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108854785 Weekly Dispatch 3 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Unlucky Southampton 2 January 1921 Two weeks later, the team lost by the same score at home to Brentford; both Branfield and Robertson were missing from the team, the only time that either was absent during the season.Brown 2003 34 The losing run came to an end with a 3–3 draw against Brentford on 22 January; Needham scored two goals and Wood one. Seven days later the team won their first Third Division match for more than three months when a goal from Needham gave them a 1–0 win at home to Bristol Rovers.Brown 2003 34 Despite the victory, Gillingham remained bottom of the division at the end of January.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/division-three-south/31-January-1921/ Division Three (South) Table After Close of Play on 31 January 1921 11v11 AFS Enterprises 3 September 2022 In February, Gillingham played four matches, which resulted in a draw and three defeats; the team only scored one goal in the four games. A week after beating Bristol Rovers at home, they lost 2–0 away to the same opponents, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109038142 Sunday Mercury and News 6 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Luton Again 6 February 1921 and then drew 0–0 at home to Norwich City. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109038204 Daily Herald 6 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Firm Defences 14 February 1921 Gillingham played Norwich again on 19 February and lost 2–1, and ended the month with a 1–0 defeat at home to league leaders Crystal Palace. In a tactical change, Needham, who had played several games as a forward, moved back to a half-back position against Crystal Palace; Baxter, normally a half-back, was included in the team for the first time in over a month and played as centre-forward. After three games in which he did not score any goals he was dropped once more.Brown 2003 34 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109052562 Daily Herald 6 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Valuable Points 28 February 1921 Gillingham again played Crystal Palace in the first game of March; the score was 1–1 with approximately ten minutes remaining but the league leaders then scored three times to win the game. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109071196 Daily Telegraph 6 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription London Club Successes 7 March 1921 After three consecutive defeats, Gillingham beat Brighton & Hove Albion 1–0 on 12 March, but then failed to win any of the next five games. Over the Easter period the team played three games in four days, which resulted in a draw and two defeats.Brown 2003 34 Gillingham began April with a 2–1 victory at home to Grimsby Town and followed it up with a 1–0 victory away to Queens Park Rangers a week later; it was the first time during the season that they had won two consecutive league games.Brown 2003 34 Wood scored a goal in both games and did so again as the team drew 1–1 at home to Swindon Town on 13 April. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109106403 Daily Herald 7 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription League and Cup Results, Goal Scorers and Tables 4 April 1921 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109106445 Daily Telegraph 7 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Gillingham's Surprise 11 April 1921 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109106603 Daily Herald 7 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Swindon Draw 14 April 1921 The run of three league games without defeat was the longest the team had managed since the previous September, but they then lost consecutive matches to Queens Park Rangers and Swansea Town.Brown 2003 34 Gillingham ended April with a 2–1 win at home to Swansea Town, Wood scoring the winning goal, his fourth in six games.Brown 2003 34 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108531081 Daily Herald 29 August 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Gillingham Win 2 May 1921 The team's final match of the season was at home to Luton Town and resulted in a goalless draw.Brown 2003 34 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108863560 Daily Herald 3 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Busy Goalkeepers 9 May 1921 Gillingham finished the season bottom of the Third Division, two points below 21st-placed Brentford.Soar Tyler 1983 189 Having finished bottom of the Southern League Division One in the seasons immediately before and after the First World War, the team had now finished last in their division for three consecutive seasons.Elligate 2009 82 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 34 DateOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance28 August 1920Southampton (H)1–1Gilbey12,0001 September 1920Reading (A)2–1Roe, Gilbey7,0004 September 1920Southampton (A)0–3 14,0008 September 1920Reading (H)1–0Gilbey7,00011 September 1920Merthyr Town (H)0–0 9,50015 September 1920Portsmouth (H)1–1Battiste5,00018 September 1920Merthyr Town (A)1–6Thompson14,00025 September 1920Plymouth Argyle (A)1–3Hall16,0002 October 1920Plymouth Argyle (H)0–1 10,0009 October 1920Exeter City (A)1–2Wood10,00016 October 1920Exeter City (H)2–1Battiste (2, 1 pen.)10,00023 October 1920Millwall (A)0–4 20,00030 October 1920Millwall (H)0–0 12,0006 November 1920Newport County (A)0–1 8,00013 November 1920Newport County (H)1–4Needham8,00027 November 1920Portsmouth (A)2–2Gilbey, Robinson15,00011 December 1920Swindon Town (A)1–1Gilbey9,00025 December 1920Northampton Town (H)2–5Gilbey, Hall8,00027 December 1920Northampton Town (A)0–2 10,00028 December 1920Luton Town (A)0–5 11,0001 January 1921Watford (A)1–3Roe6,00015 January 1921Brentford (H)1–3Hall8,00022 January 1921Brentford (A)3–3Needham (2), Wood (pen.)9,00029 January 1921Bristol Rovers (H)1–0Needham8,0005 February 1921Bristol Rovers (A)0–2 9,00012 February 1921Norwich City (H)0–0 7,00019 February 1921Norwich City (A)1–2Hall8,00026 February 1921Crystal Palace (H)0–1 8,0005 March 1921Crystal Palace (A)1–4Hall10,00012 March 1921Brighton & Hove Albion (H)1–0Waugh7,00016 March 1921Watford (H)1–1Hall6,00019 March 1921Brighton & Hove Albion (A)0–1 9,00025 March 1921Southend United (H)1–1Hall11,00026 March 1921Grimsby Town (A)0–2 11,00028 March 1921Southend United (A)0–1 10,0002 April 1921Grimsby Town (H)2–1Waugh (pen.), Wood7,0009 April 1921Queens Park Rangers (A)1–0Wood10,00013 April 1921Swindon Town (H)1–1Wood8,00016 April 1921Queens Park Rangers (H)1–2Hall8,00023 April 1921Swansea Town (A)0–2 13,00030 April 1921Swansea Town (H)2–1Hall, Wood8,0007 May 1921Luton Town (H)0–0 6,000 Partial league table 1920–21 Football League#Third Division main WDL left auto Football League Third Division final table, bottom positions yes 2 19 EXE Exeter City REA Reading BRE Brentford GIL Gillingham 10 15 17 39 54 12 7 23 42 59 9 12 21 42 67 8 12 22 34 74 Required to apply for re-election R R complete Soar Tyler 1983 189 FA Cup Gillingham entered the 1920–21 FA Cup at the fourth qualifying round stage, where they were drawn to play near-neighbours Maidstone United of the Kent League.Brown 2003 34https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engkenthist.html Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation 29 November 2007 Dinant Abbink England – Kent League 6 September 2022 Maidstone's goalkeeper saved two penalty kicks by Battiste but a goal from Gilbey meant that Gillingham beat their non-League opponents 1–0. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108721222 Weekly Dispatch 1 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Surprise Rout of Nunhead 21 November 1920 In the fifth qualifying round, Gillingham played another non-League team, Dulwich Hamlet of the Isthmian League, and won 2–1. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108964098 Daily Herald 5 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription Gillingham's Cup-tie with Dulwich H. 6 December 1920 In the sixth and final qualifying round, Gillingham's opponents were fellow Third Division team Northampton Town, who won 3–1 to eliminate Gillingham from the competition. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108964131 Daily Telegraph 5 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription How Orient Qualified 20 December 1920 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108964171 Daily Herald 5 September 2022 Newspapers.com subscription League and Cup Results, Goal Scorers and Tables 20 December 1920 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 34 DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance20 November 1920Fourth qualifying Maidstone United (H)1–0Gilbey6,7254 December 1920Fifth qualifying Dulwich Hamlet (H)2–1Hall, Gilbey8,00018 December 1920Sixth qualifying Northampton Town (A)1–3Hall10,000 Players thumb|right|upright|Tommy Hall was the leading goalscorer for the season.|alt=Footballer Tommy Hall During the season, 26 players made at least one appearance for Gillingham. Robertson, Branfield and Hall made the most; each missed only one match. Three players made only one appearance each: McCormick, Alfred Milton and Ernest Ollerenshaw.Brown 2003 34 It was each player's only appearance for Gillingham at Football League level, and in the case of Milton and Ollerenshaw the only game each played during their entire time with the club.Brown 2003 123 Hall finished the season as the team's top scorer, with nine goals in the Third Division and two in the FA Cup; despite playing in fewer than a third of the team's games, Gilbey was the second highest-scoring player with eight goals in total.Brown 2003 34 +Player statisticsBrown 2003 34PlayerPositionThird DivisionFA CupTotalApps AppearancesGoalsApps AppearancesGoalsApps AppearancesGoalsWally BattisteFW33330363Tom BaxterHB21020230Jack BranfieldGK41030440Albert CarterFW200020Tom GilbeyFW11632148Syd GoreFW800080Joseph GriffithsHB500050Tommy HallFW419324411Andy HoltFW600060Fred HowardFW700070Donald McCormickFW100010Stuart McMillanFW11000110Alfred MiltonFB100010George NeedhamHB36430394Ernest OllerenshawGK100010Jock RobertsonFB41030440Thomas RobinsonFW211031Archie RoeFW16210172George RussellFW300030George ShawFB300030Tom SissonFB40030430Tom ThompsonHB37130401John WaughHB24200242Clive WigmoreHB900090Arthur WoodFW30630336Harry WrightFW32020340 FW = Forward, HB = Half-back, GK = Goalkeeper, FB = Full-back Aftermath As a result of finishing bottom of the Third Division, Gillingham were required to apply for re-election to the Football League, but retained their place.Elligate 2009 82 They remained one of the strugglers in the division, which was renamed the Third Division South when a parallel Third Division North was introduced for the 1921–22 season, and it was not until the 1925–26 season that they managed to finish in the top half of the table.Soar Tyler 1983 110 In 1938, Gillingham finished in the bottom two for the fifth time;Soar Tyler 1983 110 on this occasion their application for re-election was unsuccessful and they were voted out of the league, returning to the Southern League.Mitchell Reeves Tyler 2013 140 References Works cited Bradley Andy Roger Triggs Home of the Shouting Men: Complete History of Gillingham Football Club 1893–1993 Gillingham F.C. Gillingham 1994 0-9523361-0-3 Brown Tony The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record Soccerdata Nottingham 2003 1-899468-20-X Elligate David Gillingham FC On This Day Pitch Publishing 2009 978-1-9054-1145-0 Durrington Mitchell Colin Reeves Jon Tyler Daniel The History of English Football Clubs New Holland Publishers 2013 978-1-78009-449-6 London Soar Phil Martin Tyler Encyclopedia of British Football 1983 Collins Willow 978-0-0021-8049-8 London Roger Triggs The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club Tempus Publishing Ltd 2001 0-7524-2243-X Stroud 1920-21 Category:English football clubs 1920–21 season