Gillingham
Full name	Gillingham Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Gills
Founded	1893 (as New Brompton)
Ground	KRBS Priestfield Stadium Gillingham (Capacity 11,582[1])
Chairman	Paul Scally
Manager	Mark Stimson [2]
League	League Two
2007–08	League One, 22nd (relegated)[3]
Home colours 　 Away colours

Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. Gillingham Town Football Club is a football club based in Gillingham Dorset, England. Football club names are a part of the sport 's culture reflecting century-old traditions This is a of lists of the use of Nicknames in football (soccer. Priestfield Stadium (popularly known simply as Priestfield and officially known since 1 June 2007 as KRBS Priestfield Stadium for sponsorship purposes is a football Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England. The following is a list of Association football stadia. They are ordered by their capacity, that is the maximum number of spectators that the Paul Scally is a London -born businessman who has been the chairman of Association football club Gillingham since 1995 Mark Nicholas Stimson (born 27 December 1967 is an English former professional footballer and subsequently manager. Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Coca-Cola Football League 2 for Sponsorship reasons is the third-highest division of Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Coca-Cola Football League 1 for sponsorship reasons is the second-highest division of The Football England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Gillingham ( is a town in the Unitary authority of Medway in South East England. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at KRBS Priestfield Stadium. The Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons is a league competition featuring professional football clubs Priestfield Stadium (popularly known simply as Priestfield and officially known since 1 June 2007 as KRBS Priestfield Stadium for sponsorship purposes is a football In the 2007–08 season, the club was relegated from Football League One. Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Coca-Cola Football League 1 for sponsorship reasons is the second-highest division of The Football

The club was founded in 1893 and joined the Football League in 1920. The following are the Association football events of the year 1893 throughout the world The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 1920 throughout the world They were voted out of the league in favour of Ipswich Town at the end of the 1937–38 season, but returned to it 12 years later after it was expanded from 88 to 92 clubs. PLEASE NOTE This section is the introduction Please do not add too much detail here Twice in the late 1980s they came close to winning promotion to the second tier of English football, but a decline then set in and in 1993 they narrowly avoided relegation to the Football Conference. The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 1993 throughout the world Organisation The Football Conference stands at the top of the National League System (NLS a comprehensive structure linking together over 50 different leagues under the Between 2000 and 2005, Gillingham were in the second tier of the English league for the only time in their history, achieving a club record highest league finish of eleventh place in 2002–03. The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 2000 throughout the world The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 2005 throughout the world

Contents 1 History 1.1 Early years 1.2 First spell in the Football League 1.3 Return to the Football League 1.4 Recent highs and lows 2 Stadium 3 Colours and crest 4 Players 4.1 Current squad 4.2 Notable former players 4.3 International players 4.3.1 Current squad 4.3.2 Former players 5 Back room staff 5.1 Directors 5.2 Management 6 Managers 7 Honours 8 Statistics and records 9 Rivalries 10 Gillingham in popular culture 11 See also 12 References 13 External links

History

For more details on this topic, see History of Gillingham F.C.. For a statistical breakdown by season see Gillingham FC seasons Gillingham F

For a statistical breakdown by season, see Gillingham F.C. seasons

Early years

In May 1893, the local success of a junior football side, Chatham Excelsior F. C. , encouraged a group of businessmen to meet with a view to creating a football club which could compete in larger competitions. ^[4] New Brompton F. C. was formed from the meeting, incorporating a number of Excelsior players. The gentlemen also purchased the plot of land which would later become Priestfield Stadium. Priestfield Stadium (popularly known simply as Priestfield and officially known since 1 June 2007 as KRBS Priestfield Stadium for sponsorship purposes is a football ^[5] The new club played its first match on 2 September 1893, losing 1–5 to Woolwich Arsenal's reserve side in front of a crowd of 2,000. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common ^[6] New Brompton were among the founder members of the Southern League upon its creation in 1894, and were placed in Division Two. History Professional football (and Professional sport in general developed more slowly in Southern England than in the north. They were named Champions in the first season (1894–95) going on to defeat Swindon Town in a test match to win promotion. Swindon Town Football Club is an English football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, who currently play in League One. A test match in football is a match played at the end of a season between a team that has done badly in a higher league and one that has done well in a lower league ^[7]

In the seasons that followed, the club struggled in Division One, finishing bottom in the 1907–08 season,^[3] avoiding relegation only due to expansion of the league. Whilst the club's league performance was disappointing, the side did manage a famous cup victory over Football League First Division Sunderland and held Manchester City to a draw before losing in the replay. The Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons is a league competition featuring professional football clubs The Football League First Division was the highest division of The Football League between 1993 and 2004 and the highest division of English football overall between Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional Association football team based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, which plays in TalkManchester City FC before changing verbs to singular --> Manchester City Football Club is an English professional football club ^[8] In 1913 the club renamed itself Gillingham F. C. ^[9] but performances remained disappointing. The team finished bottom of Division One in the 1919–20 season but for a third time avoided relegation, due to the subsequent elevation of all Southern League Division One clubs to form the new Football League Division Three. From the 1992-93 to the 2003-04 season, the Football League Third Division was the third-highest division of The Football League and the fourth-highest ^[10]

First spell in the Football League

In the first season of the newly-created Football League Division Three, the 1920–21 season, Gillingham again finished bottom, and in the years to follow there was little improvement on this, the club continually finishing in the lower reaches of the bottom division. In 1938 the team finished bottom of the Third Division (South) and were required to apply for re-election for the fifth time since joining the league. The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 1938 throughout the world The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958 This bid for re-election failed, with Gillingham returning to the Southern League and Ipswich Town being promoted in their place. PLEASE NOTE This section is the introduction Please do not add too much detail here ^[11] Gillingham quickly established themselves as one of the stronger sides in the league, winning a local double of the Kent League and Kent Senior Cup in the 1945–46 season. History The first Kent League was formed in 1894 and folded in 1959 The Kent Senior Cup (also known as the John Ullmann Kent Senior Cup) is an English football competition played between Senior sides in the county ^[11] In the 1946–47 season the team won both the Southern League Cup and the Southern League championship, during which they recorded a club record 12–1 victory over Gloucester City. The Southern League Cup is the official knock-out cup competition of the Southern League. Gloucester City are a semi-professional football club based in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, currently playing in the Southern League. ^[12] The Gills also won the league title in 1948–49. ^[13]

Return to the Football League

In 1950 plans were announced to expand the Football League Division Three (South) from 22 to 24 teams and, taking into account their local success in the interim, Gillingham were re-elected to the Football League with a landslide vote. The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 1950 throughout the world ^[13] The team spent eight seasons in Division Three (South) before the restructuring of the league system for the 1958–59 season saw them placed in the newly-created Fourth Division. "Fourth Division" redirects here For usage of the term in the Military, see 4th Division. They remained in this division until 1964, when manager Freddie Cox led them to promotion, winning the first and so far only championship in the club's history. The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 1964 throughout the world Frederick James Arthur "Freddie" Cox DFC ( November 1 1920 – August 1973 was an English football player and manager The team finished the season level on 60 points with Carlisle United, but with a better goal average (1. Carlisle United FC are an English football team based in Carlisle, Cumbria, play in the Football League One this season after gaining In Sports such as Ice hockey and football (soccer, goal difference (that is goals scored minus goals conceded is often the first Tiebreaker 967 against 1. 948), which was the tightest league title finish in Football League history. ^[14]

After relegation back to the Fourth Division in 1970–71, the Gills were soon promoted back to the Third Division in the 1973–74 season. ^[15] After this the club seemed to find its level in Division Three, regularly mounting a challenge for promotion which ultimately fell short each time, never more so than in 1986–87 when they reached the play-offs only to lose in the final to Swindon Town. The Football League play-offs are a series of Football (soccer matches to determine a promotion place within the English football league system. Swindon Town Football Club is an English football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, who currently play in League One. ^[16] During this period the club produced future stars Steve Bruce and Tony Cascarino, who was famously bought from non-league Crockenhill in exchange for a set of tracksuits. Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce (born 31 December 1960 is an English football manager and former player Anthony Guy ("Tony" Cascarino (born September 1, 1962 in St Paul's Cray Orpington, Kent, England) is a former Association Crockenhill FC is a football club based in the village of Crockenhill near Swanley in Kent, England. ^[17]

In 1987 the Gills hit the headlines when, on consecutive Saturdays, they beat Southend United 8–1 and Chesterfield 10–0, the latter a club record for a Football League match. The following are the Football (soccer events of the year 1987 throughout the world Southend United Football Club is an English football team based at Roots Hall Stadium in Prittlewell in the Borough of Southend-on-Sea, Essex Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons is a league competition featuring professional football clubs Just a few months later, however, manager Keith Peacock was controversially sacked^[18] and within 18 months the club had fallen into Division Four. Keith Peacock (born Barnehurst, 2 May 1945) is an English former footballer and manager. ^[16] The ensuing spell in the lower division brought little success, and in the 1992–93 Division Three campaign the Gills narrowly avoided relegation to the Football Conference. Organisation The Football Conference stands at the top of the National League System (NLS a comprehensive structure linking together over 50 different leagues under the ^[16]

Recent highs and lows

Beset with financial problems, the club went into administration in January 1995, and by the end of the 1994–95 season faced the threat of being expelled from the Football League and closed down. ^[16] In June 1995, however, a London-based businessman, Paul Scally, stepped in and bought the club for £1. Paul Scally is a London -born businessman who has been the chairman of Association football club Gillingham since 1995 ^[19] He brought in new manager Tony Pulis, who led Gillingham to promotion in his first season, finishing second in the old Division Three (now Football League Two). Anthony Richard "Tony" Pulis (born 16 January 1958 in Newport) is a Welsh former football player and is currently the manager Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Coca-Cola Football League 2 for Sponsorship reasons is the third-highest division of ^[3] In 1999 the Gills made the play-offs but lost in the Division Two play-off final to Manchester City. From 1892 until 1992 the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football. TalkManchester City FC before changing verbs to singular --> Manchester City Football Club is an English professional football club The Gills were 2–0 up with less than two minutes left only to see City score twice, the equaliser in injury time, and go on to win 3–1 in a penalty shoot-out. ^[20]

Soon after the play-off loss, Pulis was sacked for gross misconduct,^[21] and Peter Taylor appointed manager. For the former Derby County/Nottingham Forest manager/assistant manager also a manager of Brighton & Hove Albion who died in 1990 see Peter Taylor (footballer born 1928 ^[22] In the 1999–00 season Gillingham qualified for the play-offs again, where they faced Wigan Athletic in the final at Wembley Stadium. Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional football team based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. original Wembley Stadium was a football Stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the The game finished 1–1 after 90 minutes, but, thanks to goals in extra time from substitutes Steve Butler and Andy Thomson, the Gills won 3–2 and were promoted to Division One for the first time. Stephen "Steve" Butler (born Birmingham, January 27 1962) is an English former Football (soccer player currently serving Andrew "Andy" Thomson (born Motherwell, 1 April 1971 is a Scottish Football (soccer player ^[20]

Taylor then left to manage Leicester City, and Andy Hessenthaler was appointed as player-manager. PLEASE NOTE This section is the introduction Please do not add too much detail here Andrew "Andy" Hessenthaler (born 17 August 1965 in Dartford, Kent) is an English footballer. ^[23] He led the club to their best ever league finish of eleventh in the 2002–03 season,^[3] but the following season saw the club narrowly avoid relegation on goal difference. In Sports such as Ice hockey and football (soccer, goal difference (that is goals scored minus goals conceded is often the first Tiebreaker Hessenthaler resigned as manager in November 2004,^[23] and new boss Stan Ternent^[24] was unable to prevent the Gills' relegation to League One. Stanley "Stan" Ternent (born 16 June 1946 in Gateshead) is an English football manager Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Coca-Cola Football League 1 for sponsorship reasons is the second-highest division of The Football Ronnie Jepson took over as manager and led the team to two successive mid-table finishes,^[25] but resigned in September 2007. Ronald Francis "Ronnie" Jepson (born May 12, 1963 in Audley, Stoke-on-Trent, England) is an English former ^[26] On 1 November 2007 Mark Stimson was appointed as the club's new manager. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Mark Nicholas Stimson (born 27 December 1967 is an English former professional footballer and subsequently manager. ^[2] At the end of the 2007–08 season the club was relegated from League One. ^[27]

Stadium

Main article: Priestfield Stadium

The Gills have played at Priestfield Stadium throughout their existence. Priestfield Stadium (popularly known simply as Priestfield and officially known since 1 June 2007 as KRBS Priestfield Stadium for sponsorship purposes is a football Priestfield Stadium (popularly known simply as Priestfield and officially known since 1 June 2007 as KRBS Priestfield Stadium for sponsorship purposes is a football ^[28] The ground was originally purchased by the founders of the club through an issue of 1,500 £1 shares. ^[5] Sources differ on whether the ground was named after the road on which the land stood, Priestfield Road,^[5] or whether the road was named after the ground;^[29] if the latter is the case then the origin of the ground's name is unknown. The ground was extensively developed prior to the 1930s, but there was then little change until the late 1990s and the arrival of Paul Scally as chairman. Three of the four stands were demolished and rebuilt between 1995 and 2000. The fourth stand, known as the Town End, was demolished to make way for a new stand, to be named the Brian Moore Stand after television sports commentator Brian Moore, who was a well-known Gills fan, but the club's financial situation has not allowed the new stand to be built and a temporary stand has been in place since 2004. Brian Moore ( February 28 1932 - September 1 2001) was a British sports commentator ^[30] On 1 June 2007 the stadium was officially renamed KRBS Priestfield Stadium as part of a new sponsorship deal with the Kent Reliance Building Society. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Kent Reliance Building Society, commonly known as KRBS, is a Building society based in Kent, England. ^[31]

At its peak in the 1940s the official capacity of the stadium was listed as "between 25,000 and 30,000"^[4] but subsequent redevelopments, the removal of terraces and building of new facilities have seen this reduced to a current capacity of 11,582. ^[1] In the 2006–07 season, the average attendance at home matches was 6,329, just 55% of capacity. ^[32] The ground has also hosted home fixtures of the England women's national football team. ^[33]

Colours and crest

Although Gillingham have long been associated with the colours blue and white, the original New Brompton side wore a strip consisting of black and white striped shirts with black shorts. ^[5] With the renaming of the club in 1913, the black and white strip was dropped in favour of red shirts with blue sleeves,^[34] emblazoned with the borough's coat of arms. Municipal boroughs were a type of Local government which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974 in Northern Ireland from 1840 to The striped shirts returned after World War One, before finally being replaced with the now-familiar combination of plain blue shirts and white shorts in 1931. ^[34]

More recent years have seen several variations on the blue and white colour scheme. Several late 1990s strips featured blue and black striped shirts, recalling the original New Brompton stripes. ^[34]

In the summer of 2003 it was controversially announced that the club's first choice shirts for the following season would be predominantly white, rather than blue. The announcement received such a hostile response from supporters that the white strip was replaced by one featuring blue and black hoops, which had originally been earmarked as the team's third choice kit. ^[35]

The club's current crest is a shield divided vertically into halves of black and white stripes and solid blue, reflecting the club's original and modern kits. On the blue half is the county emblem of Kent, a white horse rampant, albeit slightly altered from its normal form as its mane is stylised into the letters of the word "Gills". KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format The club's motto, which appears on a scroll below the crest, is "Domus clamantium", the Latin for "the home of the shouting men",^[36] an epithet associated with the town of Gillingham for several hundred years. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. ^[37]

The first sponsor's name to appear on Gillingham shirts was that of Italian home appliance manufacturers Zanussi, who sponsored the club from 1984 to 1987. Home appliances are electrical/mechanical Appliances which accomplish some Household functions such as Cooking or cleaning. Zanussi was an Italian producer of Home appliances that in 1984 was bought by Electrolux. Subsequent sponsors have been Chatham Maritime (1987 to 1991), Medway Toyota (1991 to 1994), Cannon Tool Hire (1994 to 1995), Invicta FM (1995 to 1997), Kool (1997 to 1999), Medway News (1999 to 2001), SeaFrance (2001 to 2004) and MHS Homes Group (2004 to 2007). Invicta FM is a local commercial station which broadcasts to the county of Kent in South East England. History The first editor-proprietor of the News was Henry Clayton a local bookseller who soon discovered he needed a journalist and brought in Joseph Foster from SeaFrance is a ferry company based in France that operates ferry services between Calais, France and Dover, England. ^[34] For the 2007–08 season the team's shirts are sponsored by the Kent Reliance Building Society as part of the deal which also involves the renaming of the club's stadium. Kent Reliance Building Society, commonly known as KRBS, is a Building society based in Kent, England. ^[31]

Players

Current squad

As of 21 May 2008:^[38]

No. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Position Player 1 GK Kelvin Jack* 5 DF Simon King 7 MF Andrew Crofts (Captain) 8 MF Mark Bentley 9 FW Gary Mulligan 10 FW Delroy Facey 11 MF Nicky Southall 12 GK Simon Royce 13 GK Chris Kiely 14 MF Aaron Brown 16 DF Efe Sodje 17 FW Andy Pugh 18 MF Craig Stone* 19 DF Sean Clohessy

No. In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Kelvin Kyron Jack (born 29 April, 1976) is a Trinidadian football goalkeeper currently without a club since leaving Gillingham on In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Simon Daniel Roy King (born 11 April 1983 in Oxford, England) is an English footballer, currently playing as a defender For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Andrew Lawrence Crofts (born 29 May 1984 Professional career Club career In September 2000 Crofts joined Gillingham as a trainee and was a regular For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Mark James Bentley (born 7 January 1978 in Hertford, England) is an English footballer, currently playing for Gillingham Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Gary Mulligan (born 23 April 1985 in Dublin) is an Irish U21 international footballer currently playing for Gillingham. Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Delroy Michael Facey (born 22 April 1980 in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England) is a British - Grenadian professional For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Leslie Nicholas "Nicky" Southall (born 28 January 1972 in Middlesbrough) is a professional football player who has played in all tiers of English In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Simon Ernest Royce (born 9 September 1971 in Forest Gate, England) is an English footballer, currently playing for In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Aaron Wesley Brown (born 14 March 1980, Bristol, England) is an English professional footballer playing as a Left-back In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Efetobore "Efe" Sodje (born October 5, 1972 in Greenwich) is a footballer who is currently playing for Bury. Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Andrew "Andy" Pugh (born 28 January 1989 in Gravesend) is an English professional footballer currently playing for For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Craig Stone (born 29 December 1988 in Gravesend) is an English professional footballer, currently at Ebbsfleet United. In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Sean David Clohessy (born December 12, 1986) is an English professional footballer currently contracted to Gillingham, but undertaking a trial at Salisbury Position Player 20 FW Simeon Jackson 21 FW Luis Cumbers 22 GK Derek Stillie* 23 MF Barry Cogan* 25 DF Tom Bryant* 28 FW Dennis Oli 29 MF Charlie Howard 30 FW Leroy Griffiths* 32 MF Stuart Thurgood 35 DF John Nutter 36 MF Adam Miller 37 DF Garry Richards 38 DF Barry Fuller 39 MF Stuart Lewis – GK Alan Julian

* Jack, Stone, Stillie, Cogan, Bryant and Griffiths are to be released at the end of their contracts on 2008-06-30

The club also fields a youth team at Under-18 level^[39] and operates a Centre of Excellence for boys in the Under-9 to Under-16 age groups. Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Simeon Alexander Jackson (born March 28, 1987) is a Canadian footballer, currently playing for Gillingham. Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Luis Cosme Cumbers (born 6 September 1988 in Chelmsford) is an English professional footballer currently playing for Gillingham In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Derek Stillie (born December 3, 1973 in Cumnock) is a retired Scottish footballer. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Barry Cogan (born 4 November 1985 in Sligo, Ireland) is an Irish footballer, who plays for Grays Athletic. In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Dennis Chiedozie Oli (born January 28, 1984 in Newham, England) is an English footballer of Nigerian descent For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Charlie Howard (born 26 November 1989 in London) is an English footballer who plays for Dulwich Hamlet on loan from Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Leroy Griffiths (born 30 December 1976 in London, England) is an English footballer, currently playing for Staines For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Stuart Anthony Thurgood (born 4 November 1981 in Enfield Town, England) is an English footballer, currently playing for In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring John Nutter (born June 13 1982) is a footballer who currently plays for Gillingham. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Adam Edward Miller (born 19 February 1982 in Hemel Hempstead) is an English footballer, currently playing for Gillingham. In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Garry Richards (born June 11 1986 in Romford, England) is an English footballer, currently playing for Gillingham In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Barry Marc Fuller (born August 25, 1984 in Ashford Kent) is an English footballer, currently playing for Gillingham as For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Stuart Lewis (born October 15, 1987 in Welwyn Garden City) is an English footballer who plays for Gillingham. In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Alan John Julian (born March 11, 1983 in Ashford, England) is a footballer, currently playing for Gillingham. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper ^[40] The club does not currently field a reserve team, but will do as of the 2008/09 season.

Notable former players

Main article: List of Gillingham F.C. players

International players

The club recognises nine players as having gained full international caps during their time at Priestfield, although the status of one of these (that of Freddie Fox) is disputed. Below is a list of footballers who have played for Gillingham. A cap is an appearance for a select team such as a school county or international team in sports Frederick Samuel "Freddie" Fox (born Highworth, near Swindon, 22 November 1898, died High Wycombe, 15 May

Current squad

Player		Country	Caps while at club	Goals while at club	Total no. of caps	Total no. of goals
Andrew Crofts		Wales	12[41]	0	12[41]	0

Kelvin Jack and Efe Sodje both gained international caps earlier in their careers but have not gained further caps since signing for Gillingham. Andrew Lawrence Crofts (born 29 May 1984 Professional career Club career In September 2000 Crofts joined Gillingham as a trainee and was a regular The Wales national football team represents Wales in international men's football. Kelvin Kyron Jack (born 29 April, 1976) is a Trinidadian football goalkeeper currently without a club since leaving Gillingham on Efetobore "Efe" Sodje (born October 5, 1972 in Greenwich) is a footballer who is currently playing for Bury.

Former players

Player		Country	Caps while at club	Goals while at club	Total no. of caps	Total no. of goals
Ian Cox		Trinidad and Tobago	11 [16]	0	19 [42]	0
Mamady Sidibe		Mali	7 [16]	1+ [43]	tbc	tbc
Brent Sancho		Trinidad and Tobago	6 [16]	0	62 [44]	0
Tony Cascarino		Republic of Ireland	3 [16]	0	88 [45]	19 [45]
Terry Cochrane		Northern Ireland	2 [16]	0	26 [46]	1 [47]
Damien Richardson		Republic of Ireland	2 [16]	0	3 [48]	0 [49]
Jason Brown		Wales	1 [50]	0	2 [51]	0
Freddie Fox		England	1 [52]	0	1 [53]	0

In 2006 Sancho became the first Gillingham player ever to play in the World Cup finals, and technically the first to score in the World Cup finals when he scored an own goal in the 2-0 group defeat to Paraguay. Ian Gary Cox (born 25 March 1971 in Croydon, England) is a former Trinidad and Tobago international footballer who currently The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is controlled by the Trinidad Mamady Sidibe (born 18 December 1979 in Bamako) is a Malian football striker currently playing for English Premiership side The Mali national football team, nicknamed Les Aigles (The Eagles, is the national team of Mali and is controlled by the Fédération Malienne de Brent Sancho (born 13 March 1977 in Port of Spain) is a Trinidad and Tobago international footballer. The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is controlled by the Trinidad Anthony Guy ("Tony" Cascarino (born September 1, 1962 in St Paul's Cray Orpington, Kent, England) is a former Association The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in international football. Terence George Cochrane (or Terry Cochrane) (born 23 January, 1953 in Killyleagh, Northern Ireland) is a former Northern Irish The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international football. Damien John Richardson (born 2 August 1947, Dublin) is an Irish football manager and former player The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in international football. Jason Roy Brown (born 18 May 1982 in Southwark, England) is a Welsh football goalkeeper currently playing The Wales national football team represents Wales in international men's football. Frederick Samuel "Freddie" Fox (born Highworth, near Swindon, 22 November 1898, died High Wycombe, 15 May The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football An own goal occurs in Association football and other goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team Play in Group B of the 2006 FIFA World Cup completed on June 20 2006. The Paraguay national football team is the national team of Paraguay and is controlled by the Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol. ^[54]

Back room staff

As at 14 April 2008:^[55]

Directors

• Chairman/Chief Executive: Paul Scally
• Chief Executive: Mark Jones
• Vice chairman: Peter Spokes
• Non-executive director: Mike Quarrington
• Associate director: Yvonne Paulley

Management

• Team manager: Mark Stimson
• Assistant manager: Scott Barrett
• Fitness coach: Danny Ellis
• Youth team manager: Mark Patterson
• Senior physiotherapist: Paul Smith

Managers

For more details on this topic, see List of Gillingham F.C. managers. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Paul Scally is a London -born businessman who has been the chairman of Association football club Gillingham since 1995 Mark Nicholas Stimson (born 27 December 1967 is an English former professional footballer and subsequently manager. Scott Barrett (born April 2 1963 in Ilkeston) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Mark Patterson (born Leeds, 13 September 1968) is an English former professional footballer. This is a list of Gillingham FC managers since the club appointed its first full-time manager in 1896 along with the number of competitive games managed winning percentage and honours

As of November 2007, a total of 30 men have been appointed as manager of Gillingham since the post was first established, not including caretaker managers. ^[56]

1896–1906 William Groombridge[57] 1906–08 Stephen Smith 1908–19 William Groombridge 1919–20 George Collins 1920–23 John McMillan 1923–26 Harry Curtis 1926–29 Albert Hoskins 1929–31 Dick Hendrie 1932–37 Fred Maven 1937–38 Alan Ure 1938–39 Bill Harvey 1939–58 Archie Clark 1958–62 Harry Barratt 1962–65 Freddie Cox 1965–71 Basil Hayward 1971–74 Andy Nelson 1974–75 Len Ashurst

1975–81 Gerry Summers 1981–87 Keith Peacock 1987–88 Paul Taylor 1988–89 Keith Burkinshaw 1989–92 Damien Richardson 1992–93 Glenn Roeder 1993–95 Mike Flanagan 1995 Neil Smillie (caretaker) 1995–99 Tony Pulis 1999–2000 Peter Taylor 2000–04 Andy Hessenthaler 2004 John Gorman (caretaker) 2004–05 Stan Ternent 2005 Neale Cooper 2005–07 Ronnie Jepson 2007 Iffy Onuora (caretaker, initially jointly with Mick Docherty) 2007– Mark Stimson

Honours

• Football League Fourth Division

Champions 1963–64, runners-up 1973–74

• Football League Third Division

Runners-up 1995–96

• Football League Second Division

Play-off winners 1999–00, finalists 1986–87 & 1998–99

• Southern Football League

Champions 1946–47 & 1948–49, runners up 1947–48

• Southern Football League Division Two

Champions 1894–95

• Southern League Cup

Winners 1946–47

• Kent League

Champions 1945–46

• Kent League Cup

Winners 1945–46

• Kent Senior Cup

Winners 1945–46 & 1947–48, runners-up 1938–39, 1948–49, 1949–50 & 1994–95

Statistics and records

For more details on this topic, see Gillingham F.C. records. William Ironside Groombridge was the first man known to have held the role of manager of English Football (soccer club Gillingham (known for Stephen Smith ( 14 January 1874 &ndash 19 May 1935) was an England international football player in the late 19th century William Ironside Groombridge was the first man known to have held the role of manager of English Football (soccer club Gillingham (known for George Collins was an English Football (soccer manager. He managed Gillingham from 1919 to 1920 and Darlington from 1933 to 1936 John Stuart McMillan (born Port Glasgow 16 February 1871, died 1941 was a Scottish Football (soccer player and manager Harry Curtis was an English football referee and manager Initially a referee Curtis took up his first managerial post with Kent side Albert Herbert Hoskins (1885&ndash1968 was an English football forward and football manager who managed Wolverhampton Wanderers, Gillingham Richard "Dick" Hendrie (born Airdrie, 1898 died 1964 was a Scottish Football (soccer player and manager. Frederick J "Fred" Maven (born Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1884 died 1957 was an English Football (soccer player and manager. Alan Ure was an English Football (soccer manager. He managed Gillingham for the 1937&ndash38 season which saw the club finish William "Bill" Harvey ( 12 April 1896, Shirley Southampton – 1970 was an English Association football player and Archibald William "Archie" Clark (born Shoreham Kent, April 4 1904, died January 1967 was an English Football (soccer Harold "Harry" Barratt (born Headington, 25 December 1918, died 1989 was an English Football (soccer player and manager Frederick James Arthur "Freddie" Cox DFC ( November 1 1920 – August 1973 was an English football player and manager Carl Basil Hayward (born Leek, 7 April 1928, died 1989 was an English Football (soccer player and manager. Andrew Nesbitt "Andy" Nelson (born Custom House London, 5 July 1935) was a football player and manager Len Ashurst (born Liverpool, March 10 1939) is a former footballer, manager and football administrator in England. Gerald Thomas Francis "Gerry" Summers (born 4 October, 1933 in Small Heath Birmingham) was an English professional football Keith Peacock (born Barnehurst, 2 May 1945) is an English former footballer and manager. Paul Taylor (born December 3, 1949 in Sheffield, England) is a former Football (soccer player and manager. Harry Keith Burkinshaw (born June 23, 1935 in Higham, near Barnsley, Yorkshire) is an English former professional Damien John Richardson (born 2 August 1947, Dublin) is an Irish football manager and former player Glenn Victor Roeder (born December 13 1955 in Woodford, Essex) is an English football manager and former Michael "Mike" Flanagan (born Ilford, Essex, November 9 1952) is an English former professional footballer and Neil Smillie (born Barnsley, 19 July, 1958 is an English former professional Football (soccer player and manager. Anthony Richard "Tony" Pulis (born 16 January 1958 in Newport) is a Welsh former football player and is currently the manager For the former Derby County/Nottingham Forest manager/assistant manager also a manager of Brighton & Hove Albion who died in 1990 see Peter Taylor (footballer born 1928 Andrew "Andy" Hessenthaler (born 17 August 1965 in Dartford, Kent) is an English footballer. John Gorman (born 16 August 1949 in Winchburgh, West Lothian) is a Scottish former football player and coach. Stanley "Stan" Ternent (born 16 June 1946 in Gateshead) is an English football manager Neale James Cooper (born November 24 1963, in Darjeeling, India) is a Scottish football manager and former professional Ronald Francis "Ronnie" Jepson (born May 12, 1963 in Audley, Stoke-on-Trent, England) is an English former Ifem "Iffy" Onuora (born 28 July, 1967 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a coach and ex-professional footballer born in Scotland Michael "Mick" Docherty (born October 29, 1950 in Preston, Lancashire) is a former footballer and currently a coach Mark Nicholas Stimson (born 27 December 1967 is an English former professional footballer and subsequently manager. "Fourth Division" redirects here For usage of the term in the Military, see 4th Division. From the 1992-93 to the 2003-04 season, the Football League Third Division was the third-highest division of The Football League and the fourth-highest From 1892 until 1992 the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football. History Professional football (and Professional sport in general developed more slowly in Southern England than in the north. The Southern League Cup is the official knock-out cup competition of the Southern League. History The first Kent League was formed in 1894 and folded in 1959 The Kent Senior Cup (also known as the John Ullmann Kent Senior Cup) is an English football competition played between Senior sides in the county Gillingham FC is an English professional Association football club based in Gillingham, Kent, playing in Football League Two, the fourth level

Goalkeeper Ron Hillyard holds the record for Gillingham appearances, having played 657 matches in all competitions between 1974 and 1990,^[58] while the record for appearances solely in the Football League is held by another goalkeeper, John Simpson, with 571 between 1957 and 1972. Ronald William "Ron" Hillyard (born 31 March, 1952 in Brinsworth, England) is an English former football The Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons is a league competition featuring professional football clubs John Lionel Simpson (born Appleby, 5 October 1933, died Gillingham, 7 December 1993) was an English ^[59] Brian Yeo is the club's all-time leading league goalscorer, having scored a total of 136 goals between 1963 and 1975. Brian George Yeo (born Worthing, 12 April 1944) is a former English football Striker. ^[60] He also jointly holds the record for the most goals scored in a single season, having scored 31 goals in the 1973–74 season,^[60] equalling the record set by Ernie Morgan in 1954–55. Ernest "Ernie" Morgan (born Royston, 13 January, 1927 is an English former professional Football (soccer player and manager ^[61] The highest number of goals scored by a player in a single game at a professional level is the six registered by Fred Cheesmur against Merthyr Town in April 1930. Frederick Harold "Fred" Cheesmur (born Wandsworth, 16 January 1908 died Folkestone, 13 August 1987 was an English professional Merthyr Town were a Welsh football club that played in the English Football League during the 1920s but apparently folded in 1934 ^[62]

The club's record home attendance is 23,002, for an FA Cup match against QPR on 10 January 1948,^[59] a record which will almost certainly never be broken unless the club relocates to a larger ground, given that Priestfield Stadium's current capacity is approximately half that figure. The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English football club, based in Shepherds Bush in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London

The team's biggest ever professional win was a 10-0 defeat of Chesterfield in September 1987,^[59] although they had previously registered a 12-1 win against Gloucester City in the Southern League in November 1946. Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Gloucester City are a semi-professional football club based in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, currently playing in the Southern League. History Professional football (and Professional sport in general developed more slowly in Southern England than in the north. ^[16]

The Gills hold the record for the fewest goals conceded by a team in the course of a 46 game season,^[63] having conceded just 20 in the 1995–96 season,^[3] during which goalkeeper Jim Stannard kept 29 clean sheets. James David "Jim" Stannard (born Harold Hill, 6 October 1962) is an English retired football goalkeeper. ^[59]

Rivalries

Due to Gillingham's position geographically, there have traditionally not been fierce local rivalries with neighbouring clubs, as the closest other League teams are based in London and Essex. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common The closest League team is Southend United, across the mouth of the River Thames. Southend United Football Club is an English football team based at Roots Hall Stadium in Prittlewell in the Borough of Southend-on-Sea, Essex The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. A 2003 fan survey^[64] revealed that Gillingham (along with Macclesfield Town, Stockport County, Torquay United and York City) were not considered to be rivals by supporters of any other club. Macclesfield Town Football Club are an English football team The club were formed in 1874 and are based in the small town of Macclesfield in Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, England. Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls is an English association football club based in the seaside resort town of Torquay, Devon York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire.

Millwall are currently considered to be the closest the Gills have to local rivals. Millwall Football Club are an English professional football team based at The New Den, referred to by fans as The Den in Bermondsey, ^[1] Swindon Town are seen by many fans as the club's biggest rivals, stemming from bad-tempered matches between the two teams in 1979 and 1987. Swindon Town Football Club is an English football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, who currently play in League One. ^[65] While Swindon fans generally do not consider Gillingham their biggest rivals, there was violence when they met at Priestfield in the 2005–06 season, their first meeting since a promotion play-off match in 1987. ^[66] Following their promotion in 1989, Maidstone United became Kent's second League side. Maidstone United Football Club are an English football team from Maidstone, Kent. A friendly rivalry with Gillingham developed over the following seasons, with several Kent derby games, until Maidstone's financial troubles forced them to resign from the League in 1992. ^[67]

Gillingham in popular culture

The 2005 film Green Street (known as Green Street Hooligans in the USA) makes use of action sequences filmed during a match between Gillingham and West Ham United, although for unknown reasons the dialogue states that the team playing West Ham is Birmingham City. Green Street is a 2005 Drama film about Football hooliganism in England. } West Ham United Football Club is an English football club based in Upton Park, London Borough of Newham, East London, who have played Birmingham City Football Club is an English Professional football club based in the city of Birmingham. ^[68]

See also

• Brian Moore's Head Looks Uncannily Like London Planetarium - webzine devoted to the club, which previously existed from 1988 to 2006 as a paper fanzine. Brian Moore's Head Looks Uncannily Like London Planetarium was a Fanzine devoted to Gillingham F An online magazine is a Magazine that is delivered in an electronic form A fanzine (see also Zine) is a nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre for the pleasure Named in honour of the club's most famous supporter, the late commentator Brian Moore. Brian Moore ( February 28 1932 - September 1 2001) was a British sports commentator

References

External links

• Official club website
• Gillingham F. C. on BBC Sport: Club News - Recent results - Upcoming fixtures - Club stats
• Gills Connect fansite

---

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic