| 2000–01 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Paul Scally | ||
| Manager | Andy Hessenthaler | ||
| First Division | 13th | ||
| FA Cup | Fourth round | ||
| League Cup | Second round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League:Marlon King (15) All:Marlon King (15) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 10,518 (vCrystal Palace, 26 December 2000) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 2,743 (vTorquay United, 22 August 2000) | ||
During the2000–01 English football season,Gillingham F.C. competed in theFootball League First Division, the second tier of theEnglish football league system. It was the 69th season in which Gillingham competed inthe Football League, and the 51st since the club wasvoted back into the league in 1950. Inthe preceding season, Gillingham had beatenWigan Athletic in theSecond Division play-off final to gainpromotion to the second tier of English football for the first time in the club's history. Having led the team to promotion,managerPeter Taylor left the club after a single season to become manager ofFA Premier League clubLeicester City and was replaced by veteran playerAndy Hessenthaler. In his first season as manager, he led Gillingham to a mid-table finish in the First Division.
Gillingham also competed in twoknock-out tournaments. In theFA Cup the team reached the fourth round but then lost toChelsea of the Premier League. The team were also eliminated from theFootball League Cup by a Premier League team, losing toManchester City in the second round. Gillingham played 52 competitive matches, winning 15, drawing 17, and losing 20.Marlon King, a new signing at the start of the season, was the team's top goalscorer with 15 goals.Vince Bartram andChris Hope made the most appearances; both played in all 52 of the team's matches. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground,Priestfield Stadium, was 10,518 for the visit ofCrystal Palace on 26 December.
The2000–01 season wasGillingham's 69th season playing in theFootball League and the 51st since the club waselected back into the League in 1950 after being voted out in 1938. Inthe previous season, the team had finished third in theFootball League Second Division and qualified for theplay-offs forpromotion to theFirst Division.[1] After defeatingStoke City in the semi-finals, Gillingham beatWigan Athletic in thefinal to reach the second tier of theEnglish football league system for the first time in the club's history.[2][3] Following promotion, Gillingham offered a new contract tomanagerPeter Taylor to remain in charge for the 2000–01 season. He rejected it, however, and left to take over atFA Premier League teamLeicester City, replacingMartin O'Neill, who had moved toCeltic.[4] Veteran Gillingham playerAndy Hessenthaler was appointedplayer-manager to replace Taylor, his first managerial appointment.[5][6]
The club signed three new players ahead of the first competitive game of the new season, two of whom wereforwards. Hessenthaler's first signing as manager wasMarlon King, a forward, who joined fromBarnet of theThird Division for atransfer fee of £250,000 (equivalent to £530,000 in 2023). King, aged 20, had reportedly attracted interest from Premier League clubs and was viewed as a highly promising prospect for the future.[7] The second new forward to join the club wasPaul Shaw, who was signed fromMillwall for £450,000 (equivalent to £960,000 in 2023), at the time the third-highest transfer fee paid by Gillingham.[8] The third new signing was adefender:Chris Hope arrived fromScunthorpe United for £250,000 (equivalent to £530,000 in 2023).[9] In an interview with theSunday Times, Hessenthaler stated that he had "told the boys we want to try and make the play-offs".[10] Despite this, Gillingham were picked as one of the three teams most likely to berelegated from the First Division by Jason Tomas ofThe Observer.[11]
The club adopted a newkit, replacing the previous season's blue and black striped shirts, black shorts and black socks with plain blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks. Theaway kit, to be worn in the event of a clash of colours with the home team, consisted of white shirts, blue shorts and white socks.[12] The team prepared for the new season with a number offriendly matches, including one againstManchester City of the Premier League.[13] At the start of the season, building work was ongoing at the club's home ground,Priestfield Stadium. The new Medway Stand, replacing an oldergrandstand demolished a year earlier, was open to spectators but the work had not been completed on all its facilities.[14][15][16]
Gillingham's first match in the second tier of English football was at home toStockport County.[17]Guy Butters scored the club's first goal at that level in the second minute of the game, but Stockport scored three times to claim the win.[17][18] Hessenthaler described the result as "a wake-up call".[14] Shaw and Hope made their debuts in the starting line-up and King made his as asubstitute;[19] Shaw was stretchered off in the first half after suffering an ankle injury which would keep him out of the team for the next six weeks.[8][14][20]Andy Thomson replaced him in the starting line-up for the game away toTranmere Rovers, which Gillingham lost 3–2.[21] In both of the next two First Division games, at home toPortsmouth and away toBurnley, Gillingham took the lead but then conceded an equalising goal; each of the matches finished as a draw.[22]The Guardian's correspondent wrote that Gillingham were the better team against Portsmouth although Hessenthaler said that his team's play had been "a little bit too predictable".[23] After four games, Gillingham were 21st in the 24-teamleague table.[24] The team won their first league match of the season at the fifth attempt, defeatingWolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 at Priestfield with a fourth-minute goal byJunior Lewis,[25][26] but then lost away toGrimsby Town. In the second half of September, Gillingham won at home to strugglingHuddersfield Town, managed by former Gillingham playerSteve Bruce,[27] but then lost 3–0 away toFulham, who continued a run of having won every First Division game since the start of the season. Hessenthaler commented "we just couldn't get near them ... quite frankly I'm pleased it was only 3–0".[28][29] King was included in the starting line-up for the first time in early September but after failing to score in five starts he reverted to the role of substitute, with Thomson preferred as a starter.[19]
Gillingham drew 4–4 away toWimbledon on 14 October,[30] the only match in the entirety of the First Division during the 2000–01 season to feature eight or more goals,[31] which prompted Hessenthaler to say "We'll be straight back on the training ground to work on our defending as we keep getting punished by decent sides." His opposite numberTerry Burton noted that the Gillingham team had taken on the qualities which Hessenthaler displayed as a player, saying "Their spirit epitomises what their manager is all about ... He gives 100 per cent and has taken that infectious enthusiasm into management".[30] Gillingham then failed to score any goals in the next four league matches.[32]Carl Asaba, the team's top goalscorer in all competitions at this point in the season,[33] was substituted in the second of these games, a goalless draw at home toBarnsley, after injuring hishamstring;[34] he would not play again for more than six weeks.[19]Iffy Onuora, who had been a regular in the team in the second half of the previous season but had yet to start a game in the 2000–01 season, replaced him for the next five games but then reverted to being used only as a substitute.[19][35] The goalless run came to an end with a 2–1 victory away toSheffield United on 4 November, Gillingham's first league win for seven games and first away league win of the season,[36] but the team then lost both their next two games 3–1.[32] King scored his first goal for the club in the second of these defeats.[32] Victory away toBlackburn Rovers in the last game of November, achieved despite Shaw beingsent off, left Gillingham 14th in the table. Ron Clarke of theSunday Times wrote that Blackburn had been arrogant in their approach to the game in the first half and allowed Gillingham to score two simple goals.[37][38]
Gillingham began December with consecutive league defeats at home toBirmingham City and away toNorwich City,[39][40] but then beatPreston North End 4–0 at Priestfield,[41] beginning an unbeaten league run which would ultimately last for nine games.[32] Asaba scored twice against Preston on his return to the starting line-up.[21][41] The team's final game of 2000 resulted in a 4–1 win at home toCrystal Palace; Asaba scored the team's firsthat-trick of the season but Shaw was again carried off on a stretcher after suffering another ankle injury, although on this occasion he did not miss any games.[21][42][43] The attendance of 10,518 was the highest for any match at Priestfield during the season.[33] An aggressive confrontation took place shortly before the end of the first half involving players from both teams which led to both clubs being fined bythe Football Association four months later.[44] The result left Gillingham 13th in the table at the end of the year.[45]
Gillingham's first four league matches of 2001 were all drawn. The first two, away to Portsmouth and at home to Burnley, finished goalless, and Gillingham followed this with a 2–2 draw away to Crystal Palace and a 1–1 draw away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.[32][46] Following the Crystal Palace game, Brian Scovell of theSunday Telegraph described Gillingham as "one of the best organised sides in the First Division".[47] King replaced Asaba in the starting line-up against Wolverhampton Wanderers, his first start since before Christmas, and scored his team's goal; he would go on to start every game for the remainder of the season.[21] Gillingham extended their unbeaten league run with victories at home to Grimsby Town and away to Huddersfield Town, in both of which King scored the winning goal. Hessenthaler was extremely pleased with his team's recent performances and told the media "If we can now consolidate this year, our aim will then be to do whatCrewe have done and see if we can stay in this division for the next four or five years".[32][48] Huddersfield managerLou Macari contended that Gillingham were "the kind of team capable of upsetting anybody in this division".[49] The wins took Gillingham into the top half of the table in 12th place,[50] but the unbeaten run came to an end in the next game with a 1–0 defeat at home toQueens Park Rangers.[32] Gillingham lost their next two games, 2–0 at home to Fulham and 2–1 away toSheffield Wednesday. Asaba scored against Sheffield Wednesday after coming on a substitute in what would prove to be his last appearance for Gillingham; he was transferred to Sheffield United in March.[21][51]
Although the series of consecutive defeats ended with a 0–0 draw at home to Wimbledon on 6 March, it meant that Gillingham had only scored once in the last four matches and slipped to 15th in the league table.[52] Onuora replaced Shaw against Wimbledon, his first start since November; Shaw had still yet to score a goal since his transfer to the club.[32] On 10 March, Gillingham came back from 3–1 down to draw 3–3 away toBolton Wanderers, King scoring the equaliser in the final five minutes of the game,[53][54] and then won at home to Tranmere Rovers with goals from King and Onuora, who had now been the starting forwards for three consecutive matches and would remain so for the rest of the season.[21][55] Hessenthaler signed another forward,Guy Ipoua, from Scunthorpe United for £25,000 (equivalent to £50,000 in 2023),[56] but he was used only as a substitute for the remainder of the season.[19] Shaw returned to the starting line-up against Barnsley on 25 March but was now used in a linking role between the midfield and the forwards rather than as an all-out attacking player.[8] Onuora scored the team's second hat-trick of the season in a 4–3 win at home to Norwich City on 7 April and Gillingham then scored four goals for a second consecutive game as they defeated Sheffield United 4–1; Shaw scored his first goal for the club in the latter game.[32][57][58] The next two games, however, resulted in defeats toCrewe Alexandra andWest Bromwich Albion.[32]
Victory in the game away toNottingham Forest on 28 April would mean that Gillingham were sufficiently far ahead of the bottom three places that they could not finish in a relegation position. King scored the only goal in a 1–0 win which ensured that the team would be playing in the First Division again the following season.[59][60] In the final match of the 2000–01 season, Gillingham played Blackburn Rovers, who had already clinched promotion to the Premier League, at Priestfield. Blackburn held the lead for most of the game, but King scored an equaliser in the last minute to secure a draw.[61] Gillingham ended their first season in the second tier of English football 13th in the league table.[62]
Key
Results[32]
| Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 August 2000 | Stockport County (H) | 1–3 | Butters | 9,429 |
| 19 August 2000 | Tranmere Rovers (A) | 2–3 | Asaba,Southall (pen.) | 8,355 |
| 25 August 2000 | Portsmouth (H) | 1–1 | Thomson | 8,741 |
| 28 August 2000 | Burnley (A) | 1–1 | Asaba | 15,611 |
| 2 September 2000 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) | 1–0 | Lewis | 10,017 |
| 9 September 2000 | Grimsby Town (A) | 0–1 | 4,512 | |
| 13 September 2000 | Queens Park Rangers (A) | 2–2 | Asaba,Hessenthaler | 10,655 |
| 16 September 2000 | Huddersfield Town (H) | 2–1 | Butters,Smith | 8,503 |
| 23 September 2000 | Fulham (A) | 0–3 | 13,032 | |
| 30 September 2000 | Sheffield Wednesday (H) | 2–0 | Butters,Thomson | 9,099 |
| 6 October 2000 | Bolton Wanderers (H) | 2–2 | Smith,Onuora | 9,311 |
| 14 October 2000 | Wimbledon (A) | 4–4 | Thomson (2),Saunders,Asaba | 9,030 |
| 17 October 2000 | Watford (A) | 0–0 | 12,356 | |
| 21 October 2000 | Barnsley (H) | 0–0 | 9,030 | |
| 25 October 2000 | Birmingham City (A) | 0–1 | 26,044 | |
| 28 October 2000 | Crewe Alexandra (H) | 0–1 | 8,347 | |
| 4 November 2000 | Sheffield United (A) | 2–1 | Smith,Thomson | 14,028 |
| 12 November 2000 | Nottingham Forest (H) | 1–3 | Onuora | 9,884 |
| 18 November 2000 | West Bromwich Albion (A) | 1–3 | King | 16,410 |
| 25 November 2000 | Blackburn Rovers (A) | 2–1 | Hessenthaler,Curtis (o.g.) | 18,061 |
| 2 December 2000 | Birmingham City (H) | 1–2 | King | 9,247 |
| 9 December 2000 | Norwich City (A) | 0–1 | 16,725 | |
| 16 December 2000 | Preston North End (H) | 4–0 | Asaba (2),Ashby,King | 8,198 |
| 23 December 2000 | Stockport County (A) | 2–2 | Lewis,King | 6,095 |
| 26 December 2000 | Crystal Palace (H) | 4–1 | Asaba (3),Onuora | 10,518 |
| 1 January 2001 | Portsmouth (A) | 0–0 | 14,526 | |
| 13 January 2001 | Burnley (H) | 0–0 | 9,331 | |
| 20 January 2001 | Crystal Palace (A) | 2–2 | Saunders (2) | 18,823 |
| 3 February 2001 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) | 1–1 | King | 26,627 |
| 10 February 2001 | Grimsby Town (H) | 1–0 | King | 8,633 |
| 17 February 2001 | Huddersfield Town (A) | 3–2 | Saunders (2),King | 10,576 |
| 20 February 2001 | Queens Park Rangers (H) | 0–1 | 10,432 | |
| 24 February 2001 | Fulham (H) | 0–2 | 9,931 | |
| 3 March 2001 | Sheffield Wednesday (A) | 1–2 | Asaba | 18,702 |
| 6 March 2001 | Wimbledon (H) | 0–0 | 8,841 | |
| 10 March 2001 | Bolton Wanderers (A) | 3–3 | King (2),Southall | 13,161 |
| 20 March 2001 | Tranmere Rovers (H) | 2–1 | King (pen.),Onuora | 7,810 |
| 25 March 2001 | Barnsley (A) | 1–3 | King | 13,609 |
| 31 March 2001 | Preston North End (A) | 0–0 | 13,550 | |
| 7 April 2001 | Norwich City (H) | 4–3 | Hope,Onuora (3) | 9,608 |
| 14 April 2001 | Sheffield United (H) | 4–1 | Onuora,King (2),Shaw | 9,502 |
| 16 April 2001 | Crewe Alexandra (A) | 1–2 | Hope | 7,051 |
| 21 April 2001 | West Bromwich Albion (H) | 1–2 | Onuora | 9,920 |
| 28 April 2001 | Nottingham Forest (A) | 1–0 | King | 20,670 |
| 1 May 2001 | Watford (H) | 0–3 | 9,098 | |
| 6 May 2001 | Blackburn Rovers (H) | 1–1 | King (pen.) | 10,319 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Sheffield United | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 52 | 49 | +3 | 68 |
| 11 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 20 | 8 | 18 | 55 | 53 | +2 | 68 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 45 | 48 | −3 | 55 |
| 13 | Gillingham | 46 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 61 | 66 | −5 | 55 |
| 14 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 47 | 62 | −15 | 55 |
| 15 | Norwich City | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 46 | 58 | −12 | 54 |
| 16 | Barnsley | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 49 | 62 | −13 | 54 |
As a First Division team, Gillingham entered the2000–01 FA Cup at the third-round stage in early January. The team playedAFC Bournemouth of the Second Division and won 3–2.[64] Hessenthaler suffered a serious knee injury and would not play again during the season.[33][65] In the fourth round, Gillingham were paired withChelsea of the Premier League, who had eliminated Gillingham from the competition at the quarter-final stage in the previous season.[66] By half-time, Gillingham were 3–0 down to their higher-level opponents.[67] In the second half Shaw and Onuora both scored to reduce the deficit to a single goal, but Gillingham could not bring the scores level, and in the final minute Chelsea'sEiður Guðjohnsen scored to seal his team's win. Gillingham were thus eliminated from the FA Cup by Chelsea for the second consecutive season. Hessenthaler commented that "We made it hard for ourselves with our performance in the first half. You could see the difference in the leagues then and their class but we're disappointed with the way we defended".[67][68]
Key
Results
| Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January 2001 | Third | AFC Bournemouth (A) | 3–2 | Hope,Hessenthaler,Shaw | 7,403 |
| 28 January 2001 | Fourth | Chelsea (H) | 2–4 | Shaw,Onuora | 10,419 |
Gillingham entered the2000–01 Football League Cup in the first round and were paired withTorquay United of the Third Division. In front of a crowd of 2,743, the lowest attendance recorded at Priestfield during the season,[33] Gillingham won the first leg of thetwo-legged tie 2–0. Torquay won the second leg at their own ground,Plainmoor, 3–2, but Gillingham progressed to the next round by anaggregate score of 4–3.[69] In the second round, Gillingham played Manchester City, the first competitive meeting between the two teams since City defeated Gillingham in theSecond Division play-off final in May 1999.[70][71] Gillingham held their higher-level opponents to a 1–1 draw atMaine Road in the first leg, prompting Oliver Kay ofThe Times to suggest that City would struggle to win the tie overall,[72] but Gillingham lost the second leg at Priestfield 4–2 and were thus eliminated from the competition.[73]
Key
Results
| Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 August 2000 | First (first leg) | Torquay United (H) | 2–0 | Asaba,Thomson | 2,743 |
| 5 September 2000 | First (second leg) | Torquay United (A) | 2–3 | Asaba,Aggrey (o.g.) | 1,351 |
| 20 September 2000 | Second (first leg) | Manchester City (A) | 1–1 | Smith | 17,408 |
| 26 September 2000 | Second (second leg) | Manchester City (H) | 2–4 | Thomson (2) | 6,520 |
Twenty-eight players made at least one appearance for Gillingham during the season. Bartram and Hope made the most appearances; both played every one of the team's 52 competitive matches. As they were in the starting line-up for every game and not substituted at any point, both played every minute of competitive football during the team's season.[75] Five players made only one appearance each. Three of them were teenagers from the club'syouth team, who were selected to make their debuts for thefirst team once Gillingham had secured their place in the First Division for another season. Of these,Andrew Crofts would go on to play nearly 200 times for the Gillingham first team and later play in the Premier League and for theWales national team,[74][76] but the single appearances made byMark Lovell andMichael Phillips would prove to be the entirety of the two players' professional careers.[77]
Thirteen players scored at least one goal for Gillingham during the season. King was the top scorer with 15 goals, all of them in First Division matches. Two other players reached double figures: Asaba scored 10 league goals and 12 in total and Onuora 9 league goals and 10 in total.[33]
| No. | Player | Position | First Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| 1 | Vince Bartram | GK | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 0 |
| 2 | Mark Patterson | DF | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| 3 | Roland Edge | DF | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 4 | Paul Smith | MF | 42 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 46 | 4 |
| 5 | Barry Ashby | DF | 40 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 1 |
| 6 | Guy Butters | DF | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 3 |
| 7 | Nicky Southall | MF | 44 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 2 |
| 8 | Andy Hessenthaler | MF | 23 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| 9 | Carl Asaba | FW | 25 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 12 |
| 11 | Ty Gooden | MF | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 12 | Nyron Nosworthy | DF | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 14 | Marcus Browning | MF | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| 15 | Mark Saunders | MF | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 5 |
| 16 | Marlon King | FW | 38 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 15 |
| 17 | Adrian Pennock | DF | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| 18 | Chris Hope | DF | 46 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 3 |
| 23 | Richard Rose | DF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 24[a] | Junior Lewis | MF | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 2 |
| 24[a] | Mark Lovell | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 25[a] | Brian McGlinchey | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 25[a] | Michael Phillips | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | Kevin James | MF | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 27[a] | Andy Thomson | FW | 24 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 8 |
| 27[a] | Andrew Crofts | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | Rodney Rowe | FW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | Iffy Onuora | FW | 31 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 10 |
| 30 | Paul Shaw | FW | 33 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 3 |
| 31 | Guy Ipoua | FW | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
FW =Forward, MF =Midfielder, GK =Goalkeeper, DF =Defender
a.^ Lovell, Phillips and Crofts were not allocated squad numbers until late in the season and were given numbers worn earlier in the season by players who had since left the club.
After the final game of the season, Hessenthaler told the media that his team had exceeded pre-season expectations, saying "to finish 13th is a fantastic effort and we've proved a few pundits and experts wrong".[80] Gillingham's final league position improved in each of the next two seasons, culminating in the club's best ever finish of 11th in the First Division in the2002–03 season.[81][82] The team then spent two further seasons in the second tier before being relegated in 2005.[83]
