| 1934–35 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Jack Knight[1] | |
| Manager | Fred Mavin | |
| Third Division South | 20th | |
| FA Cup | First round | |
| Third Division South Cup | First round | |
| Top goalscorer | League:Bill Baldwin (13) All:Bill Baldwin (13) | |
| Highest home attendance | 9,233 vsCoventry City (26 December 1934) | |
| Lowest home attendance | 1,000 vsLuton Town (26 September 1934) | |
During the1934–35 English football season,Gillingham F.C. competed in theFootball League Third Division South, the third tier of theEnglish football league system. It was the 15th season in which Gillingham competed in theFootball League. Gillingham won two of their first four games of the season but then won only once in the next eleven league games; they were in 18th place out of 22 teams in theleague table at the end of November. During a match on 1 December, Gillingham'sSim Raleigh suffered a head injury and died later that day. The team ended 1934 with five consecutive defeats during which they conceded 24 goals. After only winning 4 out of 22 games between August and December, Gillingham performed better in the second half of the campaign, with 7 victories in 20 games between January and May. An unbeaten run of seven games during March and April helped ensure that they finished the season in 20th place, avoiding by one place the need to apply forre-election to the league for the following season.
Gillingham competed in twoknock-out competitions but were eliminated in the first round of both theFA Cup and theThird Division South Cup. The team played 44 competitive matches, winning 11, drawing 13 and losing 20.Bill Baldwin was the club's top goalscorer with 13 goals, all scored in the league.Fred Lester made the most appearances, playing in all 44 games. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground,Priestfield Road, during the season was 9,233 for a league match againstCoventry City on 26 December 1934.
The1934–35 season wasGillingham's 15th season playing in the third and lowest level of theFootball League.[2] The club had been among the founder members of theFootball League Third Division in 1920, which featured only southern teams and was renamed theThird Division South a year later when a parallelThird Division North was created.[2] In Gillingham's 14 seasons in this division, the team had consistently struggled, only finishing in the top half of theleague table twice.[2] They had finished in the bottom two places on four occasions, requiring them each time to apply forre-election to the League, most recently in the1931–32 season.[2][3] In the1933–34 season they had finished in 17th place out of 22 teams.[2]
Fred Mavin was the team'smanager,[4] a post he had held since 1932.[5]Alan Ure served as teamtrainer.[4] There was some turnover in the club's playing squad;Arthur Mills andAllan Scott, two of Gillingham's highest goalscorers during the previous season,[6] both moved on,[7] as did anotherforward,Fred Liddle.[8] In their place, the club signed four new forwards:Wilf Crompton fromBurnley,[9]Bill Baldwin fromSouthport,[10]Albert Orr fromTorquay United,[11] andDick Doncaster fromReading.[12]Joe Wiggins, afull-back, joined the club fromLeicester City,[13] andHarry Randle, ahalf-back, arrived fromSouthend United.[14]
The team's first-choicekit was Gillingham's usual blue shirts and white shorts.[4] Pre-season matches between Football League members were not permitted at the time, and clubs instead generally prepared for the season with a public trial match between two teams chosen from within their own squad of players.[15][16] Gillingham staged such a match in August and Doncaster and Orr were among the scorers as the "Blues" beat the "Reds".[17]
Gillingham's first match of the season was at their own ground,Priestfield Road, against Torquay United;[18] Wiggins, Crompton, Baldwin, Orr, and Doncaster all made their debuts for Gillingham.[19]Sim Raleigh, Gillingham's highest goalscorer during the previous season,[6] scored all the goals in a 3–0 victory;[20][21] it was the onlyhat-trick scored by a Gillingham player during the season.[18] Four days later, Randle made his debut againstMillwall;[14] Gillingham were hindered by playing into the wind and sun in the first half, and the glare contributed toGeorge Barrie scoring anown goal as Millwall took a 2–0 lead before half-time and went on to win 3–1.[22] Gillingham's firstaway game of the season resulted in a second consecutive defeat as they were beaten 3–0 by Reading.[23] On 8 September, Crompton scored two goals as Gillingham beatNorthampton Town 3–1 at Priestfield Road;[24] it was the start of a run of seven games in which he scored a total of six goals.[18] A week after the victory over Northampton, he scored to secure a 1–1 draw after Gillingham had fallen behind toBournemouth & Boscombe Athletic,[25] and he was on the scoresheet again on 17 September when Gillingham lost 3–2 away to Millwall.[26] Despite creating the majority of the scoring chances, Gillingham lost 2–1 athome toWatford on 22 September; in the closing minutes Gillingham could have been awarded apenalty kick when one of Watford'sfull-backs cleared the ball from the goal line with his hand, but thereferee failed to notice the infringement.[27] A 2–2 draw withNewport County on 29 September, in which Crompton scored again,[18] meant that Gillingham were in 16th place out of 22 teams in the Third Division South league table at the end of the month.[28]
Gillingham ended a four-game winless run by beatingExeter City on 6 October;[18] Barrie scored the first goal and provided the final pass for Raleigh to score the other.[29] A week later, Crompton gave his team the lead overBristol City in the first minute, but Gillingham conceded three goals in the second half and lost the game.[30] Following a goalless draw at home toQueens Park Rangers in what theDaily Herald described as a "game of missed chances",[31] Gillingham lost 2–0 away toCrystal Palace.[32] In the team's first game of November, a goal from Raleigh secured a 1–1 draw at home toAldershot.[33] On 10 November, Gillingham lost 3–0 away toSwindon Town, meaning that they had scored only one goal in their last four matches.[34][18] The match was the final Gillingham appearance for Crompton, the team's joint top scorer for the season up to this point;[18] later in the month he wastransferred toLuton Town after just 14 appearances for Gillingham.[9] Doncaster, who had not played since September, replaced him for the next game, against Southend United,[18] and scored his team's first goal in a 2–2 draw;Fred Cheesmur, a former Gillingham player,[9] scored both of Southend's goals.[35] At the end of the month, Gillingham were in 19th place in the league table.[36]
On 1 December, Gillingham played at home toBrighton & Hove Albion in a match which finished 0–0.[37] Early in the game, Raleigh and a Brighton player clashed heads while both jumping for the ball.[38][39] Raleigh played on but collapsed during the second half; he was taken to a nearby hospital but died during the evening.[38][39] An inquest took place shortly afterwards which attributed the death to ahaemorrhage and recorded a verdict of accidental death.[40] A week after Raleigh's death, Gillingham beatCardiff City 2–0 to achieve their first victory for more than two months, but they then ended 1934 with five consecutive defeats, in which they conceded a total of 24 goals.[18] The run began on 15 December with a 6–3 defeat at home toCharlton Athletic, who were top of the league table going into the game;[41][42] it was the first time Gillingham had conceded as many goals in a match since the previous December.[43] AgainstBristol Rovers on 22 December, Gillingham fell 3–1 behind but scoring twice to bring the scores level; they conceded a fourth goal and lost the game.[44] Gillingham playedCoventry City on both 25 and 26 December; at the time it was traditional for teams in the Football League to play home and away matches against the same opponents on the two days.[45] On Christmas Day, Gillingham were beaten 4–0 at Coventry'sHighfield Road ground; theBirmingham Gazette reported that Gillingham hadJames Harvey, theirgoalkeeper, to thank for the fact that they were not defeated by a wider margin.[46] The teams met again at Priestfield Road onBoxing Day and Coventry scored three early goals and eventually won 5–2.[47] Gillingham's final match of 1934 ended in a 5–0 defeat to Torquay United; the result meant that at the end of the calendar year Gillingham were in 20th place in the league table.[48][49]
Gillingham ended their run of defeats in their first game of 1935 with a 1–1 draw at home to Reading,[50] but followed this with a 2–1 defeat away to Northampton Town two weeks later.[51] The match was the first of a run in which Gillingham alternated between away defeats and home victories over ten games.[18] In their final game of January, Gillingham won a match at Priestfield Road for the first time in nearly four months,[18] beating Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 3–1.[52]Hugh Vallance, who had left the club in 1932,[53] scored the opening goal in his first appearance after re-joining Gillingham days earlier.[18][54]Roy Bethell and Doncaster added to Gillingham's lead before their opponents scored a late consolation goal. In their first match of February, Gillingham lost 3–1 away to Watford,[55] a result which took Watford up to 2nd place in the league table but meant that Gillingham were now in the bottom two places.[56] Gillingham rebounded in their next game, achieving their highest-scoring victory of the season[18] when they beat fellow strugglers Newport County 5–0 at Priestfield Road.[57] The game was goalless at half-time but, in what theWestern Mail called an "extraordinary reversal", Gillingham's forwards dominated the game in the second period, scoring twice within five minutes of the restart and adding three further goals before the end of the match.[57] Doncaster scored one goal and set up three more.[57] A week later, Gillingham lost 2–0 away to Exeter City,[58] but they ended February with a 1–0 home victory over Bristol City.[59]
The team's contrasting performances at home and away continued in early March.[18] In the first match of the month, they lost 2–0 away to Queens Park Rangers,[60] but a week later they beat Crystal Palace by the same score at Priestfield Road; Doncaster scored a goal direct from acorner kick, assisted by a strong wind, and Baldwin added a second late in the game to complete the victory.[61] On 16 March, Gillingham suffered their heaviest defeat since December[18] as they lost 4–1 away to Aldershot.[62] After the home team took the lead, Doncaster scored anequaliser almost immediately, but Aldershot scored twice more before half-time.[62] TheDaily Herald reported that Gillingham "showed great dash" in the second period, but their opponents' defence was too strong for them and Aldershot added a fourth goal late in the game.[62] Having previously failed to go more than three consecutive games without defeat at any point since the start of the season,[18] Gillingham began an unbeaten run of seven games with a 2–0 victory at home to Swindon Town on 23 March,[63] which they followed with four consecutive draws.[18] In their final match of March, they held Southend United to a goalless draw,[64] the first time since before Christmas that they had played an away game and not been defeated.[18]
Gillingham began April with a home game against Luton Town,[18] who were in third place in the league table going into the match.[65] Baldwin gave his team the lead but Luton equalised and the game finished 1–1.[66] It was the final Gillingham appearance forGeorge Kidd,[18] who was transferred to Luton days later.[67] A week later, Gillingham drew 1–1 away to Brighton & Hove Albion,[68] the first time all season that they had played two consecutive away games without defeat.[18] On 19 April, Gillingham achieved their fourth consecutive draw,[18] the game withClapton Orient finishing 2–2.[69] They extended their unbeaten run to seven matches with consecutive 1–0 victories over Cardiff City,[70] and Clapton Orient.[18] The unbeaten run had lifted Gillingham to 18th place in the league table,[71] but they slipped back to 20th place after a 2–0 defeat away to Charlton Athletic on 27 April, a result which clinched the championship of the division for Charlton.[72][73] Gillingham's penultimate game of the season was away to Luton Town; Bethell and Baldwin gave Gillingham a 2–0 lead but they then conceded two goals and the game ended in a draw,[74] meaning that Gillingham ended the season having won only once in 21 league games away from home.[18] Three days later, they ended the season with a 1–1 draw at home to Bristol Rovers.[18] The away team took an early lead butHarry Anstiss scored an equaliser.[75] Gillingham were subsequently awarded two penalty kicks, one of which had to be retaken because of an infringement, but they missed the target with all three kicks.[75] The result meant that they finished the season 20th in the league table, avoiding the need to apply for re-election by one place.[76]
|
|
| Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 August 1934 | Torquay United (H) | 3–0 | Raleigh (3) | 8,128 |
| 29 August 1934 | Millwall (H) | 1–3 | Forsyth (o.g.) | 8,669 |
| 1 September 1934 | Reading (A) | 0–3 | 9681 | |
| 8 September 1934 | Northampton Town (H) | 3–1 | Raleigh,Crompton (2) | 6,938 |
| 15 September 1934 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic (A) | 1–1 | Crompton | 6,208 |
| 17 September 1934 | Millwall (A) | 2–3 | Crompton,Anstiss | 8,877 |
| 22 September 1934 | Watford (H) | 1–2 | Doncaster (pen.) | 4,404 |
| 29 September 1934 | Newport County (A) | 2–2 | Crompton,Williams | 5,460 |
| 6 October 1934 | Exeter City (H) | 2–1 | Barrie,Raleigh | 6,064 |
| 13 October 1934 | Bristol City (A) | 1–3 | Crompton | 9,862 |
| 20 October 1934 | Queens Park Rangers (H) | 0–0 | 5,898 | |
| 27 October 1934 | Crystal Palace (A) | 0–2 | 12,942 | |
| 3 November 1934 | Aldershot (H) | 1–1 | Raleigh | 4,863 |
| 10 November 1934 | Swindon Town (A) | 0–3 | 5,289 | |
| 17 November 1934 | Southend United (H) | 2–2 | Doncaster,Baldwin | 4,168 |
| 1 December 1934 | Brighton & Hove Albion (H) | 0–0 | 4,115 | |
| 8 December 1934 | Cardiff City (A) | 2–0 | Varty,Syred | 8,463 |
| 15 December 1934 | Charlton Athletic (H) | 3–6 | Varty,Randle (pen.),Baldwin | 5,101 |
| 22 December 1934 | Bristol Rovers (A) | 3–4 | Baldwin (2),Randle (pen.) | 7,270 |
| 25 December 1934 | Coventry City (A) | 0–4 | 24,226 | |
| 26 December 1934 | Coventry City (H) | 2–5 | Bethell (2) | 9,233 |
| 29 December 1934 | Torquay United (A) | 0–5 | 3,408 | |
| 5 January 1935 | Reading (H) | 1–1 | Baldwin | 5,094 |
| 19 January 1935 | Northampton Town (A) | 1–2 | Anstiss | 3,783 |
| 26 January 1935 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic (H) | 3–1 | Vallance,Bethell,Doncaster | 2,672 |
| 2 February 1935 | Watford (A) | 1–3 | Baldwin | 9,622 |
| 9 February 1935 | Newport County (H) | 5–0 | Doncaster,Baldwin (2),Vallance,Anstiss | 3,689 |
| 16 February 1935 | Exeter City (A) | 0–2 | 4,220 | |
| 23 February 1935 | Bristol City (H) | 1–0 | Anstiss | 4,713 |
| 2 March 1935 | Queens Park Rangers (A) | 0–2 | 8,157 | |
| 9 March 1935 | Crystal Palace (H) | 2–0 | Doncaster,Baldwin | 2,712 |
| 16 March 1935 | Aldershot (A) | 1–4 | Doncaster[b] | 3,515 |
| 23 March 1935 | Swindon Town (H) | 2–0 | Baldwin,Vallance | 3,796 |
| 30 March 1935 | Southend United (A) | 0–0 | 5,936 | |
| 6 April 1935 | Luton Town (H) | 1–1 | Baldwin | 4,139 |
| 13 April 1935 | Brighton & Hove Albion (A) | 1–1 | Doncaster | 5,227 |
| 19 April 1935 | Clapton Orient (A) | 2–2 | Doncaster,Baldwin | 8,131 |
| 20 April 1935 | Cardiff City (H) | 1–0 | Anstiss | 5,820 |
| 22 April 1935 | Clapton Orient (H) | 1–0 | Doncaster | 7,034 |
| 27 April 1935 | Charlton Athletic (A) | 0–2 | 13,782 | |
| 1 May 1935 | Luton Town (A) | 2–2 | Bethell,Baldwin | 3,996 |
| 4 May 1935 | Bristol Rovers (H) | 1–1 | Anstiss | 3,815 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Cardiff City | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 62 | 82 | 0.756 | 35 | |
| 20 | Gillingham | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 55 | 757 | 0.073 | 35 | |
| 21 | Southend United | 42 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 65 | 78 | 0.833 | 31 | Required to apply forre-election |
| 22 | Newport County | 42 | 10 | 5 | 27 | 54 | 112 | 0.482 | 25 |
As a Third Division South club, Gillingham entered the1934–35 FA Cup in the first round; they were paired with fellow Third Division South team Bristol City. After a goalless first half, Gillingham fell 1–0 behind early in the second period; they had a chance to equalise when they were awarded a penalty kick butFred Lester missed.[77] Bristol City then scored a second goal and Gillingham lost the match 2–0 and were eliminated from the competition at the earliest stage.[77]
|
|
| Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 November 1934 | First | Bristol City (A) | 0–2 | 10,055 |
Gillingham entered the1934–35 Third Division South Cup, aknock-out tournament exclusively for the teams in that division, in the first round; their opponents were Luton Town. The match drew an attendance reported at 1,000, by far the smallest crowd of the season at Priestfield Road.[18] Gillingham took the lead in the first half but had to play the entire second period with only ten men afterHarry Marsden was injured.[a][79] Luton scored three times in the second half to win and eliminate Gillingham from the competition.[79]
|
|
| Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September 1934 | First | Luton Town (H) | 1–3 | Williams | 1,000 |
During the season, 24 players made at least one appearance for Gillingham.[18] Lester made the most, playing in every one of the team's 44 matches; no other player made more than 37 appearances.[18] Two players took part in fewer than five matches.[18] Baldwin was the team's top goalscorer with 13 goals, all recorded in league matches; no other player scored more than nine times.[18]
| Player | Position | Third Division South | FA Cup | Third Division South Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Harry Anstiss | FW | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 6 |
| Leslie Balcombe | FW | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Bill Baldwin | FW | 32 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 13 |
| George Barrie | HB | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| Roy Bethell | FW | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 |
| Wilf Crompton | FW | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 6 |
| Dick Doncaster | FW | 32 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 9 |
| Alex Forbes | HB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| James Harvey | GK | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Tom Holland | GK | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Tom Hopkins | HB | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| George Kidd | FW | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Fred Lester | FW | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
| Harry Marsden | FB | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| George Nicol | FW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Albert Orr | FW | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Sim Raleigh | FW | 15 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
| Harry Randle | HB | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 2 |
| Charlie Robinson | HB | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Thomas Syred | FW | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Hugh Vallance | FW | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| William Varty | FW | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| Joe Wiggins | FB | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Bert Williams | FW | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
FW =Forward, HB =Half-back, GK =Goalkeeper, FB =Full-back
Following the season, there was again some turnover in the club's playing squad, especially the forwards, as Anstiss, Bethell, and Crompton all moved on.[80] In their place, Gillingham signedGeorge Tadman,[13] who would go on to be the team's leading goalscorer in the1935–36 season,[81]Jimmy Watson, andWilliam Duncan.[82] Gillingham's performances improved over the subsequent two seasons; the team finished the 1935–36 season in 16th place and a year later they ended the season in the top half of the table, finishing 11th.[2] Mavin resigned from his position as manager at the conclusion of the1936–37 season;[83] Ure took his place,[84] but under his management Gillingham finished the1937–38 season in last place in the table and were therefore again required to apply for re-election.[3] They received fewer votes in the ballot thanIpswich Town, who had applied to join the Third Division South from theSouthern League,[85] and thus lost their place in the Football League.[86] After playingnon-League football either side of the Second World War, Gillingham were elected back into the Football League in 1950 when the two Third Divisions were expanded from 22 to 24 clubs each.[3][87]
a.^ The concept ofsubstitutes was not introduced to English football until the 1960s; previously, an injured player had to play on or else the team had to continue with a reduced number of players.[88]
b.^The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record by Tony Brown lists Baldwin as the scorer of this goal, but multiple contemporary newspaper reports credit Doncaster.[62][89][90]
