2005–06 Gillingham F.C. season

Club's football season
Gillingham 2005-06 football season
Gillingham
2005-06 season
ChairmanPaul Scally
ManagerNeale Cooper (until 15 November)
Ronnie Jepson
StadiumPriestfield Stadium
League One14th
FA CupFirst round
League CupThird round
League TrophySecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Byfield (13)
All: Byfield (14)
Highest home attendance8,128 (vs Southend United, 1st October 2005, League One)
Lowest home attendance1,988 (vs Crawley Town, 6th December 2005, League Trophy)
Average home league attendance6,926
Biggest win3–0 (vs. Port Vale, 10 December 2005, League One)
3-0 (vs. Milton Keynes Dons, 31 December 2005, League One)
3-0 (vs. Swindon Town, 14 January 2006, League One)
Biggest defeat0–6 (vs. Bristol City, 18 March 2006, League One)
Home colours

During the 2005–06 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in League one of English football as well as the FA Cup, the League Cup and the League Trophy.

Season summary

Gillingham began the 2005–06 season in League One under the management of Neale Cooper off the back of relegation on goal difference from the Championship the season prior. As the club went through a poor run of form from late August through September the pressure was mounting on the manager who, on multiple occasions during that period, made his frustrations with the players known to the media after particularly poor performances. These included a disappointing 0-0 draw at home against Yeovil Town[1] and the first round of the FA Cup in which Gillingham were knocked out by Burscough[2] who were competing in the Northern Premier League (part of the seventh tier of the English football league system). By mid-November, Gillingham found themselves in the relegation zone at 22nd in the league table[3] and Cooper made the decision to resign.[4] The club's assistant manager since December 2004, Ronnie Jepson, took over the role. This was initially intended to be a temporary solution until a permanent successor was found however due to an impressive turnaround of form Jepson would go on to keep the role for almost 2 years.[5]

Jepson was confident in his ability to turn the results around and keep Gillingham from a second consecutive relegation campaign with the squad that he inherited from Cooper.[6] An immediate improvement in form was noticeable with Gillingham taking 13 points from a possible 21 in the league for the remainder of the calendar year compared to just 17 of a possible 51 that Cooper had acquired since the beginning of the campaign. By the turn of the new year, Gillingham found themselves at 17th in the league,[7] comfortably out of the relegation zone. However, despite Jepson's initial confidence in the squad, a series of injuries and suspensions in Gillingham's forward lineup[8] throughout the early stages of 2006 led to difficulties in the attacking third with youngsters Gavin Grant and Akwasi Fobi-Edusei filling in for injured Paul Shields and Matt Jarvis.[9] Striker Darren Byfield, who missed two months in late 2005 with a knee injury,[10] also missed some games in early 2006 after he was hit with multiple suspensions.[11] Despite these setbacks, Byfield, who left Gillingham as a free transfer at the end of the season for local rivals Millwall despite Jepson being keen on keeping him at the club,[12] went on to be the club's top goal scorer that season, netting 14 goals in all competitions including 13 in the league.[13]

Final league table


Results

Gillingham's score comes first[14]

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League One

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
6 August 2005 Colchester United H 2–1 7,293 Crofts, Byfield
9 August 2005 Port Vale A 0–0 4,931
13 August 2005 Scunthorpe United A 1–1 5,007 Hessenthaler
20 August 2005 AFC Bournemouth H 1–0 6,568 Browning (own goal)
27 August 2005 Nottingham Forest H 1–3 7,228 Byfield
29 August 2005 Brentford A 1–1 6,969 Harris
10 September 2005 Rotherham United A 0–3 4,253
13 September 2005 Barnsley H 0–3 5,283
17 September 2005 Oldham Athletic H 0–1 6,259
24 September 2005 Tranmere Rovers A 2–2 7,003 Byfield (2 including 1 pen)
27 September 2005 Chesterfield H 1–0 7,472 Sancho
1 October 2005 Southend United H 1–2 8,128 Pouton
15 October 2005 Yeovil Town H 0–0 6,848
22 October 2005 Bradford City A 0–1 7,729
29 October 2005 Blackpool H 2–1 6,300 Hope, Harris
1 November 2005 Hartlepool United A 1–3 4,522 Collin
12 November 2005 Walsall A 0–2 4,785
19 November 2005 Hartlepool United H 1–0 6,092 Shields
26 November 2005 Colchester United A 0–5 3,801
6 December 2005 Doncaster Rovers H 1–0 4,861 Flynn
10 December 2005 Port Vale H 3–0 6,210 Harris, Jarvis (2)
17 December 2005 AFC Bournemouth A 1–2 6,177 Harris
26 December 2005 Bristol City H 1–1 7,786 Flynn
31 December 2005 Milton Keynes Dons H 3–0 6,012 Johnson, Clohessy, Pouton
2 January 2006 Huddersfield Town A 0–0 11,483
10 January 2006 Barnsley A 0–1 7,090
14 January 2006 Swindon Town H 3–0 7,300 Byfield, Flynn, Harris
21 January 2006 Oldham Athletic A 0–2 5,783
28 January 2006 Rotherham United H 1–1 6,107 Grant
31 January 2006 Swansea City A 2–1 14,357 Byfield, Harris
4 February 2006 Chesterfield A 1–1 4,652 Black
11 February 2006 Tranmere Rovers H 1–1 6,803 Byfield
14 February 2006 Swindon Town A 0–1 5,530
18 February 2006 Doncaster Rovers A 0–2 5,738
25 February 2006 Scunthorpe United H 1–3 6,029 Cochrane
11 March 2006 Nottingham Forest A 1–1 19,446 Bennett (own goal)
18 March 2006 Bristol City A 0–6 10,932
21 March 2006 Brentford H 3–2 5,745 Sancho, Byfield (2 including 1 pen)
25 March 2006 Swansea City H 1–0 6,909 Byfield (pen)
1 April 2006 Milton Keynes Dons A 2–1 6,432 Byfield, Black
8 April 2006 Huddersfield Town H 2–0 7,014 Mulligan, Jarvis
14 April 2006 Southend United F.C. A 1–0 11,195 Black
17 April 2006 Bradford City H 2–1 7,281 Black, Flynn
22 April 2006 Yeovil Town A 3–4 6,040 Black, Flynn, Crofts
29 April 2006 Walsall H 0–1 7,757
6 May 2006 Blackpool A 3–3 8,541 Byfield (2), Flynn

FA Cup

Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 5 November 2005 Burscough A 2–3 1,927 Jarvis, Saunders

League Cup

Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 23 August 2005 Oxford United H 1–0 4,149 Jarvis
R2 20 September 2005 Portsmouth H 3–2 4,903 Byfield, Ashdown (own goal), Crofts
R3 25 October 2005 Doncaster Rovers A 0–2 6,874

League Trophy

Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 18 October 2005 Crawley Town H 2–0 1,988 Jackman, Collin
R2 22 November 2005 Wycombe Wanderers H 2–2 (1–3 p) 2,111 Jarvis (2)

Player details

Includes players with at least one appearance in any competition[13]

No. Pos Nat Player Total League One FA Cup League Cup League Trophy
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
13 GK Wales WAL Jason Brown 41 0 39 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
17 GK England ENG Tony Bullock 10 0 6 0 1 0 1 0 2 0
1 GK England ENG Paul Crichton 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 DF England ENG Danny Jackman 47 1 42 0 0 0 3 0 2 1
6 DF Trinidad and Tobago TRI Ian Cox 40 0 36 0 1 0 2 0 1 0
14 DF England ENG Leon Johnson 30 1 28 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
18 DF England ENG Chris Hope 29 1 24 1 1 0 3 0 1 0
5 DF Trinidad and Tobago TRI Brent Sancho 21 2 19 2 0 0 2 0 0 0
30 DF England ENG Sean Clohessy 21 1 20 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
3 DF Cyprus CYP Tom Williams 18 0 13 0 1 0 2 0 2 0
16 DF England ENG Richard Rose 17 0 14 0 0 0 2 0 1 0
4 DF Antigua and Barbuda ATG Justin Cochrane 5 1 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
24 DF England ENG Mark Corneille 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
7 MF Wales WAL Andrew Crofts 51 3 45 2 1 0 3 1 2 0
21 MF England ENG Matt Jarvis 41 7 35 3 1 1 3 1 2 2
10 MF Wales WAL Michael Flynn 40 6 36 6 1 0 3 0 0 0
22 MF England ENG Danny Spiller 34 0 32 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
25 MF England ENG Alan Pouton 24 2 23 2 0 0 1 0 0 0
8 MF England ENG Andy Hessenthaler 21 1 16 1 1 0 3 0 1 0
23 MF England ENG Jon Wallis 20 0 17 0 1 0 1 0 1 0
15 MF England ENG Mark Saunders 7 1 4 0 1 1 1 0 1 0
4 MF England ENG Paul Smith 5 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
29 MF England ENG Craig Stone 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 FW England ENG Neil Harris 39 6 36 6 1 0 0 0 2 0
20 FW Jamaica JAM Darren Byfield 32 14 29 13 0 0 2 1 1 0
26 FW Scotland SCO Paul Shields 19 1 17 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
8 FW England ENG Tommy Black 17 5 17 5 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Gary Mulligan 13 1 13 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 FW Scotland SCO Steven Hislop 11 0 8 0 0 0 2 0 1 0
32 FW England ENG Gavin Grant 10 1 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
28 FW England ENG Frannie Collin 9 2 6 1 1 0 1 0 1 1
31 FW England ENG Akwasi Fobi-Edusei 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
27 FW Antigua and Barbuda ATG Moses Ashikodi 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
28 FW England ENG Steve Claridge 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Transfers

[15]

Transfers In

Date Position Nationality Name From Fee
29 June 2005 GK England Tony Bullock Dundee United Free transfer
21 July 2005 DF Cyprus Tom Williams Barnsley Free transfer
22 July 2005 DF England Danny Jackman Stockport County Free transfer
3 August 2005 FW Scotland Paul Shields Forfar Athletic £25,000
19 August 2005 DF Trinidad and Tobago Brent Sancho Dundee Free transfer
19 August 2005 FW England Steve Claridge Millwall Free transfer
25 August 2005 FW Scotland Steven Hislop Inverness Caledonian Thistle Signed
9 December 2005 FW England Gavin Grant Tooting & Mitcham United Signed
15 May 2006 FW Democratic Republic of the Congo Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu Cardiff City Free Transfer
23 May 2006 MF England Mark Bentley Southend United Free Transfer
23 May 2006 MF England Dean McDonald Ipswich Town Free Transfer
23 May 2006 DF England Duncan Jupp Southend United Free Transfer
1 July 2006 FW Republic of Ireland Gary Mulligan Sheffield United Free Transfer

Transfers Out

Date Position Nationality Name To Fee
23 June 2005 FW Mali Mamady Sidibé Stoke City Free transfer
29 June 2005 DF England John Hills Sheffield Wednesday Free transfer
12 July 2005 DF England Dean Beckwith Hereford Free transfer
22 July 2005 MF England Paul Smith Walsall Free transfer
1 August 2005 GK France Bertrand Bossu Darlington Free transfer
4 August 2005 FW England Darius Henderson Watford £450,000
9 August 2005 GK England Steve Banks Hearts Signed
26 August 2005 FW England Steve Claridge Bradford City Free transfer
1 January 2006 DF Cyprus Tom Williams Swansea City Signed
1 January 2006 GK England Danny Knowles Released -
1 January 2006 FW England Iwan Roberts Released -
6 January 2006 GK England Tony Bullock St Mirren Signed
6 January 2006 MF England Mark Saunders Folkestone Free transfer
11 January 2006 FW Scotland Steven Hislop Livingston Signed
19 January 2006 MF England Andy Hessenthaler Barnet Free transfer
1 April 2006 FW Scotland Paul Shields Released -
11 May 2006 FW England Gavin Grant Millwall Free transfer
8 June 2006 FW Jamaica Darren Byfield Millwall Free transfer
26 June 2006 GK Wales Jason Brown Blackburn Rovers Free transfer
26 June 2006 GK England Paul Crichton Cambridge United Free transfer
29 June 2006 DF England Richard Rose Hereford Free transfer
1 July 2006 MF England Jon Wallis Hereford Free transfer

References

  1. ^ "Cooper fumes at Gills stalemate". BBC Sport. 16 October 2005. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Cooper feels let down by players". BBC Sport. 6 November 2005. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  3. ^ "League One table after close of play on 15 November 2005". 11v11. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Gillingham manager Cooper resigns". BBC Sport. 15 November 2005. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Gillingham manager Jepson resigns". BBC Sport. 9 September 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Jepson says squad is good enough". BBC Sport. 17 November 2005. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  7. ^ "League One table after close of play on 31 December 2005". 11v11. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Jepson rues Gillingham absentees". BBC Sport. 22 January 2006. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Jepson forced to use youngsters". BBC Sport. 23 January 2006. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Gills boss rues absence of trio". BBC Sport. 14 November 2005. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Jepson praises stand-in strikers". BBC Sport. 12 March 2006. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Byfield agrees deal with Millwall". BBC Sport. 8 June 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  13. ^ a b "All Gillingham football club players: 2006". 11v11. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Gillingham football club match record: 2006". 11v11. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Gillingham F.C. Club Details | Transfers". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
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