2002–03 Gillingham F.C. season
2002–03 season | |||
---|---|---|---|
Chairman | Paul Scally | ||
Manager | Andy Hessenthaler | ||
First Division | 11th | ||
FA Cup | Fourth round | ||
League Cup | Third round | ||
Top goalscorer | League: Paul Shaw (12) All: Paul Shaw (12) | ||
Highest home attendance | 11,093 (v Leeds United, 25 January 2003) | ||
Lowest home attendance | 6,281, (v Bradford City, 21 April 2003) | ||
| |||
During the 2002–03 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League First Division, the second tier of the English football league system. It was the 71st season in which Gillingham competed in the Football League, and the 53rd since the club was voted back into the league in 1950. It was Gillingham's third consecutive season in the second tier of the English football league system, to which the club had gained promotion for the first time in 2000. Gillingham won their first three games of the season in August, which placed them third in the league table, but their form for the rest of 2002 was inconsistent and at the end of the calendar year they were in 13th place out of 24 teams.
Gillingham also competed in two knock-out tournaments. In the FA Cup the team reached the fourth round but then lost to Leeds United of the Premier League in a replay after holding their opponents to a draw in the initial match. They were also eliminated from the Football League Cup by a Premier League team, losing to Chelsea in the third round. Gillingham played 52 competitive matches, winning 19, drawing 15, and losing 18. Paul Shaw was the team's top goalscorer with 12 goals. Chris Hope made the most appearances, playing in all 52 of the team's matches. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground, Priestfield Stadium, was 11,093 for the FA Cup match against Leeds on 25 January.
Background and pre-season[edit]
The 2002–03 season was Gillingham's 71st season playing in the Football League and the 53rd since the club was elected back into the League in 1950 after being voted out in 1938.[1] In the 1999–2000 season, Gillingham beat Wigan Athletic in the Second Division play-off final to reach the second tier of the English football league system for the first time in the club's history.[2] In the team's first season at this level, Gillingham were seen by pundits as likely to struggle at the bottom of the First Division league table and potentially be immediately relegated back to the third tier,[3][4] but instead the team finished in 13th place out of 24 teams.[5] The following season, they improved on this performance, finishing in 12th place.[6]
Andy Hessenthaler was the club's player-manager,[7] a position he had held since 2000.[8] Richard Hill, who had held the title of assistant manager during the previous season, was made joint head coach with Wayne Jones, whose job title had previously been first team coach. Both were not offered new long-term contracts but required to work on weekly contracts due to financial issues at the club linked to the collapse of ITV Digital and the resultant loss of the Football League's lucrative TV rights deal with the broadcaster.[9][10] Shortly after the end of the previous season, Marlon King, Gillingham's top goalscorer during the 2001–02 campaign,[11] was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being caught driving a stolen car the previous year.[12] In his absence, Gillingham signed two experienced forwards on free transfers, 31-year-old Tommy Johnson from Kilmarnock and Rod Wallace, aged 32, from Bolton Wanderers.[13][14] The club's chairman, Paul Scally, described the signing of Wallace, who had played at the highest level of football in both England and Scotland, as "the biggest acquisition the club has ever made".[15][16] Days before the new season started, the club also signed another forward, Mamady Sidibé, who had been released by Swansea City at the end of the previous campaign; he was offered a contract after playing for Gillingham in pre-season friendly matches. Hessenthaler told the press "We see him as the future because we've got a lot of players who are 30-plus and we need to start bringing a few younger ones in."[17]
Gillingham's first-choice kit consisted of shirts, shorts, and socks all in the club's traditional blue; the second-choice kit, to be worn when there was a clash of colours with the opposition and Gillingham were the team required by the rules of the competition to change, was all-white.[18] The team's pre-season games included one against Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League during which Hessenthaler gave game time to over 20 different players.[19] Previewing the season, an uncredited writer for The Independent said of Gillingham's prospects that "finishing in the top half [of the league table] might be beyond them".[6] A writer for The Guardian predicted the finishing position of every team in the division and contended that Gillingham would finish 18th.[20]
First Division[edit]
August–December[edit]
Gillingham's first game of the season was away to Wimbledon.[21] The match drew an attendance of only 2,476, less than half that of any other league game which Gillingham played during the season,[22][23] as Wimbledon's supporters almost totally boycotted the game in protest against a proposal by their team's owners to relocate the club to Milton Keynes.[24] Both Wallace and Johnson were carrying injuries and Sidibe was chosen to partner Guy Ipoua in attack;[25] Ipoua scored the only goal of the game to give Gillingham a 1–0 victory.[24] Johnson made his debut as a substitute.[25] The first game of the season at Gillingham's home ground, Priestfield Stadium,[21] took place three days later and resulted in a second consecutive 1–0 win, a goal from Paul Shaw securing victory over Derby County,[26] and a third 1–0 victory on 17 August against Millwall meant that Gillingham were the only team in the division to have won their first three games, putting them top of the table.[27][28] After this strong start, however, the team would only win one of their next ten league games.[21] After coming on as a substitute in every previous game, Johnson was included in the starting line-up for the first time in a 2–0 defeat to Leicester City on 31 August; Wallace made his first Gillingham appearance in the same game as a substitute but he picked up another injury[29] and would be absent from the team for the next month.[25]
After losing their first game of September to Portsmouth,[21] Gillingham won a league match for the first time in nearly a month when they beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4–2 on 14 September despite finishing the game with nine players after both Mark Saunders and Kevin James were sent off.[30] Four days later, however, Gillingham were heavily defeated, losing 4–1 to Nottingham Forest.[31] Increasing numbers of injuries meant that Hessenthaler was forced to bring several players from the club's youth team into the squad for the game against Sheffield United on 21 September, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[32][33]
Sidibe returned to the team for the first time in over a month against Watford on 19 October and scored a goal within two minutes.[34] Gillingham won 3–0, their first victory in over a month,[34] which moved them up from 13th to 11th in the table.[35][36] A week later, Gillingham played away to Ipswich Town. King, who had been released from prison just three days earlier after serving five months of his sentence, was named as a substitute,[37] and took the field during the second half.[38] Sidibe scored to give Gillingham a 1–0 victory which left them in 9th place in the table.[38][39] Three days later, Gillingham lost 4–0 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers in a hot-tempered match in which several players were cautioned and Gillingham's Nyron Nosworthy was sent off.[40]
Gillingham ended November with a 1–1 draw against Stoke City; the result meant that they had gone six league games without a win and had slipped to 17th place in the league table.[41]
At the end of 2002, Gillingham were in 13th place in the league table.[42]
January–May[edit]
Gillingham had originally been scheduled to begin 2003 with a home game against Norwich City on 1 January, but it was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch,[43] and so the team's first league game of the calendar year was ten days later away to Derby County.[21] Ipoua scored for Gillingham but Derby equalised and the game ended in a draw, which BBC Sport's report said was a fair result.[44]
On 22 March, Gillingham played away to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The home team scored five goals before half-time and added a sixth in the second half; the BBC Sport report said that Gillingham had been "ripped apart" and James Copnall of The Daily Telegraph wrote that their defending was "non-existent".[45][46] It was the first time Gillingham had conceded as many goals in a game since a match against the same opposition in 1989.[47]
Gillingham ended the season with a 2–1 victory at home to Crystal Palace.[48] Nyron Nosworthy, normally a defender but playing as a forward due to injuries to King and Wallace, scored both goals, his first for the team for more than three years.[48] The result meant that Gillingham ended the season in 11th place in the First Division, the highest finish in the English football league system in the club's history.[48]
League match details[edit]
Key
- In result column, Gillingham's score shown first
- H = Home match
- A = Away match
- pen. = Penalty kick
- o.g. = Own goal
Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
10 August 2002 | Wimbledon (A) | 1–0 | Ipoua | 2,476 |
13 August 2002 | Derby County (H) | 1–0 | Shaw | 8,775 |
17 August 2002 | Millwall (H) | 1–0 | Ipoua | 7,543 |
24 August 2002 | Norwich City (A) | 0–1 | 20,588 | |
26 August 2002 | Preston North End (H) | 1–1 | Saunders | 7,785 |
31 August 2002 | Leicester City (A) | 0–2 | 30,067 | |
7 September 2002 | Portsmouth (H) | 1–3 | James | 8,717 |
14 September 2002 | Brighton & Hove Albion (A) | 4–2 | Shaw (2), Perpetuini, James | 6,733 |
18 September 2002 | Nottingham Forest (A) | 1–4 | Hessenthaler | 16,073 |
21 September 2002 | Sheffield United (H) | 1–1 | Shaw | 7,497 |
29 September 2002 | Crystal Palace (A) | 2–2 | Perpetuini, Mullins (o.g.) | 15,699 |
5 October 2002 | Coventry City (H) | 0–2 | 7,722 | |
12 October 2002 | Rotherham United (A) | 1–1 | Wallace | 6,094 |
19 October 2002 | Watford (H) | 3–0 | Sidibe, Ipoua, James | 8,728 |
26 October 2002 | Ipswich Town (A) | 1–0 | Sidibe | 24,176 |
29 October 2002 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) | 0–4 | 10,036 | |
2 November 2002 | Grimsby Town (A) | 1–1 | Saunders | 5,715 |
9 November 2002 | Reading (H) | 0–1 | 8,511 | |
16 November 2002 | Sheffield Wednesday (H) | 1–1 | T. Johnson | 8,028 |
23 November 2002 | Walsall (A) | 0–1 | 6,630 | |
30 November 2002 | Stoke City (H) | 1–1 | Shaw | 8,150 |
7 December 2002 | Bradford City (A) | 3–1 | King (2, 1 pen.), Wallace | 10,711 |
14 December 2002 | Sheffield Wednesday (A) | 2–0 | Wallace, Smith | 17,715 |
21 December 2002 | Burnley (H) | 4–2 | Wallace, Smith (2), King | 7,905 |
26 December 2002 | Millwall (A) | 2–2 | Saunders, King (pen.) | 10,947 |
11 January 2003 | Derby County (A) | 1–1 | Ipoua | 22,769 |
18 January 2003 | Leicester City (H) | 3–2 | Shaw, Elliott (o.g.), Sidibe | 8,609 |
1 February 2003 | Preston North End (A) | 0–3 | 12,121 | |
10 February 2003 | Reading (A) | 1–2 | Wallace | 11,030 |
15 February 2003 | Grimsby Town (H) | 3–0 | Wallace (2), Hope | 7,158 |
22 February 2003 | Portsmouth (A) | 0–1 | 19,521 | |
25 February 2003 | Norwich City (H) | 1–0 | Wallace | 7,935 |
1 March 2003 | Brighton & Hove Albion (H) | 3–0 | Shaw, T. Johnson (pen.), Southall | 9,178 |
4 March 2003 | Nottingham Forest (H) | 1–4 | Wallace | 7,277 |
11 March 2003 | Wimbledon (H) | 3–3 | Shaw (2), Wallace | 7,884 |
15 March 2003 | Rotherham United (H) | 1–1 | Wallace | 7,284 |
18 March 2003 | Watford (A) | 1–0 | Shaw | 10,492 |
22 March 2003 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) | 0–6 | 25,171 | |
25 March 2003 | Sheffield United (A) | 2–2 | Osborn, Shaw | 15,799 |
29 March 2003 | Ipswich Town (H) | 1–3 | Smith | 8,508 |
5 April 2003 | Stoke City (A) | 0–0 | 12,746 | |
12 April 2003 | Walsall (H) | 0–1 | 6,972 | |
19 April 2003 | Burnley (A) | 0–2 | 14,031 | |
21 April 2003 | Bradford City (H) | 1–0 | Shaw | 6,281 |
26 April 2003 | Coventry City (A) | 0–0 | 14,795 | |
4 May 2003 | Crystal Palace (H) | 2–1 | Nosworthy (2) | 9,315 |
Partial league table[edit]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 | Millwall | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 59 | 69 | −10 | 66 |
10 | Wimbledon | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 76 | 73 | +3 | 65 |
11 | Gillingham | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 56 | 65 | −9 | 62 |
12 | Preston North End | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 68 | 70 | −2 | 61 |
13 | Watford | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 54 | 70 | −16 | 60 |
FA Cup[edit]
As a First Division club, Gillingham entered the 2002–03 FA Cup at the third round stage in January; their opponents were fellow First Division team Sheffield Wednesday.[50] Gillingham conceded a goal within the first five minutes of the game but King scored twice, taking his goal tally to six in his last five games in all competitions; he missed out on a hat-trick when he missed from a second-half penalty kick.[23][51] Further goals from Ipoua and Chris Hope gave Gillingham a 4–1 victory.[51] In the fourth round, Gillingham were drawn at home to Leeds United of the Premier League in a match which was selected by Sky Television for a live broadcast, earning the club a fee of £265,000.[52][53] Even though the match was being shown on television, it drew a crowd of 11,093, the largest attendance of the season at Priestfield.[23] Leeds scored a goal early in the second half but were reduced to ten players when Mark Viduka was sent off for deliberately elbowing Hessenthaler.[52] Within two minutes, Sidibe scored for Gillingham and the match ended in a 1–1 draw, meaning that a replay at Elland Road, Leeds' home ground, was required.[52] Viduka opened the scoring after 11 minutes of the replay and Leeds added another goal in the second half. Gillingham staged a late rally and Ipoua scored a goal, but Leeds held on for a 2–1 victory, which eliminated Gillingham from the competition.[54]
FA Cup match details[edit]
Key
- In result column, Gillingham's score shown first
- H = Home match
- A = Away match
- pen. = Penalty kick
- o.g. = Own goal
Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 January 2003 | Third | Sheffield Wednesday (H) | 4–1 | King (2, 1 pen.), Ipoua, Hope | 6,434 |
25 January 2003 | Fourth | Leeds United (H) | 1–1 | Sidibe | 11,093 |
4 February 2003 | Fourth (replay) | Leeds United (A) | 1–2 | Ipoua | 29,359 |
Football League Cup[edit]
As a First Division team, Gillingham entered the 2002–03 Football League Cup in the first round; their opponents were Torquay United of the Third Division.[50] Despite what BBC Sport called "a defiant display" from the lower-league team, a goal from Hessenthaler secured a 1–0 victory for Gillingham.[55] In the next round, Gillingham played Stockport County of the Second Division.[50]
Gillingham's opponents in the third round were Chelsea of the Premier League; it was the third time in four seasons that the two teams had been drawn together in a cup competition following FA Cup matches in 2000 and 2001.[56] The match took place at Chelsea's home ground, Stamford Bridge, and the home team scored after 20 minutes and then doubled their lead in the second half. King scored a goal for Gillingham in the last minute of the game but his team lost 2–1 and were eliminated from the League Cup.[57]
League Cup match details[edit]
Key
- In result column, Gillingham's score shown first
- H = Home match
- A = Away match
- pen. = Penalty kick
- o.g. = Own goal
10 September 2002 | First | Torquay United (A) | 1–0 | Hessenthaler | 1,981 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 October 2002 | Second | Stockport County (A) | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Ipoua, T, Johnson | 2,396 |
6 November 2002 | Third | Chelsea (A) | 1–2 | King | 28,033 |
Players[edit]
During the season, 27 players made at least one appearance for Gillingham. Chris Hope made the most, playing in every one of the team's 52 games; it was the third consecutive season in which he had been ever-present for the team, taking his run of consecutive games for the team since he joined Gillingham in 2000 to 156.[58] Paul Smith played 50 times, and four other players made more than 40 appearances. Six players appeared fewer than five times; the teenager Andrew Crofts was the only one who played in just one game.[23]
Fifteen players scored at least one goal for the team. Paul Shaw was the highest scorer with 12 goals, all scored in league games. Wallace scored 11 goals, also all in the league; no other player scored more than seven times.[23]
No. | Player | Position | First Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
1 | Vince Bartram | GK | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
2 | Mark Patterson | DF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
3 | Roland Edge | DF | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
4 | Paul Smith | MF | 45 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 4 |
5 | Barry Ashby | DF | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
7 | Nyron Nosworthy | DF/FW | 39 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 2 |
8 | Andy Hessenthaler | MF | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 2 |
9 | Marlon King | FW | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 |
10 | Guy Ipoua | FW | 33 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 39 | 7 |
12 | Paul Shaw | MF/FW | 44 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 12 |
13 | Jason Brown | GK | 39 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
14 | Leon Johnson | DF | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
15 | Mark Saunders | MF | 34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 3 |
16 | Richard Rose | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
17[a] | Adrian Pennock | DF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
17[a] | Akwasi Edusei | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
18 | Chris Hope | DF | 46 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 52 | 2 |
19 | Rod Wallace | FW | 22 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 11 |
20 | Kevin James | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 3 | |
21 | Simon Osborn | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
22 | Danny Spiller | MF | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
23 | Tommy Johnson | FW | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 3 |
26 | David Perpetuini | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
27 | Jones Awuah | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
28 | Andrew Crofts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
29 | Mamady Sidibé | FW | 30 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 4 |
30 | Nicky Southall | MF/DF | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
FW = Forward, MF = Midfielder, GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender
a. ^ Edusei was not allocated a squad number until late in the season and was given the number worn earlier in the season by Pennock, who had since left the club.
Aftermath[edit]
In terms of league standings, the 2002–03 season proved to the peak of Gillingham's time in the second tier of English football. The following season, they finished 21st, level on points with 22nd-placed Walsall and avoiding relegation only by virtue of a superior goal difference.[59][60] Hessenthaler resigned as manager in November 2004 as the team again struggled near the foot of the league table,[61] and at the end of the 2004–05 season Gillingham were relegated, ending a five-season spell in the division.[62] As of 2024[update], the club has never returned to the second tier of English football.[63]
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Works cited[edit]
- Brown, Tony (2003). The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record. Nottingham: Soccerdata. ISBN 1-899468-20-X.
- Hugman, Barry (2015). The PFA Premier and Football League Players' Records 1946–2015. London: G2 Entertainment. ISBN 978-1-78281-167-1.
- Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2000). Rothmans Football Yearbook 2000–01. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-74727-232-8.
- Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2001). Rothmans Football Yearbook 2001–02. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-74727-260-1.
- Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2003). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2003–2004. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-75531-227-6.