Gillingham
1929–30 season
ChairmanJack Knight
ManagerDick Hendrie
Third Division South21st
FA CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Fred Cheesmur (17)
All: Fred Cheesmur (17)
Highest home attendancetbc
Lowest home attendancetbc

During the 1929–30 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League Third Division South. It was the 10th season in which the club competed in the Football League. Gillingham finished 21st and the club was required to apply for re-election to the League. The team lost in the first round of the FA Cup to Margate of the Kent League.[1]

Forward Fred Cheesmur scored six goals in a match against Merthyr Town on 26 April 1930, a club record haul for a single match at a professional level which stands to this day.[2]

Background

Footballer Dick Hendrie
Dick Hendrie took over as the club's new manager.

The 1929–30 season was Gillingham's 10th season playing in the Football League; the club had been one of the founder members of the Third Division in 1920, which had been re-branded the Third Division South a year later when a parallel Third Division North was created. Gillingham had consistently struggled in the Third Division South and only once finished in the top half of the league table; in the 1928–29 season, the team had finished bottom and been required to apply for re-election to the Football League.[3] Shortly afterwards, former Gillingham player Dick Hendrie, who had most recently served as assistant manager at Brentford, was appointed as Gillingham's new manager, replacing Albert Hoskins, who had resigned in late March.[4]

Hendrie signed nearly an entire team of new players, including half-back Jack Beacham and teenaged forward Thomas Brennan from his former club Brentford.[5] Four players joined from Scottish clubs, including goalkeeper Dave Smith from Hamilton Academical and full back John Geddes from Celtic.[6] Half-backs Albert Collins and George Bishop were signed from Millwall and Merthyr Town respectively.[7] New forwards joining the club included Fred Castle from Chesterfield and Fred Cheesmur from Charlton Athletic,[8] as well as Jim McCafferty from minor Scottish club Shieldmuir Celtic and Campbell Whyte from Third Lanark.[9]

Third Division South

August–December

Footballer Jack Beacham
Jack Beacham was one of a number of players who made their Gillingham debuts in the first game of the season.

Gillingham's first match of the season was at home to Walsall at Priestfield Road. New signings Smith, Beacham, Collins, Bishop, McCafferty, Cheesmur and Castle all made their debuts. Castle and Cheesmur scored the goals in a 2–1 victory for Gillingham. The attendance of 8,160 would prove to be the largest crowd of the season at Priestfield Road.[3]

January–May

In the penultimate game of the season, Gillingham beat Merthyr Town 6–0; Cheesmur scored all the goals. It was the first time a Gillingham player had scored as many goals in a single game at a professional level and a record that stands to this day. The final match of the season was at home to Luton Town; Cheesmur and John Speed scored in a 2–0 win. Gillingham had ended the season with an unbeaten run of six games, comprising four wins and two draws, but still finished 21st in the division, ahead of only Merthyr Town.

Match details

Key

Results

Date Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
31 August 1929Walsall (H)2-1Castle, Cheesmur8160
4 September 1929Exeter City (A)0-35297
7 September 1929Queens Park Rangers (A)1-2Cheesmur11875
11 September 1929Exeter City (H)2-0Castle (2)4574
14 September 1929Fulham (H)0-17901
16 September 1929Luton Town (A)0-27168
21 September 1929Norwich City (A)0-29981
28 September 1929Crystal Palace (H)1-1Dowell6818
5 October 1929Plymouth Argyle (A)0-35777
12 October 1929Northampton Town (A)1-3Pateman10663
19 October 1929Swindon Town (H)0-05597
26 October 1929Brighton (A)0-27504
2 November 1929Bristol Rovers (H)3-3Cheesmur, Collins, Pateman4794
9 November 1929Brentford (A)1-2Cheesmur9603
16 November 1929Clapton Orient (H)2-0Cheesmur (2)1889
23 November 1929Coventry City (A)0-58755
7 December 1929Newport County (A)1-5Geddes1991
14 December 1929Torquay Utd (H)0-23310
21 December 1929Merthyr Town (A)1-1Dowell1352
25 December 1929Bournemouth (H)1-5Castle3954
26 December 1929Bournemouth (A)2-1Durnion (2)11481
28 December 1929Walsall (A)2-1Durnion, Dowell3568
4 January 1930Queens Park Rangers (H)3-1Durnion, Whyte, Cheesmur5961
11 January 1930Watford (H)1-2Whyte5562
18 January 1930Fulham (A)1-2Dowell15196
25 January 1930Norwich City (H)1-2Dowell3249
1 February 1930Crystal Palace (A)1-5Whyte8783
8 February 1930Plymouth Argyle (H)0-04905
15 February 1930Northampton Town (H)5-2Durnion (4), Cheesmur4665
22 February 1930Swindon Town (A)0-33070
1 March 1930Brighton (H)2-2Durnion, Dowell5035
8 March 1930Bristol Rovers (A)0-35011
15 March 1930Brentford (H)1-3Dowell6749
22 March 1930Clapton Orient (A)0-29348
29 March 1930Coventry City (H)0-33865
5 April 1930Watford (A)1-4Brennan4787
12 April 1930Newport County (H)5-0Ellis, Bethell, Cheesmur (2), Jones2743
18 April 1930Southend Utd (H)1-0Jones7964
19 April 1930Torquay Utd (A)1-1Bethell3472
21 April 1930Southend Utd (A)0-09036
26 April 1930Merthyr Town (H)6-0Cheesmur (6)3513
3 May 1930Luton Town (H)2-0Cheesmur, Speed4831

FA Cup

Gillingham entered the 1929–30 FA Cup in the first round, and were paired with Margate of the Kent League, who had progressed from the qualifying rounds for the first time. In what was seen as a significant upset, Gillingham lost 2–0 to their lower-level opponents and were eliminated from the competition.[10]

Match details

Key
Results[3]
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
30 November 1929 First Margate (H) 0–24,150

Players

Footballer Fred Cheesmur
Fred Cheesmur was the team's top goalscorer.

Twenty-seven players made at least one appearance for Gillingham during the season. George Bishop and Fred Cheesmur made the most, each playing in 41 of the team's 43 competitive matches; four other players each played more than 30 times. Ronald Baird was the only player to make just one appearance; he played against Coventry City in March, but it would prove to be the only game of his professional career.

Thirteen players scored at least one goal for Gillingham during the season. Cheesmur was the top goalscorer with 17 goals; no other player reached double figures.

Player statistics[1]
Player Third Division South FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ronald Baird100010
Jim Bartley900090
Jack Beacham35010360
Jack Beby20000200
Roy Bethell12200122
George Bishop40010410
Thomas Brennan710071
Fred Castle16400164
Fred Cheesmur4017104117
Albert Collins36100361
Leonard Dowell22700227
Andy Durnion19910209
Fred Ellis20100201
John Geddes11110121
Syd Gore32010330
William Jones12200122
Sydney Martin201030
Jim McCafferty14010150
George Pateman720072
Jock Robertson30010310
Robert Robinson200020
Jack Rutherford200020
Dave Smith20010210
John Speed610061
Campbell Whyte24300243
Joe Wilson21010220
Lewis Woolven200020

Aftermath

As a result of finishing 21st, Gillingham were required to apply for re-election for the second consecutive season, but were again re-elected. In the following season, the team finished 16th in the Third Division South.

References

  1. 1 2 Brown 2003, p. 43.
  2. ↑ Triggs 2001, p. 349.
  3. 1 2 3 Brown 2003, p. 42.
  4. ↑ Elligate 2009, p. 82.
  5. ↑ Triggs 2001, p. 10, 12.
  6. ↑ Triggs 2001, pp. 18, 30.
  7. ↑ Triggs 2001, pp. 12, 14.
  8. ↑ Triggs 2001, p. 14.
  9. ↑ Triggs 2001, pp. 22, 32.
  10. ↑ Elligate 2009, p. 185.

Works cited

  • Brown, Tony (2003). The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record. Nottingham: Soccerdata. ISBN 978-1-89946-820-1.
  • Elligate, David (2009). Gillingham FC On This Day. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 978-1-905411-45-0.
  • Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Stroud: Tempus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-75242-243-5.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.