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)

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

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
6 August 2005Colchester UnitedH2–17,293Crofts, Byfield
9 August 2005Port ValeA0–04,931
13 August 2005Scunthorpe UnitedA1–15,007Hessenthaler
20 August 2005AFC BournemouthH1–06,568Browning (own goal)
27 August 2005Nottingham ForestH1–37,228Byfield
29 August 2005BrentfordA1–16,969Harris
10 September 2005Rotherham UnitedA0–34,253
13 September 2005BarnsleyH0–35,283
17 September 2005Oldham AthleticH0–16,259
24 September 2005Tranmere RoversA2–27,003Byfield (2 including 1 pen)
27 September 2005ChesterfieldH1–07,472Sancho
1 October 2005Southend UnitedH1–28,128Pouton
15 October 2005Yeovil TownH0–06,848
22 October 2005Bradford CityA0–17,729
29 October 2005BlackpoolH2–16,300Hope, Harris
1 November 2005Hartlepool UnitedA1–34,522Collin
12 November 2005WalsallA0–24,785
19 November 2005Hartlepool UnitedH1–06,092Shields
26 November 2005Colchester UnitedA0–53,801
6 December 2005Doncaster RoversH1–04,861Flynn
10 December 2005Port ValeH3–06,210Harris, Jarvis (2)
17 December 2005AFC BournemouthA1–26,177Harris
26 December 2005Bristol CityH1–17,786Flynn
31 December 2005Milton Keynes DonsH3–06,012Johnson, Clohessy, Pouton
2 January 2006Huddersfield TownA0–011,483
10 January 2006BarnsleyA0–17,090
14 January 2006Swindon TownH3–07,300Byfield, Flynn, Harris
21 January 2006Oldham AthleticA0–25,783
28 January 2006Rotherham UnitedH1–16,107Grant
31 January 2006Swansea CityA2–114,357Byfield, Harris
4 February 2006ChesterfieldA1–14,652Black
11 February 2006Tranmere RoversH1–16,803Byfield
14 February 2006Swindon TownA0–15,530
18 February 2006Doncaster RoversA0–25,738
25 February 2006Scunthorpe UnitedH1–36,029Cochrane
11 March 2006Nottingham ForestA1–119,446Bennett (own goal)
18 March 2006Bristol CityA0–610,932
21 March 2006BrentfordH3–25,745Sancho, Byfield (2 including 1 pen)
25 March 2006Swansea CityH1–06,909Byfield (pen)
1 April 2006Milton Keynes DonsA2–16,432Byfield, Black
8 April 2006Huddersfield TownH2–07,014Mulligan, Jarvis
14 April 2006Southend United F.C.A1–011,195Black
17 April 2006Bradford CityH2–17,281Black, Flynn
22 April 2006Yeovil TownA3–46,040Black, Flynn, Crofts
29 April 2006WalsallH0–17,757
6 May 2006BlackpoolA3–38,541Byfield (2), Flynn

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R15 November 2005BurscoughA2–31,927Jarvis, Saunders

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R123 August 2005Oxford UnitedH1–04,149Jarvis
R220 September 2005PortsmouthH3–24,903Byfield, Ashdown (own goal), Crofts
R325 October 2005Doncaster RoversA0–26,874

League Trophy

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R118 October 2005Crawley TownH2–01,988Jackman, Collin
R222 November 2005Wycombe WanderersH2–2 (1–3 p)2,111Jarvis (2)

Player details

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

No. Pos Nat Player TotalLeague OneFA CupLeague CupLeague Trophy
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
13 GK Wales WAL Jason Brown 410390002000
17 GK England ENG Tony Bullock 10060101020
1 GK England ENG Paul Crichton 1010000000
11 DF England ENG Danny Jackman 471420003021
6 DF Trinidad and Tobago TRI Ian Cox 400360102010
14 DF England ENG Leon Johnson 301281001010
18 DF England ENG Chris Hope 291241103010
5 DF Trinidad and Tobago TRI Brent Sancho 212192002000
30 DF England ENG Sean Clohessy 211201000010
3 DF Cyprus CYP Tom Williams 180130102020
16 DF England ENG Richard Rose 170140002010
4 DF Antigua and Barbuda ATG Justin Cochrane 5151000000
24 DF England ENG Mark Corneille 4020001010
7 MF Wales WAL Andrew Crofts 513452103120
21 MF England ENG Matt Jarvis 417353113122
10 MF Wales WAL Michael Flynn 406366103000
22 MF England ENG Danny Spiller 340320000020
25 MF England ENG Alan Pouton 242232001000
8 MF England ENG Andy Hessenthaler 211161103010
23 MF England ENG Jon Wallis 200170101010
15 MF England ENG Mark Saunders 7140111010
4 MF England ENG Paul Smith 5030100010
29 MF England ENG Craig Stone 3030000000
19 FW England ENG Neil Harris 396366100020
20 FW Jamaica JAM Darren Byfield 32142913002110
26 FW Scotland SCO Paul Shields 191171001010
8 FW England ENG Tommy Black 175175000000
9 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Gary Mulligan 131131000000
9 FW Scotland SCO Steven Hislop 11080002010
32 FW England ENG Gavin Grant 101101000000
28 FW England ENG Frannie Collin 9261101011
31 FW England ENG Akwasi Fobi-Edusei 6060000000
27 FW Antigua and Barbuda ATG Moses Ashikodi 4040000000
28 FW England ENG Steve Claridge 2010001000

Transfers

[15]

Transfers In

Date Position Nationality Name From Fee
29 June 2005GKEnglandTony BullockDundee UnitedFree transfer
21 July 2005DFCyprusTom WilliamsBarnsleyFree transfer
22 July 2005DFEnglandDanny JackmanStockport CountyFree transfer
3 August 2005FWScotlandPaul ShieldsForfar Athletic£25,000
19 August 2005DFTrinidad and TobagoBrent SanchoDundeeFree transfer
19 August 2005FWEnglandSteve ClaridgeMillwallFree transfer
25 August 2005FWScotlandSteven HislopInverness Caledonian ThistleSigned
9 December 2005FWEnglandGavin GrantTooting & Mitcham UnitedSigned
15 May 2006FWDemocratic Republic of the CongoGuylain Ndumbu-NsunguCardiff CityFree Transfer
23 May 2006MFEnglandMark BentleySouthend UnitedFree Transfer
23 May 2006MFEnglandDean McDonaldIpswich TownFree Transfer
23 May 2006DFEnglandDuncan JuppSouthend UnitedFree Transfer
1 July 2006FWRepublic of IrelandGary MulliganSheffield UnitedFree Transfer

Transfers Out

Date Position Nationality Name To Fee
23 June 2005FWMaliMamady SidibéStoke CityFree transfer
29 June 2005DFEnglandJohn HillsSheffield WednesdayFree transfer
12 July 2005DFEnglandDean BeckwithHerefordFree transfer
22 July 2005MFEnglandPaul SmithWalsallFree transfer
1 August 2005GKFranceBertrand BossuDarlingtonFree transfer
4 August 2005FWEnglandDarius HendersonWatford£450,000
9 August 2005GKEnglandSteve BanksHeartsSigned
26 August 2005FWEnglandSteve ClaridgeBradford CityFree transfer
1 January 2006DFCyprusTom WilliamsSwansea CitySigned
1 January 2006GKEnglandDanny KnowlesReleased-
1 January 2006FWEnglandIwan RobertsReleased-
6 January 2006GKEnglandTony BullockSt MirrenSigned
6 January 2006MFEnglandMark SaundersFolkestoneFree transfer
11 January 2006FWScotlandSteven HislopLivingstonSigned
19 January 2006MFEnglandAndy HessenthalerBarnetFree transfer
1 April 2006FWScotlandPaul ShieldsReleased-
11 May 2006FWEnglandGavin GrantMillwallFree transfer
8 June 2006FWJamaicaDarren ByfieldMillwallFree transfer
26 June 2006GKWalesJason BrownBlackburn RoversFree transfer
26 June 2006GKEnglandPaul CrichtonCambridge UnitedFree transfer
29 June 2006DFEnglandRichard RoseHerefordFree transfer
1 July 2006MFEnglandJon WallisHerefordFree 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. 1 2 "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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