Wikipedia

1924–25 Gillingham F.C. season

During the 1924–25 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League Third Division South, the third tier of the English football league system. It was the fifth season in which the club competed in the Football League.

Gillingham
1924–25 season
ChairmanJack Knight
ManagerHarry Curtis
Third Division South13th
FA CupSixth qualifying round
Top goalscorerLeague: Frank Marshall (8)
All: Fred Brown, Frank Marshall,
Tommy Hall (10 each)
Highest home attendance9,000 vs Barrow (13 December 1924)
Lowest home attendance1,000 vs Luton Town (27 December 1924)

Gillingham also competed in the FA Cup, reaching the sixth and final qualifying round; they were defeated by Barrow in a match which had to be replayed four times before Barrow emerged victorious after a total of nine hours of football. Gillingham played 49 competitive matches during the season, winning 14, drawing 18, and losing 17. Fred Brown, Frank Marshall, and Tommy Hall were joint top goalscorers with 10 each. Marshall made the most appearances, being absent for only one game. The highest recorded attendance at the club's home ground, Priestfield Road, was 9,000 for the FA Cup match against Barrow.

Background and pre-season

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The 1924–25 season was Gillingham's fifth season playing in the Football League. The club had been one of the founder members of the Third Division in 1920. A year later, the division was re-branded the Third Division South when a parallel Third Division North was created.[1] Gillingham had finished in 22nd and last place in the league table in their first season in the division,[2] but improved their final position each season since;[3] in the 1923–24 season, they had finished in 15th place.[4]

Harry Curtis was the team's manager for a second season.[5] He was the first Gillingham manager to be given full control of all team-related affairs; previously some of these matters had come under the remit of the club's secretary.[6] The club also employed a Mr Kane as trainer.[7] Gillingham signed a number of new players prior to the season, including four forwards: Frank Marshall and Thomas Wilkinson joined the club from the Scottish teams Shettleston and Maryhill respectively, and Fred Brown and George Chance were signed from fellow Third Division South clubs Brighton & Hove Albion and Bristol Rovers respectively.[8] Two new half-backs also joined the club: Albert Hook from fellow Kent-based club Maidstone United and Charles Davis from Liverpool.[8] The team wore Gillingham's usual kit of black and white striped shirts with white shorts and black socks.[7] At the time, pre-season friendlies between Football League teams were not permitted, and clubs instead generally prepared for the season with a public trial match between two teams chosen from within their own squad of players.[9][10] Gillingham staged such a match a week before the start of the season and Wilkinson and Brown both scored two goals as the "Probables" beat the "Possibles".[11]

Third Division South

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August–December

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Tommy Hall was the only player to score for Gillingham in the first seven games of the season.

Gillingham's first match of the season was away to Luton Town on 30 August;[12] Marshall, Davis, Hook, Chance, Brown and Wilkinson all made their club debuts[13] in a match which was played in heavy rain and ended in a goalless draw.[14] Four days later, the team played their first game of the season at their home ground, Priestfield Road;[12] a goal from Tommy Hall gave Gillingham a 1–0 victory over Brentford.[12] The Daily Telegraph wrote that Gillingham could have scored more goals but that their forwards "lost many opportunities owing to over-eagerness".[15] The victory was followed by a run of eight games without a win.[12] Gillingham drew 0–0 at home to Watford on 6 September, again missing many goalscoring chances; the Athletic News said that if they had "won by three clear goals little surprise could have been felt".[16] Gillingham played Brentford again on 8 September; Hall gave them the lead but Brentford scored twice to win. Gillingham finished the game with only ten players after Hook was injured.[a][17] Following a goalless draw at home to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, Gillingham lost 2–0 away to Brighton & Hove Albion and 3–0 at home to Plymouth Argyle.[12] At the end of September, Gillingham were in 22nd and last place in the Third Division South league table;[18] they had won only once in seven matches and recorded only two goals, both scored by Hall.[12]

Gillingham's winless run continued in the first game of October with a 2–1 defeat away to Bristol City.[12] The home team scored the winning goal in the final ten minutes; Freddie Fox, Gillingham's goalkeeper, appeared to have kept the ball out of the goal but, after being confronted by the Bristol City players in what the Western Daily Press called a "most discreditable scene", the referee consulted both linesmen and ruled that it had in fact crossed the goal line.[19] A week later, Gillingham played Swindon Town; the Athletic News reported that "better football has seldom been seen played by Gillingham than during the opening half", but after leading at half-time Gillingham had to settle for a 1–1 draw.[20] After a 2–1 defeat to Aberdare Athletic, Gillingham ended their winless run by beating Millwall 1–0 on 22 October with a goal from Hall.[12][21] Gillingham lost 1–0 away to Northampton Town on 25 October, despite Fox saving a penalty kick,[22] but began November by beating Charlton Athletic 2–0 at Priestfield Road.[23] Brown scored both goals, the first time all season that a Gillingham player had scored more than once in a game.[12] It was the first in a run of five consecutive league games without defeat for the team.[12] A goal from Hall secured a 1–1 draw with fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers on 8 November,[24] after which Gillingham were in 19th place in the league table.[25]

On 15 November, Gillingham extended their unbeaten run to three games with a 2–1 victory over Merthyr Town.[12] Brown and Marshall scored in the second half, although the Athletic News reported that Gillingham would have scored at least three times before half-time if their forwards had not "missed some easy chances".[26] After a 1–0 victory away to Reading on 22 November, Gillingham were in 15th place.[27][28] On 6 December, Gillingham conceded two early goals against Exeter City but Brown and Bill Berry scored to bring the scores level by half-time. Gillingham took the lead after the interval but Exeter scored again and the game ended in a 3–3 draw.[29] The team's unbeaten run came to an end with a 2–0 defeat away to Newport County on 20 December. Beginning on 25 December, Gillingham played three games on consecutive days. On Christmas Day, they beat Southend United 3–1 at Priestfield Road, but a day later they lost 4–0 to the same opponents at the Kursaal in Southend.[12][30] On 27 December, Gillingham won 4–1 at home to Luton Town; Len Ramsell scored twice, his only goals of the season.[12] The Sunday Dispatch wrote that "the playing conditions were wretched" due to high winds, and as a result no half-time break was taken.[31] At the end of 1924, Gillingham were in 15th place in the Third Division South league table.[32]

January–May

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Gillingham's first match of 1925 was away to Watford.[12] Berry gave Gillingham an early lead but Watford equalised shortly after half-time.[33] Brown scored a second goal for Gillingham and Fox made a late save to preserve his team's 2–1 lead.[33] The victory took Gillingham up to 14th place in the table,[34] but they fell back to 15th after a 3–0 defeat to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic.[35][36] Although prior to the game Bournemouth had not won at home for nearly three months, the Athletic News reported that "the margin of three clear goals in no way flatter[ed] them".[35] Gillingham secured their third victory in four league games with a 2–0 defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion on 24 January.[12] Chance, who had scored only once in more than 20 games since joining Gillingham,[12] scored both goals; Hall had three shots on goal which hit the goalposts.[37]

Following a 2–0 victory over Aberdare Athletic at Priestfield Road on 21 February,[38] in which Brown scored what would prove to be his final goal of the season, Gillingham began a run of seven games in which they scored only one goal.[12] In the final match of February, they lost 1–0 at home to Northampton Town, although the Athletic News noted that in the closing stages "the Northampton defence was often in difficulty, but the ball could not be forced into the net".[39]

Gillingham finished the season in 13th place in the league table, meaning that they had improved their final position for a fourth consecutive season.[40]

League match details

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Key
Results[12]
Date Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
30 August 1924 Luton Town (A) 0–0 8,000
3 September 1924 Brentford (H) 1–0 Hall 5,500
6 September 1924 Watford (H) 0–0 6,000
8 September 1924 Brentford (A) 1–2 Hall 6,000
13 September 1924 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic (H) 0–0 5,500
20 September 1924 Brighton & Hove Albion (A) 0–2 11,000
27 September 1924 Plymouth Argyle (H) 0–3 8,000
4 October 1924 Bristol City (A) 1–2 Marshall 9,000
11 October 1924 Swindon Town (H) 1–1 Hall 7,000
18 October 1924 Aberdare Athletic (A) 1–2 Brown 3,000
22 October 1924 Millwall (H) 1–0 Hall 3,000
25 October 1924 Northampton Town (A) 0–1 7,000
1 November 1924 Charlton Athletic (H) 2–0 Brown (2) 2,000
8 November 1924 Queens Park Rangers (A) 1–1 Hall 9,000
15 November 1924 Merthyr Town (H) 2–1 Brown, Marshall 6,000
22 November 1924 Reading (A) 1–0 Hall 6,000
6 December 1924 Exeter City (A) 3–3 Brown, Berry, Hall 6,000
20 December 1924 Newport County (A) 0–2 8,000
25 December 1924 Southend United (H) 3–1 Hook, Marshall (2) 8,000
26 December 1924 Southend United (A) 0–4 9,000
27 December 1924 Luton Town (H) 4–1 Marshall, Ramsell (2), Chance 1,000
3 January 1925 Watford (A) 2–1 Berry, Brown 5,000
17 January 1925 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic (A) 0–3 6,000
24 January 1925 Brighton & Hove Albion (H) 2–0 Chance (2) 6,000
31 January 1925 Plymouth Argyle (A) 0–2 10,401
7 February 1925 Bristol City (H) 1–1 Chance 5,000
11 February 1925 Bristol Rovers (H) 0–0 4,000
14 February 1925 Swindon Town (A) 0–2 5,000
21 February 1925 Aberdare Athletic (H) 2–0 Marshall (pen.), Brown 5,000
28 February 1925 Northampton Town (H) 0–1 6,000
7 March 1925 Charlton Athletic (A) 0–2 7,000
14 March 1925 Queens Park Rangers (H) 1–0 Crockford 5,000
18 March 1925 Swansea Town (H) 0–0 3,800
21 March 1925 Merthyr Town (A) 0–0 4,000
28 March 1925 Reading (H) 0–0 5,000
4 April 1925 Swansea Town (A) 0–2 11,300
10 April 1925 Norwich City (H) 3–1 Marshall, Berry (2) 6,000
11 April 1925 Exeter City (H) 1–1 Marshall 6,500
13 April 1925 Norwich City (A) 0–0 12,000
18 April 1925 Bristol Rovers (A) 0–0 6,000
25 April 1925 Newport County (H) 1–0 Craddock 5,000
2 May 1925 Millwall (A) 0–2 10,000

Partial league table

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Main article: 1924–25 Football League § Third Division South
Football League Third Division South final table, positions 11 to 15[40]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
11 Watford 42 17 9 16 38 47 0.809 43
12 Norwich City 42 14 13 15 53 51 1.039 41
13 Gillingham 42 13 14 15 35 44 0.795 40
14 Reading 42 14 10 18 37 38 0.974 38
15 Charlton Athletic 42 13 12 17 46 48 0.958 38

FA Cup

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The Daily News published a cartoon lamenting the bad weather conditions during the third replay between Gillingham and Barrow.

Gillingham entered the 1924–25 FA Cup in the fifth qualifying round,[41] and were drawn to play Kettering Town of the Southern League. The match took place at Rockingham Road, Kettering's home ground, and ended in a 1–1 draw, meaning that a replay at Priestfield Road was required.[41] In the second match, Gillingham scored four goals in the first half and went on to win 6–2, despite having to play with only ten men for much of the second half after Davis was injured.[a][42]

In the sixth and final qualifying round, Gillingham played Barrow of the Football League Third Division North[4] at Priestfield Road.[43] A game in which both teams' defences were dominant ended in a 0–0 draw.[43] Barrow took the lead in the replay at their home ground, Holker Street, but Norman Jones scored an equaliser for Gillingham; unlike in the first match, scores being level at the end of the regulation 90 minutes meant that 30 minutes of extra time were played, but no further goals were scored.[44] The second replay took place at a neutral venue, Molineux Stadium, home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers.[45] Syd Smith gave Gillingham the lead but Barrow equalised; extra time was again played but once again the match finished with scores level.[45]

The third replay took place at Arsenal Stadium in London on 30 December and was played in heavy rain; the Birmingham Gazette reported that the pitch was "scarcely fit for play" and that "mud and slush reduced everything down to a game of chance".[46] Barrow took the lead from a penalty kick but Hall equalised for Gillingham and the game ended in another draw, setting up a fourth replay.[46] The two teams thus equalled the record for the greatest number of replays required to settle an FA Cup tie; Gillingham themselves (then known as New Brompton) had been involved in the record-setting tie 25 seasons earlier when they had needed four replays to defeat Woolwich Arsenal.[46] One day after the third replay, Gillingham and Barrow met again at The Den, home ground of Millwall.[47] Barrow scored twice in the first half and, although Marshall pulled a goal back from a penalty kick in the second half, Gillingham lost 2–1 and were eliminated from the competition; the teams had played for nine hours before a victory was achieved.[47]

Cup match details

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Key
Results[12]
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
29 November 1924 Fifth qualifying Kettering Town (A) 1–1 Brown 8,986
3 December 1924 Fifth qualifying (replay) Kettering Town (H) 6–2 Brown (2), Hall (2), Marshall, Berry 8,202
13 December 1924 Sixth qualifying Barrow (H) 0–0 9,000
18 December 1924 Sixth qualifying (replay) Barrow (A) 1–1 (a.e.t.) Jones 3,600
22 December 1924 Sixth qualifying (second replay) Barrow (N) 1–1 (a.e.t.) Smith 2,342
30 December 1924 Sixth qualifying (third replay) Barrow (N) 1–1 (a.e.t.) Hall 2,325
31 December 1924 Sixth qualifying (fourth replay) Barrow (N) 1–2 Marshall (pen.) 4,242

Players

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Jock Robertson missed only four games.
 
Freddie Fox played 43 times during the season.

During the season, 24 players made at least one appearance for Gillingham.[12] Marshall made the most, missing only one game.[12] Chance, Fred Brown, Jones and Jock Robertson all played in at least 45 of the team's 49 games, and three other players made more than 40 appearances.[12] At the other end of the scale, Charles Orford was the only player to make just one appearance; it was the only game he played for Gillingham's first team and the only appearance he made in the Football League for any club during his career.[48][49] Brown, Hall and Marshall were joint top scorers with ten goals each; Hall achieved the feat despite the fact that his last goal of the season was scored in December.[12] No other player scored more than five times.[12]

Player statistics[12]
Player Position Third Division South FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bill Berry FW 37 4 6 1 43 5
Fred Brown FW 39 7 7 3 46 10
Charlie Butler FB 21 0 4 0 25 0
George Chance FW 40 4 7 0 47 4
George Cook HB 7 0 1 0 8 0
Joe Craddock FW 3 1 0 0 3 1
Harold Crockford FW 7 1 0 0 7 1
Charles Davis HB 5 0 2 0 7 0
Dick Edmed FW 3 0 1 0 4 0
Freddie Fox GK 36 0 7 0 43 0
Tommy Hall FW 37 7 7 3 44 10
Dick Hendrie FB 25 0 3 0 28 0
Albert Hook HB 20 1 7 0 27 1
Norman Jones HB 39 0 7 1 46 1
Jimmy Keegan FW 4 0 0 0 4 0
Frank Marshall FW 41 8 7 2 48 10
Charles Orford HB 1 0 0 0 1 0
Len Ramsell FW 10 2 1 0 11 2
Jock Robertson FB 38 0 7 0 45 0
Jack Rutherford HB 29 0 0 0 29 0
Syd Smith FW 4 0 3 1 7 1
Arthur Sykes GK 6 0 0 0 6 0
Alf Vango HB 5 0 0 0 5 0
Thomas Wilkinson FW 5 0 0 0 5 0

FW = Forward, HB = Half-back, GK = Goalkeeper, FB = Full-back

Aftermath

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Less than three weeks after the final match of the domestic season, Fox played for England in an international match against France; the club has at times listed him as the first player to gain an international cap while on Gillingham's books,[50] but although he was still with Gillingham when the team selection was announced on 24 April,[51] he was transferred to Millwall before the match actually took place.[52][53]

Gillingham improved their final position again in the 1925–26 season, ending the campaign in 10th place, the first time the team had finished in the top half of the league table since entering the Football League.[54] Curtis left the club at the end of that campaign to become manager of Brentford;[55] after his departure it would be a further seven seasons before Gillingham finished in the top half again.[56]

Footnotes

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a. ^ The concept of substitutes 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.[57]

References

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  1. ^ Soar & Tyler 1983, p. 110.
  2. ^ Soar & Tyler 1983, p. 189.
  3. ^ Soar & Tyler 1983, pp. 190–192.
  4. ^ a b Soar & Tyler 1983, p. 193.
  5. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 84.
  6. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 100.
  7. ^ a b Triggs 1999, p. 36.
  8. ^ a b "Gillingham's new men". Western Evening Herald and Western Evening News. 27 August 1924. p. 5. Retrieved 24 February 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Triggs 1999, p. 48.
  10. ^ Bradley & Triggs 1994, p. 424.
  11. ^ "Football trials". Sunday Dispatch. 24 August 1924. p. 8. Retrieved 11 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Brown 2003, p. 38.
  13. ^ Triggs 2001, p. 12, 14, 16, 20, 22, 34.
  14. ^ "The League: Div. III". Sunday Mercury. 31 August 1924. p. 11. Retrieved 26 February 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "London sides fail to win". The Daily Telegraph. 4 September 1924. p. 14. Retrieved 4 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Watford lucky". Athletic News. 8 September 1924. p. 3. Retrieved 12 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. ^ "Gillingham's pluck". Daily Express. 9 September 1924. p. 9. Retrieved 13 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ^ "Division Three (South) table after close of play on 30 September 1924". 11v11. Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  19. ^ "Bristol City win by a disputed goal". Western Daily Press. 6 October 1924. p. 8. Retrieved 14 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Gillingham improve". Athletic News. 11 October 1924. p. 3. Retrieved 14 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ^ "Millwall beaten". Daily Herald. 23 October 1924. p. 10. Retrieved 17 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Northampton 1, Gillingham 0". Sunday Mercury. 26 October 1924. p. 13. Retrieved 19 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Gillingham 2, Charlton 0". Sunday Dispatch. 2 November 1924. p. 10. Retrieved 19 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Queens Park R 1, Gillingham 1". Sunday Mercury. 9 November 1924. p. 11. Retrieved 19 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Division Three (South) table after close of play on 8 November 1924". 11v11. Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  26. ^ "Gillingham's win". Athletic News. 17 November 1924. p. 3. Retrieved 24 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  27. ^ "Reading subdued". Daily Herald. 24 November 1924. p. 10. Retrieved 26 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Division Three (South) table after close of play on 22 November 1924". 11v11. Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Exeter's reserves". Athletic News. 8 December 1924. p. 3. Retrieved 27 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  30. ^ "Southend shine". Daily Herald. 27 December 1924. p. 8. Retrieved 27 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Gillingham 4, Luton Town 1". Sunday Dispatch. 28 December 1924. p. 10. Retrieved 27 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Division Three (South) table after close of play on 31 December 1924". 11v11. Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  33. ^ a b "Defeated at home". Daily Herald. 5 January 1925. p. 10. Retrieved 27 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Division Three (South) table after close of play on 03 January 1925". 11v11. Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
  35. ^ a b "Boscombe revival". Athletic News. 19 January 1925. p. 3. Retrieved 28 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  36. ^ "Division Three (South) table after close of play on 17 January 1925". 11v11. Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
  37. ^ "Well beaten". Athletic News. 26 January 1925. p. 3. Retrieved 28 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  38. ^ "Gillingham 2, Aberdare A. 0". Sunday Dispatch. 22 February 1925. p. 10. Retrieved 28 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ "Gillingham unlucky". Athletic News. 2 March 1925. p. 3. Retrieved 28 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  40. ^ a b Soar & Tyler 1983, p. 194.
  41. ^ a b Collett 2003, p. 307.
  42. ^ "Gillingham qualify". Western Morning News. 4 December 1924. p. 2. Retrieved 5 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ a b "Barrow's reward". Athletic News. 15 December 1924. p. 3. Retrieved 6 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  44. ^ "Barrow and Gillingham draw". The Daily Telegraph. 19 December 1924. p. 16. Retrieved 11 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ^ a b "Another draw!". Birmingham Gazette. 23 December 1924. p. 8. Retrieved 12 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ a b c "Inseparable companions". Birmingham Gazette. 31 December 1924. p. 8. Retrieved 13 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ a b "Barrow beat Gillingham". The Daily Telegraph. 1 January 1925. p. 16. Retrieved 13 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ Brown 2003, p. 124.
  49. ^ Joyce 2004, p. 199.
  50. ^ "Gillingham FC History (1893–)". Gillingham F.C. Archived from the original on 15 November 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  51. ^ "To meet France". Birmingham Gazette. 25 April 1925. Retrieved 6 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 91.
  53. ^ "Millwall's new custodians". Evening Standard. 27 April 1925. Retrieved 6 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  54. ^ Soar & Tyler 1983, pp. 189–194.
  55. ^ "Personalities in the Third Division". The Football Argus. 1 May 1926. p. 1. Retrieved 3 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  56. ^ Soar & Tyler 1983, pp. 195–201.
  57. ^ Bateman, Peter (18 September 2015). "Fifty years of substitutions in football: from necessary novelties to tactical tools". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.

Works cited

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