1963–64 Gillingham F.C. season
| 1963–64 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Dr Clifford Grossmark |
| Manager | Freddie Cox |
| Football League Fourth Division | 1st |
| FA Cup | First Round |
| League Cup | Fourth Round |
| Top goalscorer |
League: Brian Gibbs (17) All: Brian Gibbs (18) |
| Highest home attendance | 17,421 vs Carlisle United (9 October 1963) |
| Lowest home attendance | 5,274 vs Chester (7 March 1964) |
The 1963–64 season was the thirty-second season in which football club Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League, and the fourteenth since the club's return to the League in 1950. Gillingham finished the season as champions of the Football League Fourth Division, the first honour the club had ever won at a professional level, and also reached the fourth round of the Football League Cup, a feat which the club did not repeat for over thirty years.
Football League
Manager Freddie Cox stuck mainly to the team which had finished in fifth place in the previous season, his only major signing being that of veteran Crewe Alexandra defender Geoff Hudson. The Gillingham team was noted for its strong defensive capabilities, and this was borne out as the Gills conceded only two goals in their first ten matches. Goalkeeper John Simpson went on to set a new club record by conceding only 30 goals all season, and the team finished the season level on 60 points with Carlisle United, but with a fractionally better goal average, and so claimed the championship in the tightest finish in Football League history.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result
F – A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-08-24 | Bradford Park Avenue | H | 2–0 | Pulley, Gibbs | 8,562 |
| 1963-08-28 | Bradford City | H | 0–0 | 7,923 | |
| 1963-08-31 | Southport | A | 1–1 | Farrall | 4,123 |
| 1963-09-07 | Exeter City | H | 0–0 | 8,381 | |
| 1963-09-11 | Bradford City | A | 2–0 | Gibbs, Godfrey | 2,399 |
| 1963-09-14 | Hartlepool United | A | 0–0 | 3,022 | |
| 1963-09-18 | Lincoln City | H | 1–0 | Hudson | 6,949 |
| 1963-09-21 | Darlington | H | 2–1 | Gibbs, Newman | 8,269 |
| 1963-09-27 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 0–0 | 10,277 | |
| 1963-10-02 | Lincoln City | A | 3–0 | Francis 2, Gibbs | 8,968 |
| 1963-10-05 | Halifax Town | H | 2–1 | Francis 2 | 10,745 |
| 1963-10-09 | Carlisle United | H | 2–0 | Opponent own goal, Francis | 17,421 |
| 1963-10-12 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 2–1 | Gibbs 2 | 6,670 |
| 1963-10-15 | Carlisle United | A | 1–3 | Gibbs | 11,900 |
| 1963-10-19 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–0 | White | 13,451 |
| 1963-10-23 | Torquay United | H | 2–0 | Yeo, Gibbs | 15,338 |
| 1963-10-26 | Chester | A | 0–1 | 8,395 | |
| 1963-10-30 | Torquay United | A | 0–1 | 4,892 | |
| 1963-11-02 | York City | H | 1–0 | Ballagher | 9,548 |
| 1963-11-09 | Barrow | A | 3–0 | Gibbs 2, Pulley | 3,606 |
| 1963-11-23 | Oxford United | A | 1–3 | Gibbs | 8,567 |
| 1963-11-30 | Workington | H | 3–1 | Gibbs 2, Hunt | 9,852 |
| 1963-12-14 | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 0–1 | 4,930 | |
| 1963-12-21 | Southport | H | 5–1 | Newman 3, Yeo, Pulley | 5,529 |
| 1963-12-26 | Chesterfield | A | 3–0 | Pulley 2, Newman | 6,590 |
| 1963-12-28 | Chesterfield | H | 1–0 | Gibbs | 10,792 |
| 1964-01-04 | Rochdale | H | 0–0 | 8,099 | |
| 1964-01-11 | Exeter City | A | 0–0 | 10,915 | |
| 1964-01-18 | Hartlepool United | H | 2–0 | Newman 2 | 7,536 |
| 1964-02-01 | Darlington | A | 1–1 | Pulley | 2,814 |
| 1964-02-08 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–2 | Newman, Francis | 8,166 |
| 1964-02-15 | Halifax Town | A | 0–0 | 2,080 | |
| 1964-02-22 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 1–1 | Gibbs | 7,681 |
| 1964-02-29 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 1–2 | Ballagher | 15,349 |
| 1964-03-07 | Chester | H | 2–1 | Ridley, Ballagher | 5,274 |
| 1964-03-27 | Aldershot | H | 2–0 | Newman, Hunt | 12,171 |
| 1964-03-28 | Stockport County | A | 0–2 | 2,649 | |
| 1964-03-30 | Aldershot | A | 1–1 | Newman | 7,183 |
| 1964-04-08 | Barrow | H | 3–1 | Hunt, Burgess, Ridley | 11,583 |
| 1964-04-11 | Workington | A | 0–1 | 6,536 | |
| 1964-04-15 | Oxford United | H | 2–0 | Gibbs, Ballagher | 12,051 |
| 1964-04-18 | Newport County | H | 1–1 | Gibbs | 9,584 |
| 1964-04-22 | Stockport County | H | 0–0 | 12,846 | |
| 1964-04-25 | Rochdale | A | 1–2 | Godfrey | 2,737 |
| 1964-04-27 | York City | A | 1–0 | Newman | 3,317 |
| 1964-04-30 | Newport County | A | 1–0 | Francis | 3,229 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; Pts = Points
FA Cup
As a Fourth Division club, Gillingham entered the FA Cup at the first round, but were beaten 4–1 by Queens Park Rangers of the Third Division.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result
F – A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-11-16 | First | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–4 | Arnott | 12,141 |
Football League Cup
Gillingham entered the League Cup at the first round stage and defeated Bristol City, followed by a win over Bury in the second round. In the third round the Gills were drawn away to Bristol Rovers of the Third Division. After holding Rovers to a draw, the Gills emerged victorious in a replay at Priestfield Stadium to set up a fourth round match away to Leicester City of the First Division. Top-flight opposition proved too much for Gillingham, however, who were beaten 4–1 at Filbert Street.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result
F – A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-09-04 | First | Bristol City | H | 4–2 | Stringfellow 2, Waldock, Gibbs | 5,940 |
| 1963-09-25 | Second | Bury | H | 3–0 | Pulley 2, opponent own goal | 14,979 |
| 1963-11-04 | Third | Bristol Rovers | A | 1–1 | Ballagher | 10,149 |
| 1963-11-06 | Third (replay) | Bristol Rovers | H | 3–1 | Newman 2, Pulley | 10,771 |
| 1963-11-27 | Fourth | Leicester City | A | 1–4 | Francis | 10,356 |
Squad statistics
Gillingham used a total of 22 players during the course of the season, two of whom, Mike Burgess and John Simpson, featured in all 52 competitive matches. Brian Gibbs was also ever-present in Football League matches, and finished the season as the team's top scorer, with 18 goals in all competitions.
| Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| John Arnott | 43 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 49 | 1 |
| John Ballagher | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 5 |
| Mike Burgess | 46 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 52 | 1 |
| Don Campbell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Alec Farrall | 45 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 51 | 1 |
| George Francis | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 8 |
| Brian Gibbs | 46 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 50 | 18 |
| Peter Godfrey | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
| Geoff Hudson | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 1 |
| Dennis Hunt | 43 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 49 | 3 |
| John Meredith | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Roy Moss | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ron Newman | 37 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 41 | 13 |
| Gordon Pulley | 31 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 37 | 9 |
| Bob Ridley | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| John Simpson | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 52 | 0 |
| Terry Stacey | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Peter Stringfellow | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 2 |
| Rod Taylor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ronnie Waldock | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| Jimmy White | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Brian Yeo | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
See also
References
- Brown, Tony (2003). The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record. Soccerdata. ISBN 1-899468-20-X.
- Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893–1984. Kent County Libraries.
- Bradley, Andy; Roger Triggs (1994). Home of the Shouting Men: Complete History of Gillingham Football Club 1893–1993. Gillingham F.C. ISBN 0-9523361-0-3.