Gillingham’s first league game of the season was away to [[Exeter City F.C.|Exeter City]] on 16 August; Ford scored Gillingham’s goal in a 2–1 defeat. Three days later, Gillingham played their first [[home (sports)|home]] league match, against [[Reading F.C.|Reading]]. Henderson scored his first goal for the club and [[Damien Richardson (footballer)|Damien Richardson]] added a second to give Gillingham a 2–0 victory.
Gillingham’s first league game of the season was away to [[Exeter City F.C.|Exeter City]] on 16 August; Ford scored Gillingham’s goal in a 2–1 defeat. Three days later, Gillingham played their first [[home (sports)|home]] league match, against [[Reading F.C.|Reading]]. Henderson scored his first goal for the club and [[Damien Richardson (footballer)|Damien Richardson]] added a second to give Gillingham a 2–0 victory.
The team ended 1980 with two games on consecutive days, both of which ended in defeat. At the end of the calendar year, Gillingham were in 21st place in the Third Division [[standings (sports)|league table]], a position which if maintained at the end of the season would result in [[promotion and relegation|relegation]] to the [[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]].
The team ended 1980 with two games on consecutive days, both of which ended in defeat.
At the end of the calendar year, Gillingham were in 21st place in the Third Division [[standings (sports)|league table]], a position which if maintained at the end of the season would result in [[promotion and relegation|relegation]] to the [[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]].
===January–May===
===January–May===
Gillingham F.C. 1980–81 football season
During the 1980–81 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League Third Division, the third tier of the English football league system. It was the 49th season in which Gillingham competed in the Football League, and the 31st since the club was voted back into the league in 1950. The team won only twice in their first 12 games of the season and their form remained poor; by the end of 1980, they were in 21st place in the Third Division league table, a position which if maintained at the end of the season would result in relegation to the Fourth Division. Trevor Lee, signed for a new club record transfer fee, made his debut in January and was the team’s highest-scoring player in the second half of the season. With two games remaining, Gillingham could still potentially be relegated, but victory in their final home match of the season secured another season in the Third Division. The team’s manager, Gerry Summers, was dismissed from his post shortly after the season ended.
Gillingham also took part in two knockout competitions during the season. They were eliminated in the second round of the FA Cup after two s, by another Kent-based team, Maidstone United of the fifth-tier Alliance Premier League, in what was seen a shock result. They also reached the second round of the Football League Cup. The team played 54 competitive matches, winning 15, drawing 21, and losing 18. Ken Price was the team’s top goalscorer, with 13 goals. Andy Ford and Mark Weatherly made the most appearances, each playing 50 times. The highest attendance recorded at the club’s home ground, Priestfield Stadium, was 9,099 for the initial FA Cup match against Maidstone United.
Background and pre-season
The 1980–81 season was Gillingham‘s 49th season playing in the Football League and the 31st since the club was elected back into the League in 1950 after being voted out in 1938. It was the club’s seventh consecutive season in the Football League Third Division, the third tier of the English football league system, since the team gained promotion from the Fourth Division in 1974. In the six seasons since then, Gillingham had achieved a best finish of fourth place, one position away from promotion to the Second Division, in the 1978–79 season. The club had never reached the second level of English football in its history.[5]
Gerry Summers was the team’s manager, a position he had held since 1975; Alan Hodgkinson was assistant manager. Summers signed three new players prior to the new season. Peter Henderson, a winger, joined the club from Chester and Andy Ford, a defender, arrived from Swindon Town, both for transfer fees of £30,000. Kevin Lloyd, a forward, joined Gillingham on a free transfer from Cardiff City. The players’ kit for the season consisted of Gillingham’s usual blue shirts, white shorts and white socks. The away kit, to be worn in the event of a clash of colours with the home team, consisted of red and white halved shirts with red shorts and socks.[9] Speaking to the press before the start of the season, Summers said that it was “now or never” in terms of the club gaining promotion, but Gillingham were seen as outsiders by bookmakers.[10] With regard to his plans for the season, the manager said “I want only battlers and I don’t care if they’re lacking in technical aspects. So long as they’ve got guts and character, then we’ve all got a chance.”[10]
Third Division
August–December
Gillingham’s first league game of the season was away to Exeter City on 16 August; Ford scored Gillingham’s goal in a 2–1 defeat. Three days later, Gillingham played their first home league match, against Reading. Henderson scored his first goal for the club and Damien Richardson added a second to give Gillingham a 2–0 victory.
The team ended 1980 with two games on consecutive days, both of which ended in defeat.
At the end of the calendar year, Gillingham were in 21st place in the Third Division league table, a position which if maintained at the end of the season would result in relegation to the Fourth Division.
January–May
Gillingham’s first match of 1981 was a goalless draw at Priestfield Stadium against Rotherham United. On 8 January, Gillingham signed the forward Trevor Lee from Colchester United for a transfer fee of £90,000, a new record for the highest fee paid by the club to sign a player. He was expected to make his debut on 10 January against Burnley, but the match was postponed due to a viral outbreak among the Burnley players, and he instead made his debut a week later in an away game against Sheffield United.
Gillingham’s final league game of the season was away to Charlton Athletic, who had already clinched promotion to the Second Division.
Lee finished the season having scored six goals since joining Gillingham, making him the team’s highest scorer between the start of 1981 and the end of the season.
League match results
Key
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Partial league table
Cup matches
FA Cup
As a Third Division team, Gillingham entered the 1980-81 FA Cup at the first-round stage in November; they were drawn to play Dagenham of the semi-professional Isthmian League.
In the second round, Gillingham were paired with another Kent-based team, Maidstone United of the Alliance Premier League, the highest tier of non-League football.[11] The interest in a match between the county’s two leading teams meant that the match drew an attendance of 9,099, the highest of the season at Priestfield Stadium. The match finished 0–0 meaning that a replay was required; in the second half a shot from Gillingham’s Danny Westwood hit the goalpost and a header from his team-mate Dean White in the second half struck the crossbar but the Third Division team could not manage to score a goal.
The replay took place at Maidstone’s stadium, the Athletic Ground.
The result was seen as humiliating for Gillingham and the biggest victory in the history of their semi-professional opponents.[11][13] Speaking 35 years later, Barry Watling, Maidstone’s manager at the time of the victory, highlighted that several of his team had previously played for Gillingham and added “They’d been told they weren’t good enough, they’d dropped out of the league and they’d gone back there and proved a point. It was fantastic”.[14]
FA Cup match results
Key
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- Results
As a Third Division team, Gillingham entered the 1980-81 Football League Cup in the first round, which took place before the first league match of the season.
League Cup match results
Key
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- Results
Players
During the season, 23 players made at least one appearance for Gillingham. Mark Weatherly and Andy Ford made the most, both playing in 50 matches. Ken Price, Ron Hillyard, John Crabbe, and Steve Bruce all took part in more than 40 games. Lloyd made the fewest appearances, playing only twice. His two appearances, both as a substitute, were the only games he played for Gillingham, meaning that he left the club without ever being named in a starting line-up. Price was the team’s top goalscorer, with 11 goals in the Third Division and 13 in total. No other player scored more than seven goals.
Aftermath
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Summers was dismissed from his post at the end of the season, partly due to controversy surrounding his decision to release several popular players, including Damien Richardson, from their contracts.[17] Summers announced his intention to sue the club for unfair dismissal, telling the press “I obviously don’t expect to get my job back but there is the matter of compensation which was promised to me and has not been forthcoming.”[17] In July, Keith Peacock was appointed as the club’s new manager; he had most recently worked as the assistant manager of Tampa Bay Rowdies in the United States.[19] In his first season in charge, Gillingham finished in 6th place in the Third Division.
