1949–50 Gillingham F.C. season

Gillingham
1949–50 season
ChairmanCharles Cox[1]
ManagerArchie Clark
Southern League
Division One		5th
FA CupSecond Round
Southern League CupSecond Round
Top goalscorerLeague: Harry Williams (18)
All: Harry Williams (18)
Highest home attendanceTBC
Lowest home attendanceTBC

During the 1949–50 English football season, Gillingham F.C. played in the Southern League Division One. It was the fourth season of the club's third spell in the league.

Gillingham also competed in the FA Cup, reaching the second round.

Background and pre-season

Gillingham had been among the founder members of the Football League Third Division in 1920, which was renamed the Third Division South when a parallel Third Division North was created a year later. In 18 seasons between 1920 and 1938, the team consistently struggled, only finishing in the top half of the league table three times. They finished in the bottom two on five occasions, requiring them to apply each time for re-election to the League.[2][3] The club's fifth application was unsuccessful; Ipswich Town of the regional Southern League received more votes than Gillingham from the Football League's other member clubs in the ballot following the 1937–38 season and thus secured election to the Third Division South.[4] Gillingham initially took Ipswich's place in the Southern League; when competitive football resumed after the Second World War, Gillingham played in the more localised Kent League for one season before returning to the Southern League in the 1946–47 season and winning the championship twice in three seasons.[5]

Archie Clark was the team's manager, a post he had held since 1939.[6] The club signed several new players, including Harry Williams and Billy Bates, both forwards, from Tottenham Hotspur and Watford respectively.[7] Williams was signed after he scored a hat-trick in a pre-season trial match.[8] Joe Millbank, a half-back, was signed from Queens Park Rangers; he had been made available for transfer by his former club and valued at £5,000, but because Gillingham played outside the Football League they were not required to pay any fee to sign him.[9] Jack Day, a goalkeeper who had played for Gillingham between 1946 and 1948, rejoined the club after short and unsuccessful spells with Football League clubs Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion,[10] The team wore Gillingham's usual kit of blue shirts and white shorts.

Southern League Division One

August–December

Gillingham began the season with a 3–0 defeat away to Gravesend & Northfleet on 20 August.[11] Williams and Bates made their debuts for the club, as did Fred Collier, a full-back, and Victor Cook, a goalkeeper; it would prove to be the only match Collier played for Gillingham. Four days later, the team played their first game of the season at their home ground, Priestfield Stadium, against Hastings United. Day replaced Cook in goal. In an extremely one-sided game, Gillingham won 8–0; Williams scored six goals, the most scored by a Gillingham player in a single game since Hughie Russell scored nine times in a 12–1 victory over Gloucester City in November 1946.

Gillingham's final three games of 1949 took place within four days.

January–May

Gillingham's first game of 1950 was at home to the Welsh team Lovell's Athletic.

Gillingham finished in fifth place in the Southern League Division One, 16 points behind champions Merthyr Tydfil.[11]

League match details

Key
Results[11]
Date Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
20 August 1949 Gravesend & Northfleet (A) 0–3 4,915
24 August 1949 Hastings United (H) 8–0 Williams (6), Carr, Forrester 7,568
27 August 1949 Gloucester City (H) 6–1 Williams (2), Warsap (2), Carr, Russell (pen.) 9,164
3 September 1949 Hereford United (A) 1–1 Carr 5,548
7 September 1949 Hastings United (A) 1–2 Carr 1,995
14 September 1949 Chelmsford City (H) 2–2 Carr, Briggs 7,772
17 September 1949 Cheltenham Town (H) 3–1 Briggs (2), Kingsnorth (pen.) 8,580
21 September 1949 Chelmsford City (A) 1–1 Warsap 6,500
24 September 1949 Colchester United (A) 1–2 Williams 10,918
1 October 1949 Cheltenham Town (A) 2–1 Carr, Russell 3,213
8 October 1949 Torquay United Reserves (H) 1–1 Williams 9,312
15 October 1949 Worcester City (A) 1–2 B. Burtenshaw 4,464
29 October 1949 Dartford (A) 1–2 Forrester 5,883
5 November 1949 Kidderminster Harriers (H) 4–2 B. Burtenshaw (2), Forrester, Russell 5,937
19 November 1949 Worcester City (H) 2–0 Russell (2) 9,479
3 December 1949 Bedford Town (H) 1–0 Potter (o.g.) 7,945
24 December 1949 Gloucester City (A) 1–3 Williams 3,253
26 December 1949 Tonbridge (H) 3–0 C. Burtenshaw, Russell, Briggs 10,381
27 December 1949 Tonbridge (A) 1–2 Briggs 6,756
31 December 1949 Yeovil Town (H) 0–1 11,577
7 January 1950 Lovell's Athletic (H) 2–0 Carr, B. Burtenshaw 7,571
14 January 1950 Bedford Town (A) 1–1 B. Burtenshaw 3,954
28 January 1950 Torquay United Reserves (A) 2–1 Williams (2) 1,962
4 February 1950 Gravesend & Northfleet (H) 4–2 Williams, Russell, B. Burtenshaw, Forrester 11,158
11 February 1950 Exeter City Reserves (H) 4–1 Russell, B. Burtenshaw, Carr, Williams 7,609
25 February 1950 Lovell's Athletic (A) 2–2 B. Burtenshaw, Williams 500
4 March 1950 Barry Town (A) 3–0 B. Burtenshaw (2), Williams 171
9 March 1950 Chingford (A) 2–1 B. Burtenshaw, Russell 307
11 March 1950 Bath City (H) 1–1 Carr 7,749
15 March 1950 Hereford United (H) 4–0 McGuire, Carr, C. Burtenshaw (pen.), Williams 6,000
25 March 1950 Yeovil Town (A) 1–2 Russell not recorded
1 April 1950 Guildford City (H) 0–0 7,973
5 April 1950 Headington United (H) 2–0 Forrester (2) 4,086
7 April 1950 Weymouth (H) 1–1 Briggs 9,233
8 April 1950 Chingford (H) 4–1 Hales (2), Kingsnorth, Warsap 6,277
12 April 1950 Kidderminster Harriers (A) 2–0 Hales, C. Burtenshaw not recorded
15 April 1950 Exeter City Reserves (A) 1–5 Briggs not recorded
17 April 1950 Merthyr Tydfil (A) 0–4 not recorded
22 April 1950 Headington United (A) 3–1 Briggs (2), Forrester 5,500
24 April 1950 Weymouth (A) 0–2 not recorded
26 April 1950 Dartford (H) 2–0 Russell, Kingsnorth (pen.) 4,000
28 April 1950 Barry Town (H) 1–0 Carr 3,423
29 April 1950 Colchester United (H) 6–1 Hales (3), Warsap, Russell, Briggs 4,875
1 May 1950 Bath City (A) 1–3 B. Burtenshaw not recorded
3 May 1950 Merthyr Tydfil (H) 3–1 Russell, Warsap, Carr 8,126
6 May 1950 Guildford City (A) 1–4 Piper not recorded

Partial league table

Main article: 1949–50 Southern Football League
Southern League Division One, leading positions
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1 Merthyr Tydfil 46 34 3 9 143 62 2.306 71
2 Colchester United 46 31 9 6 109 51 2.137 71 Elected to the Football League Third Division South
3 Yeovil Town 46 29 7 10 104 45 2.311 65
4 Chelmsford City 46 26 9 11 121 64 1.891 61
5 Gillingham 46 23 9 14 92 61 1.508 55 Elected to the Football League Third Division South
6 Dartford 46 20 9 17 70 65 1.077 49
7 Worcester City 46 21 7 18 85 80 1.063 49
Source: [citation needed]

FA Cup

Gillingham entered the 1949–50 FA Cup at the fourth and final qualifying round stage; their opponents were another Southern League Division One team, Guildford City.[11]

FA Cup match details

Key
Results[11]
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
12 November 1949 Fourth qualifying Guildford City (A) 3–2 C. Burtenshaw, Russell, Briggs 7,227
26 November 1949 First Hastings United (A) 3–1 Collins (pen.), Russell, C. Burtenshaw 9,150
10 December 1949 Second Yeovil Town (A) 1–3 Russell (pen.) 12,041

Southern League Cup

Gillingham lost to Colchester United in the second round of the 1949–50 Southern League Cup.[11] The veteran forward Tug Wilson made his only appearance of the season in the second round match; it was the final game he played for Gillingham, a club he had joined as a teenager in 1936.

Southern League Cup match details

Key
Results[11]
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
10 September 1949 First Barry Town (H) 3–1 Forrester, Briggs, Carr 7,690
12 October 1949 Second Colchester United (H) 0–1 (a.e.t.) 6,639

Players

Charlie Marks made the most appearances, playing 49 times. Harry Williams was the team's top goalscorer, scoring 18 times in just 20 games.[11]

Player statistics[11]
Player Position Southern League
Division One 		FA Cup Southern League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
George Armstrong FB 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Billy Bates FW 6 0 0 0 2 0 8 0
Jimmy Boswell HB 30 0 3 0 2 0 35 0
Jackie Briggs FW 25 10 3 1 1 1 29 12
Johnny Burke GK 28 0 2 0 1 0 31 0
Bill Burtenshaw FW 18 12 3 0 0 0 21 12
Charlie Burtenshaw FW 26 3 3 2 0 0 29 5
Jackie Carr FW 36 12 0 0 1 1 37 13
Fred Collier FB 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Bill Collins HB 35 0 3 1 0 0 38 1
Victor Cook GK 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Jack Day GK 16 0 1 0 1 0 18 0
George Dorling FB 37 0 3 0 2 0 42 0
George Forrester FW 35 7 3 0 2 1 40 8
Billy Hales FW 9 6 0 0 0 0 9 6
J. Kay FW 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Tommy Kingsnorth HB 42 3 3 0 2 0 47 3
Charlie Marks FB 44 0 3 0 2 0 49 0
Les McGuire FW 4 1 0 0 0 0 4 1
Joe Millbank HB 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
George Piper HB 23 1 0 0 0 0 23 1
George Poulton FW 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Hughie Russell FW 32 13 3 3 2 0 37 16
Stan Trumper FW 4 0 0 0 1 0 5 0
Johnny Warsap FW 21 6 0 0 0 0 21 6
Harry Williams FW 19 18 0 0 1 0 20 18
Tug Wilson FW 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0

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

Aftermath

The Football League opted to increase the membership of each of the two Third Divisions from 22 to 24 clubs with effect from the 1950–51 season; Gillingham applied for one of the new places in the Third Division South and received the highest number of votes among the applicants, thereby returning to the Football League after 12 years.[3][12] Charles Cox, the club's chairman, told the press "It has been an uphill struggle to get back. Thank God we've done it. We must never find ourselves in that position again."[13]

References

  1. ^ Bradley & Triggs 1994, p. 392.
  2. ^ Soar & Tyler 1983, p. 110.
  3. ^ a b Mitchell, Reeves & Tyler 2013, p. 140.
  4. ^ "Ipswich Town F.C. in Third Division". Daily Telegraph. 31 May 1938. Retrieved 8 September 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Rollin 1990, p. 253.
  6. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 180.
  7. ^ Brown 2003, p. TBC.
  8. ^ Chaplin, J. C. (19 August 1949). "Clashing of seasons always bring 'chaos'". Essex Newsman-Herald. p. 4. Retrieved 24 May 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "How the money goes / Four at Chelmsford". Evening Standard. 12 August 1949. p. 11. Retrieved 24 May 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Triggs 2001, p. TBC.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Brown 2003, p. 59.
  12. ^ Coles, Frank (5 June 1950). "4 More Clubs in League". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 September 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Elligate 2009, p. 101.

Works cited