Following the previous season’s miraculous escape from relegation the 1970/71 season had an air of inevitability about it.
By 1970 I was 12, so still couldn’t afford to go to every home game, but I did see 13 out of 23. The list of matches I saw with their results shows just how bad the season was!
Gillingham 1-2 Torquay United
Gillingham 2-2 Mansfield Town
Gillingham 1-4 Bristol Rovers
Gillingham 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Gillingham 1-2 Wrexham
Gillingham 1-2 Bury
Gillingham 0-1 Doncaster Rovers
Gillingham 0-0 Swansea City
Gillingham 0-0 Aston Villa
Gillingham 0-2
Gillingham 1-3 Fulham
Gillingham 1-1 Port Vale
Gillingham 1-1 Chesterfield
I witnessed 13 home games and we did not win any of them!
By the time we played Chesterfield on Wednesday 28th April 1971, we had already been relegated. A Derek Woodley goal had put the Gills 1-0 up on the night and going into the last minute, we were still leading. This was it, we may be down, but I was going to see us win at last! It wasn’t to be, however, and with the very last kick of the game Chesterfield equalized. (There wasn’t even time for the Gills to kick off!) In 40 years of watching live football this is the one and only time I’ve seen this happen!
There was one major highlight of the season. This was the visit of Aston Villa to Priestfield for a Division 3 match on Wednesday 10th March 1970. Villa had been relegated from Division 2 the previous season and spent two seasons in the third before being promoted back to the second.
A crowd of 10,812 (6,000 above the season’s average) packed into Priestfield to see struggling Gillingham hold the mighty Villa to a goal-less draw. Along with a 2-1 home win against eventual champions, Preston North End; these were probably our best results of a poor season.
Wednesday 10th March 1970
Division Three
Gillingham 0-0 Aston Villa
Att: 10,812
Gills: - Simpson, McVeigh, Peach, Tydeman, Galvin, Quirke, Bailey, Yeo, Green, Darrell, Smillie
Gillingham finished 1970/71 rooted to the foot of the division with a record of;-
P. 46 W. 10 D. 13 L. 23 F. 42 A. 67 Pts. 33 (only 2 points for a win back then)
We didn’t fare any better in the cups going out 1-0 at home to Luton Town in the League Cup 1st round and 2-1 away at Brentford in the 1st round of the FA Cup.
Manager Basil Hayward left the club by mutual consent (he was sacked) which wasn’t surprising really. A converted centre back, Mike Green, was top scorer with 11 goals whilst the normally prolific Brian Yeo notched only 10 (not surprising, really, since Hayward played him in midfield for the majority of the season!)
The season may have ended, but there was still one more game to play. Gillingham’s legendary keeper John Simpson had made his 600th appearance for the club at Halifax Town on 3rd April 1970. He was rewarded with a testimonial, which was played on 10th May, against Crystal Palace. I was in the crowd of 9,118 that saw us lose 4-1 to the Eagles with guest player, Rodney Marsh, scoring for the Gills.
I was resigned to a summer of thinking about watching the Gills playing 4th division football. Things could only get better; I might even see us win a game!
(to be continued)