# 2005–06 Gillingham F.C. season

During the 2005–06 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in League One of English football as well as the FA Cup, the League Cup and the League Trophy.

## Season summary

Gillingham began the 2005–06 season in League One under the management of Neale Cooper off the back of relegation on goal difference from the Championship the season prior. As the club went through a poor run of form from late August through September the pressure was mounting on the manager who, on multiple occasions during that period, made his frustrations with the players known to the media after particularly poor performances. These included a disappointing 0-0 draw at home against Yeovil Town and the first round of the FA Cup in which Gillingham were knocked out by Burscough who were competing in the Northern Premier League (part of the seventh tier of the English football league system). By mid-November, Gillingham found themselves in the relegation zone at 22nd in the league table and Cooper made the decision to resign. The club's assistant manager since December 2004, Ronnie Jepson, took over the role. This was initially intended to be a temporary solution until a permanent successor was found however due to an impressive turnaround of form Jepson would go on to keep the role for almost 2 years.
Jepson was confident in his ability to turn the results around and keep Gillingham from a second consecutive relegation campaign with the squad that he inherited from Cooper. An immediate improvement in form was noticeable with Gillingham taking 13 points from a possible 21 in the league for the remainder of the calendar year compared to just 17 of a possible 51 that Cooper had acquired since the beginning of the campaign. By the turn of the new year, Gillingham found themselves at 17th in the league, comfortably out of the relegation zone. However, despite Jepson's initial confidence in the squad, a series of injuries and suspensions in Gillingham's forward lineup throughout the early stages of 2006 led to difficulties in the attacking third with youngsters Gavin Grant and Akwasi Fobi-Edusei filling in for injured Paul Shields and Matt Jarvis. Striker Darren Byfield, who missed two months in late 2005 with a knee injury, also missed some games in early 2006 after he was hit with multiple suspensions. Despite these setbacks, Byfield, who left Gillingham as a free transfer at the end of the season for local rivals Millwall despite Jepson being keen on keeping him at the club, went on to be the club's top goal scorer that season, netting 14 goals in all competitions including 13 in the league.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 12 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 68 | 73 | −5 | 60 |
| 13 | Port Vale | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 49 | 54 | −5 | 60 |
| 14 | Gillingham | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 50 | 64 | −14 | 60 |
| 15 | Yeovil Town | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 54 | 62 | −8 | 56 |
| 16 | Chesterfield | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 63 | 73 | −10 | 56 |

## Results

Gillingham's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League One

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| 6 August 2005 | Colchester United | H | 2–1 | 7,293 | Crofts, Byfield |
| 9 August 2005 | Port Vale | A | 0–0 | 4,931 | |
| 13 August 2005 | Scunthorpe United | A | 1–1 | 5,007 | Hessenthaler |
| 20 August 2005 | AFC Bournemouth | H | 1–0 | 6,568 | Browning (own goal) |
| 27 August 2005 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1–3 | 7,228 | Byfield |
| 29 August 2005 | Brentford | A | 1–1 | 6,969 | Harris |
| 10 September 2005 | Rotherham United | A | 0–3 | 4,253 | |
| 13 September 2005 | Barnsley | H | 0–3 | 5,283 | |
| 17 September 2005 | Oldham Athletic | H | 0–1 | 6,259 | |
| 24 September 2005 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 2–2 | 7,003 | Byfield (2 including 1 pen) |
| 27 September 2005 | Chesterfield | H | 1–0 | 7,472 | Sancho |
| 1 October 2005 | Southend United | H | 1–2 | 8,128 | Pouton |
| 15 October 2005 | Yeovil Town | H | 0–0 | 6,848 | |
| 22 October 2005 | Bradford City | A | 0–1 | 7,729 | |
| 29 October 2005 | Blackpool | H | 2–1 | 6,300 | Hope, Harris |
| 1 November 2005 | Hartlepool United | A | 1–3 | 4,522 | Collin |
| 12 November 2005 | Walsall | A | 0–2 | 4,785 | |
| 19 November 2005 | Hartlepool United | H | 1–0 | 6,092 | Shields |
| 26 November 2005 | Colchester United | A | 0–5 | 3,801 | |
| 6 December 2005 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 1–0 | 4,861 | Flynn |
| 10 December 2005 | Port Vale | H | 3–0 | 6,210 | Harris, Jarvis (2) |
| 17 December 2005 | AFC Bournemouth | A | 1–2 | 6,177 | Harris |
| 26 December 2005 | Bristol City | H | 1–1 | 7,786 | Flynn |
| 31 December 2005 | Milton Keynes Dons | H | 3–0 | 6,012 | Johnson, Clohessy, Pouton |
| 2 January 2006 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0–0 | 11,483 | |
| 10 January 2006 | Barnsley | A | 0–1 | 7,090 | |
| 14 January 2006 | Swindon Town | H | 3–0 | 7,300 | Byfield, Flynn, Harris |
| 21 January 2006 | Oldham Athletic | A | 0–2 | 5,783 | |
| 28 January 2006 | Rotherham United | H | 1–1 | 6,107 | Grant |
| 31 January 2006 | Swansea City | A | 2–1 | 14,357 | Byfield, Harris |
| 4 February 2006 | Chesterfield | A | 1–1 | 4,652 | Black |
| 11 February 2006 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 1–1 | 6,803 | Byfield |
| 14 February 2006 | Swindon Town | A | 0–1 | 5,530 | |
| 18 February 2006 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 0–2 | 5,738 | |
| 25 February 2006 | Scunthorpe United | H | 1–3 | 6,029 | Cochrane |
| 11 March 2006 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1–1 | 19,446 | Bennett (own goal) |
| 18 March 2006 | Bristol City | A | 0–6 | 10,932 | |
| 21 March 2006 | Brentford | H | 3–2 | 5,745 | Sancho, Byfield (2 including 1 pen) |
| 25 March 2006 | Swansea City | H | 1–0 | 6,909 | Byfield (pen) |
| 1 April 2006 | Milton Keynes Dons | A | 2–1 | 6,432 | Byfield, Black |
| 8 April 2006 | Huddersfield Town | H | 2–0 | 7,014 | Mulligan, Jarvis |
| 14 April 2006 | Southend United F.C. | A | 1–0 | 11,195 | Black |
| 17 April 2006 | Bradford City | H | 2–1 | 7,281 | Black, Flynn |
| 22 April 2006 | Yeovil Town | A | 3–4 | 6,040 | Black, Flynn, Crofts |
| 29 April 2006 | Walsall | H | 0–1 | 7,757 | |
| 6 May 2006 | Blackpool | A | 3–3 | 8,541 | Byfield (2), Flynn |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 5 November 2005 | Burscough | A | 2–3 | 1,927 | Jarvis, Saunders |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 23 August 2005 | Oxford United | H | 1–0 | 4,149 | Jarvis |
| R2 | 20 September 2005 | Portsmouth | H | 3–2 | 4,903 | Byfield, Ashdown (own goal), Crofts |
| R3 | 25 October 2005 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 0–2 | 6,874 | |

### League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 18 October 2005 | Crawley Town | H | 2–0 | 1,988 | Jackman, Collin |
| R2 | 22 November 2005 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 2–2 (1–3 p) | 2,111 | Jarvis (2) |

## Player details

Includes players with at least one appearance in any competition
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | League One | League One | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | League Trophy | League Trophy |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 13 | GK | WAL | Jason Brown | 41 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | GK | ENG | Tony Bullock | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Paul Crichton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | DF | ENG | Danny Jackman | 47 | 1 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | DF | TRI | Ian Cox | 40 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | ENG | Leon Johnson | 30 | 1 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Chris Hope | 29 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | TRI | Brent Sancho | 21 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | ENG | Sean Clohessy | 21 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | CYP | Tom Williams | 18 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | ENG | Richard Rose | 17 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ATG | Justin Cochrane | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Mark Corneille | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | WAL | Andrew Crofts | 51 | 3 | 45 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Matt Jarvis | 41 | 7 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | MF | WAL | Michael Flynn | 40 | 6 | 36 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | ENG | Danny Spiller | 34 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | ENG | Alan Pouton | 24 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Andy Hessenthaler | 21 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Jon Wallis | 20 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Mark Saunders | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Paul Smith | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | ENG | Craig Stone | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | ENG | Neil Harris | 39 | 6 | 36 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | JAM | Darren Byfield | 32 | 14 | 29 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | FW | SCO | Paul Shields | 19 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Tommy Black | 17 | 5 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | IRL | Gary Mulligan | 13 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | SCO | Steven Hislop | 11 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | ENG | Gavin Grant | 10 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | FW | ENG | Frannie Collin | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 31 | FW | ENG | Akwasi Fobi-Edusei | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | FW | ATG | Moses Ashikodi | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | FW | ENG | Steve Claridge | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Transfers
### Transfers In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 29 June 2005 | GK | Tony Bullock | Dundee United | Free transfer |
| 21 July 2005 | DF | Tom Williams | Barnsley | Free transfer |
| 22 July 2005 | DF | Danny Jackman | Stockport County | Free transfer |
| 3 August 2005 | FW | Paul Shields | Forfar Athletic | £25,000 |
| 19 August 2005 | DF | Brent Sancho | Dundee | Free transfer |
| 19 August 2005 | FW | Steve Claridge | Millwall | Free transfer |
| 25 August 2005 | FW | Steven Hislop | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Signed |
| 9 December 2005 | FW | Gavin Grant | Tooting & Mitcham United | Signed |
| 15 May 2006 | FW | Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu | Cardiff City | Free Transfer |
| 23 May 2006 | MF | Mark Bentley | Southend United | Free Transfer |
| 23 May 2006 | MF | Dean McDonald | Ipswich Town | Free Transfer |
| 23 May 2006 | DF | Duncan Jupp | Southend United | Free Transfer |
| 1 July 2006 | FW | Gary Mulligan | Sheffield United | Free Transfer |

### Transfers Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 23 June 2005 | FW | Mamady Sidibé | Stoke City | Free transfer |
| 29 June 2005 | DF | John Hills | Sheffield Wednesday | Free transfer |
| 12 July 2005 | DF | Dean Beckwith | Hereford | Free transfer |
| 22 July 2005 | MF | Paul Smith | Walsall | Free transfer |
| 1 August 2005 | GK | Bertrand Bossu | Darlington | Free transfer |
| 4 August 2005 | FW | Darius Henderson | Watford | £450,000 |
| 9 August 2005 | GK | Steve Banks | Hearts | Signed |
| 26 August 2005 | FW | Steve Claridge | Bradford City | Free transfer |
| 1 January 2006 | DF | Tom Williams | Swansea City | Signed |
| 1 January 2006 | GK | Danny Knowles | Released | - |
| 1 January 2006 | FW | Iwan Roberts | Released | - |
| 6 January 2006 | GK | Tony Bullock | St Mirren | Signed |
| 6 January 2006 | MF | Mark Saunders | Folkestone | Free transfer |
| 11 January 2006 | FW | Steven Hislop | Livingston | Signed |
| 19 January 2006 | MF | Andy Hessenthaler | Barnet | Free transfer |
| 1 April 2006 | FW | Paul Shields | Released | - |
| 11 May 2006 | FW | Gavin Grant | Millwall | Free transfer |
| 8 June 2006 | FW | Darren Byfield | Millwall | Free transfer |
| 26 June 2006 | GK | Jason Brown | Blackburn Rovers | Free transfer |
| 26 June 2006 | GK | Paul Crichton | Cambridge United | Free transfer |
| 29 June 2006 | DF | Richard Rose | Hereford | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2006 | MF | Jon Wallis | Hereford | Free transfer |