List of Gillingham F.C. managers
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates
Gillingham Football Club is an English association football club originally formed in 1893 and known until 1913 as New Brompton F.C. The first man to hold a role equivalent to what is today referred to as a manager was William Ironside Groombridge, who was appointed as club secretary in June 1896 and quickly expanded the role to cover all aspects of team and club administration. Apart from two two-year spells when the club opted to appoint a full-time team manager to allow Groombridge to concentrate solely on club administration, he fulfilled the dual roles of secretary and manager until after the First World War. Upon being admitted to the Football League in May 1920, the club appointed Robert Brown as manager, but he resigned without ever taking charge of a match. He was replaced by Scotsman John McMillan, the club's first non-English manager.
The next significant manager of Gillingham was Archie Clark, under whose management the club returned to the Football League in 1950, having been voted out in 1938. Freddie Cox was the first manager to win a major trophy with Gillingham, taking the Football League Fourth Division championship in the 1963–64 season. Under his successor, Basil Hayward, the club was relegated back to the Fourth Division in the 1970–71 season, but Andy Nelson led the club to promotion back to Division Three three years later. After the Gills were relegated once again in the 1988–89 season, Tony Pulis managed the club to promotion seven years later. Pulis also took the team to the final of the play-offs for promotion to the second tier of English football in the 1998–99 season. Pulis was sacked immediately after this for gross misconduct,[1] but his successor, Peter Taylor, took the club back to the play-off final the following season, in which victory over Wigan Athletic saw the club promoted to Division One for the first time in its history. Peter Taylor left to join Leicester during the close season and club captain Andy Hessenthaler took over as manager for the club's first, and to date only, stint in the second tier.
After Hessenthaler was dismissed following a poor start to the 2004–05 season, the club saw a number of managers come and go in a relatively short time before Mark Stimson's arrival in 2007. His two and a half-year tenure saw the club promoted back to the third tier via the play-offs, but he was dismissed the following season. Hessenthaler then returned to the club for a period of two years before he was promoted to Director of Football to make way for Martin Allen. Allen became only the second manager to win a trophy with the club, leading the team to the League Two championship in 2013, but he was dismissed a few months into the following season after a poor start, following which another former manager, Peter Taylor, returned to the club.
Managers
Statistics are correct up to 06 June 2025 and include all senior competitive peacetime first-team matches. Minor county competitions such as the Kent Senior Cup and Kent Senior Shield are not included as the club rarely, if ever, fielded its first team.
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[a] | L | Win%<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[b] | Honours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (secretary) | Script error: No such module "flag". | June 1897[2] | Late November 1906[3] | [4] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Late November 1906[5] | Summer 1908[6] | [7] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (secretary) | Script error: No such module "flag". | Summer 1908[2] | Summer 1913[8] | [9] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | July 1913[8][10] | Summer 1915[8]<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[c] | [11] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 28 July 1919[12] | 12 May 1920[13] | [14] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 12 May 1920[13] | 9 June 1920[13] | |||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 2 July 1920[15] | 3 August 1922[16] | [17] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (secretary) | Script error: No such module "flag". | 3 August 1922[16] | 10 May 1923[18] | [19] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 10 May 1923[20] | 30 March 1926[21] | [22] | ||||||
| unknown caretaker | 30 March 1926[21] | 12 April 1926[21] | [23] | |||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 12 April 1926[24] | 29 March 1929[21] | [25] | ||||||
| unknown caretaker | 29 March 1929[21] | 7 May 1929[26] | [27] | |||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 7 May 1929[26] | 29 December 1931[28] | [29] | ||||||
| unknown caretaker | 29 December 1931[28] | 18 January 1932[26] | [27] | |||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 19 January 1932[30] | 25 May 1937[31] | [32] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 26 May 1937[31] | 16 June 1938[33] | [34] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 11 July 1938[35] | 19 July 1939[36] | [37] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort".<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[d] | Script error: No such module "flag". | 2 August 1939[16] | 23 November 1957[38] | Southern League champions 1946–47 and 1948–49, Southern League Cup winners 1946–47, Kent League champions 1945–46 |
[39] | |||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 23 November 1957[38] | 4 May 1962[40] | [41] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 13 June 1962[33] | 17 December 1965[42] | Fourth Division champions 1963–64 | [43] | |||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretaker) | Script error: No such module "flag". | 17 December 1965[44] | 4 January 1966[44] | [45] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 4 January 1966[46] | 25 May 1971[31] | [47] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 24 June 1971[48] | 3 May 1974[49] | [50] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 6 May 1974[51] | 15 October 1975[52] | [53] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretaker)[54] | Script error: No such module "flag". | 15 October 1975[52] | 27 October 1975[55] | [56] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 27 October 1975[55] | 22 May 1981[57] | [58] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 14 July 1981[59] | 29 December 1987[60] | [61] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 29 December 1987[60] | 26 October 1988[62] | [63] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". Damien Richardson (caretakers) |
Script error: No such module "flag". Script error: No such module "flag". |
26 October 1988[64] | 31 October 1988 | |||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 31 October 1988[62] | 11 April 1989[65] | [66] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretaker) | Script error: No such module "flag". | 11 April 1989[67] | 18 April 1989[67] | [67] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 18 April 1989[67] | 8 October 1992[68] | [69] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretaker) | Script error: No such module "flag". | 8 October 1992[68] | 26 October 1992[70] | [71][72] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 26 October 1992[70] | 9 July 1993[73] | [71] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 12 July 1993[74] | 28 February 1995[75] | [76] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretaker) | Script error: No such module "flag". | 28 February[75] | May 1995[77] | [78] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 29 June 1995[79] | 30 June 1999[80] | [81] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 7 July 1999[35] | 12 June 2000[82] | Second Division play-off winners 1999–2000 | [83] | |||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 29 June 2000[79] | 23 November 2004[84] | [85] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretaker) | Script error: No such module "flag". | 23 November 2004[84] | 30 November 2004[86] | [87] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretakers) |
Script error: No such module "flag". Script error: No such module "flag". Script error: No such module "flag". |
4 December 2004[88] | 7 December 2004[89] | [90] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 7 December 2004[89] | 15 May 2005[91] | [92] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 21 May 2005[93] | 15 November 2005[94] | [95] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 15 November 2005[94] | 9 September 2007[96] | [97] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretakers) |
Script error: No such module "flag". Script error: No such module "flag". |
9 September 2007[98] | 8 October 2007[98] | [98] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretaker) | Script error: No such module "flag". | 8 October 2007[98] | 1 November 2007 | [99] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 November 2007[100] | 10 May 2010[101] | 2009 Football League Two play-off final winners | [102] | |||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 21 May 2010[103] | 8 May 2012[104] | [85] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 5 July 2012[105] | 13 October 2013[106] | Football League Two champions 2012–13 | [107] | |||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 14 October 2013[108] | 31 December 2014[109] | [110] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretakers) |
Script error: No such module "flag". Script error: No such module "flag". Script error: No such module "flag". Script error: No such module "flag". |
31 December 2014[109][111] | 7 February 2015 | [85] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 7 February 2015 | 3 January 2017 | [112] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 4 January 2017 | 25 September 2017[113] | [114] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretaker) | Script error: No such module "flag". | 25 September 2017[113] | 12 October 2017[115] | [110] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 12 October 2017[115][116] | 26 April 2019[117] | [118]<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[e] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretaker) | Script error: No such module "flag". | 26 April 2019[117] | 4 May 2019 | [119] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 June 2019[120] | 9 January 2022[121] | [122] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretaker) | Script error: No such module "flag". | 10 January 2022[123] | 31 January 2022[124] | [118] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 31 January 2022[124] | 5 October 2023[125] | [126]<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[f] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". (caretaker) | Script error: No such module "flag". | 5 October 2023[127] | 1 November 2023[128] | [129] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 November 2023[128] | 29 April 2024[130] | [131] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 7 May 2024[132] | 5 January 2025[133] | [134] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 5 January 2025[135] | 25 March 2025[136] | [137] | ||||||
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Script error: No such module "flag". | 25 March 2025[136] | Present |
Notes
a. <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^ Drawn matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.
b. <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^ Win% is rounded to two decimal places.
c. <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^ Competitive football was abandoned after the 1914–15 season due to the escalation of the First World War and did not resume until 1919. Gilligan did not return to the club after the war.
d. <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^ Clark's statistics include three matches (two wins and one defeat) played at the start of the 1939–40 season before competitive football was abandoned due to the outbreak of the Second World War.
e. <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^ Soccerbase erroneously includes the final two games of the 2018–19 season in Lovell's statistics even though he was dismissed on 26 April 2019.
f. <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^ Soccerbase erroneously includes the six games between the dismissal of Harris and the appointment of Clemence in the former's total.
References
- General
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Specific
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Elligate, p.100
- ↑ Bradley, Triggs, p.42
- ↑ Brown, pp.14–23
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Brown, pp.24–25
- ↑ a b c Bradley, Triggs, p.57
- ↑ Brown, p.26–30
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Brown, pp.31–32
- ↑ Elligate, p.117
- ↑ a b c Elligate, p.104
- ↑ Brown, p.33
- ↑ Elligate, p.111
- ↑ a b c Elligate, p.120
- ↑ Brown, pp.34–35
- ↑ Elligate, p.103
- ↑ Brown, p.36
- ↑ Elligate, p.84
- ↑ a b c d e Elligate, p.55
- ↑ Brown, pp.37–39
- ↑ Brown, p.39
- ↑ Elligate, p.62
- ↑ Brown, pp.40–42
- ↑ a b c Elligate, p.82
- ↑ a b Brown, p.42
- ↑ a b Elligate, p.203
- ↑ Brown, pp.43–45
- ↑ Elligate, p.21
- ↑ a b c Elligate, p.94
- ↑ Brown, pp.45–50
- ↑ a b Elligate, p.105
- ↑ Brown, p.51
- ↑ a b Elligate, p.112
- ↑ Elligate, p.115
- ↑ Brown, p.52
- ↑ a b Elligate, p.180
- ↑ Brown, pp.53–67
- ↑ Elligate, p.78
- ↑ Brown, pp.67–71
- ↑ Elligate, p.195
- ↑ Brown, pp.72–75
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Brown, pp.75
- ↑ Elligate, p.11
- ↑ Brown, pp.75–80
- ↑ Elligate, p.107
- ↑ Elligate, p.77
- ↑ Brown, pp.80–83
- ↑ Elligate, p.81
- ↑ a b Elligate, p.160
- ↑ Brown, pp.84–85
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Elligate, p.165
- ↑ Brown, p.85
- ↑ Elligate, p.92
- ↑ Brown, pp.85–90
- ↑ Elligate, p.114
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Brown, pp.91–97
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Brown, pp.97–98
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Brown, p.98
- ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Elligate, p.155
- ↑ Brown, pp.98–102
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Brown, p.102
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Elligate, p.43
- ↑ Brown, pp.103–104
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Brown, pp.104
- ↑ a b Elligate, p.109
- ↑ Elligate, p.110
- ↑ Brown, pp.105–108
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Brown, p.109
- ↑ a b Elligate, p.181
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Script error: No such module "Navbox". Script error: No such module "Football manager history". Template:Lists of English football managers Template:Top icon