Tales from Grandad's Tool Shed
Commando Len Takes Over – May to December 1974
Published by Eccles on April 17, 2008
“Like the great presenter he was, Brian Moore held the audience in the palm of his hand. ‘And now ladies and gentlemen, let’s meet the man who is going to lead us into the Third Division next season. Let’s give a big Gillingham welcome to our new manager – Len Ashurst!’ The capacity audience at Chatham’s Central Hall gave the stocky bloke who strode on stage-right an ovation which must have lasted nearly two minutes. We were then treated to a rousing speech from the new man, punctuated all the way through by loud applause. All in all SunBoy, a pretty impressive launching, I have to say.
“It brought to a conclusion seventy-two hours of complete turmoil at the club. The news that Andy Nelson, after taking us to promotion from the Fourth Division and starting the reinforcements for the new campaign by pulling off a coup and signing Dave Shipperley, had resigned and gone to Charlton, hit the Towns that Friday night like a nuclear bomb. After all the obvious comments from furious fans, thoughts turned to the ‘Evening Post Promotion Celebration Evening’ which was to be held the following Monday night at the Central Hall Chatham, and what a farce that was likely to turn out to be. We all had our free tickets, but it would surely be more like a funeral than a feast, and many people thought that Nelson was likely to be booed or even attacked if he showed up. But for once in our history the Directors moved extremely quickly over the weekend in getting in a replacement, and by Monday mid-day it was common knowledge that we’d nabbed Len Ashurst from Hartlepools. The Evening Post was jubilant, publishing pictures of Ashurst shaking hands with Chairman Doctor Grossmark in some leafy setting somewhere, and gleefully announcing he’d be attending the Promotion Celebration that evening. And so he did. Andy Nelson was there too, and got the ovation he deserved for taking us up, the players were there, so were some of our 1964 Championship side, Brian Moore showed some TV pictures of one or two Gills games, and a great time was had by one and all.
“Len Ashurst stayed on afterwards chatting to people for well over an hour. He was a very articulate bloke, and had clear positive ideas about how he wanted things to go. During the following season his radio interviews, particularly the match preview ones, were always worth a listen and certainly got you revved up for the game – and we were only going along to watch! He’d played most of his football as left-back for Sunderland, so I expected he’d get us organised defensively, and we’d be pretty fit and tough. Blimey, was he kidding? His assistant was a bloke called Tony Toms, who’d been a fitness instructor for the commandos, would you believe. He’d even written a book about it, called ‘Commando Seven’. Toms was one of those blokes who looked like they’d been hewn out of granite, aged 35 – the sort of bloke you could never imagine as a baby, or a toddler. Tony Toms was super-hard, and Ashurst assured us he’d get our boys super-fit with the right exercises and the correct diet – roast lamb on match days rather than the traditional steak apparently. I asked Ashurst whether our boys would play wearing woolly hats, boot-blacked faces and creep up behind defenders and slit their throats like real commandos. He laughed and asked whether there were any players I’d particularly like to see chivved. I’m not sure if he was joking.
“But no doubt about it Ashurst made a good impression that night, and he had quite a bit of work to do to get us ready for our re-entry into the Third Division. For a start he had to handle the second bombshell of the summer, which was Brian Yeo announcing his immediate retirement. Yeo was only 30, our all-time record scorer and the previous season had notched 31 goals, equalling the club’s record. To lose him at the height of his powers was a big blow indeed. At first Yeo was adamant that he was hanging up his boots, but through the summer somehow or other Ashurst talked him round to playing one more season, to sighs of relief from the fans. We needed a new goal-keeper, Mike Gibson having retired with a shoulder injury, and Len Ashurst brought in Ron Hillyard from York City. Ron of course went on to make more appearances in a Gillingham shirt (657) than any other player ever, and stands up there with the great Johnny Simpson as our longest serving players and goalkeeping legends.”
“So come on Grandad, you saw both of them right through their careers” I asked “who was the greater – Johnny Simpson or Ron Hillyard?” “Well, it depends what goalkeeping skills you rate highest” he fudged. “Ron was the master of the point-blank stuff – blocking shots in goalmouth scrambles, diving at blokes’ feet in one-on-ones, and saving penalties. He saved 20 penalties for Gills, which is phenomenal, and he was rarely beaten when someone sprung the offside trap and was through on goal to take him on. Ron’s only weakness was sometimes getting beaten by a long shot – it was like if you gave him one to think about he’d sometimes let it in. Johnny’s strength was saving the long shots high into the top corner, and was strong on all aspects of goalkeeping. I suppose if I had to pick one for my all-time Gills XI I’d go for Johnny. But if it was a penalty shoot-out I’d go for Ron.
“Anyway, back to Len Ashurst’s adventures. The only other close season signing was midfielder Neil O’Donnell from Norwich, but he did make one other big change and that was to our shirts. For some reason, no-one was quite sure why, we changed to blue and white stripes. The shirts weren’t like the attractive ones we’d worn when we’d got back into the Third Division in 1964, which had a thin blue stripe on a white shirt and looked quite continental, these were an even blue and white stripe which looked like pyjamas worn in a prison camp. Perhaps it was the commando influence, but most people thought they looked naff, particularly with white shorts. These shirts soon got branded as unlucky, because from the start of the season things very definitely didn’t go according to plan.
“We began with a home game against Walsall. It was the sort of game we expected to win, and although we took the lead twice we could only finish with a 2-2 draw. We’d gone into the game with Joe Jacques and Alan Wilks missing through injury, and after half an hour Keith Lindsay limped off. D i c k Tydeman was injured near the end, so it was a patched up team that went into playing Bournemouth four times in the next five games. We played them at Priestfield on the Wednesday evening in the First Round of the League Cup and drew 1-1, then to Dean Court on the Saturday where we lost 2-0 in a League match, then Dean Court again for a midweek League Cup replay which finished 1-1, and then the following Tuesday to Brentford for the Second Replay with Bournemouth, played on a neutral ground. We lost 2-1 after leading at half-time from a Dave Galvin goal.
“We did get to play someone else during this period, and of all people it was Charlton. Andy Nelson bought his new team to Priestfield, and Brian Moore turned up with ‘The Big Match’ cameras. There were nearly 10,000 in, and they saw an injury-hit Gills play extremely well and carry the game to the visitors for most of the time. But we ran out of steam near the end, and two minutes from time winger Colin Powell counter-attacked, chipped the ball over Ron Hillyard’s head and onto the bar, and as it bounced back Keith Peacock ran in and headed the ball into the empty net. We’d lost 1-0. Colin Powell and Keith Peacock? Wonder what happened to them.
“The promotion gloss was now beginning to seriously wear off, and six games into the season we’d not won once, and had only a point to our name. A 2-1 defeat at Port Vale, where we were simply overpowered by a better-equipped side, started the alarm-bells ringing. Ashurst swooped to sign left-back George Ley. Ley had just returned from playing in America and had made his name with Exeter, Portsmouth and Brighton. He was a strong-tackling defender, who was good at overlapping runs and had a fierce left-foot shot. Just what we needed, and he made an impressive home debut in an awful 0-0 with Aldershot. There were now real rumblings in the camp, both on and off the field, and Ashurst desparately needed a win. He swooped again and signed right winger Dave Chadwick, who like Ley had just returned from playing in America. Chadwick had made his name in the Sixties with Southampton and Middlesbrough, and although in his early thirties he was still pretty good for our level. He had an excellent debut in the next match, a midweek home game against Bury, and we finally got our first win of the season when Kenny Hill scored the only goal fourteen minutes from time. We then clawed points from draws at Plymouth, Watford and home to Peterborough, as we slowly started to climb away from the bottom. And then the roof fell in.
“We’d heard rumours that some of the players were upset about Andy Nelson leaving, and that Len Ashurst was having difficulty getting them to play the way he wanted, which was to concentrate more on defence and then counter-attack. Some also didn’t like the new training ideas. The new players coming in fitted into Ashurst’s game plans, rather than Andy Nelson’s. In short, we suspected that we were a house divided, and in such circumstances, a few thumpings tend to bring things to a head. We certainly took one at Blackburn, losing 4-1 in a match so one-sided we could have shipped eight or ten. In yet more transfer activity, Len Ashurst brought in the former Chelsea striker Peter Feely, who was then with Fulham. It proved to be a master coup, and one of the best £6,000 we’ve ever spent. Feely was a tall 25 year old, a bit baulky, but he was superb in the air, and had a powerful shot. He made his debut at Layer Road, scored twice and put us in the lead both times, and then like the rest of us had to watch a most humiliating and shambolic display as Colchester put four past us and dumped us onto the bottom of the table. Last season of course, we¿d ripped Colchester apart three times, and won promotion on this ground six months previously. Now we were an incoherent shambles. What the hell was going on?
“Surely we would pull out of this slump at home to Hereford. They were pretty average, we had on paper probably our best team out. George Jacks put us ahead in the third minute, we gave two goals away, goal-machine Feely headed us level with twenty minutes to go, and then we fell apart. We lost 3-2, but it could so easily have been five or six as Keystone Cops defending took over. It was like some of the worst stuff we’d suffered under Basil Hayward. The crowd were stunned more than angry, as our great promotion side was reduced to an embarrassment. Len Ashurst’s management regime was firmly on the line. What was he going to do?
“The answer was plenty of rows and a few sackings. The training sessions that week were held behind closed doors, but we heard plenty of rumours about strong words, heated exchanges and even a few punch-ups. My source at the ground told me cyptically ‘Think there’s one or two we’ll never see in a Gillingham shirt again, Charlie’ and so we waited with more than the usual interest for Len Ashurst’s interview with George Pixley on Radio Medway’s Friday Night Sports Desk. The former manager of Hartlepools didn’t pull any punches here either. ‘We’re in trouble George, no disguising that, and we’ve had a frank exchange of views in our training sessions. I’ve told the players exactly what I’m expecting, and how it’s going to be achieved, and one or two feel that they wish to pursue their careers elsewhere. Joe Jacques, our captain feels that way, and he’s left the club. Alan Wilks has asked for a transfer, and Keith Lindsay wants to move on too, so we’ll be playing with David Wiltshire at right back tomorrow. Dave Shipperley returns, and we’ll be going to Grimsby looking for the win that we need….’ and so on as off he went on one of his impressive rallying calls. But blimey SunBoy, Joe Jacques sacked! And it sounded very much as though Keith Lindsay might have been as well. Quite clearly, Len Ashurst and his assistant Tony Toms didn’t take any prisoners. Shape up or ship out, if you’re not with us you’re against us, were their messages. Frankly, you couldn’t really disagree with that, but even so they were right out on a limb.
“As luck would have it, the next two games were really tough ones. At Blundell Park the new look Gills went ahead with a Damien Richardson goal in the first half and held out until injury time. Then they scored two goals within a minute and we’d lost 2-1. That sort of thing happens when you’re struggling at the bottom. Midweek we were at Preston, who were second in the table. It was another defeat, 1-0, to a goal in the first half, although once again the reports told of a Gills team full of fight and enthusiasm. Maybe Ashurst was beginning to turn it round, but he had to get a win from somewhere. After fourteen games, we were three points adrift at the bottom, with only seven points.
“Despite the dreadful league position, there was a new spirit of optimism when we returned to Priestfield to face Brighton, not least because the blue and white pyjama-striped shirts had been ditched and we were back in full-blue ones again. Strangely the optimism didn’t dampen when, after only ten minutes, Brighton went ahead with the sort of goal a bloke scores once in his career. A corner on the right was lobbed in short, and from the edge of the box their full-back threw himself at it, and his header soared across the box and found the inside of the far post. Absolutely typical, but the mood of the crowd was that they just weren’t having it, we were going to bloody win this one, and they got behind the team magnificently. Slowly we ground Brighton down, and eventually got the equaliser we deserved fifteen minutes from the end when D i c k Tydeman floated in a free kick from near the Main Stand and Peter Feely rose unmarked to plant a header dead-centre into goal. Now Tony Toms’ fitness regimes were proving the difference, as Brighton crumbled before us. Alan Wilks, on as substitute and rampaging down the right wing, was our trump card, and in the very last minute his dazzling run finished with the ball rolling across the box, George Jacks tore onto it and smashed it home. 2-1 to the Gills – cue pandemonium. People leapt over the Rainham End wall, mobbing the players and dancing on the pitch. A mighty weight had been lifted from the Good Ship Gillingham.
“We were still bottom, but only by a point now, and the following Friday night we recovered that with a battling 2-2 draw at Southend. The following Wednesday night we were home to Preston, and something we just didn’t need – to play against the legendary Bobby Charlton. Charlton had hung his boots up at Old Trafford a year previously, and been appointed manager of Preston. He’d vowed that he wouldn’t play for them, but they’d gone off the boil in the previous few weeks and he’d come out of retirement to show his boys how it was done. His presence on the pitch attracted over 10,000 through the gates, but I don’t think there was anybody really hoping he would turn it on and destroy the Gills. We went behind to a soft goal after 25 minutes, but Peter Feely took advantage of a poor back-pass to thump home an equaliser and then at the start of the second half rose brilliantly to a superb cross from Dave Chadwick to head us in front. It must have reminded Charlton of George Best and Denis Law in their pomp. We were very professional in the way we closed the game out, Charlton never got a look in, and we were off the bottom with a 2-1 win.
“Now, at last, we had lift-off. Fellow strugglers Halifax were thrashed 4-0 with Feely getting a hat-trick, and although we were undeservedly beaten at Swindon 1-0 the following week, we’d got the bit between our teeth. We came from behind to beat Wrexham 2-1 at Priestfield with another last minute goal, this time a penalty from George Ley, and then our first away win when we beat Huddersfield 2-0 and another 4-0 romp, this time against Chesterfield, saw us moving towards mid-table. And towards the match of the season – home to Crystal Palace
“Palace of course had been our old sparring partners in Third Division South days, but they’d latterly established themselves as a bit of a celebrity team in the higher divisions. They’d just been relegated from the Second Division, but expected to bounce straight back. They had Malcolm Allison as their manager – bejewelled, big-cigared, fur-coated, fedora-hatted, Bunny-girl escorter and ITV football pundit loadmouth Big Mal – Terry Venables as player/coach before his El Tel spiv days, and one of the hottest young players around, Under 23 International winger Peter Taylor. And this lot were due to roll into Priestfield the Saturday after Christmas! It was a game that everybody wanted to see, and for the first-time ever a league match at Priestfield was declared all-ticket. With all the razzamatazz we tended to forget that we had a match at Aldershot on Boxing Day, and needless to say we put in a duff performance and got beaten 2-1. Aldershot even gave us the lead at half-time when one of their defenders put through his own goal when under no pressure at all. Len Ashurst was distinctly unimpressed, and on his radio interview assured fans that there’d be no repeat against Palace. We’d see.
“So, on my favourite football day of the season, the Saturday after Christmas, in this case December 28th, 14,500 packed in to Priestfield to see unfashionable Gillingham take on the South London fancy-dans. The attendance should have been higher, but Big-Mouth Allison stitched us up for tickets, claiming 7,000 were needed for his ‘fantastic support’, and then sending back 3,000 unsold ones on Christmas Eve.
Our team was:-
Ron Hillyard; Dave Wiltshire; George Ley; Dave Galvin; Dave Shipperley; George Jacks; Neil O’Donnell; Alan Gauden; Damien Richardson; Dave Chadwick (Capt); Peter Feely.
“Attacking midfielder Gauden was making his debut, having just been signed that week from Hartlepools for £5,000. His signing completed the transition from Andy Nelson’s attacking formations to Ashurst’s more solid 4-4-2, with six of these players having been signed by the new manager. This game would be the test as to whether Len Ashurst had really got it right. As the teams got ready for the off, there was some silly little twerp two along from me in C Block, making a big fuss about his seat – not good enough for him and so on. After a double-take, I realised that this twerp was in fact Ronnie Corbett, the unfunny one of the ‘Two Ronnies’ TV show. These days he claims to be a diehard Manchester United fan (don’t they all?) but that certainly wasn’t the case then. He was Palace through and through – so much so that he trod on my foot when he stormed out of the Main Stand fifteen minutes from time.
“Because, SunBoy, Len Ashurst was true to his word that day. We were simply magnificent, and gave them a throughly good hiding. There was a strong wind blowing down the pitch into the Rainham End. They won the toss and elected to play with it first half, probably thinking they could build up a good lead. They didn’t. The only goal they got was after twelve minutes, when a cross from the left swirled in the wind, got lifted over Ron Hillyard, struck the bar, spun down, hit Dave Wiltshire on the side of the head and bounced inside the post. What a fluke – but it only spurred us into action. With Dave Chadwick playing superbly we carved out chances for Peter Feely and Damien Richardson, and then Alan Gauden crashed a shot into the net only for it to be disallowed for offside. We weren’t going to be denied. A few minutes before half-time, George Ley floated a freekick into the goalmouth, and Dave Shipperley smote it mightily through a ruck of players. It was The Big Ship’s first goal for us, and he went berserk!
“I must admit that looking at that little twerp Corbett at half-time, I felt more than a tad smug. We were the better side, we’d got the wind behind us second half, and we were going to stuff them. No doubt about it. According to them Big Mal had made the wrong team selections, Peter Taylor was so poor he needed dropping, Venables was clapped out and so on. Absolute music! Get In There Gills! – and we did. After just five minutes Damien Richardson scored one of the greatest goals Priestfield has ever seen. Taking a through pass down the left in his stride, he cut across the field towards the right corner-flag, beating several defenders with skill and pace, before swivelling and hammering the ball back across the face of the goal and into the top lefthand corner of the Rainham End net. Needless to say, the ground erupted. For the rest of the game it was one-way traffic as Palace led a charmed life. Feely hit the post, Richardson, who was now almost unplayable lashed in shot after shot, and Chadwick had one cleared off the line. With twenty-five minutes left, the game was made safe. A vicious inswinging corner from Alan Gauden was forced in at the far post by Dave Shipperley. Gauden’s goal? Ship’s goal? Who cared? It was a Gillingham goal, and we’d won 3-1. Palace were lucky to escape a rout.
“It was a wonderful game to bring a strange year to a close. In 1974 we’d stormed to promotion, had a manager walk out on us, gone through a terrible run of form, and come storming back to finish the year mid-table. Len Ashurst had shown that he was a pretty tough manager, and his sides could certainly play some football and overpower the opposition. Under him, I thought our future might be quite bright.”
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