Gilles Lingam
Vital Squad Member
William John Jervis (born 22 January 1942) is an English former professional footballer. He made only one appearance in The Football League, in a match which was abandoned early and represents one of the few uncompleted Football League matches for which the result was allowed to stand.
In the summer of 1961 he joined the Gills in the 4th division.
Jervis was selected to make his debut in a match away to Barrow on 9 October 1961 with a 5.15pm kick off – not unusual in those days. Gillingham set off for the game in a coach from Kent to catch the 10am train from Euston but a traffic jam at New Cross in London meant that they missed their train. After consulting with the Football League, a plane was chartered and flew the sixteen person Gillingham party to Blackpool airport at Squires Gate. That cost the then cash strapped Gills £500. The then Football League Secretary Alan Hardacre arranged for the visiting party to be taken from Blackpool to Barrow in a fleet of cars. However, the conditions for the drive, despite a police escort were terrible and the Gills arrived seventeen minutes after the scheduled kick off time. The game went ahead with the teams kicking off just thirteen minutes later – at 5.45pm.
The match eventually got underway, but the light soon began to fade, a significant problem as the stadium did not have floodlights.
To say that the Gills were under prepared for the game was an understatement and within twenty eight minutes of the match starting it was over as a contest as Barrow led 4-0...The second half was more even but after s sixth goal went in, the visitors complained about the light. As a result the lights that were used to train at Holker Street along the old stand were switched on. Barrow added a seventh goal before with fourteen minutes of normal time remaining the referee decided to end the game.
Although the match had not been completed, the Football League's committee, rather than order the match to be replayed as is usually done in such cases, decided to allow the result to stand.
Jervis lost his place in the Gillingham team for the club's next match and was not selected for the first team again in the 1961–62 season. He later left the club to play non-league.
The abandoned match at Barrow was thus the only Football League match in which he played.
(team that day : Simpson, Hunt, Vassen, Hughes, Cockburn, Farrell, Jervis, Ridley, Pulley, Livesey, Johnston.)
In the summer of 1961 he joined the Gills in the 4th division.
Jervis was selected to make his debut in a match away to Barrow on 9 October 1961 with a 5.15pm kick off – not unusual in those days. Gillingham set off for the game in a coach from Kent to catch the 10am train from Euston but a traffic jam at New Cross in London meant that they missed their train. After consulting with the Football League, a plane was chartered and flew the sixteen person Gillingham party to Blackpool airport at Squires Gate. That cost the then cash strapped Gills £500. The then Football League Secretary Alan Hardacre arranged for the visiting party to be taken from Blackpool to Barrow in a fleet of cars. However, the conditions for the drive, despite a police escort were terrible and the Gills arrived seventeen minutes after the scheduled kick off time. The game went ahead with the teams kicking off just thirteen minutes later – at 5.45pm.
The match eventually got underway, but the light soon began to fade, a significant problem as the stadium did not have floodlights.
To say that the Gills were under prepared for the game was an understatement and within twenty eight minutes of the match starting it was over as a contest as Barrow led 4-0...The second half was more even but after s sixth goal went in, the visitors complained about the light. As a result the lights that were used to train at Holker Street along the old stand were switched on. Barrow added a seventh goal before with fourteen minutes of normal time remaining the referee decided to end the game.
Although the match had not been completed, the Football League's committee, rather than order the match to be replayed as is usually done in such cases, decided to allow the result to stand.
Jervis lost his place in the Gillingham team for the club's next match and was not selected for the first team again in the 1961–62 season. He later left the club to play non-league.
The abandoned match at Barrow was thus the only Football League match in which he played.
(team that day : Simpson, Hunt, Vassen, Hughes, Cockburn, Farrell, Jervis, Ridley, Pulley, Livesey, Johnston.)
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