Today, we conclude the “22 Days in May” with the second part of our chat with the man voted top of the fans all-time favourite Gillingham players as KSN’s chief football writer Mike Green concludes his chat with ANDY HESSENTHALER…
2000 proved to be a historic year for Gillingham as they very nearly reached Wembley on two fronts as they reached the last eight of the FA Cup as well as Andy recalled. “That year we had so much going for us and we achieved so much that year with the Cup run as well, it was just all falling into place.”
“It was a couple of crazy years really as the Man City game, for me being an older player in the group as well – I was getting on in years and never thought that I’d get to play at Wembley and get to play Man City there was a dream come true.”
“But then obviously, the year after to get there again along with the Cup run that we had was something that will always be with me for the rest of my life!”
“I still speak to Paul Scally fairly regularly and just over the recent days where we’ve been in isolation, he’s sent a few memory pictures across to me and I’ve seen a few of his old suits back in the day that he was wearing – and given him a bit of stick – I don’t think that you can ever emulate those times again; it’s going to be difficult for Gillingham to be able to get that camaraderie again – everybody’s got a team spirit, but that year and that group in those two years was phenomenal and I’ll never forget it!”
Like the rest of his team-mates, Hessenthaler saluted the backing that the side got for a second year at the national stadium.
“The support the year before was always going to be a sell-out playing Man City – the gate obviously wasn’t as big against Wigan not so much with our fans as they were all there and more, but the atmosphere that second year was phenomenal,” he said.
“I just had to pinch myself that I was walking back out at Wembley again in the space of two years. I’d never been to Wembley before the City game and then to do it twice in two years at my age – I just couldn’t believe it!”
“It was just another crazy game as we know with defining moments in that game in terms of the lad getting sent off, the substitutions that Peter (Taylor) made and it all made a difference – it had to be our year after the year before, it just felt that way even though they got the penalty and you start thinking “not again”.”
“But then who pops up with a couple of goals – Butts (Steve Butler) gets up to head a fantastic equaliser after great work from Junior Lewis and Ty Godden. And then the “Scotsman” (Andy Thomson) turns up with a wonderful header to actually clinch it for us.”
“I just think that we deserved to achieve it after what we went through the year before. Butts was a clean header of a ball and it was a great ball in and any striker will tell you that if you get a ball in there and it’s the right ball, you’ve got a chance of scoring – the ball was phenomenal and he made a great run and did what strikers do, anticipated the cross and got across the front and headed it in.”
“It got us back going again, and then the winning goal was again very similar in the movement with Thommo getting across the front and flicking it into the far post – that again was another fantastic cross that won us the game.”
The next League game the club played was in the Championship – and the club had another new manager, “I was fortunate to be able to be given that opportunity,” Hessie admitted.
“Everyone knows the story that I had an opportunity to take the job on the year we did actually go up against Wigan. I just felt that I was contributing enough on the playing side and I didn’t think I was ready to be a manager or coach at that stage.”
“Steve Butler and I were sat with the Chairman the Wigan year and we just didn’t feel that I was ready and because Peter was our friend and we’d both worked with him before, we made contact and that’s how it worked out that we got him into the job and we got the promotion and Wembley and he moved on.”
“That year I had with Pete behind the scenes and how things worked made me think why not and let’s have a go when it was offered. I was still going to keep on playing if I could get the right people behind me and work with this group of players who are phenomenal – let’s have a crack at it!”
“And it was brilliant – we reached the highest ever position in the club’s history at that point (13th in the Championship) but again, I’ve got to give the players a lot of credit that I worked with because – and I tell this story a lot – my first meeting with the players as Player Manager, I got them in a room and there was a group of them I’d worked with for such a long time and were my mates, and we were all in the room, I just stood there and looked straight at them, looked them all in the eye and all I could see was Steve Butler, Ady Pennock, Guy Butters, Paul Smith, Barry Ashby all sitting together with massive grins on their faces just pretty much laughing because they knew I was that nervous. So, I just started laughing and walked out!”
“That was it and broke the ice and they were brilliant – I was their friend, I’d played with them, they called me “the German”, and I told them they could call me what they wanted!”
“But from Day One they called me “the Gaffer” and it was great, and I was very humbled by that and got so much respect for every single one of them, and I believe that they respected me as well. And I think by doing what they did, they showed me that respect and made the job so much easier for me! And for that at least, I will thank them forever!”