Gillingham v Sunderland, 04 November 2003

This was only the third league meeting between the two clubs. The previous meetings took place in the 1987/88 season, and came about because Gillingham relegated Sunderland to the old Third Division for the first time in their history in the previous season's Play-Offs. 1986/87 was the first seeason of the Play-Offs system in the Football League. The prize of a place in Division Two was competed by the team finishing third from bottom in the Second Division (Sunderland) and those finishing 3rd, 4th and 5th (Gillingham) in the Third. Over two-legs, they drew 6-6 in the semi-final with the Gills going through on the Away Goals rule. The two-legged final with Swindon Town also resulted in a draw (2-2) but Swindon won promotion with a 2-0 win in the replay at Crystal Palace.