31Oct

Typical Gills!

by Gary W

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No sooner had my last blog discussed about the facts of a how a season was progressing can get blurred by events on the field than the Gills typically did their best to help disprove it.  Having stated that the two away games could make the picture look very different, two defeats drop the side from fifth to tenth. But a win at the weekend against Northampton would once more give the Gills their highest position at that stage since 1999 still proving a little that even defeats are not the be all and end all should a winless run not ensue.

I suppose after such a hard fought win over Oxford things had to turn.  To fight tooth and nail to hold onto a lead with nine men took immense guts.  But to then face around 850 miles on the road in only four days to face tough sides at home that sat around the Gills own position or higher would be daunting for the best of sides.  In the case of Swindon Town we could probably count ourselves unlucky.  Having bossed large chunks of the game (or at least kept the home side quieter) we once again lost the game in the last ten minutes.  Before a blistering thunderbolt that won the game late on, the Gills should have been ahead after Rooney had hit the inside of the post only for the ball to flash across the face of goal and Whelpdale appeared to have a header cleared off the line by the ‘keeper although, even with TV replays, it is hard to tell if the post did the job instead.  And still, after Swindon had taken the lead, Kedwell had a chance with virtually an open goal to get a deserved equaliser.  As it was, there was time for another goal but a dying seconds goal for Swindon as the Gills vainly searched for a leveller put the result beyond reach.

So, with a chance to make amends on Saturday the Gills made the long trip to Morecambe.  This time it was an early goal that was our undoing meaning that we had now conceded three goals in just sixteen minutes.  As the Gills took the game firmly by the scruff of the neck, after the home sides enforced changes altered the shape dramatically, the spaces being left allowed Morecambe to score a second and ultimately the winning goal.  For the second game in a row a ninetieth minute goal occurred and this time belonged to the Gills.  Jo Kuffour was fouled in the box to give Frank Nouble a chance to take his goal tally to four in nine games.  Whilst this was an incredibly frustrating pair of results, I found the annoyance to be more about the three points gained by sides above us than our own failure to earn some for ourselves.  Should the weekend rectify this situation then I am sure all will be forgotten, if not the nervousness would be tangible as these are the games last season that endured that horrid run of defeats with an away win still to be achieved.  It ended in game seventeen with a victory at Oxford and this weekend will also be game seventeen.  Until then the distraction of the FA Cup Round 1 draw takes place and eyes will turn as to what sort of tie the side will earn themselves.  Will it be a welcome break from the league or a distraction we could do without I wonder?

Posted by Gillingham fan Gary Wade