Stockport County (0) 0
Gillingham (0) 0
Att. 3,894
Entrance: £17
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 529/6,091
Match Report
Edgeley Park doesn’t rank among the more picturesque of any season’s visits, so if there are a couple of extra photographs to fill the column inches then I apologise but to make a decent report from so little is nigh on impossible.This relegation six-pointer produced a game of exactly that quality, two sides that had neither the ability to beat each other or the pitch of a freshly ploughed potato field variety. If Gillingham Anchorians ever scale the heights of the rugby union pyramid, I hope that the chairman of the time would not tempted into any ground sharing scheme on the evidence of Stockport’s (and Sale Sharks) grassless patch.
Gillingham (football club that is) might point to a denied penalty appeal as reason that they did not come away with the three points, but County could counter that argument by contesting that they forced Alan Julian into more saves and a man of the match performance. Fact is neither side did enough to deserve full points.
The visitors were put under early pressure with Richie Partridge posing problems but there were no finishes that caused Julian any concern. Meanwhile, Gillingham were struggling to come to terms with a pitch that started to cut up from the first minute. Despite a weather forecast that indicated a warmer day than of late, on an open terrace with a sharp wind and light rain, not only the football made for uncomfortable viewing.
The one talking point of the first half was the denied penalty appeal for a foul on Andy Barcham. This was the clearest view that I’ve had of such an appeal this season. Unobstructed and from only about 15 yards away I’ve no doubt whatsoever that the Stockport defender took the man and not the ball, as referee Foster must have adjudged.
The viewpoint also offered the opportunity to see the difficulty the pitch imposed as Barcham and Adam Miller were both made to wait the ball to settle as it bobbled continuously whilst setting for a shot at goal that never came.
The second half followed much the same pattern as the first. Stockport made the most of the running with Partridge and George Donnelly to the fore and Julian was forced into a series of eye-catching, but mostly comfortable, saves. Simeon Jackson flashed a long range shot narrowly wide that had many of the 350 assembled Gills fans believing he had found the net as it rattled the stanchion.
Jabo Ibhere, who had been a handful, but well marshaled by Darren Dennehy, pictured, and Garry Richards, ballooned a shot high over the bar from 12 yards to ably sum up the woeful nature of the quality on show.On Sunday morning my sister-in-law asked if I had a good trip yesterday. Knowing she has absolutely no interest in football, I made the following analogy: If you travelled a round trip of 530 miles to see your favourite singer and on the night, she sang none of the songs you liked and the ones she did, she sang out of tune . . . You lost then, she replied.
Cue the pictures . . .
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