Doncaster Rovers 2 Gillingham 2

Match 60/15/1265 - Saturday, 16th January 2016 - League One

Doncaster Rovers (0) 2 Stewart 75, Williams 88
Gillingham (2) 2 Donnelly 10,46
Attendance: 4,876

Entrance: £17 Senior
Programme: £3
Mileage: 434/4,657
New Ground: 285

Match Report

We may be just the paying public, but surely when so many people are thinking the same thing, they can't all be wrong? At 2-0, Gillingham were coasting this match; could and should have been further ahead. In midfield Josh Wright and Jake Hessenthaler were dominating the centre of the pitch, leaving Aaron Morris a relatively easy job as the holding player and allowing Bradley Dack the luxury of performing all his magic further forward. And then, after 72 minutes, Justin Edinburgh made the strange decision to break the partnership and replace Wright with Jermaine McGlashen. A dodgy refereeing decision only clouds the issue that with that substitution, Doncaster Rovers found a way back into the game and left Gillingham holding on for dear life for nine minutes of added time. McGlashen's contribution in his time on the field was one cross into the goalkeeper's hands.

Holding my own hands up, I would have taken a draw from the outset, but two goals to the good, levels of expectation rise and when that lead was ultimately lost, the disappointment is so much the greater. This is the second successive game, third overall where two goal leads have been surrendered. Edinburgh's young team assertion cannot tell the whole story. It's a pointless exercise in "what ifs" but if those leads had been translated into wins, Gillingham would have been five points clear at the top of the table.

Gillingham looked a little shaky down their right hand side in the opening minutes when, on a couple of occasions, Andy Williams had an acre of space to exploit but ended with hopelessly overhit crosses.

After 10 minutes the visitors were in front. Ryan Jackson's long throw were returned to him and his cross found Rory Donnelly at the far post who executed an exquisite volley from the angle of the six yard box into the opposite corner of the net.

Overhit became a watchword for Rovers as time and again they emulated their Rugby League groundsharers with shots that sailed blissfully over the bar by some considerable distance.

Gillingham might have doubled their advantage prior to the break. A Rovers attack was broken down and Dack from well inside his own half set Bradley Garmston free down the left hand side. The full back made a lot of ground before crossing into the box where it was met with a header from Dack that rebounded off the crossbar.

Visiting supporters who had taken an extra half minute to sup their half-time Bovril failed to return to their seats in time to see their side's second goal. A 30-yard run from Dack from the centre circle culminated with a straight pass into the path of Donnelly who slipped it past the advancing Thorsten Stuckmann with an assured finish.

On 72 minutes came the head-scratching moment that left Gillingham fans bewildered and Josh Wright frustrated as he threw a water bottle to the floor and, within three mminutes, Doncaster had a foothold back in the match. A dubious foul on Williams by Max Ehmer gave Rovers a free kick just inside the D and Cameron Stewart stepped up to drive a shot into the top corner.

Ten minutes later, Stewart was involved in a hideous incident when he tumbled over McGlashen landing on his head. Stewart was hospitalised but thankfully was released later that evening.

A couple of minutes before the game entered into nine minutes of time added due to Stewart's injury, the home side were level. Morris was caught in possession and a pass found Williams taking the ball between Gillingham's two central defenders and firing into the bottom corner.

In the second minute of time added, Gillingham were spared the blushes of a third 3-2 defeat after being two-up when a fine save from Nelson denied Aaron Taylor-Sinclair. Somehow, Gillingham survived those long nine minutes, before the supporters inquest began with a loud, long rant from one supporter in the gents!

This was third time lucky for me in regards to a visit to the Keepmoat Stadium. I actually liked the ground more from the outside than inside. A walk alongside a lake in a nicely terraced park with childen feeding the ducks was very pleasant leading up to a statue that, I presume, was a nod towards the local steel industry.

With no tickets available prior to the day, the selling of them by one person in a makeshift room was far from ideal leading to long queues and once inside the ground, food stocks were close to running out and expensive to boot.

For some reason, the visiting support was allocated a couple of blocks in a corner from where the view wasn't the best. The ground was bland in a sterile, modern way that lacked any sort of interesting feature. On the plus side, it did retain a good atmosphere generated by a noisy home following complete with continuous drumming.

At third in the table, Gillingham fans have little right to complain, but we pay our money and are entitled to our opinion and social media on Saturday night was full of fans questioning Edinburgh's judgement on that substitution. Can we all be wrong?