Gillingham 1 Leeds United 1

Match 19/07/636 - Saturday, 29th September 2007 - League One

Gillingham (0) 1 Cox 90
Leeds United (1) 1 Carole 28
Att. 8,719

Entrance: Season ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 45/1,393

Match Report

In years to come I might look back on this fixture and wonder why they were even playing each other at this time. The mighty Leeds, Champions League semi-finalists just six years ago, in the third tier of English football. Seven straight wins at the start of the season, but still sitting in the bottom half-down with only six points is also going to take some working-out when the memory has dimmed*. These were the strange circumstances that preceded this Priestfield encounter and the game that unfolded also beggared belief.

Gillingham, probably in the last throes of the Onuora/Docherty caretakership, started quite brightly and it was slightly against the run of the play when Leeds went in front. At this point everybody in the 8,000-odd crowd would have suspected that Leeds would go on to win at a canter, nobody would have guessed the indiscipline that followed that would eventually cost them their 100% record.

As a player Dennis Wise was an irritating little sod and as a manager his team performed on the day as a mirror image of himself. First, just before half time, Tresor Kandol was yellow carded for a second time after sarcastically applauding the referee upon getting a free kick for a foul against himself. Then early in the second half Jermaine Beckford, Leeds second striker, was also sent off for two yellows for a foul that came just a couple of minutes after receiving his first card for kicking the ball into the net long after the whistle had gone for offside. Both senseless, needless red cards.

Ultimately Leeds were lucky to end the match with nine men. Hughes had previously been booked for a poor challenge was substituted undoubtedly to protect him from a red and goalkeeper Ankergren was lucky that none of the officials noticed him kicking the ball out of the ground in annoyance at Beckford’s sending off and was then later booked for time wasting.

Just to prove that nothing really changes in football, Wise himself was sent to the stands during half time after a confrontation with the referee. Leeds are probably a cut above most in this division and if they are to make up the points disparity then their indiscipline might just be a telling factor come May.

Gillingham themselves made a much better fist of the day than of late but still could not break down Leeds in a game that became attack against defence once Leeds had gone down to nine. Countless crosses (especially from Clohessey) never beat the first man and we had entered the last couple of minutes before Ankergren was forced to make his first real save. But just when hope had turned to despair, Ian Cox powered in a header to send Priestfield into rapture. Such are the emotions when you hold mighty Leeds to even a draw.

Sadly the end saw scenes that we are not used to at Priestfield. Firstly the sight of Gus Poyet, assistant to Wise, stopping any of his players shaking the hand of the referee and then the Leeds fans pelting the officials with coins as they left the pitch. As I noted earlier, nothing really changes.

*For historical purposes and everybody knows the facts in 2007, Leeds were deducted 15 points at the start of the season for financial irregularities surrounding their administration.