Gillingham 3 Nottingham Forest 0

Match 42/07/659 - Saturday, 29th December 2007 - League One

Gillingham (0) 3 Mulligan 49 Miller 61 Griffiths 81
Nottingham Forest (0) 0
Att. 7,712

Entrance: Season ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 45/3,649

Match Report

Brian Clough, Peter Taylor, John McGovern, Roy Dwight, Kenny Burns, Kenneth Clarke, Larry Lloyd, Trevor Francis, Ian Storey-Moore, Robin Hood, Maid Marion, Colin Calderwood . . . your lads took one hell of a beating.

Oh My God, just where did this Gillingham appear from? On the pitch this afternoon were players that grafted, players that showed no shortage of ability, courageous performances, they were a TEAM.

I hold my hands up, I feared an embarrassment and the Boxing Day version of Gillingham had given me no reason to think otherwise. Perhaps Forest turned up with the complacency of their fans who had peppered the message boards with foul-mouthed exultations that they were to visit our piss-pot of a ground for the very last time before they rise to their rightful place among football’s elite, after all they are a giant of a club, erstwhile European Champions, but of another century and to coin the ditty, your not famous anymore.

At half-time and 0-0 Gillingham had ridden their luck to a certain extent with Simon Royce as usual making important saves, but doubtless there was an improvement in the performance that gave a fragment of hope that a point might yet be gleaned from this no chance fixture.

As the home side attacked the Rainham End, from the beginning of the second half it was Nottingham Forest that appeared vulnerable at the back and when keeper Paul Smith spilled a good strike from Andrew Crofts, the recalled Gary Mulligan was on hand to tap home the rebound. The home crowd were now rising to the occasion and after Crofts had spurned an opportunity, a ball broke on the edge of the box to Adam Miller and this time there was no fluke as his well hit 20-yarder screamed past the helpless Smith.

Mulligan made way for Leroy Griffiths, useless muttered the author of this blog, and ten minutes later he latched onto a dreadful back pass and smashed an unstoppable shot past Smith to send Priestfield into absolute ecstasy and the away end emptying as fast as they could get down those piss-pot steps.

Three games without a win had left the Gillingham faithful questioning the wisdom of bringing in players from outside of the Football League, today they stepped up to the plate. Let’s get the jokes of having a Nutter in the dressing room out of the way as John Nutter made his first start and proved an accomplished full back and had Simon King not had such an outstanding game would have been a contender for man of the match.

Wonderful match, superb entertainment, and if those Forest fans are proven correct then they will want to forget their final visit to that piss pot ground in the Medway Towns.