Gillingham 0 Birmingham City 2

Match 03/08/687 - Saturday, 26th July 2008 - Pre-Season Friendly

Gillingham (0) 0
Birmingham City (2) 2 Jerome 14 Taylor 20
Att. 1,742

Entrance: £10
Programme: £1
Mileage: 45/159

Match Report

The new season can only be days away, no need to look at the calendar, just wipe the sweat from your brow. A previously tepid summer turned into a heat wave as Gillingham and Birmingham fought 30degC temperatures as much as each other in this pre-season game.

Gillingham’s form pre-season has been less than convincing and another goalless afternoon heightens the concern that there is not enough firepower in this squad. Simeon Jackson, who still convinces me that he will supply his share of the goals, had an afternoon of a I’ll shoot and you’ll save contest with Maik Taylor, who came out the winner.

Mark McCammon once again failed to make an appearance so we are none the wiser as to whether his partnership with Jackson is going to be fruitful. We can, however, make the judgement that somebody of McCammon’s size is going to be necessary to allow Jackson the space in which to flourish.

Gillingham began this game badly with two defensive mistakes, the first a shocker of a under hit back pass from John Nutter, giving Championship side Birmingham a two goal lead in the first 20 minutes. But from that poor start Gillingham went on to have the better of the possession and making Taylor much the busier of the two keepers.

Two triallists from Bolton made way at half time for Luis Cumbers and Dennis Oli, the latter of which made a significant contribution as Gills more than matched the Brummies. Defensively, Simon King and Gary Richards looked assured against a quality strike force of Bent, McSheffrey and Camerone Jerome, who profited from Nutter’s gaffe. In the middle of the park, Mark Bentley showed why he cannot be wasted in central defence.

So an encouraging performance, albeit with the goalscoring reservations. A promotion winning side needs two strikers that are going to contribute 20 goals apiece and without a prolific partner in tandem, you get the feeling that Jackson is going to have to score 30-plus for Gillingham to make an impression at the top of the Division.

Following last week’s piss-take by Grays in charging £13, at least the £10 entrance fee was a reasonable price for a decent game of football.

Grays Athletic 1 Gillingham 0

Match 02/08/686 - Saturday, 19th July 2008 - Pre-Season Friendly

Grays Athletic (1) 1 Kedwell 29
Gillingham (0) 0
Att. 425

Entrance: £13
Programme: £4
Mileage: 77/114
New ground: 224

Match Report

We are told that Pre-Season results mean absolutely nothing and the good results of last pre-season ultimately meant for nothing, but . . .

This was same old, same old from Gillingham. Virtually shot less during the first half and a couple of efforts in the second that didn’t test the Grays keeper, the words Gillingham Nil are already beginning to set alarm bells ringing in my head. Two Conference sides have now managed to keep clean sheets against the Gills and today Grays did it with ease, even managing the last 20 minutes with ten men, having been refused a substitution by the referee.

The second half pairing of Oli and Jackson were marginally more potent than the first half duo of Luke Rooney and Mulligan, who needs goals very soon to save himself from a body of the Gillingham support that want more than his acknowledged work rate. Latching on to a poor back pass, he was one-on-one with the keeper and decided to round him rather than shoot, but the ball appeared to get stuck in his feet and the keeper smothered. A second half header from Simeon Jackson that cleared the bar was the closest we got, but he should at least have made the keeper work.

Danny Kedwell, an ex-Gillingham triallist, and the son-in-law of a good mate of mine, showed how to bury a header when he out jumped everybody to plant a firm header into the top corner despite Simon Royce’s best efforts.

I get the impression that youth is going to be a big part of Mark Stimson’s thinking in the coming months. Walder, Wynter Thomas, Howard and Hill have all figured and today, for the most part, they looked no worse than anybody else in a Gillingham shirt. Whether this is borne out of necessity or desire, one can only speculate.

The New Recreation Ground is rather too compact for the Conference, but it is tidy with a good playing surface. Hemmed in with flats overlooking the ground, there is no room for expansion and it is no surprise that the club are looking to move away. Approval for a site has not been obtained and it is planned for 2009 that they will leave their present home and share with Aveley while a new stadium is built.

The afternoon began with a sobering minute of applause for Ernie Cooksey, a Grays player that recently lost a fight against cancer, but was lightened by some good humour from the referee when ushering on an attractive, blonde female physio. “I feel a groin strain coming on”, he shouted to the assembled Gillingham fans.

An outrageous £13 was charged for entrance and the £4 cover price for a programme compounded the feeling that we were being taken to the cleaners. Unfortunately Gillingham provided very little to compensate and entering into the week of their prestige home friendlies, perhaps it will take a first appearance from Mark McCammon to lift the spirits or, at the very least, find the way to goal.

Bly Spartans 2 Tunbridge Wells 1

Match 01/08/685 - Saturday, 12th July 2008 - Pre-Season Friendly

Bly Spartans (0) 2
Tunbridge Wells (1) 1 Lord
Att. 30-ish

Entrance: Free
Programme: None
Mileage: 37/37
New ground: 223

Match Report

Here we go again. Gillingham and Tonbridge had no games at this early stage and there were more attractive friendlies locally, but the ground hopper in me plus an interest in Tunbridge Wells took me to Strood and Bly Spartans.

This was the first time I’ve dipped my toes into Step Seven, barring a visit to Crockenhill when they were a Kent League Club. The facilities are obviously spartan(!) but newly-promoted Bly are looking to progress up the pyramid and the groundworks are in place for floodlighting, that will be necessary to gain membership of the Kent League. The pitch, though slopping was well kept. I don’t know if they charge for entry to their Kent County League Premier Division games, but there was no charge for this match. Not surprisingly, there was also no team sheet, so references to players can only be made by the names shouted by the benches of both sides.

Tunbridge Wells are a club now rebuilding both on and off the pitch. This time last year they were supposedly in transition, on their way to better times via an investment by Gary Stevens. This, unfortunately, came to nothing and subsequently have had to attempt to move forward on their own terms. They also had a change of team management and slowly but surely Mike Robbins, firstly took the club to safety and then embarked on a undefeated run at the end of last season to take them to the top half of the table.

As I spent the second half alongside the benches, Robbins is a softly-spoken man, certainly not a stereotypical manager. Wells played some good stuff in the first half, crisp short passes, nice little triangles and were well worth their one goal lead through Mike Lord. Benji, who was prominent throughout the half, supplied the cross for a tap-in.

The second half was entirely different, Bly took the game by the scruff of the neck and with the aid of two goalkeeping howlers, went on to deservedly win. Their skipper, conspicuous with a shock of blonde curls and the fact that he was a decent player, played the game as if it was a cup final. Firstly, he took exception to being asked to play centre-half following an injury, then remonstrated with his bench at a couple of substitutions. “I just want to try a few things”, lamented his manager. Then, after a injury of his own, he initially refused to be substituted. When he was finally convinced to come off, his manager shouts, “and now he limps!” Good player, big ego.