Chesterfield (0) 0
Gillingham (1) 1 McCammon 22
Att. 3,933
Entrance: £16
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 432/8,014
Match Report
Barn doors from five yards, cow’s arses and banjos spring immediately to mind. Chesterfield lived up to every cliché as their wayward striking helped Gillingham to three points, keeping alive the Kent sides’s automatic promotion hopes and just a single point from a guaranteed play-off spot.In a second half that at times resembled scenes from the Alamo, Gillingham’s defence battled hard to preserve the lead given to them by Mark McCammon in the 22nd minute and whilst great credit must be given to the achievement, Chesterfield supporters will be wondering how their strikers had such a woeful day. They rattled a post, had another effort that flashed across the goal face and brought two good saves from Simon Royce, but they rained another dozen efforts on the Gillingham goal that were high, wide and not very handsome.
In the warm spring sunshine, Mark Stimson chose to start with the same side that began against Dagenham, with Rene Steer taking Adam Miller’s place on the bench. This was a match that both teams needed all the points for much the same reasons. Chesterfield began the game brightly and after ten minutes the experienced, and very dangerous, Jack Lester set the tone for the home side with an effort that comfortably cleared the bar.
Gillingham themselves were looking positive on the break with Andy Barcham’s pace unsettling the home side’s rearguard. From one such attack, John Nutter’s corner was only cleared back to the full back who swung it back in for McCammon to rise highest and head in off the underside of the bar.
Barry Fuller was being continually troubled by the pace and trickery of Drew Talbot and was booked for a blatant obstruction and it was Talbot that created another chance that was wasted by Lester.
After starting the second period on the front foot with Barcham creating a chance that was cleared for a corner, the home side then took up the offensive and a rearguard action became the order of the day. Shooting opportunities aplenty fell to the Spireites but as the efforts on goal mounted, the times that they actually troubled Royce failed to increase.
With 25 minutes remaining the first huge sigh of relief came from the 500-strong travelling Gills faithful when a corner, following a superb Simon King block, was headed against the post by Kevin Austen. By now it was all hands to the pump, McCammon had made way for Dennis Oli and Mark Bentley came on for an improved Josh Wright. Yet again, Lester, in the past such a thorn in Gillingham’s side, having beaten the offside trap fired high over the bar.
Now the hearts-in-mouth time had really arrived and it appeared that the desperate defending was to be in vain as Lester got on the end of a through ball into the box, but as he was about to pull the trigger, Simon Royce made a fine smothering save. A long injury break for Royce angered the home fans behind his goal before Jack Lester proved it was not to be his day as another shot flashed across the face of the goal with nobody available to turn into the net.
It was a storm that Gillingham had bravely weathered, they had faced the bombardment of Chesterfield’s equivalent of Rory Delap, Dan Gray who had bombed the visiting box with huge throw-ins. Nobody can argue that they did not ride their luck to the fullest extent, but this had been a resolute performance that had earned three vitally important points.
Saltergate is a very old stadium in its last throes of existence. Its facilities are as woeful as their striker’s finishing. The gents toilets were a throwback to those monstrosities that used to service the Rainham End and evidently the ladies were no better. The main stand is a wooden structure that in a week when Hillsborough was remembered evoked sad memories of Bradford. Opposite is a strange seated structure that has fully 10 yards of flat, open space in front of it serving no purpose whatsoever. Most of the Gills support was housed in an open terrace and a covered terrace at the other end was home to the vocal element of the Chesterfield support.
The club has planning permission for a site nearer to Junction 30 of the M1 and hope to be playing there from the start of the 2010-11 season in a stadium that will resemble that of Shrewsbury’s New Meadow.
Two games to go and all is still to play for, all of us have to hold our nerve from here, Gillingham’s back line showed the way today.
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