Gillingham (0) 0
Brentford (1) 1 Strevens 44
Att. 7,009
Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 45/4,488
Match Report
Boxing Day is traditionally a day for left overs and it wouldn’t be hard to guess that come February 6th and the reverse fixture there could also be some left overs, not of the edible variety, on show at Griffin Park.This fixture has become a contentious one over the last 12 months causing it to court controversy and sending-offs. A year ago at Priestfield, there was an unseemly brawl which saw Nathan Elder sent off with Barry Fuller also seeing red late in the game. The return fixture in March carried a hangover from the previous encounter and some verbal jousting between the managers. Today, another two saw red as Gillingham suffered defeat at Priestfield for the first time since August.
Neither player can have too many complaints. Josh Gowling’s challenge on Charlie MacDonald in the 50th minute didn’t look the best, albeit that it was viewed from a distance. It brought a second yellow to add to his first half booking for a tackle on Marcus Bean. MacDonald also saw red 15 minutes later for a rash challenge on Tom Wynter to add to his first half booking for simulation, a blatant piece of cheating.
Gillingham will feel hard-done-by to lose a game in which they dominated for almost the entire match. The first half saw Lewis Price make good saves from Febian Brandy on two occasions and Simeon Jackson with Brentford mustering nothing in return until a minute before half time when they snatched a undeserved lead. A left sided cross from Myles Weston was touched on by MacDonald for Ben Strevens to bundle the ball home.
In the second half, once the referee had evened the teams to 10-a-side, the home side went in desperate search of an equaliser but none of the chances that came their way were as clear cut as the three first half efforts until Curtis Weston had a lob cleared from the line by Danny Foster.
Ultimately, for all their territorial advantage, Gillingham failed to find the cutting edge necessary to breakdown a resolute Bees’ backline. This made the announcement of Jackson as the sponsors’ man of the match all the more bizarre. The Rainham End responded with a Oli, Oli chant and I don’t think they were too far off the mark.
Whilst referee Fred Graham had little alternative with either of the sending off decisions, his handling of the game was less than consistent. Pim Balkestein, who took a first half booking, could easily have seen red for a cynical foul on Dennis Oli, whilst Barry Fuller and Myles Weston both got bookings for little or nothing when both could have gone in the book minutes earlier. Mr Graham was also in charge of the Griffin Park game in March when he cancelled out a Simeon Jackson goal, the diminutive striker supposedly out muscling a 6’3” defender. Let us pray that the same official doesn’t turn up again in February.
From all accounts, Mark Stimson refused to shake the hand of Brentford manager Andy Scott at the end of the match, so time has not proved to be the healer of old scores. Scott comes across as an abrasive character and Stimson could have held the moral high ground with a cursory shake of the hand. Once again, eyes will be trained on a simple gesture of good sportsmanship in February.
The home support filed out of Priestfield like the child that had received some nice Christmas gifts but found that the present he really wanted was not in the stocking. Perhaps the surprise present will come in the form of an away win at Exeter on Monday, sadly it is not something you can actually buy in the sales.
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