Gillingham (3) 1 Oli 8, Brandy 27, Nutter 34
Stockport County (0) 1 Rose 65
Att. 4,769
Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 45/4,443
Match Report
Mark Stimson was unaware as to whether his players had a Christmas Party planned following this afternoon’s game, but if one was on the agenda then the first toast of the evening belonged to groundsman John Plummer and a doughty set of volunteers that cleared the pitch of a huge amount of snow.Twenty-four hours ago I had endured a six hour journey home from my South London workplace following a night shift, a journey that would normally take a single hour and consequently I was not overly in favour of the great effort that was being made on my behalf. I watched the internet message boards during the morning absolutely convinced that the snow sweepers’ efforts were going to be futile. At 1 p.m., with no announcement made it was time to try my luck on the roads and head towards Gillingham.
En-route came the news, game on. Once parked up it became obvious that one of the criteria in these circumstances had been largely ignored in the decision to play the game. The walk down to Priestfield was a perilous one with the local roads and pavements compacted with ice. The gates to the Gordon Road Stand were not opened until 2.45 p.m., such was the lateness of the decision with the turnstile operators lending their hand to the snow clearing process.
Common sense prevailed and the small gathering of Stockport supporters were housed in the Gordon Road Stand, the Brian Moore Stand being deemed unsafe. Not that anybody knew they were there as Gillingham ripped apart the basement side with a hot first half display.Febian Brandy was back from his rehabilitation at his parent club and Curtis Weston and John Nutter returned to the starting eleven. The game was in its infancy when Dennis Oli made a surging run and a good shot forced a save from Owain Fon Williams. The resultant corner was headed across the face of goal where it was met by an acrobatic scissor kick from Oli. Great goal and the celebratory dive into the mounds of snow behind the goal matched the occasion.
If the first goal was down to a piece of individual brilliance, Gillingham’s second on 27 minutes was a good team goal. Kevin Maher played the ball forward, Simeon Jackson touched on into the path of Brandy who finished clinically. The cold was being forgotten as the home side’s supporters warmed their hands regularly in appreciation of the quality of the display being laid before them.
The game appeared signed and sealed in the 33rd minute when Nutter, on his 100th appearance for the club, picked his spot from 20 yards with a superb strike for a three goal lead.
Unfortunately the half time break brought a realisation of just how cold it actually was and Gillingham’s second half performance did nothing to divert that attention. Stockport made most of the running and a very good strike from full back Michael Rose on 65 minutes gave the visitors a glimmer of hope. Rose brought a fine save from Alan Julian two minutes later and had this not been the case the final period of the game might have been a rather nervous time.
So a great effort from supporters, who not only cleared the pitch but in difficult circumstances did very well to get over 4,700 through the turnstiles, was rewarded with yet another home three points to steer the club away from the frosty regions of the bottom four.
Happy Christmas everyone.
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