Gillingham 3 Crewe Alexandra 4

Match 53/11/940 - Saturday, 10 March 2012 - League Two

Gillingham (0) 3 Payne 48 Whelpdale 67 Miller 73
Barnet (1) 1 Powell 27,53 Leitch-Smith 52 Clayton 90+5
Att. 5,428

Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: £3.00
Mileage: 45/4,024

Match Report

Some fans can go years without witnessing a seven-goal thriller, but for Gillingham supporters this season, they are just a matter of course. This 4-3 defeat by Crewe Alexandra was their fourth of the season ending with this score line and to this they can add a 6-1, 5-2 and a 5-4. If you just want goals from your football, then Gillingham are the side to watch home or away.

Crewe Alexandra won this game in, perhaps, the cruellest of fashions, with a goal 20 seconds from the end of the five added minutes. It was cruel inasmuch that from 3-1 down, the home side had fought back to 3-3, and had survived the remaining 15 minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of Danny Spiller for a reckless challenge. But the dispassionate among the 5,428 attendance would almost certainly have come to the conclusion that the Railwaymen had been the better side and were fully deserving of the three points.

There was another aspect from this game that I will take into the future. Every so often, you spot a player and literally drool at their potential. Yesterday, a future star became apparent in Crewe’s Nick Powell. Already capped by England at Under -16 and 17 levels, if this lad doesn’t make it big in the game then the 50 years I’ve been watching have been wasted, because I haven’t learnt a thing. 17-year-old Powell scored a stunning first goal, made the second, added the third and was the best player on the pitch by a country mile. Sad for Alex that they won’t be able to hold on to him for much longer, but that has long been the mandate for the Cheshire club.

Gillingham came into the game buoyed by four straight wins but suffering a horrendous injury and sickness list. Strikers Jo Kuffour and Gavin Tomlin continued to be unavailable, whilst Danny Kedwell was only fit enough to take his place on the bench. Jordan Obita was sick and Garry Richards was obviously missing following his broken leg in Tuesday’s game. Taking their place upfront were Gillingham’s only options, Dennis Oli, following his 45 minute positive impression against Barnet and the 17-year-old Ashley Miller.

Unfortunately, Oli was unable to make the same impression as the home side laboured through the first half, the highlight of which was the stunning strike from Powell. 25 yards from goal, far out on the right hand side, the youngster angled a drive into the top corner, leaving Paulo Gazzaniga helpless. The applause from the home fans was testament to the quality of the strike. Take a bow, young man.

Gillingham’s lack of an attacking threat brought about a necessary half-time change with Kedwell introduced in favour of Oliver Lee. The change brought about a very different game and a breathless second half. It took just three minutes for Kedwell to have an influence, crossing for Jack Payne to equalise from close range, but this was just the first of three goals in five minutes. Within three minutes, Crewe regained their lead, Powell crossed for Ajay Leitch-Smith to score despite the best efforts of Gazzaniga who managed to push his first effort against a post. A minute later the game appeared over as a contest when Powell hooked in despite the close attention of Simon King.

But Gillingham are the comeback kings at present and after 67 minutes, Chris Whelpdale fired in after the Crewe defence had only managed to clear Charlie Lee’s long throw to the edge of their box. Six minutes later and the comeback was complete when Steve Phillips parried Kedwell’s header into the path of Gillingham’s own emerging teenager, Ashley Miller, who finished from close range for his first senior goal.

Lee, who had picked up his 15th booking for the season, was withdrawn, presumably to ensure against the prospect of going down to 10 men in favour of Danny Spiller, so it was all the more ironic that the returning midfielder was shown red for his flying tackle on 80 minutes. Crewe sensed their opportunity and pressed forward for a winner, Gillingham held on grimly, so it was a bitter pill to take when, with just 20 seconds left on the clock, a cross from Byron Moore was given the faintest of headed touches by another 17-year-old, Max Clayton, to seal the points for the visitors.

There was so much youth on show on both sides that it resembled the school’s half-time shoot out. Gillingham can take great heart from the performances of their own kids, but this day belonged to Nick Powell. One day lad, you will walk out at Wembley in a full England international shirt and I will say, “I told you so”, but that’s not being that wise, a blind man would recognise this talent.