Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Gillingham 2

Match 13/12/966 - Saturday, 25 August 2012 - League Two

Dagenham & Redbridge (1) 1 Gayle 34 (pen)
Gillingham (1) 2 Burton 30, Weston 62
Att. 2,251

Entrance: £19
Programme: £3.00
Mileage: 92/528

Match Report

Gillingham maintained their 100% record this season and along the way Martin Allen is laying a few ghosts. Tuesday’s win at Wycombe, a perpetual bogey ground, went some way to eradicating the memory of their 2010 relegation after one of the most spineless displays ever seen by a Gillingham team and today, at Dagenham’s Victoria Road (old name, but even that’s more catchy than its present-day title), horrendous displays in the last two visits were despatched to the archives.

This win was another, like last Saturday’s that I would put in the patchy category, and that actually gives me a great deal of encouragement, giving belief that there is an awful lot more to come from this squad. And a squad game it is proving to be under Martin Allen. Win last Saturday equalled five changes on Tuesday; win on Tuesday accounted for another five changes today including a surprise benching for Danny Kedwell.

Trips to Dagenham always seem to come with a weather warning; we froze on the then terraces on Boxing Day 2008 and last year it was a very wet night, albeit under the cover of the new Traditional Builders’ Stand. Today was another wet one with lightning arcing its way across the leaden skies and torrential downpours at regular intervals.

Gillingham could easily have been ahead within 10 seconds of the start when a quick throw caught the Daggers defence cold, but Chris Lewington was alert enough to thwart Deon Burton. For 20 minutes Gillingham looked capable of running riot, opening up the home defence almost at will, but without reward. Chances came and went for Myles Weston who struck one into the side netting and rounded Lewington before standing up a cross that ended with Chris Whelpdale’s shot being blocked with penalty appeals being turned away.

A little of the momentum went out of the visitor’s play and it was during the hosts best period of the first half that Gillingham took the lead. Having survived a real scare following Billy Bingham’s free kick which Stuart Nelson did well to parry (or, at least, the ball hit him), a swift counter attack ended with Matt Fish placing a pinpoint cross for Burton to head home from the edge of the six yard box.

The lead was not to last long. A superb through ball from ex-Gill, Luke Howell allowed Dwight Gayle a run into the box which was ended when Nelson brought him down. The keeper was shown a yellow card and then sent the wrong way as Gayle despatched the spot kick.

Gillingham started the second half in the same manner they had the first and immediately chances fell once more to Weston, one into the side netting and a second over the bar. On the hour, Martin Allen made his first changes, Kedwell on for Burton and Jack Payne replacing Whelpdale with an immediate dividend, albeit with neither substitute involved. Fish played a long ball over the top to the galloping Weston who advanced into the box and drove a fierce shot through Lewington’s legs to the delight of the best part of a thousand Gillingham supporters behind the goal.

Gillingham created a couple of further chances before Dagenham mounted a grand finale that left the visiting fans biting fingernails, but Stuart Nelson was equal to the task with a couple of parrying saves and the home forwards aiding the cause with some wayward finishing.

So, even in these embryonic days of the league table, it is satisfying to see Gillingham sitting equal points at the top of the table, but kept in second place by a single goal disadvantage to Oxford United. As football banter goes its early doors and as a result of Gillingham’s away form of previous years, there are plenty of ghosts to exorcise in the coming months.