Gillingham 0 Middlesbrough 2

Match 15/12/968 - Tuesday, 27 August 2012 - Capital One Cup 2R

Gillingham (0) 0
Middlesbrough (1) 2 Carayol 22, Park 90
Att. 5,146

Entrance: £15
Programme: £2
Mileage: 45/641

Match Report

Gillingham bowed out of the Football League Cup but not without, as they would have said in their opponent’s homeland, “giving it a reet good go”. Middlesbrough came to Kent, paraded three players for whom they had paid in excess of a million pounds for each signature and left another three resting their legs on Teesside. The quality of their side was completely in evidence in a first half in which Gillingham paid their visitors too much respect, standing off and allowing them to find their feet in what might have been considered a banana skin tie. A very early alarm bell rang when, in the fourth minute, Mustapha Carayol stormed through the centre of Gillingham’s defence before setting up Marvin Emnes with a shot directly at Stuart Nelson. Carayol, an old adversary from his Bristol Rovers days, was the centre of Boro’s attacking intentions, forcing Nelson into another save on ten minutes.

Gillingham’s first chance came on 20 minutes when Danny Kedwell shot across the face of the goal before Middlesbrough opened the scoring a couple of minutes later. Carayol, who was being booed by the Rainham End after he kicked out at an advertising hoarding in frustration, once again surged through the centre of the defence, riding a tackle before lashing home a shot from just inside the box.

Middlesbrough comfortably controlled the rest of the half although Gillingham claims for a penalty when George Friend appeared to be holding Kedwell were denied five minutes before the break.

The home side appeared from the outset of the second half that they had been having the nothing to lose talk and just "give a reet good go" and took the game to their Championship opponents with an enthusiastic response from the Rainham End. Whilst Gillingham surged forward and attacks from their visitors were reduced to virtually nothing, direct shots on goal were at a premium. On the hour, Charlie Allen crossed from the right, Kedwell glanced a header but not on target.

There was a sense of inevitability that with the amount of pressure that had been exerted that eventually the quality side would break away and kill the game. This happened in the 90th minute when a weak back pass from Kedwell was seized upon by the very impressive Cameron Park who finished with an exquisite chip over Nelson from the edge of the box. It was like reading an open book moment for sure.

In seven minutes of added time, Chris Whelpdale and Jack Payne added to the shots on target column but these were dealt with comfortably by Jason Steele. The referee, whose contribution to the game had not exactly been enjoyed by the home faithful, called a halt and the Gillingham support showed their appreciation of their side’s efforts with rapturous applause. It was no more than they deserved. A first defeat of the season but a performance that will only have enhanced the growing confidence that this season can go from strength to strength.

The classic programme covers that are being replicated for this centenary season tonight came from the 1952-53 season.