Preston North End 2 Gillingham 0

Match 36/12/989 - Saturday, 1 December 2012 - FA Cup 2R

Preston North End (2) 2 Monakana 12, Beavon 38
Gillingham (0) 0
Att. 5,271

Entrance: £5 Senior (Season's Bargain!)
Programme: £3.00
Mileage: 574/2,799

Match Report

Before we proceed with the day’s events at Preston North End’s Deepdale, I’ll indulge in that pointless exercise of ifs, buts and maybes. If only Deon Burton had converted a penalty awarded just 20 seconds into the second half then given the pressure that Gillingham exerted in the following 45 minutes then quite possibly they could have recovered the half-time deficit and if only Callum Davies had Row Z the ball instead of attempting to play his way out of trouble, then a single goal deficit would have given his side a fighting chance in the second period. But, as Gillingham pressed forward in search of a goal, it has to be said that Preston rattled the bar and had a couple of close range near misses as they caught the visitors short at the back on the counter attack.

Coming to the maybe, I am beginning to hear the odd murmur of discontent about Martin Allen’s rotation policy. Over the course of the 90 minutes, Gillingham gave their League One hosts a decent game and following their second half revival, it is hard not to at least consider what might have been had Chris Whelpdale and Charlie Lee not been left on the bench from the outset. On the other hand, it is far too simplistic to assume that had Danny Kedwell been on the pitch at the time, the penalty would have been converted. Personally, I find it just a little sad that a club of Gillingham’s standing feel they can use the FA Cup to field a weakened side, although I recognise that Martin Allen would dispute that his side was weakened. As I’m writing with the knowledge that the reward for winning this tie was a trip to Millwall, I’m sure there will be a lot of Gillingham fans happy to have avoided that particular trip, but how gutted would we have been had one of the big fish emerged from the velvet bag with Preston.

The puddles on the pavements were still iced over as we walked to the ground and the wind was bitingly cold. Gillingham, were themselves caught cold and were under pressure from the outset and it was no surprise when they slipped behind on 12 minutes. A free kick from the right following a pretty cynical challenge by Adam Barrett was headed into the centre of the area from where a weak clearing header found Jeffrey Monakana who, with the aid of a deflection, scored from around the penalty spot.

The visitors endured a difficult opening 20 minutes before they got into the game when North End’s German goalkeeper, Thosten Stuckmann made an acrobatic save from Romain Vincelot. On the half hour Monakana, who gave an eye-catching display, set up a chance for Stuart Beavon and his well hit shot was equally well saved by Gills’ Tommy Forecast, deputising in goal for the suspended Stuart Nelson.

As it was being considered that getting to half-time with just a single goal deficit would not be such a mountain to climb, Callum Davies made the type of mistake on the edge of his box that, perhaps, a player of greater experience would not have made. With time to clear the ball from the edge of the box, he dwelt too long and by the time he decided to return the ball to his keeper, the onrushing Lee Holmes had robbed him of the ball, Forecast came from his line but the ball rebounded off him into the path of Beavon who had the easiest of tasks to slot the ball into the empty net.

Half-time changes were made by Allen; Whelpdale and Lee were introduced for Joe Martin and Davies, paying instant dividend. Whelpdale’s shot was charged down with the hands of Joe Welsh and, the much unloved, Trevor Kettle pointed to the spot. In Kedwell’s absence, Burton took the responsibility but his spot kick rebounded off the right hand post to the despair of the sizeable following stationed behind that goal.

The miss sparked the game into life and a much better half ensued than the first that had been played in an almost funereal atmosphere, save for the Gills support and the constant beating of a drum from a home supporter. In the next five minutes the always dangerous Monakana was brought down on the edge of the box with no foul given by Mr Kettle, quickly followed by another set up for Beavon to smash the ball against a post.

But Gillingham were now giving as good as they got and Stuckmann was forced to make two very good saves from Burton and Adam Birchall, but the League One side professionally saw out the last 20 minutes without too much in the way for further alarm to seal their place in the third round draw.

Deepdale is now a fine stadium, far removed from the plastic pitch and derelict stands that I first visited in 1988 when a 5-0 defeat on a Tuesday night left me questioning my sanity at making such a trip. The final relic of that old stadium in which we sat for the first leg of the play-offs in 1999 has now disappeared with a new stand, which is obviously only the bottom tier of something much grander to come in the future.

Their iconic floodlight pylons made for a good picture from the outside of the ground, as well as inside.

Our old adversary, Sean Gregan, once the midfield general was now reduced to the drawing of the half-time lottery and despite the fact that he managed to draw a Gillingham supporter out of the hat, probably elbowed, tripped and generally muscled his way home with the smuggest of grins.

Another year of cup ties comes to an end . . . didn’t fancy The Den anyway.