Gillingham (1) 2 Legge 28, Burton 68 (pen)
Dagenham and Redbridge (0) 1 Ilesanmi 52
Att. 5,611
Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: £3.00
Mileage: 45/3,889
Match Report
Football is a game of opinion and thank goodness it is, because much like life itself, it would be a boring game if we all held the same viewpoint. No matter how big the news headline, football talk will always occupy the conversation of the bars and the workplace and whether it was a goal or not or the manager’s tactics or team selection, everybody with an interest will have a point of view.The divergence of opinion could not be any greater than at Priestfield Stadium at this particular time. From the outside it would be easy to assume that all would be right with the world as, following this hard fought victory over Dagenham and Redbridge, Gillingham returned to the top of the table, but that is certainly not the case.
From my seat in the normally sedate Gordon Road Stand, there are dissenting voices as the paying customers, many of which are season ticket holders, are tiring of the lack of style that is being exhibited while others, more than happy to see their club at the head of the Division, are shouting down those voices. It seems that this divergence is being replicated in the more vociferous areas of the Stadium and my brother, a Rainham Ender, told me that arguments of a similar nature nearly came to blows.
Why do people support a football club, why do they go to football matches and what drags them back Saturday after Saturday? Is it a winning team or an entertaining team? There is no definitive answer, as the opinion in the stands clearly portrays.
My own opinion centres on the objective of getting out of what I consider to be a bloody awful Division, the football is mainly rubbish and, I would be untruthful if I didn’t comment that I feel Gillingham are one of the better of a pretty poor bunch. So with this objective in mind, I am prepared to suffer, and that is the word I choose to use, the lack of style in pursuit of the ultimate prize (and that is not necessarily the title). I think it is significant that two managers of some standing chose to defend their club’s performance this weekend with reference to their winning scorelines. Steve Bruce proclaimed “substance over style” whilst Mick McCarthy extolled the virtues of “winning ugly”. We are in the run-in to the end of the season when the titles will be handed out and to collect the prizes you need points and the professional point of view is that you have to do what it takes.
Martin Allen commented that lessons had been learnt from 15 minutes against Wycombe that had left a grey cloud over the place, personally it wasn’t just the last 15 minutes that annoyed me; it was the entire 90. But a good road trip to Yorkshire that had yielded four points and the addition of two new players had initially turned the frowns upside down, sadly it wasn’t to last.
Gillingham defend well in the areas in front of a good back four that includes two real leaders in their centre backs, Leon Legge and Adam Barrett, but it is a lack of creativity in midfield that results in a lack of style that is causing such frustration. Mid-table Dagenham were far easier on the eye but lacked the cutting edge that was going to worry a resolute defence.
A mundane opening 20 minutes saw the best chances fall to the visitors with Legge denying Abu Ogogo with a good blocking challenge before Gillingham took the lead on 28 minutes. Myles Weston lofted a free kick into the box and after a touch on from Cody McDonald, Legge found himself unmarked to lash the ball into the net from eight yards. A delayed linesman’s flag was eventually overruled by the referee to confirm the lead.
The lead did not see Gillingham obtain any dominance and I’m sure John Still’s half time team talk went something along the lines of “just go out and continuing doing what you are doing and something will break for you”. And it didn’t take long into the second half before a cracking strike from Femi Ilesanmi levelled the score. An initial pass into the box from the young full back was returned to him and a sweetly struck shot from 20 yards whistled past Stuart Nelson. Ilesanmi was the eye-catching performer on the day, a good athlete and fine prospect.
Two glancing headers from McDonald and Charlie Lee might, and perhaps should, have restored the home side’s lead before Deon Burton converted a 68th minute penalty after Anton Robinson had been brought down by goalkeeper Chris Lewington having been sent through on goal.
In Martin Allen’s own admission, having regained the lead, Gillingham chose to “park the bus” in the last 20 minutes, inviting pressure from the East Londoners searching for a point for their efforts. A fumble from Nelson and a Dominic Green effort had the home fans on the edge of their seats before a last minute breakaway from Weston ended with a cross to Burton at the far post from where the striker managed to put a header wide from about six inches distance.
A home defeat for Port Vale allowed Gillingham to leapfrog them at the head of the table, is that enough for Gillingham fans, not necessarily; it seems that is a matter of opinion.
The classic programme covers that are being replicated for this centenary season today came from the 1980-81 season.
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