Gillingham 2 Swindon Town 2

Match 14/14/1123 - Tuesday, 19th August 2014 - League One

Gillingham (1) 2 Kedwell 9, Hause 51
Swindon Town (1) 2 Williams 43, Bywater (o.g.) 90
Att. 5,264

Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: £3.00
Mileage: 52/879

Match Report

As a goalkeeper from a previous lifetime that reached the exalted level of the West Kent Sunday League Division Five, my sympathies were with Stephen Bywater at the conclusion of this entertaining encounter. In the blink of an eye, despite the heroics that had gone before, the Gillingham loanee keeper went from hero to zero as his blunder in the 90th minute cost Gillingham maximum points.

The manner in which the goal was conceded made the end result disappointing, but in fairness, I would have taken a draw at any stage of a game in which Gillingham spent the vast majority of the time chasing the ball. Swindon must be the Arsenal of League One, they absolutely pass the opposition to death, but questions might be asked of the cutting edge that is required to finish their abundance of possession. Reports of their single goal defeat at Crawley on Saturday suggested much the same story.

The injury jinx that has blighted Gillingham’s opening to the season shows no sign of abating with newly-installed skipper, Doug Loft added to the list with an Achilles problem.

In the middle of the field, which was virtually abandoned by Peter Taylor’s decision to play five at the back, Yaser Kasim and Massimo Luongo probably had more touches of the ball than the entire Gillingham team put together. Kasim, who spoilt a midfield masterclass by getting booked late on for simulation, found time and space in which to orchestrate his Swindon side mainly because Bradley Dack and Jake Hessenthaler were completely overrun with Callum Davies playing just in front of the back line.

Whether it had been Taylor’s plan that the full backs, Gavin Hoyte making his debut after earning a contract until the New Year and Matt Fish getting forward to supplement the midfield trio, it didn’t really work as Gillingham failed to gain any level of possession to enable it.

Fingers should not be pointed at the youthful midfield trio who were industrious in their efforts, but having been starved of the ball, it came as a surprise when Dack slipped a pass inside the full back for Danny Kedwell to chase. Wes Foderingham, in the Swindon goal, raced to the edge of his box to clear but his kick rebounded off the Gillingham striker, looped into the air and from an acute angle, Kedwell coolly found the net to give the home side a ninth minute lead.

The visitors were far from knocked out of their stride and Bywater was called into action, making three good saves before finally conceding a couple of minutes before the break when Andy Williams was sent clear by Michael Smith. The tall striker looked clearly offside, but even if he wasn’t, the linesman was poorly placed, some 15 yards behind the play, to make a proper judgement.

Fish failed to appear for the second half to be replaced by Jermaine McGlashan and the ineffective Luke Norris made way for Brennan Dickenson as Taylor injected pace into the side. Kortney Hause was shuffled along the back line into the left full back position and after 51 minutes overlapped to collect a Dack pass and crash in a fearsome shot from a yard inside the angle of the 18 yard box for his first Gillingham goal.

Swindon continued to dominate possession, but with the injection of pace, Gillingham were far more threatening on the counter attack than they had been in the first period. Bywater was asked for further heroics including a wonder save from a close range effort that had actually be flagged offside, but he wasn’t to know that.

Ten minutes from time, one such counter attack should have secured the points for the home side. Hessenthaler worked an opening for Dickenson but his shot came back off the crossbar.

As the game entered time added on, Swindon worked the ball to the right hand side and from the bye-line Raphael Branco, sent forward from his defensive duties, fired a cross-cum-shot towards the near post. Bywater, positioned perfectly to catch the ball, fumbled it over his shoulder and into the net.

The Swindon bench, hardly believing their luck, celebrated wildly and a fracas with the Gillingham bench ensued with Taylor given his marching orders to the stand. After a game in which the previous ill-feeling between the clubs had not surfaced, the Rainham End failing to render a single chorus of “because of Ray McHale”, it seemed out of character for the mild mannered Taylor to see red.

Swindon would have left Priestfield wondering how they didn’t turn 65% possession into three points but thankful that a goalkeeper’s fortune can turn in an instant.