Gillingham 5 Fleetwood Town 1

Match 26/15/1231 - Tuesday, 29th September 2015 - League One

Gillingham (4) 5 Donnelly 18,34 Houghton 28, Egan 31, McDonald 87
Fleetwood Town (1) 1 Grant 12
Attendance: 5,231

Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 568/1,600

Match Report

Bouncebackability is a cumbersome word that was invented (if that is what happens to words) by then Crystal Palace manager Iain Dowie and picked up by Sky's Soccer AM who promoted it to the extent that within a year it appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary. Gillingham needed all of their bouncebackability to the put the disappointment of successive defeats on the road behind them, and after a shaky start, they did it in an emphatic manner.

The winter nights are drawing closer and there was a definite need for the heavier coat for the first time this season. A first glance at the away end seemed to signal that nobody from Fleetwood had bothered to make the long trip down, but, in fact, 37 hardy souls had made the journey and were accommodated in the Gordon Road Stand.

Those supporters were cruelly rewarded for the efforts with an abject defensive display that signalled the end of Graham Alexander’s tenure the following day.

It would be churlish to criticise Gillingham on a night in which they scored five goals to maintain their third place in League One, but in truth, they only excelled for about 20 minutes in this game, but what a spell that was!

After an early save by Fleetwood’s goalkeeper, Chris Maxwell, from a Jordan Houghton shot on goal, it was the visitors who dominated the opening stages. They eventually went ahead on 12 minutes when a whipped free kick into the box from Bobby Grant was deflected into his own net off the head of Brennan Dickenson.

It was the shock needed to spark the home side into life and within six minutes they were level. Ryan Jackson’s trademark long throw was met at the near post by Houghton whose header to the far post was met by Rory Donnelly, who swept the ball into the bottom corner.

In the 28th minute, Gillingham began a seven minute spell that devastated the Cod Army. Grant should have put Fleetwood back in front when he headed over before Jackson surged down the right wing to cross for Houghton to head into the bottom corner.

Two became three within three minutes with the ball nestling in the same corner of net for a third time. A free kick into the box found John Egan who was afforded time and space to turn and shoot past the bewildered Maxwell.

The third in seven glorious minutes took your breath away. If it had been in the Premiership we would be watching it for weeks. A Fleetwood attack was broken down with an interception by Doug Loft who played the ball towards the centre circle to Donnelly whose turn of speed took him between two defenders with another trailing in his wake as ran 40 yards with the ball at his feet. As Maxwell advanced from his line, from 20 yards, Donnelly produced the most audacious of chips to earn the rapturous acclaim from the Gillingham faithful.

As so often happens when one side establishes a big first half lead, the second half died on its feet. With ten minutes remaining, Fleetwood’s night went from bad to worse with the dismissal of Eggert Jonsson for a second bookable offence and after 85 minutes, Cody McDonald finally found a goal when he fired past Maxwell from the edge of the box. Stuart Nelson’s full length of the field run to join the celebration showed how much the end of the striker’s drought meant to everybody.

The sponsors, who hardly ever look beyond a great goal for their man of the match award, made the superb choice of Jordan Houghton as their recipient for a fine performance. What a boost for the club it will be if, in January, Gillingham are able to extend his loan to the end of the season. Let’s hope Chelsea’s results improve and Jose doesn’t need his services!