Gillingham (1) 1 McDonald 10
Oldham Athletic (0) 2 Ladapo 65 Flynn 89
Attendance: 6,435
Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: £3.00
Mileage: 58/3,175
Match Report
The guy, who we have called Barry Ashby's Dad for many a year, and myself have witnessed deeper troughs than the one that Gillingham are in right now, but it is a long time since I heard people so frustrated. I'm not sure why as there was no tangible reason why supporter's expectations should have been raised beyond the position they are actually occupying right now in mid-table.
Early season success saw them climb to the top of the table, but that is what it was early season success with no justifiable reason why it should continue and then a 5-0 reverse at Scunthorpe brought everyone crashing to earth with a bump.
Even before those heady days of August, Gillingham have suffered some appalling luck with injuries that left the squad looking thin and exposed. It has been continuous, no sooner player X returns to first team contention, player Y takes his place in the queue at the physio's door. Some of those that have returned are now looking a modest percentage of the player they were a few months ago, Bradley Dack the stand-out example. Is the lad properly fit? He certainly doesn't look it.
And then there is the ongoing matter of keeping a clean sheet, after this result a run that now stretches to 26 games. If there was ever a chance to break this sequence, this game was the one with Oldham arriving sitting bottom of the table and having scored just five goals in their opening 11 games.
Manager Justin Edinburgh was able to name new signings Chris Herd and Frank Nouble in the starting line-up.
Gillingham made the brighter start and were ahead with 10 minutes on the clock. A corner, delivered by Dack, was met with a powerful, and unchallenged, header at the far post from Cody McDonald to give the home side the ideal lift.
McDonald brought a save from Connor Ripley in the Latics' goal and Dack saw his shot comfortable saved.
Having survived the one-way onslaught of the opening half-hour, the visitors grew into the game and took a bit of confidence when they forced four corners in quick succession, none of which coming to much.
Gillingham had been far from convincing, but there had been little from Oldham to suggest anything other than a fairly routine win for the home side.
The home side survived two scares early in the second half when first, Lee Erwin shot horribly wide from close range and then Jamie Reckford missed the ball all together in front of goal.
On the hour, Oldham made a double substitution bringing on the ex-Margate striker Freddie Ladapo and the journeyman midfielder Lee Croft. Ladapo's pace was an instant concern for Gillingham's back four.
Five minutes after coming on, Lapado was the visitor's hero. He robbed Herd and fired a shot into the bottom left corner past Stuart Nelson. Gillingham's protests for a foul on Herd fell on deaf ears. Meanwhile, Lapado's excessive celebration of a goal on his return to Kent ended with a yellow card.
The second half was a non-event from a Gillingham perspective. Whatever the half-time message was from Edinburgh, it had the effect of a bedtime story as his charges slumbered.
It came as very little surprise when, in the last minute of regular time, Ryan Flynn seized on a loose ball in the penalty area and literally ran the ball into the net with claims of offside ignored.
Gillingham didn't get the rub of the green, a 68th minute appeal for a penalty for hand ball looked stonewall, but was not given. Sometimes you get the luck you deserve and Gillingham deserved very little.
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