Gillingham 1 Bury 1

Match 58/17/1508 - Saturday, 11th November 2017 - League One

Gillingham (0) 1 Parker 85
Bury (1) 1 Danns 39
Attendance: 4,364

Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: £3.00
Mileage: 58/3,877

Match Report

If spirit alone can assure Gillingham's League One future, then they will be fine. What they have is a group of players that put in a shift full of honest endeavour, what they lack is quality and unless this is addressed, I fear that spirit will not be enough.

On Armistice Day, the club with the Royal Engineers produced a fitting act of remembrance with the sounding of the Last Post and a perfectly observed minute's silence.

Bury came to Priestfield in a similar position to Gillingham on and off the field, occupying one of the relegation places and under the stewardship of a caretaker manager in Ryan Lowe. They dominated the first half in which Gillingham were frankly woeful.

Gillingham started brightly with Sean Clare's run and shot that was narrowly wide but it was the visitors that carved out the better chances with Nicky Ajose failing to find the target following a cross from the right. Ajose then helped out the Gills by getting in the way of a shot from outside of the area.

Bury made the breakthrough six minute before the break when Neill Danns took a pass inside the right hand side of the box with time and space to pick his spot into the far corner.

The Lancastrians had further opportunities to open up a clear lead before half-time with Michael Smith wastefully turning a cross wide from close range.

Conor Wilkinson replaced Elliott List at the start of the second half and whilst he cannot hit a cow's arse with a banjo, the increased physical presence alongside Tom Eaves rattled the Bury back line.

Wilkinson blazed high and wide early in the half and Josh Parker did similarly 10 minutes later, but at least Gillingham were getting a sight of the visitor's goal.

Gillingham searched hard for that little bit of quality that would bring an equaliser but half chances came and went before, with 10 minutes remaining, Bury nearly put the game to bed with a shot from Tutte that came back off a post.

It spurred Gillingham on for a last ten minute onslaught that would finally bring reward when a corner from Lee Martin was met with a header from Parker for a well merited equaliser.

Wilkinson had the final attempt to win the game, but as usual, his shot was wayward.