Gillingham 2 Fleetwood Town 1

Match 85/17/1535 - Saturday, 27th January 2018 - League One

Gillingham (0) 2 Eves 53,90 (pen)
Fleetwood Town (1) 1 Madden 13
Attendance: 6,332

Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 56/5,939

Match Report

I don’t consider myself as a pessimist but I cannot buy into the surge into the play-offs excitement of some on social media. In the end, the lack of quality that was evident in the first half in particular of this match will be Gillingham’s undoing. But what cannot be denied is the attitude and determination that Steve Lovell has instilled into his side. This team has a will-to-win coupled with a level of fitness that drives them through to the final whistle.

At half-time I was bemoaning the fact that fantastic away performances were not being translated into the same at home, but come the finish there was nothing but admiration for their efforts.

Lovell added a couple of players to his squad during the week and the loanee from Bury, Callum Reilly, was brought down to earn the penalty that ultimately won the game, but the players at his disposal are the same that performed so dismally for Justin Edinburgh and Adrian Pennock. I have a couple of for instances, players that have changed my opinion of them. Mark Byrne was a player that Edinburgh was desperate to bring to the club. Whilst he did sustain an injury that probably set him back, I could not see what Edinburgh had seen in his time at Newport County. I can now. The other was the outstanding player of the match, Luke O’Neill. He also suffered a stop-start opening to the season and didn’t convince but now he looks a really good signing by Pennock.

O’Neill’s saving block led to the corner from which Fleetwood opening the scoring after 13 minutes. Tomas Holy made a great stop to deny Paddy Madden but when the ball was recycled it ended back with Madden to fire into the far corner.

Holy made another good stop to save the Gordon Road boo-boys having their taunts at Ashley Hunter thrust straight back down their throats.

After a couple of second half corners that had come to nothing, skipper Lee Martin who had taken them, ushered O’Neill across to take the next one. The corner found Tom Eaves at the near post; whether it was his or a defender’s final touch that took it into the net, the striker will claim it.

The oohs and aarhs came in very quick succession after 70 minutes when a trio of efforts were desperately saved by the Fleetwood goalkeeper, Chris Neal.

As the game entered its final throes, Holy produced a magnificent save to claw away an effort from Wes Burns after initially taking a step in the wrong direction.

It proved a match-winning save as Gillingham went straight to the other end for Reilly to take a pass in the area only to be brought down by Burns for an undisputed penalty which Eaves fired in high to Neal’s left.

Gillingham rise to tenth and within seven points of the magic play-off line giving the excitable social media posters free rein for their optimism. I might not concur, but Lovell’s troops are giving plenty of reasons to prove me wrong.