Leeds United 4 Gillingham 1

Match 19/09/771 - Saturday, 19th September 2009 - League One

Leeds United (2) 4 Johnson 14, 38 Howson 46, Beckford 80
Gillingham (0) 1 Barcham 50
Att. 21,026

Entrance: £21
Programme: £3
Mileage: 491/2,964

Match Report

Sixteen months ago with the sands of Gillingham’s League One time ebbing away, Leeds fans taunted their counterparts with the song “we’ll never play you again”. Two failed play-offs and one Kent-based promotion, their words came back to haunt them as the two teams did meet again.

Bright enough to realise they would have to meet us once more, they didn’t sing it yesterday, but had they, on this occasion I, for one, would guess they might well be right this time.

Gillingham became the home side’s 15th successive victim at Elland Road and they played with such aplomb it is very difficult to make a case as to why they will not be taking their place in the Championship next season without the need of the dreaded play-offs.

They have strength and movement in midfield where they won game and carried a threat from their front two. On Leeds’ debit side Gillingham created several good chances and the spurning of these at crucial times contributed to the slightly flattering scoreline.

In May 2008, a capacity crowd and an antagonistic spat between the chairmen fuelled a hostile atmosphere as both clubs were 90 minutes away from their respective fates of the season. This time around, despite the two chairman’s best efforts, there was not the same anticipation or ire towards the visitors.

After 10 minutes of little more than jousting the home side took the lead when the excellent Bradley Johnson met a Robert Snodgrass corner with a powerful header from an unmarked position. Following the goal Leeds dominated the midfield area retaining the ball for long periods of time with Johnson seemingly the centre of everything.

After 38 minutes Johnson inflicted further pain with a surging run against Gills’ skipper Barry Fuller, who failed to stop the midfielder shooting across the face of the goal. Whether the ball would have found the net if it hadn’t deflected off Simon Royce’s legs is arguable, truth is Fuller could have done better.

The first of Gillingham’s chances to put a different complexion on the match came just prior to half time. Last Saturday Curtis Weston enjoyed the finest of matches against one of his previous employers, this Saturday his mood would have been vastly different. Dennis Oli, who had made very little impact, released Weston into a clear shooting position from which the former Leeds man shot wide.

Had they gone in with the scoreline 2-1, the team talks might have been different, but whatever was said, within half a minute of the restart the game was over as a contest. Superb movement cut through Gillingham’s back line and ended with Jonathan Howson shooting into Royce’s left hand corner from just inside the box.

As a Jermaine Beckford’s drive struck the bar and Becchio shot wide in the space of a couple of minutes following the goal, the possibility of humiliation loomed large. But credit to Mark Stimson’s side who responded with a well taken goal from Andy Barcham who drove high into the net from the left hand side of the box to momentarily silence the Elland Road crowd.

A second opportunity to impose a bit of pressure on the home side passed Gillingham by when Simeon Jackson just couldn’t rise high enough to get over the ball and his header sailed over the bar. Gillingham had shown a good deal of resilience in the face of a superior side but their resistance was finally broken when a Becchio shot came off the bar for Beckford to nod home the rebound from close range. Offside? Looked it, but television will be prove one way or the other.

Gillingham were far from disgraced but the difference between the sides showed just how far they have to go to be competitive in this division and the gap will need to be closed with a fraction of the resources available to the likes of Leeds.

Elland Road is the type of ground in which we only dreamt of playing prior to our Championship days, but as a visiting supporter the viewing is particularly disappointing. Stuck in a corner, adjacent to what was known as the Lurpak Stand that towers over the rest of the stadium, with pillars obscuring the view, it is one of the poorest positions we are likely to experience this season. If those Leeds fans had sang “we’ll only play you once more”, I’m more than inclined to say “and thank goodness it’s at Priestfield” where win, lose or draw we will, at least, have a clear view of the proceedings.

Leeds United 2 Gillingham 1

Match 66/07/683 - Saturday, 3rd May 2008 - League One

Leeds United (0) 2 Johnson 69 Kandol 88
Gillingham (1) 1 Jackson 20
Att. 38,256

Entrance: £20
Programme: Given Free
Mileage: 507/6,461

Match Report

Que sera, sera, whatever will be will be, we’re going to Shrewsbury, que sera, sera . . . We’re going down in a minute, down in a minute, we’re going down in a minute . . . such was the gallows humour with which Gillingham supporters greeted their imminent relegation that was indeed confirmed in that following minute (ok, so it was three). For a fifth successive match they had failed to win a match from which they had taken the lead, for a third successive away game that lead had been eradicated by a goal from a super strike that would grace a level much higher than the third tier of English football.

Over 38,000 people, the biggest crowd in the Football League this season, came not to witness Gillingham’s Great Escape, but to celebrate the home club’s promotion back to the championship. For that they will have to wait and win the play-offs as the League decided to turn down their appeal for the return of their 15 penalty points. Ken Bates had made our own Paul Scally the scapegoat for the verdict, when he was just one of 63 chairman that had voted in favour of the League Board in sanctioning the penalty. But Scally, never one to shy from comment, fronted up the Sky cameras and, with that, Leeds fans get the impression that he is some kind of ringleader. Bates’ programme notes fanned the flames and he finishes up by saying that it will be poetic justice that it is Leeds that relegate Gillingham. All this racked up the atmosphere that crackled come kick off time.

But Gillingham managed to quell the crowd noise and following an awful bit of defending, Simeon Jackson struck to put them in front on 20 minutes and got through to half-time with their lead intact with no great problem. Unfortunately the news from other grounds was not so good, Cheltenham were beating Doncaster and that would be enough to send us down.

Early in the second half there was a brief flurry of excitement as news of a goal came through. Carlisle had taken the lead against Bournemouth, helpful but not the salvation that many seemed to believe. Any joy that was taken from elsewhere was dissolved when Bradley Johnson volleyed past Derek Stillie from 20-odd yards to launch an ear-splitting cacophony of sound from the Elland Road masses. The celebrations were completed two minutes from time, but to Gillingham fans this was immaterial. Such was our luck that one final chance rebounded off a post to deny even the satisfaction of avoiding defeat in such intimidating circumstances. Inside the ground, the home supporters seemed to take Bates to his word and gloried in Gillingham’s relegation. But on the walk back to the car there was no antagonism and even a little sympathy.

Mark Stimson has failed to turn this club around in the last six months. Results have been no better than they were under Jepson and there have been precious few highs. There are undoubtedly supporters who want another fresh start, preferably with Scally gone as well as Stimson, but there are plenty of people that are more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and have a guarded optimism that he is the man to lead us back to League One at the first time of asking.

The summer is going to be a time when Paul Scally’s resolve is going to be tested. The probability is that skipper Andrew Crofts will depart for football at a higher level as will Simon King. These are going to be huge losses and the manager is going to need the full backing of the chairman with a budget that is going to compensate for their departures. This time around supporters are going to need to see significant investment in the team to convince them to part with their season ticket money at a time when the general economy of the country is facing difficult times. Season ticket prices have to come down, this in turn reduces the cash flow and the budget Stimson has, but the balance must be found because next season there is no margin for error, the next relegation is the trap door.