Match Report

Phew!


I knew today was going to hold something special - or at least different in terms of the usual 90 minutes of play I have endured over the last year or so.



Games like this affect different people in different ways. I get quite focused and inward. Channelling my competitive spirit into a wordless and almost heartless persona. The game is all, the result almost secondary. I was fully anticipating a total pasting. After all Leeds have come from a minus 15 point deficit and level us on points in the division. Thanks Scally for putting on us on a pedestal before we even started. This season for us continues in a lengthening shadow. My desire and optimism at an all time low. But today - today against such opposition the default 'Love My Team' mantra presides. I don't want a defeat. I don't my team to show themselves up. I want to see my commitment rewarded.


SO 2.35pm and into the lair we enter. The away end is packed - Leeds have bought the kitchen sink and expect 3 points and their 7 win run to extend to 8.

The sun and rain intersperse the scene. Tommy Trewblu gallops round the pitch like a mad man. (horse). Row Q has more people in it than I have seen all season... and the spirits are high. The twins are in, Colin and Arfur are in - each respectively asking where my Dad is. Funny not watching this game with him - he would have appreciated all the twists and turns and loved, as I did, the tensions - the electric emotions of all stands - and would have been as dismayed by the on pitch performance.

First half -- well we played solidly. A changed team from the one which lost 4-0 at Forest last weekend. Two new signings... oh eh. We kept the ball on the pitch, passed it and looked at times Leeds' equal. We even forced the Leeds goalkeeper to make some quite spectacular saves. Until that is Nowland semi tripped over a Leeds player and gifted them a free kick on the outside of the pen box. You knew Leeds had a plan the way two players went Red Arrow like sweeping to the other side of the box. Sure enough the planned set piece manoeuvres distracted the blue shirts and the yellow clad Leeds scored.

After this Gillingham lost their way. We played out the remain 15 mins until half time with a solitary moment of joy coming when the first of 2 red cards was brandished at the Leeds players. Bye bye bye Mr Kandol.

The ref was escorted off at half time. (By security!) Several rogue fans seated in the wrong part of the ground were ejected. I do love to see the heavy handed stewards bustle in and use overt force to remove rowdy fans. It seems such a bloke way of doing things. As it was the Gillingham fans at the away end seemed to be the ones getting this treatment I had to wonder at the logic. In contrast to this Leeds manager Dennis Wise had also been carded and asked to sit in the stands. ha ha ha.

So the second half began with an air of optimism - could we with 11 men beat 10 man Leeds? Put simply yes we could have, however we preferred to play like turkeys and stumbled willingly into the Christmas Day roasting tin. Our only saviour was the ref who seemed hell bent on making sure the gas oven never got lit... as we watched yellow card after yellow card turn to red card. As the second Leeds striker walked - the Leeds goalie demented with rage hoicked the ball out of the ground. This incensed the Rainham End and several brave fans had no qualms about getting close to the goal and venting their spleen. So its 57 minutes into the game. Gillingham now have a two man advantage. Can we capitalise?

In what Leeds fans were describing as 'It's a Knockout' on the train back, the remainder of the half continued in a semi - unreal way especially for us. It was painful to watch as we failed time and time again to a) get the ball and b) get the ball in the area and c) when we did fail hopelessly to get it anywhere near goal.

Time was ticking. Fans from all sides were squealing for a result. 5 mins added time.

By now the Rainham End were on their feet willing a goal in. By some miracle of the God of fumble Cox got the ball in the net. We went wild. Fans invaded the pitch. The goalie got grief about his attitude and his abilities. It felt like a win. It felt like a great relief.

And so it ended a draw. The Leeds fans wanted the ref strung up. We wanted to savour the good times again. 8,719 of us yelling our teams on. The end to end singing of the fans. If they started, we started too but sang louder. Just the buzz of so many people around the ground - the police vans - the songs coming from the pubs. It felt like Saturday's used to feel when we were in the Championship. It felt like we were something again - not some in debt little club at the furthest reaches of the SE.

As the fights proved on the way to the railway station. Funny then for it to be so subdued at the station. The only time the Leeds fans sang again - well once we got to Victoria they decided to remind themselves what it felt like playing against Arsenal/Chelsea and the big London clubs by singing loudly through the station. Not sure what the Kent supporting fans of said big clubs made of it - but hey if they were heading back to Gillingham then they had travelled in vain. The best entertainment was at Priestfield. Proper singing, argy bargy, suspect refereeing, Row Q & P banter. Real adrenalin. All for a draw. It felt like a win. A minor moral victory!

(Please note the Gills played really badly against 9 men. We never looked vaguely like scoring. In fact we looked totally panicked and lost. If we had not scored our already flattened confidence would have dipped to the lowest point - and yes a bottom of table spot would be ours for the next 8 months. Testament then to a sense of will which got us a goal. Testament to the fools who go week in week out and live for games like today's. Fools like me - who'll be there Tuesday night when only 4,000 turn up for a cold & wet evening game against Leyton Orient. Bring back the passion and spirit someone - please. Getting home at 7.15pm to hear Chelsea fans arse aching on 6-0-6 about their predicament sums up everything that is wrong with the game - 'we want our club back'. Bollocks. You took the cash cow. You pay the price. I just want my GAME back.)


Gillingham: Royce, Clohessy, Sodje, Cox, Hamilton (Dickson 70), Nowland, Lomas (Mulligan 61), Crofts, Cogan, Facey, Graham.Subs Not Used: Stillie, King, Stone.
Booked: Nowland, Cox.
Goals: Cox 90.
Leeds: Ankergren, Richardson, Marques, Heath, Clapham (Huntington 58), Prutton, Douglas, Hughes (Westlake 58), Carole (Weston 74), Beckford, Kandol.Subs Not Used: Thompson, Lucas.
Sent Off: Kandol (41), Beckford (57).
Booked: Hughes, Kandol, Beckford, Douglas, Ankergren.
Goals: Carole 28.
Att: 8,719.
Ref: Danny McDermid (Middlesex).



PS My Mum came to game today. Sorry Mum. Think you saw a side of me not many see. A side that Dad takes for granted and understands. And my language - erm yes sorry again. It just feels like the only time all week that I can outwardly vent my feelings, and maybe this week I needed too more than most other weeks.



UP THE GILLS!!