“Nothing To See Here – Move Along Now…”

Friday 26th December 2008 CCL2. Dagenham & Redbridge 2 Gills 0.

Well we all expected this to be tough what with all the goals Dagenham have been scoring at home this season but if the Gills are to be serious about making the play-offs, let alone the automatic places then “performances” like this are simply unacceptable. Why we can go from looking half decent one week to a wretched, shambolic mess is a mystery to us the fans, perhaps the management and players have a ready explanation because it really is a bit of a conundrum – so come on chaps, let‘s have some feasible answers please!.

Playing Silly Buggers…

Saturday 20th December 2008 CCL2. Gills 1 Brentford 1.

This was always going to be a tricky game. Brentford looked to be the best of the rest chasing Wycombe’s coat tails and given the quirky imbalance of the fixture list with the Gills playing mostly teams from the top half away and bottom half at home before Christmas this was by some distance our toughest assignment at Priestfield thus far. It was never going to be easy although with a bit of a promotion band-wagon gathering momentum at Griffin Park it was amazing to see less than 600 make the trip down from West London – albeit just before Christmas.

One point Gained Or Two Points Lost?

Saturday 13th December 2008 CCL2. Barnet 2 Gills 2.

The BMH Christmas party is never dull and so it proved on a day that left most Gills fans with mixed feelings… two points casually tossed away or one stolen with the last kick of the game? Only the end of season tally will tell although if you’d asked most Gills fans pre-match, they were demanding nothing less than victory (probably due to Barnet’s home League record of one win, two draws, six defeats) whilst we‘d just beaten Stockport and had lost just twice in thirteen; ask them again in the 91st minute though with us losing they‘d have gleefully taken a point… which we did. Any regular Gills fan though would be quick to remind anyone listening that the Gills don’t often win away when everyone half expects/demands it.

Futile???

Tuesday 9th December 2008 FAC2R. Stockport County 1 Gills 2.

On the face of it this trip to Greater Manchester was “futile” – we had only beaten a higher division club away from home in the FA Cup once since the First World War – Bristol City (2-1) in 1946-47 when we were on our brief sojourn in the Southern League! Our previous away game had seen a wretched 4-0 thumping at Bury and with the team having perhaps missed their big chance having dominated the first half of the game at Priestfield any hope appeared to evaporate with the Cup draw – at home to Aston Villa… well County were bound to be up for that weren’t they… no resting of players or complacency when a date with the team of the moment not to mention a live appearance on ITV was up for grabs…

A Decidedly Old School Afternoon Of Righteous Indignation…

Saturday 6th December 2008 CCL2. Gills 2 Chesterfield 1.

Gills fans just love to get into a proper foaming at the mouth strop. Nothing gets them going faster than a piqued sense of injustice and the antics of the visitors contrived to turn a run of the mill fixture into a bad tempered affair with the Rainham End bellowing their rage at opponents whose sole aim appeared to be running through the entire gamut of gamesmanship options available to the modern day player…

Worst case scenario

Saturday 29th November 2008 FAC2. Gills 0 Stockport County 0.

“Futile…” whispered Chris gravely at the final whistle of this engaging FA Cup tie. He was referring to our chances in the replay and at my desperate efforts to chivvy up enough support to fill a car for a Tuesday night in Stockport at short notice. It had not been an enjoyable afternoon for me, not because we didn’t win despite dominating the first half, nor because we lost because we avoided that too, but because a draw meant a long midweek trip against a higher division club which given our wretched away record over the last five years could mean only one thing. Sadly the compulsive edge (disorder?) to my personality then kicked in with a vengeance, I had to be there, I HAD TO BE THERE come what may, crazy really… I was left ruing our missed chances in the first half and Stockport‘s inability to sneak something in the dying moments at the other end.

Fair result

Tuesday 25th November 2008 CCL2. Gills 1 Rochdale 1.

Well this was a pretty low key evening. With horrible weather and live Champions League on ITV it was a wonder 4029 (or 3,961) people bothered at all although Rochdale were obviously the best team to visit Priestfield thus far. Mind you given the quirky nature of the fixture list they are also the first team we’ve played at Priestfield who have nurtured any ambitions whatsoever beyond simply avoiding the drop. In the end we could have won, perhaps should have lost given the hairy second half, a hard point won I’d say and no little relief at the final whistle.