What memories as a young lad, being invited by a friend to go along and watch our local football club Gillingham FC play in 1973. This was not just to be any old match though it was Brian Yeoâs testimonial, who was he I thought at the time? Well time was soon to teach me that Brian Yeo was a Gillingham legend, however, I did not know that at the time, it was just the mention that we were playing West Ham United, then as a young lad you associated World Cup winner Bobby Moore with West Ham. It was an evening kick off and one of the things you remember from your younger years is how much taller everyone else is compared to you, especially at a packed Priestfield with over 12,000 supporters turning up. This was in the era of standing room only stadiums, I can remember me and my friend pushing our way through the crowd just to try and be able to see the pitch! What do you remember as a youngster about your first game, probably not much about the actual match, the one thing I do remember is when we scored against West Ham, the cheer that went up was something you had never experienced before, it was just absolutely electric as the whole ground erupted. It may have only been a friendly but that roar at your first game, lives with you forever. The Gills eventually lost the game 1-2, did it matter, not one bit really, it was all about the experience and I had just caught the football bug, in the name of Gillingham FC. Strangely enough it was not until the very start of the 1974-75 football season, that I went to my next game, not sure why, maybe money was a bit tight in those days but I had never forgotten that first game. In 1974 I joined the Gills for the start of their (newly promoted) old division three.. http://www.gillinghamfan.com/blogs.html How did you become a Gillingham fan?
Gills became champions in the season that I started watching them ( And, no I don't mean in the Southern League ) - would love to see them as champions again - as, until fairly recently I have seen TOO much misery in my time - But I reckon they'll have to wheelchair me out from my old peoples home on match days - Life without Gills ? I think I'd rather die.
For me I was invited by my friends parents as I had never been to a match. I was 10 and it was 1979 .We beat Wimbledon 1-0 and I remember jumping up on the wall in the gorden road bit of terrace when we scored. Pretty much regular from that day.
The first game I went to was an FA cup game against Peterborough in 1970, the Gills won 5 - 1, over 13,000 there. I was at Yeo's testimonial, I remember the Gills getting a penalty in the second half and everyone chanting for Yeo to take it, he put the ball on the spot and cleared the roof of the Rainham End with it.
first game i remember was in the late seventies against hereford and we won 4-0 in division three. not sure it was the first but its the first one i can remember. The other early game i remember well was around the same time beating shrewsbury 3-1 - it was the year they went up to old division 2 and, in my innocence thinking how unfair it was when they went up and we didnt.
My first few matches were during a pretty dark time for Gillingham, but I caught the bug nonetheless! Gills 1-1 Chesterfield December 1994 Cash-strapped Gillingham were languishing near the foot of the table, and welcomed high-flying Chesterfield. Predictably they took the lead early on, but we rallied in the 2nd half, and I remember the great joy when we equalised with 2 minutes remaining. My next match was a dire 0-0 draw at home to Lincoln, when they were collecting cash in buckets, such was the situation. However, a few months later and Scally and Pulis had taken over, and I had a good few years of Gills-happiness ahead of me!
My earlist game, I remeber the cages surrounding the pitch and a goal keeper called h. Limb, I remember this game for one reason he jumped and caught the ball from a cross but he also caught an oppositions head, lol and I remember that he refused to let go of the ball even after both players hit the deck and the ref frantically blowing his whistle. The end result was him being sent off and to cap it off I belive Neil smith went in goal the smallest player on the pitch. Lol I have no idea how long ago this was.
