Article: Gillingham 1-2 Port Vale | Gillingham FC, Football

Purely all through the eyes of a Gillingham FC supporter and season ticket holder in the Medway Stand, no journalistic view, no pen and paper at hand but all from memory, the timing of events are the only input sometimes clarified from sources of media.

I was already expecting today’s game to attract a big crowd as it was a League Two top of the table clash with the Gills occupying top spot, while welcoming to Priestfield the visitors Port Vale who were two points behind in second place.

Previous home matches had seen incentives to assist supporters through the difficult Christmas period but no incentive was required for this game as fans were to pay face value. The manager Martin Allen and his team had earned this day for the following faithful and only too rightly the club coffers were hopefully to reap the rewards.

So I set off on my normal routine to the ground, with pre match refreshments at the Cricketers Public House and it was absolutely heaving, a sign it is a big game even before getting to the ground. We eventually made our way to the turnstiles about 2.30pm. So with match programme in hand the first visit was for some food, why do we bother when you are met by the usual server words of ‘no pies’, after a few grunts and groans the advice changes to a wait of 15 minutes. I don’t think so.

Having made my way to my normal seat, the GFC Gems were just about to commence with their routine, although with temperatures hovering around four degrees Celsius they must have been freezing!

While at the same time my attention was attracted to the away supporters section in the Brian Moore Stand. It appeared as though some supporters were attempting to move along and then make their way down to the lower tier nearest the GRS. They were very boisterous and stewards had to make their way quickly to usher them back to the top tier, however, in fairness to the Vale fans, did we not open up enough sections?

It appeared as though more travelling supporters had turned up then had been catered for within the allocated areas. Efficiently everything was quickly brought under control and the vocal accord of Port Vale fans could be heard throughout the stadium.

The teams take to the pitch and within the Port Vale line up, they had who all Gills fans feared on this day, Tom Pope. Now I cannot remember how many goals Pope has scored this season but I know it is enough to strike fear into any defence.

Also in the Valiant’s starting line up was their new signing Lee Hughes a player whom the Gills manager had admitted to trying to capture this signing. Although if he had succeeded I am not sure how that would have contrasted with the vocals echoing from the Rainham End on this day.

The match got under way and the Gills were to be stunned within the first three minutes. From my seated position I really do not know what happened I saw the ball come across the six yard box, it appeared harmless from my angle as Stuart Nelson the Gills keeper stood apparently frozen (excuse the pun) in the centre of his sticks on his goal line, glancing his head and eyes to the right, everything as in slow motion. I just assumed by his reaction it was going harmlessly wide, only then I saw the ripple in the back of netting, 0-1 Port Vale, what just happened?

No armchair TV, no action replay, just reality lower league football, watching their number 11 turning away in celebration, as Pope had just christened our hallowed turf.

While Port Vale fans were celebrating the Priestfield home crowd raised their vocals, we were not going to let this early upset dishearten us in this much awaited confrontation.

With Myles Weston being on fire with pace and then Jack Payne in the centre taking opportunities to take long shot cracks at goal, both players looked to be a possible key to opening the Vale defence.

Despite the home sides best efforts though to get forward they seemed to be rueing any chances.

In between some poor official decisions, which appeared to favour the visitors at every turn, the crowd were starting to get agitated with the man with the whistle and the linesman over at the GRS. Also Hughes was not doing himself any favours either by getting involved. But Port Vale here to do a job and it was soon to become evident their game play.

Then on 20 minutes the home crowd were to be stunned as Port Vale went 0-2 up. It all happened so quickly as Nelson pulled of a fantastic save but unable to hold the powerful shot, it slammed itself straight into Barrett who was facing his own goal, you just knew he would be unable to prevent the ball bouncing off him into the net such was the force of ball motion. However, the ball did make its way into the roof of the net just under the bar, so not sure if Barrett tried to loop it up out the way in desperate reaction or whether someone else got a foot to it.

Adam Barrett could do nothing about it, there are just days when things are not going to happen for you.

However, it only took the Gills a minute to pull a goal back as Super Keds unleashed a shot that literally flew into the visitors net. The ground erupted in delight, whether it was just emotion I do not know but I was calling that Danny Kedwell’s goal of the season. If you ever need to score from open play, this is the time to do it, in the big games.

Half-Time 1-2.

Port Vale were really frustrating me at the start of the second half. They pushed forward on to the Gills goal with a couple of corners and throws, in their pursuit for another goal or maybe it was just pure gamesmanship as I looked up to the Gordon Road Stand clock and noticed that a total of seven minutes had passed since the restart without much event.

Just after the hour mark, Mad Dog decided it was time for substitutions, with Birchall replacing Burton and then one that was to surprise me, new signing Gregory replacing Jack Payne. The latter being a poor decision in my opinion. Payne was playing well. The new signing Gregory introduced, did he really get enough first team time to gel in such a big game and in front of the home fans?

Some of his early touches did not look to bad and he had the fresh pair of legs that a game sometimes needs but the crowd did not appear best pleased, especially as I had Weston and Payne, as strong contenders for the man of the match. So I was disputing MA’s decision to bring off Jack. Maybe I was still basing my opinion on the first half.

Adam Birchall who I was hoping would start proceedings for this match, was firing on all cylinders as his agility tore open the Vale defence. Then we was to eventually see the introduction of Charlie Lee and these introductions were to force Vale in to goal line clearances, along with superb saves from the visiting keeper.

At the end though it was not enough, we just appeared to lack that final touch up front until Birchall’s appearance, until then there was some poor first touches, too long to think, too long to turn, a defence clattering one another and completely out of luck, ensuring Port Vale went home with the three points.

This season we believe but does the man in his nice suit today on the touchline have that same belief as I do in some of his players?

The towering figure of Leon Legge was named man of the match.

 

A very diplomatic analysis brb. Two things are worthy of comment. Firstly, the other teams seem to be trying to help us with only Burton and Exeter gaining ground but they remain a distant threat. Secondly it was at least a game that felt as if it was between the top two teams, even if Gills were losers, it was close. This was progress compared with the last couple of months at home when the opposition has looked superior on every occasion even against Morecambe when Gills won.