Don’t like this crazy idea of playing a game on a Sunday, this day of the week should be purely left for pampers league and its plastics. Three games in six days certainly don’t do any favours for a struggling league one side. Walsall today followed by Stevenage away on Wednesday with then a one day rest before the visit of auto promotion chasing side Wolverhampton Wanderers on the Friday, who smashed us on our last meeting. So points now are becoming vital as we welcomed Walsall to Priestfield on a clear but cold December day. The attendance was down by a 3,000 from the Boxing Day fixture against then table topping side Leyton Orient, who we lost 1-2 too, after conceding another dying minute goal. However, despite the loss against the O’s Peter Taylor has started to turn things around evidence in previous games against the Posh and Tranmere Rovers this after the introduction of youngsters Jake Hessenthaler and Bradley Dack. Although Dack was not in the starting line up today but Jake was and remained tall in his continued and much deserved selection, well taller than his dad anyway. Walsall had a surprising good half of the season by my reckoning and certainly holding a much tidier and respective position than the Gills. So what was their football like? First half; Lots of passing, lots of possession, dare i really over exaggerate and suggest 80%, ok that is way over the top but it certainly felt like it and they certainly had it more than the home side. Attempts on target to them, erm...was it nil?! And that was Walsall’s problem in the first 45, despite all their fancy footwork, efforts and keeping the ball on the grass, PT’s side just sat back and soaked it all up. From a Gillingham supporters view damn right boring, not pretty to say the least but as Keds shot was the only goal bound effort which bounced off the post in the first half, we could not really complain. Although I was beginning to think I might need my sleeping bag for the restart of the second half. Even the officials must have had enough by half-time when, there was no added on minutes. By the time i had returned to my seat for the restart, the emphasis was becoming more on how to keep warm maybe an ultra style support to liven us all up or just do as some woman was doing a jig in the isle. Sixty seconds into the routine...bang GOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Ooo Cody McDonald, Oooo Cody McDonald or however the words are spelt. Edge of the box, scissor kick, looped a desperate reaching opposition keeper and the Gills were suddenly 1-0 up. Fantastic goal, one worthy of watching back on the TV highlights later. Walsall then showed a bit more finishing product and were eventually back in it 1-1. Now we all know how the story goes with Gillingham FC, déjà vu – 90th minute and the inevitable expected happened 1-2 to Walsall and conceding another dying minute goal. Despite the earlier introduction of Bayo, but why was Cody moved to the wing? Some fans started to leave. They be the fools, because there was 3 minutes added time and that many minutes is a long time when at Priestfield as Cody moved back up front. Cody breaks, two Walsall players go into him just outside the edge of the penalty area, Cody tumbles, supporters scream. I started jumping up and down like a man possessed, we were robbed, a free kick is no good to us, send someone off. You know how the shouts go as the red mist falls... but Cody quickly regains his feet and gets up, what’s going on, he’s still got the ball, catching everyone unawares and slots it past the keeper as the ref allowed play on 2-2. I can’t believe what just happened, talk about adrenalin and motivation to score, one minute our number ten is down the next it’s in the back of the net. So i’ve changed from a man possessed to someone celebrating like an absolute raving lunatic. Now after watching 45 minutes of dour football in the first half the last 3 minutes of the game was about to make the home supporters hearts increase in rapid beats...Cody again dying seconds, shoots, keeper just finger tip saves it over the bar and a deserved point at least but for once we nearly, very nearly snatched all three at the death. The announcement of Cody as MOM was made when the Gills were still 1-2 down, even the sponsors could not have guessed that finale.
brb your post smacks of 'camel'. I have to say that Taylor is frustrating me. Against Orient Gills were having a good game when he took off Akinfenwa ( I know he was tiring ) - thus allowing their defence to have the rest of the game off ! It meant that we went deep - and without the outlet we paid the price for wrong tactics. Today - I have to agree with you that the 1st half was painful to watch. Why were we so deep from the very first minute. We were lucky that Walsall were unable to capitalise on their huge possession. We got a lucky break with Cody's first (great) goal - and for a while we seemed to realise that playing football also requires that a team try to get into the opposition's half. Joe Martin should have cleared the ball to prevent the opportunity for Walsall's equaliser. After that we seemed intent on playing defensively - perhaps Taylor was afraid that we would concede a late goal as we have done in our last 3 home games. I found it mystifying that Hessenthasler was taken off and Cody moved to right midfield. Jake was doing a good job. Cody is a fish out of water in midfield. It was no surprise that we lost more ground in midfield - and ultimately conceded what nearly proved to be the 'losing' goal - after which it was Cody who signalled to Taylor what he should do - to revert to going up front - with instant result ( almost pluralled ) Can Taylor not see that Akinfenwa / McDonald is beginning to work again. Can he not see that McDonald is not a midfielder. What was the purpose of taking off Jake and weakening our midfield - especially as Whelpdale was nowhere fit enough to play as long as he did - despite spending much of the game marking nothing but empty space - allowing the right side of Walsall's attack sooo much room & time on the ball. Whelpdale should never have started. His position should have gone to Dack - who has been playing well enough - with much more energy - and with youth on his side, can play the number of games over the Christmas period without burning out. ( or should do at his age ). So against Orient we lost ( robbed ) at least a deserved point. Today I'm not sure if we won a point or were lucky that Walsall didn't overrun us with their level of possession - but - if the tactics had been right I am also confident that this was a game that we could easily have won.
I think the combination of our two humps sums the day up well and you make some excellent points. As we know a bactrian is more effective than a dromedary.
Listening to the first half I could have easily have fallen asleep.They mentioned on Gillsplayer how well Walsall were passing the ball,and that we struggled to get the ball off of them.Saying that I don't remember their ball possession hurting us in the first half,and Kedwell`s miss was the only chance mentioned.The second half start was not something I was expecting Cody scoring an overhead kick outside of the area in the first minute of the second half.Whelpdale hit the bar not long after which could have killed the game.But as we keep talking about we conceded an equaliser,and then a predictable late goal to look like we would lose again heartbreak circumstances.Thankfully Cody equalised not long after,and we nearly won it aswell. We need to stop giving away these sloppy goals as they`re racking up now.Atleast the January window opens in a couple of days and we can look to strengthen the squad.
Someone mentioned on some forum that Dack is on 4 yellows and one more before Dec 31st would see him banned. Dunno if true, but would seem logical. If a young player is going to be rested in a heavy schedule that would be the game to miss I suppose. As for Cody/Bayo. It's also said that Bayo was kept back so he is fit when Keds has his hernia op. Nice that both of them are gaining decent scoring form. And I wonder if (on his return) PT would play Keds in midfield just behind those two.
Gills were pretty poor in the first half allowing Walsall to dominate play. I think Taylor was worried about the full backs running forward so that's why he chose ***an and Whipdale to try and help our full backs. The second half was much better especially when Cody scored a brilliant over head kick. We were so unlucky when Keds header hit the woodwork and Whips chip hit the bar. Cody had another shot which the keeper made a great save. We looked really good until Martin was day dreaming and Walsall scored. Then Walsall began to dominate again and everyone was getting worried that Walsall would score again in the dying minutes, which of coarse they did. Game over! another defeat in the last minute. Supporters leaving the ground Walsall getting another chance to win it 3-1 then Bayo knocks the ball forward Cody runs towards the box gets failed the linesman flag up penalty surely, ref does not see it Cody gets up and fires past the keeper 2-2. One minute left could there be another goal? Well there could have been as Cody again advances forward and has a terrific shot which the keeper flies across the goal and diverts it just over the post and crossbar. What a finish, shame Cody didn't get the hat trick and Gills the 3 points.
We should have been 1-0 up by half time. Walsall had loads of possession but couldn't hit the proverbial barn door, but Kedwell should have scored when Cody cut in from the right and played a square ball across the area for the onrushing Keds to bundle it past the post when it looked easier to score. That is the enigma that is Danny Kedwell, he's not a natural finisher, or he would have anticipated sooner and would have put it away. Thats why Cody, who is a natural scorer, has got more goals than Danny from less playing time and doesn't take the penalties.When Bayo came on, him and Cody seem to have that telepathic understanding and Cody seemed to know that Bayo was going to win the header and where it was going to go for his second goal, and then they repeat it a minute later , but that was saved. I know I'm in the minority but I just don't see what Keds brings to the forward line. His work rate and enthusiasm is second to none. I agree he should be in the team, but not taking the place of a goal scorer, and we were effective with bayo, cody and him in the side so maybe that is the way we should play, although of course there is the problem of Bayo lasting 90 minutes. Maybe Bayo needs to start more often, and perhaps that would improve.
A better site to use for slightly 'extended' highlights of Gills goals is shown below ! The following site address might be more than useful for those of you who cannot get to games http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/teams/gillingham
He's infuriating. He doesn't know how to get in to good positions and five of his ten goals have come from the penalty spot. Cody McDonald isn't playing at the level we know he can play yet he's scored 8 from open play with far less playing time and is scoring more goals at a better rate by a mile...and I think with more playing time he'd have more goals simply because he's more of a natural goal scorer. I think McDonald is going to flourish under Taylor but I don't think he and Kedwell can play well enough together. They just don't link up well. Neither seem to know what the other is going to do. I'd play all three up front personally if we could but I don't think we can have Cody and Kedwell up there by themselves. If I were to choose, it would have to be Cody over Kedwell right now.
