Post-Match Thread and Ratings Gillingham Fc 2 - 1 Southend United - Checkatrade trophy

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Early difference - Gillingham were looking to shoot and willing to shoot. We stood off in an attempt to contain them - it didn't work. Parker's goal brought that home - not in a particular dangerous area but given bags of space and with a well hit shot from distance we were losing.


We were shooting too but were merely winning corners off defenders not testing the keeper.


Decent chance on 30 mins with McGlashan's speed getting him through on the keeper but with defenders snapping at his heels and the keeper rushing out the shot went wide.


Robinson a few minutes later had a chance but it was hit and hope because he had no other options and lacked conviction.


I was just thinking that Elvis is the perfect storm of enthusiasm, vision and inexperience. Then with a deft challenge he took the ball off Parker's toes and left him embarrassed on the floor. A turn a sprint and a skip and Elvis covered two thirds of the pitch - putting Yearwood through, a cross to McLaughlin in space and it was 1-1.


And more than that it injected a bit of self belief into the team for a while. Parker was well aware of this and cynically sliced Elvis down first chance he got resulting in calls for a red and boos for the rest of the game.


Bit of rain before half time and I appreciate being undercover for the first time ever at this ground and these home end seats have near MK Dons level of padding.


15 minutes into the 2nd half, a bit of McGlashan action and little else before they had a free kick just outside the box - palmed onto the crossbar and they announced Parker put it in the net but reported online as an Elvis clearance going in off Ferdinand, either way - 2-1


Cox coming on injected a bit of energy when and creating a bit of space after Leonard had won a free kick gave Robinson a chance but it was lashed right at the keeper. A couple of minutes later Cox and McLaughlin with a mix of speed and skill found McGlashan but again straight at the keeper.


The game was pretty scrappy after that. Cox and McLaughlin working well together showing the difference with most of the rest of the team - plenty of hope but as expected with lots of changes, not gelling.


The defence I felt looked ok until late on with two Ferdinand slips, and then he moved to play in front of the midfield it seemed, till it became obvious he was no longer playing and was just there to get in the way.


10 additional minutes - no one wants that! Not that it was unentertaining but 10 extra minutes is too generous for my taste.


A dubious offside against Robinson when through, and a mini ruck between Oxley and one of their forwards and then we are all done.


1,549 total in there, 135 away fans of which 1 came by train it seems.

 

[Barry.C]

Seems odd to me i counted close to 180 opposite to me from the main stand and well done too !

 

[Maidstone Shrimper]

Very good report from Another Surrey Shrimper. Positives were the performances of Elvis, Yearwood and Ba .... not ready for first team action yet but it was worth going just to see our goal. Another positive was McLaughlin's corners and general performance but that's spoilt by him ending the game limping ... hamstring? The other negatives are of course our new injuries especially White. Ending the game with Leonard and Kyprianou as our centre backs. Robinson did nothing to tempt Brown to start with him up front. McGlashan had some cracking moments let down by his decision making at the crucial moments. Thought Timlin did OK at left back as you'd expect. We wait to see what Brown can do before Saturday, if anything.

 

[Barry.C]

Pretty spot on report above. The Gills just edged it. Certainly they were on top for the first 15 minutes, until we came into the game. They were physically stronger and I think not so many youngsters on display?
Delighted to see Elvis, Ba and Yearwood. Bwowomo did particularly well and showed considerable pace as did Ba and Yearwood. However going forward we looked vertically challenged and couldnt win a header , and for the same reason couldnt win a ball from the throw ins, losing possession. The boys will trouble others with their energy and pace, but not height, easily brushed aside, bring back Ranger ! Theo worked quite hard but was also isolated and both sides , particularly in the second half resorted to some of the most consistent lump it high and forward football, if you can call it that, than Ive seen for some time.
A good goal via Parkers cracking shot , but even better when Elvis skinned him and two passes later we scored, lovely move. Unfortunately the seasoned veteran decided to take it out on Elvis, I couldnt quite see if it was worthy of a red. I thought Mc. Glashen was as threatening as ever but runs the risk of losing his cool. His foot did seem to be left late in the face of the Gills keeper , especially as he had no chance of winning the ball. Lucky to stay on.
I am totally biased of course but thought we had a couple of good penalty shouts, one went for a corner when the Gills player dived to put the ball out with his hands across his chest which seemed to move toward the ball to deflect it. Add to that the unbelievable bad luck and fiasco of a goal for their second and I am beginning to feel as said elsewhere the hoodoo is upon us here, with no win or luck since 2012
The pits was Ferdys hamstring reducing us to 10. I said to my mate I sincerely hope we dont play Ferdy tonight as he might get injured, so what a surprise. Now we have all our key 5 defenders potentially out. Whites didnt look to bad and I was surprised Ferdy stayed on??, Why?? Not too much on display from Klass and Kypriano?

 

[fbm]

Good description of the action in the opening post.

For me, after about 20 mins we started to really take control and the equaliser was no surprise really. During this whole period leading up to half time, we were playing the ball to feet and NOT lumping the ball forwards. We had even less height than we did on Saturday and it looked like we were playing to our strengths.

There was a tasty tackle on Bwowomo but I'm not sure it was anything other than hard to be honest; it was right in front of us. The one that was far worse was a very late lunge on Kyprianou near the end when both their guy and Oxley raised hands. On another day, both could have gone and I thought the ref was going to send their guy off judging by the speed he ran to the scene, hand immediately on his back pocket. Then again, McGlashan was probably lucky to stay on after a reckless challenge on their keeper that required him having extensive on pitch treatment.

I was far less fed up with the performance tonight as I was after Saturday, as I thought the balance was generally better and people did their best. But what bad luck with the injuries. Ba, McLaughlin, White and Ferdinand all doubtful and I suspect Ferdinand will be out for a few weeks - he could barely move for the last 15 mins and we would have probably been better off without him and playing with 10 men.

So as the match started, we became aware of the fact that we are after a midfielder. Does this mean Wordsworth has had another setback?

Now, I think a tall central defender is a must.

Positives from tonight - Bwowomo, Yearwood, Ba and McLaughlin all did very well.

Robinson unfortunately showed very little. Timlin was better as a left back than he was in midfield on Saturday and actually better than Hendrie. Lenny covered at centre half pretty well but what a bizarre sight our back 4 was for the last 20 mins - Bwowomo, Leonard, Kyprianou and Timlin. No recognised centre half or even a defender really. Klass was disappointing.

Saturday was rubbish; tonight was a bloody disaster.

 

[dannypav]

It's all a bit doom and gloom right now which I fully understand.
Slight sympathy with Brown though as the injuries to Wordsworth, Kiernan, Coker, Turner have a big impact, plus Rangers 'holiday' and the poor form of Hendrie and Anton ( injured ? Legs gone? Grieving ? Or all 3 ) and the Lenny saga.
I know people will argue that it will be too late , but I can see things improving greatly when the above eases one way or another.

 

[Harry Bullocks]

Good description of the action in the opening post.

For me, after about 20 mins we started to really take control and the equaliser was no surprise really. During this whole period leading up to half time, we were playing the ball to feet and NOT lumping the ball forwards. We had even less height than we did on Saturday and it looked like we were playing to our strengths.

There was a tasty tackle on Bwowomo but I'm not sure it was anything other than hard to be honest; it was right in front of us. The one that was far worse was a very late lunge on Kyprianou near the end when both their guy and Oxley raised hands. On another day, both could have gone and I thought the ref was going to send their guy off judging by the speed he ran to the scene, hand immediately on his back pocket. Then again, McGlashan was probably lucky to stay on after a reckless challenge on their keeper that required him having extensive on pitch treatment.

I was far less fed up with the performance tonight as I was after Saturday, as I thought the balance was generally better and people did their best. But what bad luck with the injuries. Ba, McLaughlin, White and Ferdinand all doubtful and I suspect Ferdinand will be out for a few weeks - he could barely move for the last 15 mins and we would have probably been better off without him and playing with 10 men.

So as the match started, we became aware of the fact that we are after a midfielder. Does this mean Wordsworth has had another setback?

Now, I think a tall central defender is a must.

Positives from tonight - Bwowomo, Yearwood, Ba and McLaughlin all did very well.

Robinson unfortunately showed very little. Timlin was better as a left back than he was in midfield on Saturday and actually better than Hendrie. Lenny covered at centre half pretty well but what a bizarre sight our back 4 was for the last 20 mins - Bwowomo, Leonard, Kyprianou and Timlin. No recognised centre half or even a defender really. Klass was disappointing.

Saturday was rubbish; tonight was a bloody disaster.

Ryan Innis available and with a fixed shoulder :whistling:

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

Ryan Innis available and with a fixed shoulder :whistling:

Rather stick my nan at CB

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

Ryan Innis available and with a fixed shoulder :whistling:

Play with 10

 

[RobM]

Rather stick my nan at CB

Squad number 83? I'd prefer Nani.

 

[rigsby]

Well I was saying to lads in the car on the way down I've never seen us win at Gillingham and.... Well you know the rest by now. They even had the cheek to print on the cover of their £2 flimsy programme '8-1': 30 year anniversary special.

The bad news is of course the injuries. I know most of you will focus on Anton, who actually had a good game, but injuries to Ba McL and JW proves that having age or fitness on your side doesn't guarantee you avoid injuries. Its part of football and 4 in one game means your not exactly having our fair share of luck in that department.

The good news was some impressive performances by the young lads, which is what this competition is all about. Elvis was the pick of the bunch. He chased back and won a great tackle in front of his own fans and then set off with pace and was nice and positive. Smart little ball into Dru, who was aware enough to know he had time for a touch, so he neatly shifted it onto his right foot and drills a lovely low ball to the far post which meant McL could not miss.

The first half had gone the same way as Saturday's. After a scrappy start as all the changes from both teams found their feet we ended up playing the better football for the rest of the half our passing was slicker and we had more chances. Theo and Ba is an obviously light weight front 2 . At one point Timlin bollocked them and demanded more aggression. PB was shouting at Theo to show more, as in do the Cox roll and come short so the back 4 can play it into feet. Both players would be far more suited to having dare I say a Ranger type player alongside them but wouldn't we all. Ba was lively after he settled down for the rest of the half but is raw and has a lot to learn. His pace would certainly scare a few team in the last 15 as a sub.

Yearwood showed some good touches and good strength at times, he played at the top of a diamond the same as Wordsworth does with Lenny covering. Again if he had say Ranger and Cox in front of him he would get better balls laid back to him and would be more involved. Yes one or two over ambitious passes but they were in the Gillingham half and no worse than Timlin or Lenny, as passing isn't top of their plus points. Not sure either of them would have shown the skill young Dru did to make our goal.

Klass did ok when he came on as did Kyp. For those of you asking why did Ox get a booking, well he every right to be angry at the lunging jump on the back of Kyps legs, with no intent to play the ball it was a straight red. As fbm says the ref was running over to flash a red and then bottled it and booked both players instead. Ox had only pushed the guy and certainly nowhere near his face.

We did of course lose so more questions will be asked about the defence. Back 4 and Ox played well. Good solid block for Parker's first shot which some how almost stopped dead nice and inviting, right in front of the very same Parker. Fair play to the lad he struck a fierce shot from outside the box which flew in the top corner. We of course haven't tested a keeper from outside the box this season. We seem a bit shot shy from dangerous positions like 18/20 yards and then ridiculously over ambitious from 35 yards. Lenny treated us to a variety of shocking long range efforts, lets hope we get that dome up very soon as Lenny can start by shooting at that and perhaps gradually reduce the size of the target.

McG did show some usual good pace, if he didn't hesitate and just went every single time then he would be really dangerous. He had two glorious chances to score. First half he was put through on the left after some neat passing. He done every thing right, cut back across the defender onto his right foot and got centre of the goal. He tried to slid in the right hand side but the keeper was out fast and saved well with a fully stretched left leg which pushed it wide.

The one in the second half he should have definitely scored. Cox immediately looked lively when he came on and could have shot himself but played a lovely ball across the box to an unmarked McG when we were 2-1 down. With both defender and Keeper scrambling across their goal McG could have almost had a touch and put back in the far corner but blasted fairly straight. I guess you have to say good defending by their lad for a Barrettesk block.

Of course their winning goal could only come at Priestfield. Firstly Ba goes down in front of the main stand where I was sitting. They wanted to play on and fans and players alike abused the ref for stopping the game. The ref felt like he had to apologise to their bench so you could predict exactly what was coming next. They attacked from the restart and their lad ran down the middle knocked it right and ran into JW ,who at best just showed some good strength. Of course it had to be a foul, much to the anger of JW because that exactly what their 2 CB's had done all night.

Ox set the wall to cover his right post. The kick was close to 30 yds centre of goal. With a right footed kick tacker the wall has no effect at the range. He hits it with pace and swing away from Ox to the keepers top right. It hits bar and keeper and falls right in front of the goal. Elvis has been alive and has followed up and gets there first. He was under pressure so just smashed it square across the goal unfortunately some old crock who's legs have gone had also managed to somehow get back in the six yard box. It fly's off of him and into our goal.

As we walked to the car through the attractive back streets of Gillingham I thought at least it wasn't 8-1

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

Cox immediately looked lively when he came on and could have shot himself

...to be honest, I often feel like that after watching the Blues (especially at Gillingham), so I can't blame him!

 

[Barry.C]

I wasnt happy with that programme as I was at the unforgetabble 8-1 thrashing, I shouldnt have leaped about so much when we went 1 nil up!!

 

[Dazzaref]

Very disappointing result for my son and I. We got the train back to Surrey too! Although Robinson had a particularly poor game who were those idiots who kept shouting out strange noises throughout the game (adults in stature if not in mind)? They decided to abuse him near the end of the match. He rightly gave them some back, but just annoyed with myself that I didn't intervene. We do seem to attract some weirdos; or is that the case for football in general?

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Very disappointing result for my son and I. We got the train back to Surrey too! Although Robinson had a particularly poor game who were those idiots who kept shouting out strange noises throughout the game (adults in stature if not in mind)? They decided to abuse him near the end of the match. He rightly gave them some back, but just annoyed with myself that I didn't intervene. We do seem to attract some weirdos; or is that the case for football in general?

I thought the noise was Gillingham fans mocking Phil Brown?

 

[BlueBore]

Pretty spot on report above. The Gills just edged it. Certainly they were on top for the first 15 minutes, until we came into the game. They were physically stronger and I think not so many youngsters on display?
Delighted to see Elvis, Ba and Yearwood. Bwowomo did particularly well and showed considerable pace as did Ba and Yearwood. However going forward we looked vertically challenged and couldnt win a header , and for the same reason couldnt win a ball from the throw ins, losing possession. The boys will trouble others with their energy and pace, but not height, easily brushed aside, bring back Ranger ! Theo worked quite hard but was also isolated and both sides , particularly in the second half resorted to some of the most consistent lump it high and forward football, if you can call it that, than Ive seen for some time.
A good goal via Parkers cracking shot , but even better when Elvis skinned him and two passes later we scored, lovely move. Unfortunately the seasoned veteran decided to take it out on Elvis, I couldnt quite see if it was worthy of a red. I thought Mc. Glashen was as threatening as ever but runs the risk of losing his cool. His foot did seem to be left late in the face of the Gills keeper , especially as he had no chance of winning the ball. Lucky to stay on.
I am totally biased of course but thought we had a couple of good penalty shouts, one went for a corner when the Gills player dived to put the ball out with his hands across his chest which seemed to move toward the ball to deflect it. Add to that the unbelievable bad luck and fiasco of a goal for their second and I am beginning to feel as said elsewhere the hoodoo is upon us here, with no win or luck since 2012
The pits was Ferdys hamstring reducing us to 10. I said to my mate I sincerely hope we dont play Ferdy tonight as he might get injured, so what a surprise. Now we have all our key 5 defenders potentially out. Whites didnt look to bad and I was surprised Ferdy stayed on??, Why?? Not too much on display from Klass and Kypriano?

Things obviously getting desperate when we have to play the club mascot in defence. Did Sammy play up front?

 

[ace]

Both incidents as each of you have described and therefore not the same. Can concur Robinson rightly told them where to go in no uncertain terms.