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[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS BLOG SEASON 2023 / 2024 SEASON - PART TWO

At The Start Of The Season, For The First Supporters Blog, I Asked Gillingham Supporters for there thoughts and opinions on Gillingham’s Summer Signings, Performances and results in pre-season friendlies, Gillingham keeping the core of the squad together from The 2022 / 2023 Season heading into The 2023 / 2024 Season, and the score prediction for Stockport County V Gillingham on the opening day of the season, And the link to that blog is here - LINK - https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/724767191346642945/fom-blog-gillingham-supporters-blog-season and in the second Gillingham Supporters Blog LINK IS HERE - https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/734461185061224448/fom-blog-gillingham-supporters-blog-season-2023 - I asked supporters for there thoughts and opinions on Gillingham appointing Stephen Clemence As Head Coach, FA Cup Replays and the score prediction for Gillingham V Salford City.

This Blog Is A Follow Up Blog which was previewing Gillingham before the start of The 2023 / 2024 Season, and given that there is a free week between The Grimsby Town and Morecambe League Games, this is the ideal opportunity for the third of the fourth Gillingham Supporters Blog throughout the season, the third supporters blog usually is after the thirtieth league game, but on this occasion, the third supporters blog of the season comes right at the business end of the season, and the fourth and final supporters blog is at the end of the season, and there is always a interest comparison between all four supporters blog from the start to the end of each season.

Answering these questions are the following Gillingham Supporters,,,,, Mark, Paul, Colin, Ashley, Robert and Matt - I want to thank everyone who has participated in the latest Gillingham Supporters Blog, as well as thank those who participated in The Gillingham Supporters Blogs throughout this season and in the previous seasons, It is because of the involvement of everyone who has participated in the previous blogs which have made these blogs so successful, so once again, thank you, Now on to the questions and answers……..

1. GILLINGHAM HAVE SIGNED RIGHT WING BACK REMEAO HUTTON, AND STRIKERS JOSH ANDREWS, JOSH WALKER AND JORGE CABEZAS HURTADO, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON GILLINGHAM’S RECRUITMENT IN THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW ???

Mark - Hutton is  a clear upgrade on Alexander but somehow we've turned the assist king of league 2 into someone who hasn't delivered an assist for us yet. Andrews was a gamble and I guess we were unlucky that he got injured again. We will have to wait and see. Walker looks a pointless, panic loan. He's not suggested that he's the answer. I loved Hurtado, great to see someone playing with no inhibitions, just running at players. He would have been great to watch and such a shame he got injured. 

Paul - I never really expected many signings in January as we had a full team. Although we had to reinforce the striker force. I thought Hutton was a good buy and haven’t really seen enough of the other three to comment. Although Jorge looked exciting.

Colin - Overall the window was a big disappointment. We could all see that we needed to freshen up the striker department. We were in touch with the play offs but needed a bit more up top to help get us over the line. Instead we targeted Andrews who was injured with some talk of him being bought for next season but with the possibility of his doing something this season. To me that makes no sense. Walker seems to be a cheap option as a back up player. Hurtado by all accounts came in as a left field last minute possibility but as he got injured after a handful of games we haven’t moved things forward in the forward department. We have moved on Bonne and Nichols and haven’t properly replaced them. Hutton however could be a good piece of business as he adds pace and width both of which qualities are much needed. 

Ashley - I think the players brought in especially Hutton show the new ambition of the club signing a proven player in this league and I personally think he could play higher, Walker unfortunately hasn’t hit the ground running despite scoring all be it a simple goal on his debut, Andrews hopefully from what I have heard will hopefully be a more mobile Ollie Hawkins. Hurtado, well I love an attacking players who first thought is to drive forward at defenders and he certainly was that before the injury lets hope to see him again before the end of the season if not hopefully we can get an extension on the loan for the whole of next season. Overall I think it was a pretty solid window.

Robert - I’m in 2 minds as far as the recruitment is concerned. We were led to believe when the Gallinsons came in the recruitment was a top priority. They recruited Hessenthaler as Head of recruitment and we thought that’s great he knows the club and knows players in leagues. But as we have recruited over the months maybe we have been brought back to reality and still struggle to attract quality players. We have been unlucky with injuries but maybe we expected too much.

Matt - Really awful window for me. The strikers we bought in are injured, we didn’t get another box to box midfielder. Have been impressed with Hutton.

2. AND AS WELL AS FOUR INCOMING PLAYERS, FOUR PLAYERS HAVE ALSO LEFT THE CLUB WITH CHEYE ALEXANDER HAVING HIS CONTRACT MUTUALLY TERMINATED, TOM NICHOLS SIGNING FOR MANSFIELD TOWN FOR AN UNDISCLOSED FEE, MACAULEY BONNE SIGNING FOR CAMBRIDGE UNITED ON LOAN AND LEWIS WALKER SIGNING FOR WOKING, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE FOUR PLAYERS DEPARTING GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB IN THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW ???

Mark - Not sad to see any of them go. I would have rather we had lost Nadesan and kept Nichols but that was unlikely. Bonne the seasons biggest disappointment. I genuinely thought he would get goals in league 2. Walker never looked a league player - panic signing under the old regime. 

Paul - I wasn’t surprised to see some of these leaving as they hadn’t been in the team much since the new head Coach arrived.

Colin - Bonne and Nichols have both done reasonably well elsewhere but weren’t doing it for us this season. Also with Bonne there were the off field issues. It’s not a surprise that they have gone. It is a surprise that we didn’t replace them. I see Hutton as an upgrade on Alexander. Lewis Walker didn’t really cut it as a league player so it’s again no surprise that he has moved into non league.

Ashley - Walker unfortunately never really got going in a Gills shirt so I can’t say I was surprised. Cheye I think despite being one of the most improved players from the back end of last season it was a right move to let him move on we have cover in McKenzie so it was best that for the club he wasn’t on the wage bill anymore. Nichols was a bit of a surprise, another one who hasn’t got going this season which was a shame as he was certainly a fan favourite but to sell to a promotion chasing rival has left a few people scratching their heads. As for Bonne, personally I was gutted although he missed his fair share of chances he was always in the right place and I feel had he been given more time with a partner up with him we could of got him firing. Overall its a mixed bag because now Andrews and Hurtado are injured it has left us rather short but having said that I think 2 of the outgoings would have been on a decent wage so in that aspect of balancing the books it was pretty good business.

Robert - As above, maybe these players wanted out and to prove themselves elsewhere. I was disappointed that Bone left as I think he was growing in confidence. I’m all for our players wanting to move on but there has to be a plan to replace them. We have had a history of not doing that and I wonder if that has changed.

Matt - Felt we should have kept Nichols or Bonne as we really haven’t replaced them with any better. Alexander wasn’t going to get in the team ahead of Hutton so he had to go 

3. DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM SHOULD HAVE MADE OTHER ADDITIONAL SIGNINGS IN THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW, AND IF YES, WHICH PLAYERS SHOULD GILLINGHAM HAVE SIGNED, OR WHICH POSITIONS DO YOU THINK SHOULD HAVE BEEN STRENGTHENED ???

Mark - Easy to say that we need to sign pace and a goals scorer. Easy to say but hard to do. Not signing that type of player in the summer or January is why we will be a league 2 club next season. 

Paul - The recruitment team presumably were focusing on other players but competition was fierce for talent. So although we wanted a prolific striker others did as well.

Colin - We all accept that it’s difficult to make decent additions in January but we desperately needed a fit, mobile goal scorer. The engine room has also been a bit lacking despite the wealth of midfielders on the books but any incomings there  would have been a bonus. 

Ashley - Yes, as we have now seen with the Masterson suspension we had to revert back to a back 4 but with another central defender the back 3 (or 5 depending on how you look at it) would still have been an option, Also a winger with some defence frightening pace would/should have been looked at because we don’t really have a left sided winger and Clemence has made it clear how he loves a 4-3-3.

Robert - Yes, I believe we should have signed more. I wonder if there is such a player out there but I would have liked to have seen us sign a number 9 Ton Eaves type player. If you’re going to play with one up top, then have a target man who can move the  ball. I don’t think Hawkins is up to it. 

Matt - A striker that can actually score goals! A box to box midfielder young energetic one.

4. AND ARE THERE PLAYRS STILL AT GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB NOW WHO YOU THOUGHT WOULD HAVE LEFT GILLINGHAM IN THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW ???

Mark - Nadesan probably.  

Paul - No not really

Colin - No. Players are in contract till at least the end of the season so unless you pay up their contract or someone comes in for them you don’t expect many departures.

Ashley - Honestly yes, Shaun Williams I thought would have been one of the first out the door, not really down to him as person more due to his age and severe lack of game time at that point in time, Another would possibly be Jayden Clarke, even if just to make room for a new left sided winger to come in and another player who at the time was barely in the match day squad let alone the starting 11.

Robert - I can’t think of any players who are still there I didn’t expect.

Matt - Shaun Williams. Only makes the bench would of thought he would of gone 

5. DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM SHOULD LOOK AT THE FREE AGENT MARKET TO BRING IN A PLAYER WHO COULD STRENGTHEN THE SQUAD BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF THE SEASON ???

Mark - Hard to expect someone to get up to match fitness in the few games remaining. It would have been helpful to throw a proven goal scorer on with 20 mins to go but they are hard to find. 

Paul - Yes the recruitment team must be also on the look out for experienced players and the best price. So why not an older striker.

Colin - I’m surprised that Galinson give Jacket the funds to find someone to come in on a short term contract. If it didn’t work out you haven’t lost too much.

Ashley - Absolutely. Why not ? Even on small length contracts just to give cover in case of more suspensions or any more injuries, Who knows we may come across a goal scorer!

Robert - I think the squad could alway’s do with strengthening. But it has to be worth it and not just loaning for the sake of it.

Matt - Yes I would look at the bringing in a striker 

6. AFTER GILLINGHAM’S 3-1 AWAY WIN AGAINST NOTTS COUNTY, A GILLINGHAM SUPPORTER CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF - OPERATION LAST WALTZ - WHICH HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED BY BRAD GALINSON FOR OUR FIVE RECENT HOME LEAGUE GAMES AGAINST SWINDON TOWN, STOCKPORT COUNTY, WREXHAM, TRANMERE ROVERS AND GRIMSBY TOWN - WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LAST WALTZ BEING SUNG BEFORE KICK OFF FOR HOME MATCHES ???

Mark - It’s the most dour song ever ! I like the idea of a club anthem but its so dour, with a slow tempo and sung out of tune.  Lets get something more upbeat. 

Paul - I like to hear us sing this before a game. As it confuses the opposition and their fans.

Colin - I’m fairly OK with it although for me it’s a song traditionally sung towards the end of a game that we are winning.

Ashley - Love it, each video I see online of the Rainham End in full voice once the music cuts out gives me goosebumps everytime. Long may it continue I say.

Robert - I think singing the last waltz is a great idea and since it has been implemented the atmosphere at the ground has been much better.

Matt - I’m really not a fan, we are having to generate an atmosphere because the team don’t get us excited enough for us to sing 

7. AS WE HEAD INTO THE FINAL SEVEN LEAGUE GAMES OF THE 2023 / 2024 SEASON, GILLINGHAM ARE CURRENTLY TENTH IN LEAGUE TWO AND ONLY OUTSIDE OF THE PLAYOFFS BY ONE POINT, WHAT DO THINK GILLINGHAM NEED TO DO BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF THE SEASON TO SECURE A PLAYOFF SPOT, AND DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM CAN FINISH THIS SEASON IN THE PLAYOFFS ???

Mark - Win as many as we can, which is hard when we can't score goals.  I don't think we will qualify for the playoffs. Once the games in hand play out I'd be surprised if we weren't 5 points behind (6 due to our shocking GD). 

Paul - Start winning games again and hope opposition lose some of theirs. Although it looks tight now anything is possible.

Colin - I think we will miss out on the play offs as we don’t score enough goals to, win enough matches. Our only chance would come from other teams also dropping a lot of points.

Ashley - Simple, Win and win often. With other teams around us with games in hand winning is our only fighting chance especially with the poor goal difference.

Robert - Well obviously we need to score more goals but also we need more confidence as well.

Matt - Score more goals it’s as simple as that 

8. AND IF GILLINGHAM WERE TO NOT FINISH IN THE PLAYOFFS AND FINISH IN EIGHTH, NINTH OR TENTH POSITIONS IN LEAGUE TWO, WOULD THAT BE CONSIDERED A FAILURE ???

Mark - Yes. I don't think you can spin it any other way. Failure to get pace into the team and failure to get a player who will score 15+ a season will be the reason. I think playoffs was absolutely the minimum expectation this season.

Paul - Yes I believe the target was the play offs or automatic, So if we don’t make it a failure.

Colin - My prediction pre season was 8th. I didn’t think that the squad was quite good enough to make the play offs. The January window has made us a bit weaker. We didn’t sustain the momentum that Harris gave us in the second half of last season. The injury to Hawkins was a big part of that and by the time he was back in the squad the situation with the other forwards had gone backwards.

Ashley - Not really no, at Christmas last season we was as good as gone from the football league so the fact of how far we have come in just over a year I honestly think this year was always going to be the start of a rebuild, next season will be the season we make the play-offs if not the season after.

Robert - Well I would suspect if we didn’t make the playoffs then it would be seen as a failure at the top but we have to be realistic and look at where we were a couple of years ago.

Matt - Yes I feel it’s a failure, a number of times Brad has said about promotion 

9. AGAINST NOTTS COUNTY, WALSALL, SWINDON TOWN, ACCRINGTON STANLEY, TRANMERE ROVERS AND GRIMSBY TOWN, GILLINGHAM HAVE CONCEDED THE FIRST GOAL IN ALL SIX MATCHES AND MANAGED TO WIN AGAINST ACCRINGTON STANLEY AND NOTTS COUNTY AND DRAW AGAINST SWINDON TOWN, WALSALL TRANMERE ROVERS AND GRIMSBY TOWN, DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM CAN BATTLE BACK FROM A LOSING POSITION TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF THE GAME NOW, OR, ARE THERE STILL CONCERNS THAT WHEN THE OPPOSITION SCORE, THEY WILL WIN THE MATCH ???

Mark - We don't score many so once we concede its hard to see a way back to a win. A draw maybe. 

Paul - Always a concern when we go a goal down

Colin - We don’t seem to start games on the front foot and we only play well in patches. I don’t know all the reasons for that but the midfield engine room needs some attention. That and the lack of firepower can mean that it’s often game over if we concede first. 

Ashley - No I think we have shaken that mentality, we always look a lot better in the second half especially if we are a goal down, as soon as you come back from behind once it will prove that it can and will be done.

Robert - Yes we still aren’t able to come back from set backs. However I was pleased that we came back against Grimsby I think it was. We still can’t seem to score more than 1 goal a game though. 

Matt - I have no confidence that we can get back in a game if we go 1-0 down 

10. STEPHEN CLEMENCE HAS SWITCHED FORMATION FROM A 4-3-3 TO A 3-5-2 FORMATION, AND GILLINGHAM HAVE SWITCHED FORMATION AGAIN TO A 4-2-3-1 FORMATION, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GILLINGHAM LINING UP WITH ALL THEE FORMATIONS THIS SEASON ???

Mark - Essentially he's trying to find something that will work when we don't have any pace or a goal threat from open play. I feel for him. 

Paul - I leave the formation to the head coaches which they then adapt to different opposition

Colin - One thing about SC is that he is willing to experiment with the shape of the team. Too often the link up play hasn’t been great and the forwards are isolated. I like to see Hutton and Clark getting forward down the flanks and Williams, Mahoney and Lapslie getting forward down the middle. Set up to try and win rather than to not lose.

Ashley - It’s good to have different systems/formations because it gives you different options for different situations in games. Lets not forget that in previous managements some had no ‘Plan B’ but Clemence has a ‘Plan C’ as well.

Robert - Much has been made of Clemence as his credentials for the job. Obviously this is his first go at being a Head coach. I think he is experimenting and trying to work out his best formation. But football can be very unforgiving at times and you don’t get much time. 

Matt - I feel that we are much more better suited to 4-2-3-1. 5 at the back doesn’t work because we don’t use our wingbacks enough 

11. GILLINGHAM WON 1-0 AGAINST WREXHAM IN-FRONT OF A 8,693 ATTENDANCE, WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON THE MATCH, AND YOUR THOUGHTS ON GILLINGHAM PICKING UP ALL THREE POINTS IN-FRONT OF A PACKED PRIESTFIELD STADIUM ???

Mark - It was unexpected and it was nice to win in front of a big crowd. 

Paul - I thought the atmosphere was fantastic especially when we won

Colin - It was good to see us contain one of the top sides and get a win.

Ashley - Every player put in a shift for the team and as fans that is all we want (other than a win). To grab a win against lets be honest one of the favourites to go up automatically this season after the loss in Clemence’s first game against them its always nice to get a bit of revenge especially over a promotion chasing rival and to do it in front of a packed stadium was the icing on the cake for me, Rainham End didn’t stop singing from the first whistle to beyond the last which is always nice to hear.

Robert - I can’t believe the Wrexham game. Easily our best home performance of the season. It was a packed ground, cracking atmosphere and as with the last waltz, goes a long way towards geeing the boys up. My bug bare is we always struggle against lower opposition.

Matt - Very close game could have been a draw. Nice to see a packed out ground 

12. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON STEPHEN CLEMENCE’S TENURE AS GILLINGHAM HEAD COACH SO FAR ???, AND DO YOU THINK STEPHEN CLEMENCE SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASSEMBLE HIS OWN SQUAD IN THE SUMMER, OR, DO YOU HAVE THE OPINION THAT GILLINGHAM NEED TO BRING IN A NEW MANAGER OR NEW HEAD COACH IN THE SUMMER ???

Mark - Tough to answer. In truth he hasn't improved results and thats how managers should be judged. I think we need an experienced league 2 manager who knows how to get out of league 2.  Clemence hasn't ever done that. He's clearly a capable coach but does he know how to win promotion from league 2. I've seen nothing to suggest that.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him go in the summer but that would be harsh. The question is do we think he can get us promoted after a summer window and pre-season ? 

Paul - I think he is doing hard work to get the best out of the team and I like what I have seen so far but he does need to get strikers to score some how.

Colin - We can’t keep changing managers every year. SC hasn’t had a full window and has been left very short in the attacking department.  He hasn’t set the world alight and the performances of his teams have been inconsistent. His attempted style of play is very different to that of Harris and Evans and maybe the players he has aren’t best suited to what he wants to do. I also get the sense that the January budget didn’t given Jackett and Hess much room for manoeuvre. We paid over the odds to get players in last year and maybe we are being a bit more frugal now. Let’s see where we end up this season. Galinson will then have to decide how he sees things going forward.

Ashley - It certainly has been a complete mix ‘n’ match for me personally, sometimes his subs are questionable or spot on, starting line ups are the same as are the results but I believe if we have a really strong pre-season with signings and they are the players that Clemence wants then I think he will come good. He is a young coach in the aspect of its his first job as a Head Coach but has bags of experience at a higher level but time will tell I do just hope that he is given the funds to spend in the summer to allow him and us as a club to progress up the table and football league.

Robert - As I said earlier, he is in his  first top job. He’s obviously trying to work out his best team but there is still not much of a squad to work with. Should he be given another chance next if we fail to get into the playoffs? Well maybe but such is football I fear he won’t get long. 

Matt - I’m not a fan of Stephen Clemence unfortunately. He doesn’t inspire me, and I don’t think he can motivate the players enough. I’m not sure on his subs either and I think it was a risk that we shouldn’t have taken as when we sacked Harris we was near the play offs. 

13. WHEN KENNY JACKETT AND ANDY HESSENTHALER WERE APPOINTED AS DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL AND HEAD OF RECRUITMENT IN JANUARY 2023, THE FOOTBALL CLUB WERE PRAISED FOR BRINGING IN A PROPER PROFESSIONAL STRUCTURE AND GILLINGHAM’S TRANSFER BUSINESS OVER A YEAR AGO KEPT GILLINGHAM IN THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE, HOWEVER, QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS HAVE BEEN RAISED REGARDING OUR RECRUITMENT IN JANUARY 2024, SO WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON KENNY JACKETT AND ANDY HESSENTHALER ??? - AND DO YOU THINK THE DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL / HEAD OF RECRUITMENT STRUCTURE IS THE CORRECT OR INCORRECT WAY OF RUNNING OUR TRANSFER POLICY AT THE GILLS ???

Mark - Ogie, Hutton and Coleman have all be great signings.  Walker (either), Bonne and Nadesan have been poor signings. Personally I'd like to see different people in charge of our recruitment. The failure to sign pace or a goal scorer in two windows is poor.  Let Clemence bring his own people in.  

Paul - As long as the club can afford the director of football it’s a good idea to guide the directors. Takes work off the manager as well.

Colin - It’s difficult to assess how well the recruitment department have done without knowing all the ins and outs of the budget. We know that they struggled to attract their targets in the window after the takeover. We paid over the odds for a couple of forwards from a struggling Crawley side and Nigel Clough seemed happy to let us take a couple of players from his squad for a pretty price. From what we hear they chased Alfie May but we couldn’t match what Charlton were able to offer both financially and in respect to the level of football. Other names have been mentioned as possible incoming arrivals but nothing then happened. The January window looks to have been a bit of a disaster. Given the overhead the jury is out on whether they have added value.

Ashley - Yes I think it is a good structure to have, Kenny and Hess have so much experience in the EFL and have made plenty of signings between them in previous manager roles at their clubs. They now have backing from a chairman with money who wants us to progress and progress sustainably, of course they won’t always get it completely right all I can say to those who do not agree with their handling of our transfer business is to trust them and give them time its a new role for them both but they will know what they are doing as we saw in the January transfer window of last season they are more than capable of getting it right.

Robert - I thought it was a bold move to get Hess and Jacket on board to help with recruitment but I don’t think much has changed. Maybe a slight improvement on the quality of player we have signed but the team as a whole  as struggled I fear with the job of getting into the playoffs especially after a good start. Not that I’m saying we definitely won’t make it.

Matt - I think the structure is correct at the club, just need to get rid of Jackett and Hess and bring new faces in. They didn’t do the job in the summer or January so shouldn’t be given another window 

14. ON FEBRUARY 7TH 2024, GILLINGHAM HAD A FANS FORUM WHICH GAVE SUPPORTERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS TO BRAD GALINSON, SHANNON GALINSON, STEPHEN CLEMENCE, ROBBIE STOCKDALE AND KENNY JACKETT, WHO WRRE ALL IN ATTENDANCE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON THE FANS FORUM ??? AND WERE THERE ANY QUESTIONS YOU WANTED ANSWERED WHICH WERE NOT ASKED AT THE TIME ???

Mark - I didn't go. I guess why haven't we signed players with pace would be a good question. I'll leave the obvious Scally question as the Galinson are probably sick of hearing it. 

Paul - I thought the fans forum was excellent

Colin - I think that the fans forums are a good thing. Of course we don’t get the full picture in terms of detail but it’s a vast improvement in the communications under the previous regime.

Ashley - I love the fans forums if I’m honest, I have never felt so connected with the club before the Galinsons took over and these forums are another thing that they have done to bring us fans closer than ever before. As for the questions I think almost every question asked was one that most other fans wanted to ask overall I was generally happy with what was asked and answered.

Robert - The fans forum is a good idea, though it’s not well advertised. It’s good I suppose to have all the management in one place to be called to account. I would have liked more probing into the role Paul Scally still plays at the club.

Matt - I thought it was a very good fans forum, Jackett was saying about spreading himself to thin? Is he doing Hess role? 

15. HAVE YOU RENEWED OR BROUGHT NEW SEASON TICKETS FOR THE 2024 / 2025 SEASON ???

Mark - Of course. The Galinsons deserve my backing. 

Paul - Yes I have a season ticket again by the dug out in the middle of the pitch side 

Colin - Yes I renewed quickly so that I didn’t have a chance to think about it rationally.

Ashley - Yes, I treated my partner to a season ticket for this season and I have renewed hers too!

Robert - I am a share holder in one of the hospitality boxes and am considering whether to go in for it again next season.

Matt - I have renewed 

16. THE FOOTBALL GOVERNANCE BILL WILL SEE A INDEPENDENT FOOTBALL REGULATOR IMPLEMENTED INTO ENGLISH FOOTBALL, DO YOU THINK A INDEPENDENT FOOTBALL REGULATOR  IS A GOOD THING FOR ENGLISH FOOTBALL, OR, DO YOU PERHAPS THINK THE INDEPENDENT FOOTBALL REGULATOR IS A BAD THING FOR ENGLISH FOOTBALL ???

Mark - Football can't regulate itself but many regulators are toothless tigers - OFWAT as an example. Lets see what they actually deliver.

Paul - Yes a regulator is a good idea as long as it doesn’t produce more paperwork and silly rules. The FA and EFL already govern strictly.

Colin - I think an independent regulator is a good thing. Football is a community asset. It’s not like choosing a supermarket. It will be interesting to see whether there are any legal challenges. How much of a good thing depends on what powers the regulator has and how willing they are to use them. 

Ashley - It can only be a good thing personally. It is about time football club owners realised the fans come first and hopefully we wont see what happened to the likes of Bury and Macclesfield happen again.

Robert - I think an independent football regulator could be good. Anything to help run the game better. 

Matt - A Good Thing

17. WHO WOULD YOU PICK FOR THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES ??? ONE: GILLINGHAM PLAYER OF THE SEASON ??? TWO: GILLINGHAM YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON ??? THREE: GILLINGHAM GOAL OF THE SEASON ??? FOUR: GILLINGHAM’S BEST HOME PERFORMANCE OF THE SEASON ??? AND FIVE GILLINGHAM’S BEST AWAY PERFORMANCE OF THE SEASON ???

Mark - ONE Coleman TWO Ogie THREE Mahoney v Morecambe at home FOUR Southampton FIVE Notts County. 

Paul - A tough one to pick but for me Masterson and Ogie have been outstanding, Best goal was from Malone, Best away performance was probably Notts County, Best home I think against Wrexham.

Colin - It hasn’t been a vintage season so far. Best player Glenn Morris, best young player Shad Ogie,  best goal Mahoney v Swindon,  best home performance Southampton in the league cup, best away performance Salford in the hail storm.

Ashley - Player of the year: Ethan Coleman Young Player: Shad Ogie Goal of the Season: Mahoney vs Morecombe Home Performance: Charlton, But in the league it was vs Wrexham Away Performance: Notts County easily.

Robert - One: Max Ehmer. Mr Consistency again. Two: George Lapslie Three: George Lapslie vs Grimsby at Home Four: Charlton in the cup  Five:  Swindon 

Matt - ONE Ethan Coleman TWO Ethan Coleman THREE Max Clark vs Notts County  FOUR Southampton home FIVE Notts county away. 

18. WHAT WOULD YOUR STARTING LINE UP AND SUBSTITUTES BENCH BE FOR MORECAMBE V GILLINGHAM ON SATURDAY ???

Mark - Not sure he has much scope to change it. Masterson will come back in and I liked Lapslie and Jonny Williams together. I'd like to See Gbode instead of Nadesan or Walker come on. 

Paul - Keep the same team as Saturday

Colin - Morris, Hutton, Ehmer, Ogie, Clark, Dieng, McKenzie, Williams J, Lapslie, Mahoney, Hawkins. Bench whoever is left.

Ashley - 4-2-3-1 Morris - Hutton, Masterson, Ehmer, Clark - Mckenzie, Coleman - Mahoney, Lapslie, J.Williams - Hawkins Subs: Turner Malone Ogie Clarke Dieng Nadesan Walker

Robert - Morris, Hutton, Ehmer, Masterson, Clark, McKenzie, Dieng, Mahoney, Lapslie, Jonny Williams, Hawkins 

Matt - Morris Hutton Ehmer Ogie Clark , Lapslie Mahoney J Williams McKenzie Coleman , Hawkins SUBS Turner Malone S Williams Dieng J Clarke J Walker

19. AND WHAT IS YOUR SCORE PREDICTION FOR MORECAMBE V GILLINGHAM ???

Mark - A 1-1 Draw

Paul - Score against Morecambe 0/2 to us

Colin - Morecambe 0 Gillingham 1

Ashley - Same as the reverse fixture a 2-1 Gillingham win

Robert - 2-2 but I hope we can win! 

Matt - 1-1

20. AND FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH TO ADD (EXAMPLE: IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE NOT COVERED IN THE NINETEEN QUESTIONS ASKED ABOVE YOU WANT TO EXPAND UPON) ???

Mark - where do we want to go on summer tour this year. Como was the highlight of the summer for me.  A trip to Northern Germany would be nice.

Paul - I would like to credit Brad and Shannon towards their love of the fans and Club, A lovely couple. 

Colin - Up The Gills

Ashley - Other than lets be in full voice for the remaining fixtures and if we don’t make the play-offs it isn’t the end of the world, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Up The Gills! 

Robert - We’ve talked about the appointment of Stephen Clemence but haven’t addressed the departure of Neil Harris. I believe that Neil is a very good coach and I do not believe we are in a better position now than if he would have stayed. You only have to look now where he is now, managing in the Championship again. I think his sacking was rather premature and a result of bad advice and also a case of thinking the grass maybe greener on the other side.

Matt - Nothing To Add

Once again, thank you to everyone for participating in this blog, and if anyone who is reading this wishes to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, then feel free to send me a message, and your more than welcome to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, The Strength Of The Gillingham Supporters Blog comes from everyone who has contributed, so once again, thank you to everyone who has participated in every single Gillingham Supporters Blog, with seven league games to go, and despite our recent run of form, Gillingham are still well positioned to secure themselves a playoff spot at the end of the season, and the battle for the playoffs starts with a long away trip to The Globe Arena, and hopefully, Gillingham can pick up three massive points away against Morecambe and keep the battle for the playoff positions going - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#gillingham #supporters #blog #football

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS BLOG SEASON 2023 / 2024 SEASON - PART ONE

At The Start Of The Season, For The First Supporters Blog, I Asked Gillingham Supporters for there thoughts and opinions on Gillingham’s Summer Signings, Performances and results in pre-season friendlies, Gillingham keeping the core of the squad together from The 2022 / 2023 Season heading into The 2023 / 2024 Season, and the score prediction for Stockport County V Gillingham on the opening day of the season, And the link to that blog is here - LINK - https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/724767191346642945/fom-blog-gillingham-supporters-blog-season

This Blog Is A Follow Up Blog which was previewing Gillingham before the start of The 2023 / 2024 Season, and given that there is a free week between The Wrexham and Salford City League Games, this is the ideal opportunity for the second of the fourth Gillingham Supporters Blog throughout the season, the third supporters blog usually is after the thirtieth league game, and the fourth and final supporters blog is at the end of the season, and there is always a interest comparison between all four supporters blog from the start to the end of each season.

Answering these questions are the following Gillingham Supporters,,,,, Dean, Colin, Naylor, Mark, Paul, Gillingham Legends, Loonpotter, BQGillsFan, Rob, and Lewis - I want to thank everyone who has participated in the latest Gillingham Supporters Blog, as well as thank those who participated in The Gillingham Supporters Blogs throughout The 2022 / 2023 Season, It is because of the involvement of everyone who has participated in the previous blogs which have made these blogs so successful, so once again, thank you, Now on to the questions and answers……..

1. AND THE FIRST QUESTION I HAVE GOT TO ASK IN THE LATEST SUPPORTERS BLOG HAS GOT TO BE THE DEPARTURE OF NEIL HARRIS ON THE FIFTH OF OCTOBER, DID YOU THINK THE DECISION FROM BRAD GALINSON TO SACK NEIL HARRIS WAS THE CORRECT DECISION ??? OR, DO YOU THINK NEIL HARRIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN MORE TIME, BECAUSE AT THE TIME OF NEIL HARRIS’ DEPARTURE, GILLINGHAM WERE EIGHTH IN LEAGUE TWO AND ONLY FOUR POINTS BEHIND FIRST PLACE NOTTS COUNTY IN THE DIVISION ???

Dean - It’s looking like the wrong decision; but I was behind it at the time; and I still believe long term it’s the right decision.

Colin -  There was clearly a lot of frustration about our style of play and the associated lack of goals being scored during the early part of the season. I was though a bit surprised that the sacking came at a point when we were sitting pretty in the table having managed to get results despite the boring football and lack of goals. I think Neil was unlucky to see so many key players getting injured at the same time. It’s interesting that neither Millen nor Clemence have felt able to change the selection, shape or style of play given the options available to them.

Naylor - Time will tell. We haven't exactly vastly improved since his departure but Clemence hasn't had much time to work with the team to instill new ideas as of yet. Timing of the sacking still doesn't make an awful lot of sense to me and I wouldn't have sacked him at that point if I was in charge.

Mark - I was surprised to see him go but not disappointed. I want to see a more attacking style and that wasn't Neil's approach. I think it was the correct decision but the delay in appointing Clemence showed the timing was wrong. I don't think you sack a manager without having an plan to replace him. 

Paul - Personally I think Neil should have been given more time but our goal scoring record was one of concern. It has to be a priority not with new management.

Gillingham Legends - I was very surprised and felt it a little harsh given our position and start to the season. That said, the football wasn’t great and we were struggling to score goals so I can see why it could be felt a change was necessary. Just thought the timing was strange and a bit harsh on Harris, who kept his job when we were rock bottom and rubbish.

Loonpotter - Absolutely the right decision. 

BQGillsFan - The sacking was a complete shock to me, came absolutely out of nowhere compared to how sackings normally are. In the short term it's clearly been the wrong decision, as our league position is worse and our performances have not improved. Really hope to be proven wrong, but right now I feel it was the first real bad decision of the Galinson era.

Rob - Yes, I think it was the correct decision. The football was poor, we weren't attacking enough and we seemed to have run out of ideas. 

Lewis - I think it was the right decision. It was a big risk but I wasn’t enjoying watching the team and the performances weren’t sustainable. We’ll head in the right direction now. 

2. AND WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOU CAN POINT TO AS TO WHY NEIL HARRIS IS NO LONGER GILLINGHAM MANAGER, WHAT ARE THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT LEAD TO GILLINGHAM HAVING TO MAKE A MANAGERIAL CHANGE ??? BECAUSE UNLIKE PREVIOUS MANAGERIAL SACKINGS WHERE GILLINGHAM WERE STRUGGLING TO AVOID RELEGATION, THIS TIME, THE MANAGERIAL CHANGE WAS MADE WHILST GILLINGHAM WERE EIGHTH IN LEAGUE TWO ???

Dean - The football wasn’t entertaining to watch, I believe Brad wants attendances to rise and the football on show wasn’t for me going to bring fans through the turnstile 

Colin - The lack of entertainment. We have been boring to watch. A 1-0 win only goes so far in getting the fans excited. In some games we simply didn’t turn up. Galinson is trying to build a brand that keeps the money coming in. Casual fans and new season ticket holders were getting switched off and that spills over to sponsors and advertisers.

Naylor - We have to assume it's down to the lack of goals and style of play. Arguably the team should have been doing better in the games against Doncaster, Grimsby & Colchester and we managed to comfortably lose those. 57 goals in 75 league games in charge is always asking for trouble though.

Mark - I suspect something happened behind the scenes. I don't think it was based on results put it that way. My hunch he was given some sort of ultimatum, didn't accept it and was dismissed. 

Paul - The lack of goal scoring was I believe a reason for his sacking plus a number of fans were unhappy at the state of play.

Gillingham Legends - As above. The quality of football and inability to score goals and dominate matches despite the standard of the squad and signings.

Loonpotter - Neil Harris whilst steadying the ship to a good degree once the Galinsons came in was never going to be able to propel us enough in an attacking sense to see off some of the heavy hitters in this league. Whilst we would have had a respectable season I don't think we'd have had the tactical firepower for a promotion. 

BQGillsFan - Obviously the style of play was not very inspiring under Harris, and the constant 1-0 wins was not a sustainable situation. The wheels weren't exactly falling off the bus, but the foundations were very shaky to say the least. 

Rob - I think the big reason is that things weren't improving. It was obvious what the issues were, yet they didn't improve from week to week.

Lewis - You can tell by the stats that we were struggling. Lowest scorers, lowest crossed, etc. It was an issue all throughout his reign and things weren’t getting better.

3. NEIL HARRIS WAS APPOINTED AS GILLINGHAM MANAGER ON THE 31ST OF JANUARY 2022, IRONICALLY, BOTH NEIL HARRIS’S FIRST AND LAST GAMES AS GILLINGHAM MANAGER WERE AGAINST THE SAME OPPOSITION, CREWE ALEXANDRA, BUT HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP NEIL HARRIS’S TENURE AS GILLINGHAM MANAGER ???

Dean - Frustrating, couldn’t score when he took over; couldn’t score when he left.

Colin - In the first few games of his tenure it looked like Harris might pull off a miracle and keep us up but we ran out of steam in the run in and were relegated. In the first half of our first season back in the basement Harris had limited resources and seemed to be resigned to not getting much out of the squad while he waited for the cavalry to arrive from America. Given our league position I wouldn’t have been surprised if the new regime had dispensed with his services. I was however prepared to back him when he was retained and given some investment he managed to revive our fortunes and drive us up the table. Sadly, not helped by that run of injuries and despite further investment in the squad the upward momentum wasn’t really there this season. Overall verdict is “unlucky but maybe could have done better”.

Naylor - He nearly achieved the impossible with coming so close to keeping us up in League One. I'm sure he still regrets those Easter weekend games against Cheltenham & Fleetwood which could have saved us. The recruitment for summer 22/23 was horrendous however and we deserved to be bottom of the table this time last year. If it wasn't for the cup runs at the time he perhaps may not have kept his job. From January he looked refreshed and we achieved the 2nd most amount of points of any team in 2023 up until his sacking which is no mean feat. As I said I don't think his sacking came at the right time but here we are.

Mark - He was on a hiding to nothing under Scally's ownership in terms of playing budget and that showed. I feel for him as hopefully we are at the start of better times under the Galinsons but our lack of goals has come back to haunt him. He never addressed that. 

Paul - My summary was too much long ball and not enough possession. He did well against higher league clubs though.

Gillingham Legends - A real mixed bag. He gave us enormous hope when he arrived and almost kept us up from an impossible position, just falling short. The first half of last season was absolutely shocking for many reasons but come January, he proved with decent backing he could produce the goods. This season couldn’t have started much better but we were starting to lose form just before his sacking and ultimately the lack of goals throughout his reign has probably been his downfall.

Loonpotter - Neil Harris was average at best. We should never have been down the bottom of the league previous to the takeover.. 

BQGillsFan - Harris walked in to a dire situation, and I honestly believe if he'd come in a couple weeks sooner we would have survived relegation from League 1 in 21-22. Last season was a tale of two halves, but we saw what he can achieve when backed. Like my answer to the first question, I hope I'm wrong when I say this, but sacking Harris may prove to be a moment in time we look back on it and regret it.

Rob - It's very difficult. He had a good time trying to keep us in League One, a disaster of a first half season in League Two under huge budget constraints, and then we spend big and survive. He should have done better with this group, though.

Lewis - I almost break it down into four sections. The relegation year, the first half of last year, the second half and this year. They were all very different but it wasn’t a disaster or anything.

4. AND IF YOU WERE TO SELECT YOUR TOP FIVE GILLINGHAM RESULTS UNDER NEIL HARRIS, WHICH MATCHES WOULD YOU SELECT IN YOUR TOP FIVE ???

Dean - Brentford away, Southampton this season, Stockport away this season, Stockport home last season, Wimbledon home last season. 

Colin - Apart from winning the penalty shoot out at Brentford nothing much stands out. That’s the problem we didn’t score much and the football was dull. Maybe the high scoring draw at Swindon and beating Orient at home were mildly memorable. 

Naylor - Not sure if I can select a top five but the wins against Brentford & Southampton in the League Cup stand out.

Mark - I'll say Brentford away for top game and leave it at that. 

Paul - The FA cup matches for me and when we played Swindon plus Salford away.

Gillingham Legends - 

2-0 win away to Lincoln (21/22)

1-1 draw and penalty cup win against Brentford (22/23)

2-0 win home to Hartlepool (22/23) start of new era

1-0 win away to Stockport (23/24)

3-1 win against Southampton in the cup (23/24)

Loonpotter - I guess you'd have to put Brentford in the cup up there and then I'm not sure too many stick in my mind.

BQGillsFan - Brentford 1-1 Gillingham (Gills win on pens) / 2. Gillingham 3-1 Southampton / 3. Gillingham 2-0 Leyton Orient / 4. Stockport 0-1 Gillingham / 5. Bradford 2-2 Gillingham 

Rob - No idea. Didn't we have a big win at some point? I guess the big one has to be when we got the new players

Lewis - The win over crewe first game, win over Stockport at the start of the season… one that always sticks in my head is beating Grimsby at Priestfield last season too. I can’t think of five off the top of my head!

5. ON THE FIRST OF NOVEMBER 2023, GILLINGHAM APPOINTED STEPHEN CLEMENCE AS HEAD COACH, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON GILLINGHAM APPOINTING STEPHEN CLEMENCE AS HEAD COACH ??? AND WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LENGTH OF TIME BETWEEN NEIL HARRIS LEAVING THE FOOTBALL CLUB, AND STEPHEN CLEMENCE BEING APPOINTED AS HEAD COACH ???

Dean - It took a while, but if we now push on then it’s time well spent. I’m pleased with the appointment personally. 

Colin - I don’t really know much about Stephen Clemence apart from his association with Steve Bruce. He is young and will bring modern ideas and he seems to be nice which is what Galinson wanted. Maybe he comes across as a bit too nice. In the long term the gap between managers won’t matter that much and the results under Millen were about on par. At least there is still the prospect of Clemence having developed some thoughts in advance of the January window.

Naylor - Clemence has a brilliant pedigree for coaching at top clubs so that is incredibly positive. It's of course a big risk with it being his first time as a Number One so it may not be an overnight transformation as we all would hope, but as ever, I remain hopeful for the future.

Mark - The delay was far too long and might have costs us points. I'm open minded about Clemence - lets see what he does, I think he needs the January window to come ASAP though. Unless he addresses the lack of goals then he's unlikely to be any more successful than Harris. 

Paul - I believe that due diligence was taken and we have a good appointment with both Stephen and Robbie.

Gillingham Legends - It took a while but I think that’s ok if we get the right man in. Time will tell. I think it’s an exciting appointment. A well respected, young coach who has worked at a higher level and gained a lot of experience. I hope he can succeed as a manager, as you never know if they can make that step up and I hope that he is given the time to try and do so.

Loonpotter - I don't have a problem with the length of time it took to appoint Clemence. The owners were clear that they wanted to be sure they got the right man. I think Clemence is a good risk. Its a shrewd, brave appointment but he comes highly recommended. 

BQGillsFan - Can't say I know too much about Stephen Clemence. But he has my full support and hope he goes on to be a Gills great. The gap between the sacking and the appointment is a HUGE cause for concern to me, as it suggests the sacking of Harris was a knee jerk reaction to the Crewe result, and hints at a lack of planning.

Rob - I'm pleased with the appointment. He seems to fit the bill for what we need. It did take perhaps too long, but I'd rather we took our time and got the right man.

Lewis - Again it was a massive risk because it’s his first job. But Brad obviously wants more control and dominance and I get that. We’re seeing signs of it already. I think it was a shame it too so long but it was also understandable. 

6. AFTER GILLINGHAM LOST 4-1 AWAY AGAINST WALSALL, GILLINGHAM CHAIRMAN BRAD GALINSON POSTED THE POSSESSION STATS FROM THE MATCH, WHICH WAS 68% POSSESSION OF THE BALL FOR THE GILLS, DO YOU THINK THE POSSESSION STATS THAT BRAD GALINSON MENTIONED HERE WAS WHY NEIL HARRIS HAS LEFT THE FOOTBALL CLUB AND STEPHEN CLEMENCE HAS BEEN APPOINTED AS HEAD COACH ???

Dean - We will never know unless Brad tells us, under Harris it was score and defend; I’m hoping it can now be score, and score more!

Colin - I think the Walsall game was symptomatic of a style of play. Harris tends to play one up top and pack midfield with holding midfielders. It’s simply not attractive to watch. We have also started to leak goals despite the defensive approach and much touted clean sheet mentality. Key players missing and the lack of pace in the squad handicapped Harris but the Chairman couldn’t do much about that and obviously felt that changing the manager was worth a try. 

Naylor - Not necessarily. Possession isn't everything. That game is a prime example as we got tonked 4-1.

Mark - I thought it was a strange comment from Brad. We'd just been stuffed 4-1 who really cares about possession stats. I think he was just trying to boost some positivity in the fan base. I like him so won't criticise him for trying. 

Paul - Yes that was one of the factors as fans didn’t like watching us chasing the ball so much after giving it away.

Gillingham Legends - Not really. You can have 90% possession and still lose! The only stat that really matters is the goals for and against. We need to score more goals. We can have all that possession but we need to create better chances and more importantly, tuck them away. Otherwise it’s meaningless.

Loonpotter - I think the Galinsons just saw a side that wouldn't get broken down too much but would also struggle to put anyone to the sword which is probably over a season a recipe for low end of top half.

BQGillsFan - I'll be honest, Brad doing that came across as very petty to me. And I think it's a problem with modern football, is this obsession with stats and looking nice. We are not prime Barcelona, I do not care about having lots of the ball if we ship 4 goals. Yes nice football is desirable, but results are what matter most. Hopefully Clemence brings both, but I'll take results over performance any day.

Rob - I think it was the lack of chances and goals. If we scored playing like mid 2010s Stoke I don't think anyone would mind as we would be getting results. When you're not playing well or getting results, it's a bad combination.

Lewis - Yes, I think Brad wants more control and dominance in games and that’s what Clemence will aim to bring. 

7. AND WITH GILLINGHAM LIKELY TO PLAY WITH A MORE POSSESSION BASED STYLE OF PLAY, DO YOU THINK CHANGING THE STYLE OF PLAY WILL SEE STEPHEN CLEMENCE GET MORE OUT OF JONNY WILLIAMS AND GEORGE LAPSLIE, AND HOW DOES STEPHEN CLEMENCE GET BOTH PLAYERS FIT AND FIRING FOR THE GILLS ???

Dean - We need to for me play then in the middle, I’d go either both behind a front 1 or JW behind a front 2 and GL in CM.

Colin - Time will tell. For a variety of reasons the supposed flair players Jonny Williams, Lapslie and Dieng haven’t shown us much this season. The movement off the ball has been terrible. Our build up play is too slow.  The midfield don’t support the striker quickly enough as you have to do in a 4-5-1 formation. We simply don’t create enough chances for the one forward we have been playing and the midfield isn’t contribution much in the way of goals. Maybe it’s fitness, maybe it’s coaching or maybe we just need better players.

Naylor - Wrexham game was a good flavour of getting Jonny Williams more on the ball can have a positive influence. It has to be the right form of possession football as needless sideways passes won't achieve anything.

Mark - I hope so as both are disappointing so far.  I'd like to think they are fit, as for firing play them in more advanced roles and in Lapslie’s case.........play him. 

Paul - Certainly hope so as both good players on the ball.

Gillingham Legends - Hopefully yes. Been underwhelmed with the pair of them since their arrivals but know that they are capable of much more. Williams is an international so must be performing better than he has shown. Hopefully a new style will bring out the best and see these players get more involved and controlling games. Then we should start to create more.

Loonpotter - All of the more attack minded, technically gifted players should benefit from Clemence’s style.

BQGillsFan - Hopefully a change in style will bring the best out of those players, because they are clearly talented enough. Our squad should be doing way more than it currently is, so hopefully Clemence will unlock the full potential of these players.

Rob - I certainly hope so. They're our two great number 10 attackers and they haven't been played in the right position, nor have they been particularly effective. Get them creating chances, and scoring them, and we'll be fine.

Lewis - Absolutely, especially Williams. We’ve seen that so far and I think he could really flourish in this sort of system. 

8. AND BEFORE STEPHEN CLEMENCE WAS APPOINTED AS GILLINGHAM HEAD COACH, THERE WERE OTHER NAMES LINKED WITH THE MANAGERIAL POSITION, WERE THERE OTHER NAMES WHO YOU THOUGHT WERE GOING TO COME IN PRIOR TO STEPHEN CLEMENCE’S APPOINTMENT AS GILLINGHAM HEAD COACH ???

Dean - Scott Lindsay that’s all, would of been happy with him.

Colin - I had no idea who was in the frame. I doubt any of the big names were ever under consideration. A lot was dependent on the budget and whether we would buy out a big contract to get the right man or whether we would limit ourselves to those out of contract or nearing the end of a contract. My own preference was Dean Brennan who has done well at Barnet and whose teams play some good football. Scott Lindsey at Crawley obviously had a couple of interviews and seems to have been first reserve. 

Naylor - As it's supposedly rumoured Scott Lindsey was offered the job but the two clubs couldn't agree compensation then yes perhaps Clemence wasn't first choice. I for one second never believed the nonsense about Bruce being manager however.

Mark - I would have been very happy with Scott Lindsay as I thought he ticked lots of boxes.

Paul - I heard that Steve Bruce recommended Stephen so that’s good enough for me

Gillingham Legends - Scott Lindsey was the other that looked possible but I’m not sure if that would’ve been the right move. He has done well at Crawley but is also still fairly inexperienced having been Chatham Town’s boss only a few seasons ago. Other than that, none of the realistic names mentioned particularly excited me which is ironic as Neil Harris’ appointment at the time was one of the most exciting appointments we ever made.

Loonpotter - Rumours confuse reality so by the time of the appointment it could have been any one of about 8 in my mind.

BQGillsFan - The large number of names being linked just left me waiting to see. I didn't bother caring about potential names.

Rob - I had no idea. There were a few interesting names, such as the Ebbsfleet manager, but the rumour mill was quiet on who would actually take the job.

Lewis - I thought Lindsey may have got the job and he likes to play with the ball too. I would imagine he was in the final few. 

9. AND HEAD COACH RATHER THEN MANAGER IS STEPHEN CLEMENCE’S JOB TITLE AT GILLINGHAM, WITH KENNY JACKETT AND ANDY HESSENTHALER AT THE FOOTBALL CLUB AS DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL AND HEAD OF RECRUITMENT RESPECTIVELY, WITH STEPHEN CLEMENCE CONCENTRATING SOLELY ON FIRST TEAM MATTERS, DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM HAVING A DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL AND HEAD OF RECRUITMENT PERHAPS PUT SOME MANAGERIAL CANDIDATES OFF ??? OR, DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM ARE RIGHT TO HAVE THIS STRUCTURE IN PLACE AND APPOINT SOMEONE AS HEAD COACH ???

Dean - Totally behind it. 

Colin - For me the management structure looks a bit too heavy for a fourth tier club. We haven’t exactly recruited the best available players on the back of it. In fact some of our best technical players seem to have come via Neil Harris’s Millwall connections. I don’t think the structure will have been a massive deterrent to those who might have been expected to apply for the job. Is obviously heard the rumours about it being an issue for Steve Bruce but I am not sure he was ever a contender.

Naylor - It's the modern football club model. An old style manager doing every job in the stadium is long gone and non sustainable any longer, considering the average length of a manager/head coach role in England is now only 15 months. The Director of Football offers stability to the football club and allows the Head Coach to solely focus on field matters.

Mark - It depends on who has the final say on which players to sign. I hope thats still the Head Coach otherwise it may well have put people off. 

Paul - I bet it did put off some but a good idea to let the head coach just focus on the first team. I am sure he has input into general matters as well.

Gillingham Legends - I really don’t know, I guess we will see over time. I’m not sure how different or successful it will be. I’m not sure it would’ve put too many candidates off.

Loonpotter - It's a similar structure to many of the top clubs now. It's not one I've ever liked but it seems to be the modern way. 

BQGillsFan - I don't think one structure is necessarily better than the other, it's down to the personnel. Now that sounds pretty obvious, but ultimately I think Gills could succeed either way. Previous use of the manager model hasn't worked too well in recent years. So hopefully the change to head coach, DOF, etc. will bring positive change.

Rob - This is the modern structure and any manager that wants a long term career will need to adjust to it at some point. I actually think it suits our boss better

Lewis - I think it’s the structure of a modern football club. I do wonder if it would have impacted the chances of the likes of Karl Robinson coming in but it’s how it is these days. 

10. LEWIS WALKER AND JOE GBODE HAVE BEEN RECALLED FROM THERE LOAN SPELLS AT WOKING AND MAIDSTONE UNITED RESPECTIVELY, STEPHEN CLEMENCE WILL GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH BOTH STRIKERS, AND CAN YOU SEE LEWIS WALKER AND JOE GBODE BEING MORE INVOLVED WITH THE FIRST TEAM ???

Dean - No, not up to it for me 

Colin - No. I don’t think either Gbode or Walker are anywhere near being the answer to our goal scoring problems. 

Naylor - I can see Walker being in and around the first team, especially as we only have Bonne & Nichols fit. Gbode I expect to go back out on loan.

Mark - No. I can understand the new coach getting his squad together but I suspect both will be back out on loan very soon. 

Paul - I can see Walker being more involved but Joe a little too young yet.

Gillingham Legends - Probably not, though we are a bit short up top. I don’t think Gobde is ready yet and Walker is probably not quite good enough. I think there is a player in there but he’s flattered to deceive thus far. Injuries haven’t helped either. Maybe Clemence can get something out of him.

Loonpotter - I don't think they're guaranteed first team action, but when you are new through the door you want a good look at all your assets. 

BQGillsFan - Might as well give them a chance. Don't necessarily see either of them being good enough right now, but again, hope I'm proven wrong.

Rob - No. Neither are not good enough.

Lewis - Not really to be honest. I don’t think either are good enough. Walker I’m sure will leave at the end of the season. Gbode needs another loan.

11. WHEN THE TRANSFER WINDOW OPENS IN JANUARY, WHERE DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE SQUAD ???

Dean - Yes yes yes winger and a forward, let some go too

Colin - Ideally a goalkeeper with quicker distribution, a right back, some real pace in central midfield, a pacy winger and a big centre forward with a goal scoring record. I doubt we will get half of that as the business model is to generate the income before spending.

Naylor - We need more creativity. If we're going to play with wide players then we need another wide man with the spark or Mahoney to compliment either wing. Jayden Clarke is still very raw to be playing week in and week out and imo Williams is wasted playing out wide so another option out wide is needed.

Mark - "Goals, goals we want more goals, give the ball to.......the new signings".  As well as goals I want to see real wingers with pace.  I loved watching Notts County - I hope we are heading that way. 

Paul - Front line.

Gillingham Legends - Obviously up front, we need a goalscorer. If the so called creative players continue to not deliver then we will need more creative midfielders too. Not unhappy with the rest of the squad.

Loonpotter - Pace, wingers, forward

BQGillsFan - The obvious answer is goalscorer. Definitely need more cover in defence. And probably another pacey option for the wings.

Rob - We need a striker. A proper Simeon Jackson, Cody McDonald type. Someone who can get 15-20 in a season

Lewis - A winger or maybe even two has to be priority. A forward would be nice, a target man if Hawkins is still out. And I think a back up centre half. 

12. AFTER SEVENTEEN LEAGUE GAMES THIS SEASON, GILLINGHAM HAVE SCORED FOURTEEN GOALS, WHICH MEANS THAT GILLINGHAM ARE THE LOWEST GOAL-SCORERS IN LEAGUE TWO, AND WITH TOM NICHOLS, MACAULEY BONNE, ASHLEY NADESAN, TIM DIENG, GEORGE LAPSLIE, CONNOR MAHONEY, JAYDEN CLARKE, OLI HAWKINS, LEWIS WALKER AND DOM JEFFERIES AT THE CLUB, THERE ARE PLAYERS HERE WHO CAN SCORE GOALS, SO WHAT DO GILLINGHAM NEED TO DO TO IMPROVE OUR GOAL-SCORING RECORD UNDER STEPHEN CLEMENCE’S MANAGEMENT ???

Dean - Attack with more purpose, we attack so slowly 

Colin - We need to get players fit. We need to find some pace in midfield. We need to get players working on their pass and move football and we need to not play one small forward on his own up top.

Naylor - Create them opportunities. We won't score anything if we keep playing the ball sideways in our own half.

Mark - Get bodies in the box and get the ball into the box. Bonne has been so isolated its no wonder we don't score. 

Paul - I think perhaps sending them to a strikers boot camp but seriously it is often down to delivery into the box.

Gillingham Legends - More confidence, more finishing practice, more chances created and new ideas.

Loonpotter - Implement his desires quickly and the rest should fall into place. 

BQGillsFan - Well we've certainly been creating chances, but all of our forwards seem like they need 4-5 chances a game to score right now. It's on the players to be more clinical.

Rob - Need to be creating more and better chances. We have a wealth of talent in the squad, most of whom have had decent goal tallies elsewhere. We need to get them firing here. The striker needs more support, with runners from midfield much closer to them.

Lewis - I think we saw a lot of it against Salford. Getting players into the box is a start. And I think a lot of it is confidence based too. 

13. WITH THE EXPANSION OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, AND MORE INTERNATIONAL MATCHES, FA CUP REPLAYS COULD BE SCRAPPED ALONG WITH THE SECOND LEG OF THE LEAGUE CUP BEING SWITCHED TO A ONE LEG SEMI FINAL, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS ???

Dean - FA cup replay’s must stay. 

Colin - It all comes down to money. Top clubs don’t really want to play lower league clubs at all if they can help it. 

Naylor - FA Cup replays shouldn't be scrapped as they prove to be such a vital form of revenue for lower league/non-league sides. 5th Round onwards is when to make a case for no more replays but they should stay for up to and including 4th Round ties.

Mark - Scrapping FA cup replays is an awful decision for the little clubs - that's the glamour of the cup and a financial life saver to the little clubs........that includes us.  Can you imagine how much a televised replay would be worth to a little club.  League cup I really don't care about one legged semi final. Not sure many clubs take it that seriously. 

Paul - Perhaps replays scrapped in say the fourth round.

Gillingham Legends - Strongly against scrapping replays! They have been in place for over a century and give smaller clubs the chance of a day out and important revenue. This should not be compromised for the sake of the ‘big’ clubs. I’m not against a one leg semi-final in the League cup but the FA Cup is a historic competition, its already not as important as it used to be due to the big clubs and its in danger of losing its romance with too many more changes.

Loonpotter - Do not mess with the F.A. cup. It is the staple focus point for every fan and has been for years (although it has dwindled slightly in more recent times through managers disrespecting it).

BQGillsFan - Was an inevitability really. Football runs to serve the big 6 teams, and it's the rest of us that suffer.

Rob - A two legged semi final in the League Cup is pointless, in my view. By the 5th round of the FA Cup, all the small teams have been knocked out anyway, so there's little magic to be lost by scrapping replays from then onwards.

Lewis - I think it’s an awful decision that benefits the big teams, but that’s how football is these days. 

14. BACK IN SEPTEMBER, JAKE TURNER SIGNED A CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON JAKE TURNER SIGNING A NEW CONTRACT WITH THE GILLS???

Dean - Pleased, decent keeper 

Colin - I think Jake is a good prospect but he isn’t the finished article. His distribution needs to improve. 

Naylor - Yep he's done relatively well since he got the shirt this year so getting it done early is only positive.

Mark - I like him and its good to see us tieing our promising players down to longer contracts. Thats where we can make money by developing and selling players. 

Paul - I think Jake is a good goal keeper

Gillingham Legends - Well deserved, he’s had a great season so far, is a young keeper and think it’s a good move to tie him up while we can. Let’s not forget that Glenn Morris was our Player of the Year last season and Turner has kept him out.

Loonpotter - Jake Turner has been fantastic and really grasped that number 1 shirt. 

BQGillsFan - Player of the season so far. Absolutely delighted he's signed a new deal. England's number one!

Rob - Makes sense. He's a good keeper at this level and we need to tie our better players down

Lewis - I think it’s good to tie down a goalkeeper who has great potential. He’s still so young. He has a long way to go and I’m not fully sold on him yet but I like him and have enjoyed watching him improve. 

15. AND ALTHOUGH STEPHEN CLEMENCE HAS COME IN TO REPLACE NEIL HARRIS AS GILLINGHAM HEAD COACH, KEITH MILLEN IS STILL STAYING AT GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON KEITH MILLEN STAYING AT GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB ??? - AND HOW WOULD YOU RATE KEITH MILLEN’S ROLE AS GILLINGHAM INTERIM MANAGER ???

Dean - Awful interim manager, keep him away from 1st team duties 

Colin - Keith is here to develop the B team and provide a pathway for developing players. He did OK as interim manager largely continuing with the Harris team selection and tactics.

Naylor - His spell as interim boss went as I expected it would. It's good to have his experience around the place but I don't think it's best him being the No.1.

Mark - I didn't like him. His comment after Notts Co. infuriated me "the thing with Notts County is they back themselves to score more than the opposition". Well I wish we did Keith ! If he's doing a decent job with the academy then that's fine but I didn't like his spell with the first XI. 

Paul - Keith is highly experienced and an asset to the club.

Gillingham Legends - Keith Millen has a completely different role and there is no reason why he shouldn’t continue. He helped us out while we were in need and did what he could in a short space of time which was always going to be difficult.

Loonpotter - Millen’s role as interim was less than spectacular, but if he has a role to play, who am I to argue. 

BQGillsFan - I honestly struggle to have any thoughts or care, positive or negative, for Keith Millen.

Rob - He's in charge of the B team, so it's no surprise he's still at the club. His tenure was more of the same as under Harris.

Lewis - I thought he struggled a little bit in terms of his game management but we got a couple of really good results too. He stepped in when needed and was thrown into it and we’ll be thankful for that but I’m happy he didn’t get the job full time. Good that he’s still around too though. 

16. WHN GILLINGHAM DREW 1-1 AGAINST MANSFIELD TOWN, THE FIXTURE WAS PLAYED ON THE SAME DAY AS A TRAIN STRIKE, AND GILLINGHAM DECIDED TO RUN COACHES THROUGHOUT KENT TO HELP SUPPORTERS GET TO AND FROM PRIESTFIELD STADIUM, DID ANYONE USE THE COACH SERVICE ??? AND DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM SHOULD OPERATE A COACH SERVICE FOR HOME GAMES IN THE NEAR FUTURE ???

Dean - Great idea, let’s hope it’s done again 

Colin - I live in Medway so it wasn’t an issue for me. Maybe try one coach picking up around the east of the county particularly where there isn’t a direct train option and see if the demand is there.

Naylor - I did not use the coach service, but yes it's a good alternative to the train if more strikes occur.

Mark - If its financially viable then go for it. It was nice to see the club think about fans again.

Paul - Excellent idea and well received

Gillingham Legends - I didn’t use the service but heard that it went well and think it’s a really good idea. If it’s feasible then I think it would worthwhile to offer this service in the future.

Loonpotter - I don't use the coach service.

BQGillsFan - It was a great move by Gillingham and Brad to do that during the train strikes. Don't think it's something that needs doing for every home games, but certainly something whenever there are difficulties for fans getting to games, such as future train strikes.

Rob - As I don't live in Kent, no. Yeah maybe, if it's profitable enough

Lewis - If it benefits the fans then yes. It’s nice to see the club forward thinking like that. 

17. IKE ORJI, MATT MACARTHUR, ALEX GILES, RONALD SITHOLE AND STAN SKIPPER HAVE ALL MADE THERE DEBUTS FOR GILLINGHAM IN THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE TROPHY AND LEAGUE CUP THIS SEASON, AND JOSH CHAMBERS AND JOE GBODE HAVE ALSO PLAYED FOR GILLINGHAM IN FOOTBALL LEAGUE TROPHY MATCHES, WHICH YOUNG PLAYER MENTIONED HERE CAN YOU SEE MAKING MORE FIRST TEAM APPEARANCES FOR GILLINGHAM THIS SEASON ???

Dean - Orji or MacArthur 

Colin - I don’t see any of those young players breaking through this season. Particularly as Hawkins, Nadesan, Dieng, Lapslie and Nichols are on the way back to fitness. They need to be playing in a competitive B league. Unfortunately they are not. Until we get the B team properly sorted most will be better off going out on loan. 

Naylor - Orji seems closest to the first team having played a number of games for Chatham Town before. MacArthur is an interesting one and could be the next Dack if he develops in the right manner.

Mark - I liked the look of Ike Orji. We lack width and pace. If he has that then I can see him getting into the first XI. 

Paul - All of them have impressed me

Gillingham Legends - I’m not interested with EFL trophy so haven’t seen much of them to be honest. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Orji and can see him being involved quite a bit. Gbode could fear given our lack of attacking options and I think Macarthur is an exciting prospect who could prove useful in the future but probably not just yet.

Loonpotter - Orji could cement his place in the 1st team before long and I would like to see more of Macarthur. 

BQGillsFan - MacArthur and Sithole may get some game time in the first team, but I honestly don't see any of the names listed getting much league time this season.

Rob - Probably Orji, as McKenzie is injured still and Alexander may need resting or will have a suspension at some point

Lewis - I really like Orji, MacArthur and Gale. It’s nice that we have the stepping stone from the academy to the first team now and it’ll help a lot. 

18. FOR ANYONE WHO WENT TO WREXHAM 2-0 GILLINGHAM, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH ???

Dean - Awful, no effort, no creativity, no anticipation shown, no attacking intent, lack of movement off the ball; I could go on 

Colin - I thought we were poor against Wrexham. I didn’t expect us to win but I did expect us to make more of a game of it.

Naylor - We didn't do ourselves justice. We played the ball sideways too many times and just didn't penetrate Wrexham. Defending for both goals was very poor and considering there was about 1150 of us there, it was a rather disappointing performance. We were denied a clear penalty which also added to our woes but regardless wasn't good enough.

Mark - I didn't go. Listened on the Radio but never thought we would score two. 

Paul - I didn’t think we were as bad as some suggested

Gillingham Legends - I didn’t go and wasn’t too surprised by the result. Stephen Clemence is not going to be able to change things overnight and we need to give him time to implement his ideas.

Loonpotter - A very tough ask for Clemence’s 1st league game in charge and I didn't really expect to much else. 

BQGillsFan - Wasn't in attendance

Rob - I didn't go

Lewis - I’d rather not relive it! It was a really long day and we were awful to be honest. But Salford made up for it.

19. GILLINGHAM REACHED THE LEAGUE CUP SECOND ROUND, WINNING 3-1 AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON IN THE FIRST ROUND AT PRIESTFIELD STADIUM, BEFORE LOSING 3-2 AGAINST LUTON TOWN IN THE LEAGUE CUP SECOND ROUND AT KENILWORTH ROAD, HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP GILLINGHAM’S CUP RUN IN THE LEAGUE CUP THIS SEASON ???

Dean - Decent, and enjoyable 

Colin - I wouldn’t call 2 games a cup run. We played quite well against the team Southampton put out and deserved our win. We also did OK at Luton. I enjoyed both games.

Naylor - Harris definitely knew how to get the best out of the side for the cup games and that Southampton game showcased how good this team can be. We pressed so well that day and made Southampton look like the L2 side and us the championship side. Frustrating we don't seem to be able to carry that over to the league.

Mark - It was good fun. Southampton was the best we have played all season. Luton is an absolute dump of a ground but good to be part of a noisey away following. 

Paul - Excellent and a lot of credit to the team and manager

Gillingham Legends - It was very admirable, much like last season. We were outstanding against Southampton and deserved the result. And we gave Premier League Luton a tough game too and could’ve won on another night. Nothing to be ashamed of there.

Loonpotter - We punched well above our weight in the league cup.

BQGillsFan - Great cup run. A fantastic home win against a former Premier League side, and then a fun away day to new Prem boys Luton, where we made a game of it. Was at both games and had so much fun.

Rob - Was good to get past the 1st round. Luton away was an experience, that's for sure!

Lewis - Not bad to be honest considering we played two big teams! That Southampton game was great. Add it to the list of my favourite games under Harris from earlier. 

20. GILLINGHAM REACHED THE SECOND ROUND OF THE FA CUP, WINNING 2-0 AWAY AGAINST HEREFORD IN STEPHEN CLEMENCE’S FIRST GAME IN-CHARGE AT EDGAR STREET, AND GILLINGHAM ARE STILL WAITING TO SEE IF WE ARE PLAYING CHARLTON ATHLETIC OR CRAY VALLEY PAPER MILLS AT PRIESTFIELD STADIUM IN THE SECOND ROUND, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GILLINGHAM WINNING AGAINST HEREFORD IN ROUND ONE ??? AND YOUR THOUGHTS ON GILLINGHAM PLAYING EITHER CHARLTON ATHLETIC OR CRAY VALLEY PAPER MILLS AT PRIESTFIELD STADIUM IN THE SECOND ROUND ???

Dean - We looked ‘ok’ at Hereford, hoping it’s Charlton as would be a great crowd 

Colin - I enjoyed the Hereford match. We came under some pressure at 1-0 but we held onto the lead and we’re able to increase it before the end of the game. I would have been disappointed if we had lost to a mid table Conference North side.

Naylor - Yep a game you'd hope we'd win. Didn't watch the game but good starting block for Clemence. Just another game against Charlton.

Mark - Glad we won and a decent draw for the second round. Should be a decent away following. I hope its Cray and that probably gives us the best chance of the glamour tie in round 3.  

Paul - A well deserved win and we now face Charlton in the next round

Gillingham Legends - I think the Hereford win was a decent, professional performance in what could easily have been a banana skin. Obviously we now know it will be Charlton and I think Charlton at home is a good draw- at home, a derby against one of the biggest clubs in the competition at this stage. And its one we can win too.

Loonpotter - Fantastic result against Hereford and now a mouthwatering game against Charlton to look forward to. 

BQGillsFan - Well the win was to be expected, would have been a horror show if we failed to reach the second round. Don't expect us to get past Charlton in the next round, but maybe home field advantage will see us through to the third round.

Rob - Charlton at home is a big game and the ground will be packed. Am looking forward to us causing an upset

Lewis - I hate games against Charlton. I think it brings the worst of our fans out. But it is what it is. Winnable game. 

21. ON TUESDAY, GILLINGHAM LOST 1-0 AT HOME TO FULHAM U21’S IN THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE TROPHY, A RESULT WHICH SEE’S GILLINGHAM ELIMINATED FROM THE COMPETITION, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GILLINGHAM FAILING TO QUALIFY FROM THE GROUP STAGES OF THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE TROPHY ???

Dean - I was there, I’m disappointed; I think we should of put a better 11 out and tried to progress 

Colin - I don’t attend Trophy matches. The club doesn’t take them seriously. The attendances are usually barely above a thousand. The completion needs to be revamped. I would drop the U21 element.

Naylor - I don't care about that competition so have little thoughts on the matter.

Mark - I never even give this trophy a thought. Honestly couldn't care less. 

Paul - A tough group but been nice to progress

Gillingham Legends - Really have little interest in the competition. It’s always been poor and a low priority but they’ve made in so much worse with the inclusion of the U21 teams. The low attendances reflect its popularity and Gillingham have never done anything in it anyway. I don’t think anyone will be losing sleep over our exit.

Loonpotter - It's a good competition to see fringe players but doing well in it is pretty irrelevant. 

BQGillsFan - Couldn't care less about the Football League Trophy

Rob - I don't care in the slightest about the Trophy, I hadn't realised we hadn't qualified

Lewis - Couldn’t care less to be honest. But I do like going to watch the games of an evening. 

22. ON TUESDAY THE SEVENTEENTH OF OCTOBER, MAIDSTONE UNITED WON 2-0 AGAINST GILLINGHAM IN THE KENT SENIOR CUP WITH GILLINGHAM NAMING A YOUNG SIDE AT THE GALLAGHER STADIUM, WITH GILLINGHAM MOSTLY USING THE KENT SENIOR CUP FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, WHAT DO GILLINGHAM NEED TO DO TO WIN THE KENT SENIOR CUP WITH A YOUNG SQUAD ???

Dean - Play fringe players 

Colin - We would need a much better young squad if we are going to field a youth team. It was men against boys. I would prefer is to be able to field a mix of youth, B team and fringe first team players but the current squad and injury situation saw us fielding a very young side.

Naylor - Probably not play the B Team

Mark - As per my comment on the trophy above. 

Paul - Play the main team and for once win the cup

Gillingham Legends - Despite being the only pro club in Kent, Gills have only won it twice in their entire history and not since 1948. That tells you everything you need to know about the importance of this cup. If we were to field our first team, we would walk it most seasons. But it will always be used to field the youngsters and unless we get a particularly good bunch come through at once we will never win it.

Loonpotter - I'm not sure they will and I don't think it's too important. 

BQGillsFan - Couldn't care less about the Kent Senior Cup

Rob - Again, I don't care what we do in the Kent Senior Cup. It's games for the B team, in my view.

Lewis - Not sure we will to be honest. I did think a few more senior players would be involved in that one. But at the same time you don’t want to risk it. 

23. WHAT WOULD YOUR STARTING LINE UP AND SUBSTITUTES BENCH BE FOR GILLINGHAM V SALFORD CITY ON SATURDAY ???

Dean - JT CA ME CM SO SM EC SW JW TN MB - 3-4-1–2

Colin - Depending on who is available, Turner, Alexander, Ogie, Masterson, Malone, Mahoney, Jefferies, Williams J, Lapslie, Bonne, Nichols. Whoever is left on the bench.

Naylor - Personally would go diamond. Turner. Alexander, Ehmer, Masterson, Malone. Coleman, Dieng, Jefferies, J.Williams. Nichols & Bonne.

Mark - Two up front please. We are at home can we show some attacking intent. 

Paul - As against Wrexham but if fit I would have Nichols up front with Bonne

Gillingham Legends - I think we should play two upfront. My team would be - Turner, Alexander, Malone, Masterson, Ogie, Coleman, Dieng, Mahoney, Jefferies, Nichols, Bonne. Subs - Morris, Ehmer, Lapslie, S.Williams, J.Williams, Clarke, Walker.

Loonpotter - I'm not sure who is available.

BQGillsFan - Turner, Alexander, Masterson, Ogie, Malone, Coleman, Dieng, Mahoney, Jeffries, Bonne, Nichols /// Morris, Ehmer, McKenzie, S. Williams, J. Williams, Lapslie, Clarke

Rob - Probably what Clemence went with!

Lewis - I was really surprised when I saw the team but it worked really well. That was the best I’d seen Nichols play on his own and Williams thrived out wide too for the first time. 

24. AND WHAT IS YOUR SCORE PREDICTION FOR GILLINGHAM V SALFORD CITY ???

Dean - 2-0 with my line up

Colin - 1-0 Gillingham. 

Naylor - 2-2

Mark - Gills to win 1-0 

Paul - A tough one but a draw

Gillingham Legends - Gills win 2-1

Loonpotter - Gillingham 2-1 Salford City

BQGillsFan - This will be my first game back since Harris' sacking due to work commitments, so I'm hoping for a good game. 2-1 Gills

Rob - 3-1 Gills

Lewis - 3-1 win…!

25. AND FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH TO ADD (EXAMPLE: IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE NOT COVERED IN THE TWENTY FOUR QUESTIONS ASKED ABOVE YOU WANT TO EXPAND UPON) ???

Dean - Trust the process

Colin - Nothing To Add

Naylor - I'm hoping to see the Paella back in the Rainham End soon.

Mark - Its almost a year since the Galinsons took over and they have worked wonders for the fan experience. Results have gone a bit off recently BUT the club is in far better shape than  this time last year. I'd like people to keep that in mind and be more positive. The Galinsons deserve that.

Paul - It’s good to see the club changes but we must start to see better from the team now and more goals.

Gillingham Legends - I don’t think so, well done as always. Lets get behind Stephen Clemence and give him time and our support to get us going!

Loonpotter - Nothing To Add 

BQGillsFan - Nothing To Add

Rob - It's good to see the shop open again and hopefully the retail side of the business will be booming again. Need to get a popup stand at Bluewater and Hempstead Valley around Christmas shopping time. Thanks for doing this again Lee.

Lewis - Nope. Thanks as always Lee for asking me to be involved and up the Gills.

Once again, thank you to everyone for participating in this blog, and if anyone who is reading this wishes to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, then feel free to send me a message, and your more than welcome to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, The Strength Of The Gillingham Supporters Blog comes from everyone who has contributed, so once again, thank you to everyone who has participated in every single Gillingham Supporters Blog, Now, Gillingham have got back to back home league games against AFC Wimbledon and Bradford City, and hopefully, Gillingham can pick up back to back league wins and start to pull clear of The League Two Relegation Zone - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!

#gillingham #supporters #blog #football

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS BLOG SEASON PREVIEW FOR THE 2023 / 2024 SEASON

Looking ahead to the start of The 2023 / 2024 Season, And With Gillingham kicking off the league campaign with a away game against Stockport County On The Fifth Of August, I have asked several Gillingham Supporters for there thoughts and opinions on a number of different subjects, Gillingham’s Transfer Business So Far This Summer, Where Do Gillingham Need To Strengthen The Squad, Gillingham Playing Against Southampton In The First Round Of The League Cup, And Which Young Player Can You See Breaking Through Into The First Team This Season.

Answering these questions are the following Gillingham Supporters,,,,, Loonpotter, Naylor, BQGillsFan and Colin - I want to thank everyone who has participated in the latest Gillingham Supporters Blog, as well as thank those who participated in The Gillingham Supporters Blogs throughout The 2022 / 2023 Season, It is because of the involvement of everyone who has participated in the previous blogs which have made these blogs so successful, so once again, thank you, Now on to the questions and answers……..

1. THE FIRST QUESTION I HAVE GOT TO ASK IS THIS, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON GILLINGHAM’S HOME, AWAY AND THIRD KITS FOR THE 2023 / 2024 SEASON, HAVE YOU ALREADY GOT YOUR KIT, OR ARE YOU STILL WAITING ON YOUR KIT TO COME THROUGH, HAVING ORDERED ONLINE ???

Loonpotter -  I absolutely love the home shirt. I think it's probably an all time favourite for me. I love the away shirt almost as much but the 3rd shirt I don't like at all. I've noticed on the forums that shirt sizes seem way off so I'll be waiting for the megastore to open before I get mine. 

Naylor - Took me a while to warm to the home shirt I must be honest but it's really grown on me. I went to purchase the black and white away but by the time I could they were sold out so I'm waiting for them to return to stock. I quite like the Pink one too so well done to the club and Macron on the designs.

BQGillsFan - Immediately fell in love with the away and third kit, and picked those up earlier this week. Wasn't so sure on the home kit at first, but having now seen it in person I like it as well. So nice to have such a nice trilogy of kits this season.

Colin - I haven’t purchased any of the new replica shirts yet because I like to see what I m getting and try things in for size. From what I have seen the new shirts look really good.

2. AT THE TIME OF WRITING THE QUESTIONS FOR THIS SUPPORTERS BLOG, GILLINGHAM HAVE MADE SIX SUMMER SIGNINGS, SIGNING CONOR MASTERSON, JONNY WILLIAMS, MAX CLARK, SHADRACH OGIE, SCOTT MALONE AND ASHLEY NADESAN, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GILLINGHAM’S TRANSFER BUSINESS SO FAR ???

Loonpotter - The players we've brought in are absolutely fantastic. At the time of writing this I can't help thinking we are still looking for that all important striker though and I feel as though we may have had too many eggs in the Alfie May basket for too long whilst representatives were playing games. 

Naylor - Yep pleased with the players that have come in. All with good experience at this level or above and our side is much stronger than it was last season. We still need to strengthen the forward line and from wide areas but pleased with all 6 so far.

BQGillsFan - Excellent work so far, really happy with all the signings made so far, with still time to get a few more names in.

Colin - I think we have done some good business without, maybe with the exception of Jonny Williams, bringing in any game changers. Malone should be a calming influence in the middle of the park and is a good replacement for McDonald. Max Clark is an improvement on last year and it was good to see us land Masterson on a permanent deal. Ogie seems to be the replacement for Will Wright whether he’s an improvement we’ll have to wait and see. I think we will miss Wright’s free kicks. I don’t know much about Nadesan, hopefully he will give us a bit of pace up top but I think we lack someone who can lead the line, more so with Hawkins being out injured.

3. AND WITH THE SIX SIGNINGS MENTIONED ABOVE, WHERE ELSE DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE SQUAD BEFORE THE TRANSFER WINDOW CLOSES ???

Loonpotter - Striker/goalscorer 

Naylor - Should have read ahead. See Question 2.

BQGillsFan - The most obvious area, which I think is no secret to everyone involved at the club, is a proven goal scorer. We probably need a bit more depth out wide and in defence as well.

Colin - We need a target man who can mix it with the defenders you get at this level. I also think we lack pace out wide and we are requiring a big step up from Jayden Clarke if he’s the answer to that one.

4. AND AS WELL AS INCOMING SIGNINGS, ONE PLAYER HAS LEFT GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB, WITH WILL WRIGHT SIGNING FOR CRAWLEY TOWN FOR A UNDISCLOSED FEE, WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ON WILL WRIGHT’S DEPARTURE ??? AND CAN YOU SEE GILLINGHAM SIGNING ANOTHER CENTRE BACK IN THIS TRANSFER WINDOW ???

Loonpotter - I guess it made sense for Will Wright to leave as he would have been pushed down the pecking order and we have several players who can operate in that position. It may have helped in the negotiations for Nadesan as well as the deals were done very close together. 

Naylor - He was effectively our fourth choice CB and third choice RB. Whilst it would have been nice to keep him in the squad to have strength in depth, in reality I don't think he would have played loads of games without injuries. Best of luck to him but he's joined a sinking ship at Crawley.

BQGillsFan - I was quite surprised at the sale of Wright, as thought he was a perfect versatility option for Harris. Think we definitely need to add another CB following his departure, and I expect that means Ike Orji will be involved a decent amount throughout the season.

Colin - With Ehmer, Masterson and Ogie on the books I think Wright’s chances of a start were going to be limited so I’m not surprised he has moved on. It frees up a place in the senior squad but I don’t see another CB being a priority. As I have said we will miss Wright’s dead ball capabilities.

5. FOR GROUNDHOPPERS AND AWAY SUPPORTERS, ARE THERE ANY NEW STADIUMS YOU WANT TO TICK OFF YOUR STADIUM LIST FOR THE 2023 / 2024 SEASON ???

Loonpotter - Forest Green Rovers is somewhere I'm looking forward to visiting. 

Naylor - Notts County was the one I had earmarked but that game has now been moved to a Friday night. I can probably get to the Wrexham game easily enough so I'll see if I can get tickets for that one. I might squeeze in MK Dons or Colchester too.

BQGillsFan - Unfortunately hard for me to travel too much for games due to work commitments, but will definitely be looking to get to a few this year. No ground specifically, just be a matter of what games come at a good time.

Colin - The only new ground for me will be Forest Green. It’s not one I’m look forward to as it has no railway station or anything much else nearby.

6. GILLINGHAM HAVE WON FOUR MATCHES AGAINST DOVER ATHLETIC, DARTFORD, COMO AND DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE AND LOST AGAINST CHARLTON ATHLETIC, MILLWALL AND CAMBRIDGE UNITED, SO HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP GILLINGHAM’S PERFORMANCES AND RESULTS IN PRE-SEASON ??? - AND DO YOU THINK PRE-SEASON RESULTS MATTER IN-TERMS OF HOW WELL GILLINGHAM ARE GOING TO DO THIS SEASON ???

Loonpotter - I look for individual performances in pre season but overall results are irrelevant..  I struggle to get excited by friendlies. 

Naylor - It's nice to win more than lose but pre-season results aren't the be all and end all for me as we're working on playing different shapes, combinations and styles of play.

BQGillsFan - Pre-season is all about fitness and creating team harmony on and off the pitch. Results are nice, but not worth reading too much in to. In that regard, I think it was a good pre-season for Gills.

Colin - You can’t gauge that much from pre season. We were a lot better than Dover and Dartford both of whom looked quite poor to me. At the other end of the scale both Millwall and Charlton looked much stronger than us as you might expect. We seemed to be a bit better than Dagenham. I was at the Wimbledon Tennis Quarter Finals when we played Como so I only have second hand knowledge, but from what I hear Como would have won comfortably if they could finish. All in all I think we will be good enough to get close to the play offs, maybe a bit better if we get a target man in before the window closes.

7. AND SPEAKING OF HOW WELL GILLINGHAM ARE GOING TO DO THIS SEASON, WHERE DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM WILL FINISH IN LEAGUE TWO AT THE END OF THE 2023 / 2024 SEASON ??? 

Loonpotter - I think we'll finish in the playoffs. 

Naylor - I'm fairly confident of a Top 24 finish for this season.

BQGillsFan - Going to go with a safe compromise of my head and heart, and say Gills will finish in the playoffs this season.

Colin - I have put a fiver on eighth place in Fred Perry’s prediction competition.

8. ONE BIG CHANGE THIS SUMMER COMPARED TO PREVIOUS SEASON’S, GILLINGHAM HAVE GOT SEVENTEEN FIRST TEAM PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT HEADING INTO THIS SEASON FROM LAST SEASON’S SQUAD, HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR GILLINGHAM TO HAVE THE CORE OF THE SQUAD FROM LAST SEASON ALREADY UNDER CONTRACT FOR THE 2023 / 2024 SEASON

Loonpotter - It's great to have them under contract. We had an incredible 2nd half of the season and have added to it very well. 

Naylor - Yep very important to have a strong core of players to work from rather than stripping out the whole squad as Steve Evans liked to do. When we won League Two in 2012/13 we already had a strong core that Martin Allen built on and I believe that is the correct manner in which to base your football teams if you want them to be successful.

BQGillsFan - Cohesion and continuity are hugely important in creating a successful team. It's absence has been so evident in our decline over the past few years, so it's a delight to have some semblance of it heading into this season.

Colin - If they are the right players then not having to replace everyone helps. We finished the season grinding out some good results without ever looking dominant in games. Hopefully we have built on what we had already, but we aren’t the only ones splashing the cash.

9. WHICH YOUNG PLAYER AT THE FOOTBALL CLUB CAN YOU SEE BREAKING THROUGH INTO THE FIRST TEAM FOR THE 2023 / 2024 SEASON ??? 

Loonpotter - I want to say Gbode but I'm not sure he'll get much of a look in this year. 

Naylor - Shad Ogie. 

BQGillsFan - I think Ike Orji could be one to keep an eye on. Cheye Alexander really stepped up in the second half of next season, but he's certainly not as good as to be deemed irreplaceable. Jake Turner seems to have featured a lot of pre-season, so could be a possible shout to usurp Morris over the course of the season, if not immediately. 

Colin - I think our youth development programmes have some way to go before they start producing league standard players. I haven’t seen any stand out young players but Matty McArthur looks to have something about him.

10. WITH GILLINGHAM CLOSE TO BREAKING OUR RECORD FOR SEASON TICKETS SOLD, SELLING OUR OUR INITIAL STOCK OF KIT SUPPLY FOR ALL THREE KITS, DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS PROBABLY GO INTO THIS COMING SEASON WITH A LOT OF EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM ???

Loonpotter - Definitely. In terms of enthusiasm this is probably the most excited that I've seen fans as a collective unit, all pulling in the same direction, for years. I cannot wait. 

Naylor - Yes there's a lot of enthusiasm going into the season.

BQGillsFan - There certainly seems to be a much better feel around the club and the fans right now, hopefully that translates to a brilliant atmosphere at Priestfield during the season.

Colin - Obviously the previous chairman stepping back a bit has lifted much of the cloud that has weighed down on the club for several years now. Expectations were raised by all the sleeping giant hype and us being linked with Alfie May. I think things have calmed down a bit now and most of us are expecting us to do reasonably well without necessarily being one of the top sides. The result at Stockport might set the mood going forward. A win there would be immense. If we lose then expectations: might level off a bit.

11. HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO, YOUR APPOINTED AS CHAIRMAN OF THE FA / CHAIRMAN OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE AND YOU CAN MAKE CHANGES IN ENGLISH FOOTBALL, WHAT CHANGES ARE YOU MAKING AND WHY ???

Loonpotter - I'm getting rid of yellow cards for over zealous goal celebrations, there isn't a better time to be over zealous. I'm reviewing the handball rule at the very least. I'm putting in harsher penalties for poor refereeing and I'm making sure replays remain in The F.A cup but I guess I'd have to buy it back first. 

Naylor - Go back to maximum 3 subs allowed on the pitch.

BQGillsFan - On a large scale, creating a specialised team of officials trained to work on VAR, rather than having the same referees that make the mistakes on the field working on the technology and doing whatever they can to protect their mates. I don't understand how you can bring in technology to help fix mistakes officials are making, then put those same officials in charge of it. Clowns running the circus. And on a personal level, enforce where throw-ins are taken from. It's my biggest pet peeve watching a player walk the ball sometimes upwards of 10-15 yards before throwing the ball.

Colin - That an unlikely scenario to say the least but I think professional football in England is all about the haves and have nots with very little sharing. That of course is what the Premier League breaking away from the EFL with the blessing of the FA was all about. Tracey Crouch’s report made some good recommendations around finances, financial fair play, ownership and corporate structures, lack of accountability to the fans who pay for it all directly and indirectly. Whether any of this will be addressed looks unlikely. Instead we seem to have a rush of US based investors that might or might not be a good thing in the long term.

12. GILLINGHAM’S FIRST HOME GAME OF THE SEASON IS A LEAGUE CUP FIRST ROUND TIE AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON AT PRIESTFIELD STADIUM, ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MATCH ??? AND ARE YOU HOPING THAT GILLINGHAM CAN REPLICATE LAST SEASON’S CUP RUN IN THE LEAGUE CUP, OR, IS LEAGUE TWO OUR ENTIRE FOCUS FOR THIS COMING SEASON ???

Loonpotter - I think we're in a good place for some decent cup runs this season. Southampton is a tough one but on our day we can certainly win that. 

Naylor - Yes I am and yes it would be great if last season's cup run could be replicated but as long as it isn't at detriment of the league.

BQGillsFan - Can't wait, super excited. One of the games I've always wanted, given I lived in Southampton for 4 years whilst at university. We certainly should look at it as an opportunity. The Saints looked very good under Russell Martin, but it's the cup, anything can happen.

Colin - Last season’s cup runs brought a bit of cheer to the early part of the season. Brentford away was a real highlight. So yes I am looking forward to Southampton at home under the lights. It’s a sell out for them, although I think we are back to only the bottom half of the BMS being usable, so it should be a good atmosphere and maybe we can surprise them. 

13. WHAT WOULD YOUR STARTING LINE UP AND SUBSTITUTES BENCH BE FOR STOCKPORT COUNTY V GILLINGHAM ON SATURDAY ???

Loonpotter - If fit, Morris, Clark, Ehmer, Masterson, Ogie, McKenzie, Malone, Lapslie, Jeffries, Nichols, Nadesan, J Williams

Naylor - Rumours of a few injuries in the camp so this based on who I think is fit: Turner Alexander Ehmer Ogie Clark Clarke Dieng Coleman Malone Lapslie Nichols.

BQGillsFan - Morris, Alexander, Ogie, Masterson, Malone, Dieng, S. Williams, Nichols, J. Williams, Jeffries, Hawkins Bench - Turner, Clark, Ehmer, McKenzie, Lapslie, Nadesan, Walker

Colin - I don’t know who is going to be fit and available for Saturday as the squad has picked up a fair few injuries during pre season. I think we might take to the field with:  Turner, Alexander, Ehmer, Masterson, Clark, S.Williams, Jeffries, Malone, Lapslie, Clarke, Nichols. Subs will be whoever is left from those fit and available. 

14. AND WHAT IS YOUR SCORE PREDICTION FOR STOCKPORT COUNTY V GILLINGHAM ???

Loonpotter - Stockport 1 v 1 Gillingham

Naylor - Have to be positive and go for a Gills 2-1 win

BQGillsFan - Going to be a tough first game. Realist in me says 2-0 Stockport, optimist will go with 1-1.

Colin - My head says 2-0 Stockport but I’m hoping we can get a 1-1.

15. AND FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH TO ADD (EXAMPLE: IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE NOT COVERED IN THE FOURTEEN QUESTIONS ASKED ABOVE YOU WANT TO EXPAND UPON) ??? 

Loonpotter - We are now into that long drawn out last week before kick off where everyone is excited and looking forward to the upcoming season.. Expectations are higher than normal even for those fans of clubs that in all honesty will probably finish mid table or below because it's a fresh start. Everyone is on the same points and there is always an element of what if... Enjoy the season everyone, let's do this !!!

Naylor - Here's hoping that 2023/24 finally sees the return of the Paella kiosk to the Rainham End.

BQGillsFan - I'd just like to echo the excellent message put out by the club on Thursday. Football is everyone, discrimination should not and will not be accepted at Gillingham. Ultimately, we are part of the same family, so let's not ruin things for the team or ourselves by letting a small minority ruin the name of Gillingham Football Club. One team, one family, one love.

Colin - Just Up the Gills and let’s enjoy the new season.

Once again, thank you to everyone for participating in this blog, and if anyone who is reading this wishes to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, then feel free to send me a message, and your more than welcome to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, The Strength Of The Gillingham Supporters Blog comes from everyone who has contributed, so once again, thank you to everyone who has participated in every single Gillingham Supporters Blog, There is real excitement and enthusiasm heading into this coming season that The 2023 / 2024 Season will be a very successful season for The Gills, And Gillingham get that season underway with a trip to Edgeley Park, And hopefully, Gillingham can get the season off to a good start with a draw or a win against Stockport County on the opening day of the season - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Given the short amount of time before I sent the questions out for The Gillingham Supporters Blog before the start of the season, I think it would only be fair to do a additional blog, and maybe do a bonus supporters blog to give others who perhaps either missed out on the opportunity to send there questions in time, or, wanted to participate in the supporters blog but didn’t realise I was asking questions for the blog, I think it would only be fair to do a bonus blog and give other supporters more time to participate for the next blog, Apologies for the short notice for the questions for this supporters blog.

#gillingham #supporters #blog

[fan-of-mulligan]

GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS BLOG - 2022 / 2023 SEASON - FINAL PART OF THE SEASON

Back In February, I asked Gillingham Supporters for there thoughts and opinions on Gillingham’s aggressive and successful recruitment in The January Transfer Window, Andy Hessenthaler and Kenny Jackett appointed as Head Of Recruitment And Director Of Football Respectively, Gillingham’s Pay What You Can Deal For The Crawley Town Game, And Gillingham signing players like Ethan Coleman and Jayden Clarke for the medium to long term.

And if you want to look back on the three previous Gillingham Supporters Blog, Then the links to all three blogs are here…. - Blog Previewing The 2022 / 2023 Season - https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/691153015697227776/fom-blog-gillingham-supporters-blog-season - Gillingham Supporters Blog Part One - https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/702719284334444544/gillingham-supporters-blog-2022-2023-season - And Gillingham Supporters Blog Part Two, Which Was After The Takeover - https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/710227168593084416/gillingham-supporters-blog-2022-2023-season

This Blog Is A Follow Up Blog which was previewing Gillingham before the start of The 2022 / 2023 Season, The second supporters blog was previewing Gillingham V Salford City, which was Gillingham’s Twentieth Game Of The Season, Rochdale V Gillingham Is The Thirtieth Game Of The Season, which was the third Gillingham Supporters Blog Of The Season, And This Supporters Blog Will Look Back On What Has Happened At Gillingham Football Club throughout The 2022 / 2023 Season.

Answering these questions are the following Gillingham Supporters,,,,, Mark, Rob, Colin, Naylor, Loonpotter, Harry, Luv_Gills, Paul, Gillingham Legends, Lewis, BQGillsFan, Sean and Rob-B - I want to thank everyone who has participated in the latest Gillingham Supporters Blog, as well as thank those who have participated in Previous Gillingham Supporters Blogs, It is because of the involvement of everyone who has participated in the previous blogs which have made these blogs so successful, so once again, thank you, Now on to the questions and answers……..

1. ON THE NINETEENTH OF MAY 2023, GILLINGHAM ANNOUNCED THE RELEASE / RETAIN LIST, WITH BAILEY AKEHURST, STUART O’KEEFE, BEN REEVES, SCOTT KASHKET, LEWIS PAGE AND JORDAN GREEN ALL LEAVING THE FOOTBALL CLUB, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE SIX PLAYERS LEAVING GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB, ANY PLAYERS ON THIS LIST WHO YOU WOULD HAVE KEPT ON FOR NEXT SEASON, OR, WERE YOU NOT SURPRISED WITH ALL SIX PLAYERS MENTIONED BEING RELEASED ???

Mark - No real surprise for me. We are now in a position where we can fund better players. I would hope we will upgrade on everyone of the players released.

Rob - I was a little disappointed that Bailey left as I think he played well when we needed him and has potential. I hope that Jordan Green overcomes his difficulties with balance whilst running at Ramsgate. The others, sadly for them were either caught up to by old Father Time, or unlucky with injury. Wish them all the best.

Colin - No. I’m not surprised at who from the out of contract players we are letting go. Now that we have a better budget we can replace them with better.

Naylor - Wasn't overly surprised at them being released. I thought Akehurst may be given another year due to the incoming B Team but he's seemed to have linked up with Craig Stone down at Hastings United now. Personally hope that O'Keefe finds himself a decent new club as he was a good servant to us.

Loonpotter - We are a totally different Gillingham, heading into a new era.. None of those 6 players are at the level I expect us to be performing at this coming season.

Harry - I was not surprised with any of the released players. None of the players were anywhere near the side towards the end of the season except Lewis Page - who I think was always going to be a temporary deal due to his injury record.

Luv_Gills - I thought Bailey Akehurst might have been retained. No surprises in the rest.

Paul - The fans at home certainly boosted the atmosphere and I chatted to the players at the awards dinner: they said it made a big difference to have our fans encouraging them. The start of the fans revival really started at the cup matches when we hosted the Premier club. It was further fuelled by the positivity of the new owners when the fans saw a new start. I wasn’t surprised to see any of those players going as they had not played for ages but I think it’s a shame that Scott Kashket wasn’t given the chance to play with the new additions.

Gillingham Legends - Not surprised by any of them, none of them had been involved much in the second half of the season and think we're now looking at a better calibre of player to replace such players in the squad.

Lewis - I think they are good releases. It was a good chance to get rid of some dead wood which we needed to do and I don’t think any of them were the wrong decision.

BQGillsFan - I agree with all the names being released, except for perhaps Scott Kashket. I thought he had been one of the few bright sparks in the dire first half of last season, and struggled with injuries once things started to turn around in the New Year. Would have liked to see him properly get a chance in this new setup, but I also understand why he was released.

Sean - I think all of the above players where expected to leave the club in all honesty, it was well publicised that Stuart O’Keefe would be leaving and I think it's best for both parties - I personally really like Stuart and hope he can get himself a good contract at a decent club weather that be at our level or the one below - I think he still has a lot to give. We didn’t really get to see a lot of Bailey Akehurst in the first team squad, but when he played, I think he gave a good account of himself and I'm sure he will do well at Hastings where he has joined Craig Stone who is the Assistant manager there, I believe. I hope he goes onto have a good career and I'm sure he will so long as he can avoid repeats of the injury he suffered. Reeves and Kashket are two players who have struggled with injuries and therefore are unsurprising and then Jordan Green has failed to build upon the pre-season and evidently had clashes with the management team – I think that Ramsgate is much more his level.

Rob-B - I'm not surprised about any of the departures really. Some were decent players before, but the likes of Reeves was injured too much, and we have signed better players in January. Most of them worked hard during their time but either their quality or fitness, or both, wasn't up to scratch.

2. DAVID TUTONDA AND ALEX MACDONALD WERE BOTH OFFERED NEW CONTRACTS, AND ALEX MACDONALD HAS SINCE SIGNED FOR STEVENAGE AND WE ARE UNCLEAR ON DAVID TUTONDA’S FUTURE AT GILLINGHAM, IF DAVID TUTONDA WAS ALSO TO LEAVE ALONG WITH ALEX MACDONALD, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BOTH PLAYERS LEAVING GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB ???

Mark - Not concerned. As in Q1 I expect us to upgrade on both of them.

Rob - I am honestly staggered that Tutonda was offered a deal, since he lost his place to a right footed player under 2 managers. Good in a 3-5-2 as we saw at Colchester, but awful in a flat 4. Macca is a good player but I think at his age, best he moves on.

Colin - MacDonald has skill and always puts in the effort but he is injury prone and clearly overweight. There are better and fitter players out there. Tutonda had the odd good game but made lots of mistakes when defending and often there was no end product from his attacking. There are better left backs out there and we have now signed one of them.

Naylor - More disappointed about Macca going than the possibility of Disco Dave leaving. For me Tutonda is far too inconsistent, even at League Two level. He's either world class or looks like he doesn't even know what a football is. Macca was one of our best players last season and his assists for Tom Nichols arguably kept us up. Hope he does well for Evans but we can look elsewhere.

Loonpotter - Alex MacDonald I wanted to keep..  I felt that even when things weren't looking good for us Alex always gave 100% and on top of that even when we started to play well he was still putting in some really good performances.. Tutonda has shot himself in the foot a little bit as at times I feel he could consider himself lucky to be in the first team. It was only a lack of options that kept him there. I sense a little bit of arrogance holding off on an offer that I didn't believe he'd even get and now Max Clark has come in who is undoubtedly better... Tutonda could now find himself on the bench at best but probably in non league.

Harry - For me David Tutonda can either have a 2/10 or a 8/10 performance and at this level I would prefer to have a bit more consistency at left back, so I am not overly fussed if he leaves the club. Alex MacDonald he was a real favourite of mine , always put 100% in and came back from a horrific injury, but I think his move is best for both parties. Gives us the room to bring in more quality in that position and I’m sure he is happy with playing at a higher level next season.

Luv_Gills - Surprised Dave was offered. Wish both players well. Macca can’t blame for taking a L1 offer.

Paul - It’s their choice but I am sure we can replace them with other players.

Gillingham Legends - Was surprised Tutonda was offered a deal. A good player on his day but inconsistent and think its an area we could vastly improve on (and looked to have done already) and think that's probably why he hasn't signed as yet. MacDonald has been a good servant and was excellent in the second half of last season, I'd have been happy for him to stay but due to his age and lack of pace, I don't think it's a major loss and think we can improve with our new finances.

Lewis - I think both of them could have done jobs next season but neither will be hugely missed. Not fussed to be honest.

BQGillsFan - As of writing this, Tutonda is still yet to decide his future, and I would like to see him stay. Think he is more than capable of offering cover/competition at left-back at this level, and on his day can be a very good player for us. I’m disappointed in MacDonald for leaving. Harris and the fans have been supportive of him during his injury and fitness struggles with us, and once he finally settles in and becomes a key, beloved figure in the starting lineup, he leaves. Obviously, League One is a tempting proposition, but I don’t see him starting at Stevenage and he was very hit and miss under Steve Evans before.

Sean - In all honesty I hope Dave decides to stay – I think having him as a rotational option could be positive, however if he decides to play elsewhere it won’t be the biggest loss. Macca is one that we’ve already upgraded upon with the signing of Jonny Williams. I trust in the recruitment team to upgrade and strengthen the squad – filling the gaps they leave. I can’t begrudge Macca for moving to Stevenage - I'm sure he’s happy to be back in League One and working with Steve Evans again, especially at this stage in his career.

Rob-B - I'm not overly sad by both of them leaving. MacDonald got a good number of assists last season but often looked leggy in the latter portions of games. He's been a great servant to the club and his departure is very much mitigated by the signing of J Williams. Tutonda had his day and had improved, but we need more quality if we're going to push further up the league. Clark is a better player.

3. AND WHEN LOOKING AT THE PLAYERS CONTRACTED FOR NEXT SEASON, GILLINGHAM HAVE GOT SEVENTEEN FIRST TEAM PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT, HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR GILLINGHAM TO HAVE MOST OF THE FIRST TEAM SQUAD FROM THE 2022 / 2023 SEASON CONTRACTED AT THE FOOTBALL CLUB FOR NEXT SEASON ???

Mark - It’s important not to rebuild on free transfers with one year deals every season. We have a solid base to improve on during this window, but for once it won't be a whole new team this season.

Rob - I am happy to see that the squad looks settled, and we aren’t going to be doing a total rebuild again. I am optimistic that will give us a solid platform for the beginning of the season.

Colin - We were very poor for much of last season so I don’t think there is any imperative to retain any of them. The January recruits were an improvement but even then I’d have been happy to see a complete clear out and a fresh start.

Naylor - Teams that have been successful usually have a solid core and just add a couple of players here and there to improve things. When we won the 2012/13 season, we had players like Kedwell, Whelpdale, Lee, Martin, Fish & Frampton already at the club and Mad Dog was able to improve the strong core we had. Bringing in 15 new players each summer rarely works as you often have too slow of a start whilst players are working each other out. Evans' first season as Gills boss springs to mind where we achieved just 4 wins in our opening 20 games before we went on that 15+ game unbeaten run over November & December.

Loonpotter - With the players brought in in January contracted for approx 2.5 years and the level I expect to come in this window I believe we are in very good shape for the coming season.

Harry - Taking 17 contracted players into next season is something we aren’t used to as Gillingham fans ! Really good to have the foundations of a strong team who have proved they know how to win at this level in the second half of last season. Also means we can go into the transfer market picking quality over quantity.

Luv_Gills - Very good to have an almost full squad at the start of pre-season. We should be well set for the start. Unlike previous seasons.

Paul - It’s useful to start training together.

Gillingham Legends - Very important. We've had pretty much, a whole new team for the start of the previous four seasons and you never know if players are going to gel or be good enough. It worked for the first two Evans seasons but not since. To have the core of a decent squad already in place is massive and gives Neil Harris a chance to improve in the areas we need to only.

Lewis - It’s nice that we don’t need a full reset like we do ever other year. We did the majority of our work in January and it’s paid off now. The squad will have a proper chance to gel and that’s good.

BQGillsFan - It’s been our biggest flaw for the past decade plus, constantly having to recruit over half the squad every preseason. It often meant the first 5-10 games of the season were a write off as the team get to know each other. Keeping a core group of players is huge for Harris heading into the summer and will hopefully bode well for the season right from the start.

Sean - Having seventeen players under contract at this stage in the season is unheard of for us – I believe we have a very decent foundation to build upon this summer. It feels like one of the first summers in which we haven't had to completely rebuild in recent years. It also should help with the beginning of next season, if we desire to be at the top end of the table, we will need to carry our home form from January with us through the summer and hopefully add to it with formidable away performances and results, an already established group of players alongside a summer full of quality additions should put us well on our way to a hopefully successful season.

Rob-B - Very important. It means we can be very targeted on the remaining few players. It also allows Harris to start tactical work and for the players to properly bond and gel.

4. HAVE YOU RENEWED YOUR SEASON TICKET FOR NEXT SEASON, OR, MAYBE YOUR AN PREVIOUS SEASON TICKET HOLDER WHO HAS PAID FOR A SEASON TICKET, OR MAYBE PAID FOR YOUR VERY FIRST SEASON TICKET FOR THE 2023 / 2024 SEASON, ALSO, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE PRICE FOR YOUR SEASON TICKET ???

Mark - I have renewed and without hesitation. I didn't actually buy one last season as I was done with Scally's ownership. I bought a half season ticket in January and that's been renewed.

Rob - I’ve renewed. I think the price is ok but I am fortunate. Overall the market sets the price and the club seems to have judged it well. I wouldn’t have renewed if the change at Christmas hadn’t happened though. I think we would’ve been relegated and there wouldn’t have been any value in being a season ticket holder.

Colin - Yes I have renewed my ST. I think the price is reasonable even though it’s an increase on the early bird price I paid last year.

Naylor - I'm not a season ticket holder as I don't have the time to commit to one. If the club did a 10-match style ticket then I'd happily consider doing something like that but a season ticket isn't something I have enough free time to commit for so I don't pursue one.

Loonpotter - Season tickets seem a very reasonable price.. Personally I've been watching since the late 80s and don't usually buy a season ticket.. I'm a Priestfield floater, I like to sit in different areas of the ground depending on opponent, match and mood.

Harry - I have renewed as always, I thought it was really good having the monthly price structure. There was some confusion that prices rose, after previous comments but to be honest I for one don’t mind paying a little bit extra if we know it is being invested on the squad, and fans are going to get good value for money, which I already think is a given.

Luv_Gills - N/A. Not a s/t holder. Prices are decent imho. And seem mid-range for Div2.

Paul - Not renewed season ticket as I go away a lot so didn’t represent to me good value, Season ticket price about right, I thought we were safe.

Gillingham Legends - I'm not currently a season ticket holder due to family/work commitments but go most games when I can. I think the prices are reasonable compared to the rest of the division. An early bird offer may have been a good idea though.

Lewis - It’s a shame about the miscommunication but I think prices are probably fine. I’ve not got a season ticket because of the nature of my work but I’m gutted about that and would definitely have one otherwise.

BQGillsFan - I have not, but not through any issue with the club. I simply can’t commit due to my work taking up several weekends throughout the season. I’d miss too many home games for it not to be worth it. I’ll go to as many games as I can, and if I had a different work pattern, I certainly would have bought a season ticket.

Sean - Sadly, I haven't been able to justify renewing my season ticket for this season. Being away in Aberystwyth for university I don’t manage to get to many games, last season I was able to enjoy a summer full of football alongside more frequent visits back home so was able to attend a larger number of games – both home and away totalling 11 and 10 respectively, however this summer I’m staying in Wales and won’t be visiting as much and therefore can’t particularly afford to spend £190 on a season ticket I will use sparingly. I thought the pricing was very acceptable and the club's allowance to share tickets very helpful.

Rob-B - Yes, I have renewed. It was a bit unfortunate that the messaging over it was interpreted as being cheaper for all, rather than cheaper for the early bird. That said, the price rise was below inflation.

5. GILLINGHAM MATHEMATICALLY AVOIDED RELEGATION WITH A 2-0 HOME WIN AGAINST LEYTON ORIENT, WHICH WAS A MEMORABLE NIGHT WITH THE POWER CUT, LEYTON ORIENT PLAYERS CELEBRATING PROMOTION ON THE PITCH AND WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE GAME RE-STARTED, DID YOU THINK GILLINGHAM WOULD HAVE BEEN SAFE FROM RELEGATION WHEN GILLINGHAM WERE BOTTOM OF LEAGUE TWO WITH FOURTEEN POINTS AT THE START OF JANUARY ??? AND YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT MATCH AGAINST LEYTON ORIENT ???

Mark - Pre Galinson we had no chance and were absolutely doomed to relegation and probably receivership. When Galinson’s came along and invested I was confident. I even backed us for top half finish - just missed out on a decent return.

Rob - I think we would absolutely have been relegated without the off field changes. The match against Orient was a weird one. They showed how wide the gap we have to close is until they went down to 10 men, lost the plot after that. Whilst what the players on both teams did after the power cut was frustrating, I understand it in hindsight. Was a bit cross with it at the time mind.

Colin - Under Scally we were dead and buried. Once Galinson arrived we could start to hope.

Naylor - The mood around the club very much shifted in January after the signings we had been making and with the takeover, from there I was far more relaxed that we would start picking up the points and be mathematically safe. The Crawley home game stands out for me, not because it was a good game, but because it was the type of match we possibly wouldn't have got anything from at the start of the season and with the fans back, it just felt like the club was on the up again.

Loonpotter - I thought we were in trouble but ever optimistic. The buzz that the Galinsons brought in always fed me the belief that we could get to safety...

Harry - If I’m honest as we were still early in the season I don’t think the possibility of relegation ever crossed my mind but looking back if Brad and Shannon hadn’t come in I certainly think we would have gone down. What a great evening to secure safety, beating the league champions and certainly a game most fans won’t forget any time soon! Although I must say I didn’t agree with Orient letting us hold the ball for the final minutes.

Luv_Gills - Without the takeover and an injection of funds, we were surely relegated. The Orient game was weird. But the correct and just result. With no power cut we were probably headed for the 2-0 maybe 3-0 win. It didn’t matter to Orient.

Paul - A good win against Orient and personally I thought we would be safe before January by the end of the season.

Gillingham Legends - After the takeover and the initial signings were made, I was very confident we would stay up and that proved to be comfortably the case in the end. Had the takeover not had happened I believe we were doomed to non league football. The Orient match was a strange one, you can't knock their players for celebrating but think the game should've been played out professionally with the paying supporters taken into consideration. The remaining fixtures which had nothing riding on them were so why not this? Strange.

Lewis - I had a bit of hope because the Galinsons were in the house by then but it still had to happen which was a bit nervy. As far as the game goes, it was memorable in more ways than one but because of the win it was a really good night overall.

BQGillsFan - I certainly didn’t think we would be staying up before the takeover. I was bracing for one of the most embarrassing seasons in EFL history. But the Galinson’s arrival turned things around more than I think even the most optimistic Gills fan could have dreamed of. As for the actual game against Orient, it was one of my favourite nights of football ever. Gillingham staying up, the chaos of the power cut, and I had a work friend down for the game (his fiancé is an Orient fan), so plenty to talk and laugh about after the game and the next day at work. Combined with the fact that, after the red card, we absolutely deserved the win against top of the league, it just further showed Gillingham will look to be a contender next season.

Sean - After our January window and the beginning of the upturn in form I truly did believe that we would stay up. We were at a really low point at the beginning of January but with the quality we brought in alongside the quality of Harris as a manager meant that I was certain we would stay up, the only questions where those of by how much and by when. Sadly, I wasn’t at the game but was watching on iFollow. I think that game will be one that goes down in folklore as an ‘I was there moment’ and sadly I was not. However, it was nice to secure our safety with a victory against a team who went on to win the league – proving ourselves as a quality side , albeit under contentious  circumstances with the way in which Orient approached the restart, that being said I think we still would have been comfortable winners without the stoppage – we dominated the game following the Red card and played football on the front foot.

Rob-B - No. Before the takeover I was convinced we'd be a non-league side now and preparing for away days against Ebbsfleet and co. From then on, I can't see the club recovering for a long time. Thankfully, we got a Christmas miracle and Santa Galinson bought us a load of quality players. The Leyton Orient game was utterly bizarre. I can see how some people were annoyed the game didn't continue properly, but it was a very professional decision from both sides. No-one wanted an injury, especially having cooled down for 20mins. Also gave our possession and passing stats a nice boost!

6. AND WITH THE ABOVE QUESTION ABOUT AVOIDING RELEGATION, GILLINGHAM ENDED THE 2022 / 2023 SEASON IN SEVENTEENTH POSITION WITH A POINTS TOTAL OF FIFTY FIVE POINTS, FORTY ONE OF THOSE POINTS WERE PICKED UP IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON, HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP WHAT HAS BEEN A VERY CONTRASTING SEASON FOR THE GILLS ???

Mark - Under Scally we had no hope and no way to arrest the decline. Under the Galinson’s we turned the ship around and now have real hope of a better future. It’s not just the money, it’s the way they appreciate and value the fans in a way Scally never did.

Rob - All about the money, isn’t it? We have a very good coaching and recruitment team. They just need an Aldi budget, rather than be sent to the food bank.

Colin - A season of two halves, Scally no money, Galinson more money.

Naylor - 30th July-1st January 1/10 - 2nd January -8th May 9/10. - The takeover was the difference. No hiding from that, the recruitment last summer was not good enough and arguably some of the tactics employed by Harris for the first half also. Once we started getting players in who knew what they were doing, Harris looked re-energised as did the squad. That's why we finished 2nd in the table from Jan 14th to 8th May.

Loonpotter - The 1st half of the season was very difficult to take, very difficult to watch.. The 2nd half was the perfect tonic to rejuvenate the levels of optimism that all fans have at the start of a season and put us in good shape mentally as a supporter for this upcoming season.

Harry - Contrasting really is the word! I’ll be honest because of the 18 months previous to January I had forgotten what it was like to enjoy watching the actual game but that has quickly come back and has me really optimistic for next season.

Luv_Gills - Genuine season of 2 halves. We won’t see another season like it ever for being so bad to so good in a short space.

Paul - I must say I was worried about the massive influx of new players and the ability to gel at the start of the season. I also doubted that the manager was right for this league as he lacked experience in league two coming from Championship level. He also played long ball tactics which didn’t get goals for his team. The addition of experienced league two players in January helped change the balance so in contrast much better. We still ended the season though with a below average goal score so this needs attention this summer.

Gillingham Legends - First half was dreadful. Squad was not strong enough, predominantly in attack. The lack of goals was embarrassing and put pressure on the rest of the team. Confidence in the squad and fans was rock bottom. The second half was completely different, the takeover allowed the team and in particular, attack, to be vastly strengthened and players that had looked poor suddenly looked decent and confident. We got great results, played well and scored goals.

Lewis - I’ve tried to do this a number of times and I’m not sure I’ve nailed it yet. It’s a season that will never be forgotten and one we’ll always look back on with mixed emotions. The first half was the worst it’s been, the second half the best in recent years.

BQGillsFan - I mean, the cliché of ‘A blank of two halves’ couldn’t be any more applicable than our season. 2022 was absolutely pathetic, 2023 was a dream come true. Overall, it’s about how you leave them, and with the positive atmosphere following our incredible recovery and everything around the Galinson’s arrival and approach to the club, it’s certainly left a sense of hope that has been badly missing for about 5 years. Also, who can forget the win against Brentford in the Carabao Cup? An amazing night for the club and the fans, so blessed to have been there for it.

Sean - It can only be described as a season of two halves can't it! From the utter misery that surrounded the club pre-takeover to the excitement we all now feel for the new season and what lies ahead. I’m very happy that we’re through the worst of it and can now look ahead.

Rob-B - Second half of the season has been a revelation. We still don't score enough and have struggled away from home, but to actually have shots and score goals was an amazing turnaround. Our form was promotion form and that's not to be underestimated. It's a big positive for the upcoming season.

7. GILLINGHAM ALSO ENDED THE SEASON WITH A 2-2 DRAW AWAY AGAINST BRADFORD CITY, AND A 1-0 AWAY WIN AGAINST SALFORD CITY ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE SEASON, AND ALTHOUGH GILLINGHAM ONLY WON THREE AWAY GAMES ALL SEASON, DO YOU THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR GILLINGHAM TO GET THAT AWAY WIN AGAINST SALFORD CITY ???

Mark - Not really. We were safe by then. Not sure the result was especially relevant. First five away games next season will be as we have to improve on the road - we will.

Rob - Perhaps important for the players, to show Harris that they ought to be part of a promotion chasing side next season.

Colin - I was at the Salford game. It was good to get a win but I think this coming season is a totally fresh start so I don’t think that win was in any way critical.

Naylor - Those last two away games showed that we were good enough to compete with the teams at the top. Add to that the wins against Carlisle & Leyton Orient also puts paid to that argument.

Loonpotter - No... Survival was the only thing that mattered.. Beating these teams away next season will matter more.

Harry - I wouldn’t say important particularly, the final game of the season can often throw up some strange results. I think the final 10 games really showed how far we have come as a team taking points off most the higher teams in the division and compete with these teams. I do think away points are important if you want to challenge but I think the home form will certainly be most important.

Luv_Gills - Win at Salford was good to finish on a high.

Paul - I had no doubts we would do ok later in the season as the team were more settled.

Gillingham Legends - Always important to win away when you can. We've seen Gillingham teams of the past go whole seasons without an away victory and it puts enormous pressure on you to perform at home. If we're going to be challenging this upcoming season, we will need to win more away games. Not sure how much the Salford win matters but hopefully will carry over a bit of optimism into the new campaign.

Lewis - It was nice that we didn’t end the season on back to back losses. And it was nice we picked up our away form. That will need to be better next season if we’re to compete.

BQGillsFan - Statement of intent for the new campaign. If we want to be going up next season, we need to be picking up more results on the road, and those two results at the end of last campaign are hopefully a sign of things to come in 2023-24.

Sean - Beating a playoff side away from home was one of the only things we hadn't quite managed to do wasn’t it! We’d obviously played our game-plan away at Stockport and returned to Kent with a well-deserved point but against teams like Barrow and Northampton we left a lot to be desired. Bradford was a game where we really put on a good showing of ourselves – specifically with Hawkins last minute goal to rescue a point. However we just hadn’t managed to do enough away to pick up three points against those teams towards the top of the table. Beating Salford was important as it ensured we beat a team who would qualify for the playoffs but also put an end to a winless period away from home going into the new season.

Rob-B - Yes. Always good to finish the season on a high. Sorting out the away form will be the difference between automatic promotion and the playoffs.

8. AND JUST A FEW DAYS AFTER GILLINGHAM’S 1-0 AWAY WIN AGAINST SALFORD CITY ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE SEASON, GILLINGHAM ANNOUNCED THE SIGNING OF CONOR MASTERSON, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON CONOR MASTERSON SIGNING FOR GILLINGHAM ???

Mark - Brilliant signing. One to develop and hopefully sell on. I'd like to know the length of the contract though. Hoping we aren't just a stepping stone like we were with Egan, albeit we got compensation for Egan.

Rob - He is good enough for L1. I am very happy he signed. I’m sure being 1st choice is important to him and I think he’s going to have a great career.

Colin - We could have done with Masterson at the start of the season. He’s a good addition and I’m glad that we have got him.

Naylor - We've looked even better since Conor came back. Giving Ehmer a regular competent partner makes us only stronger and Masterson should be playing higher. It's a good sign of intent that we've convinced him to sign permanently.

Loonpotter - Conor Masterson is an exceptional acquisition for Gillingham.. Just the type of player any team aiming for promotion could do with in their back line.

Harry - Wow! We didn’t mess around did we. Great to add Conor to the group of course, and to get that sorted out before the players went away. He is an excellent defender but also has the passion you need to be a Gillingham player. I only hope we gave him a long contract because I expect him to be playing at a higher level in the not too distant future (hopefully with us).

Luv_Gills - Great way to start our recruitment and a good statement. I thought Connor would get L1 offers.

Paul - I always thought it was a strong addition to our defence and was pleased Conor Masterson has signed for us.

Gillingham Legends - Massive! A quality, highly regarded player that we know all about, we know he can do an excellent job, he also knows the club, the players and staff. It's a big signing for this level.

Lewis - A fantastic signing and a fantastic way to kick off the transfer window. Arguably the best defender in the league and a real statement of intent.

BQGillsFan - Loved him in his first loan, loved him in his second loan. A wonderful player that really compliments Max Ehmer, delighted he’ll be back with us next season.

Sean - Well it’s quite a coup isn’t it. Conor obviously loves playing his football here and we love watching him do it. Conor oozes class and is certainly a quality ‘’addition’’ to our defensive line which was a strongpoint of ours last season. We’ve managed to keep the core of last seasons defence together, With Morris, Alexander, Masterson and Emher all staying for next season – this consistency will only help. As an asset to the club I don’t think they come better than Conor - I'm sure he will be a key individual in the next few years.

Rob-B - Excellent signing. Good to get it done so early. He clearly wanted to stay and is a great defender at this level. He really improved the defence both last season and the one before and I'm delighted he's joined permanently. When people discuss our signings, they seem to forget about him because it was done so quickly.

9. GILLINGHAM’S HOME FORM CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO GILLS EXCELLENT FORM IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON, WINNING NINE, ONE DRAW AND TWO DEFEATS IN TWELVE HOME MATCHES IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON, HOW IMPORTANT WAS TURNING PRIESTFIELD STADIUM INTO A FORTRESS FOR GILLINGHAM’S BATTLE TO AVOID RELEGATION, AND CAN GILLINGHAM TAKE THIS HOME FORM INTO NEXT SEASON FOR WHAT WE WILL BE HOPING WILL BE A PUSH FOR PROMOTION ???

Mark - Very important, especially as the away form struggled. It brought the crowds back and I do think we will be dominant at home next season.

Rob - I think that it makes a massive difference to the players if the crowd is vocal and backing them. I’m optimistic that we’ll be making Priestfield a tough place to come next season.

Colin - To be honest I don’t think we really dominated games after the overhaul in January we just competed better, scored a few goals and ground out some results. The new season will be very competitive and lots of other clubs will be splashing the cash. Johnny Williams could be a game changer if he can stay fit. We are still short up top and need another goal scorer apart from Nichols.

Naylor - Winning your home matches should be your bread and butter. Win your home games and draw or get the odd win away you'll be up there. It helps get more people in the stadium, makes it noisier and then makes it harder for the opposition. From that the club generates more income which can be reinvested so it's win-win.

Loonpotter - It was very important to hit the ground running at home and our home form was exceptional. I have no doubt that our home form will continue into next season.

Harry - Priestfield is historically a ground that opposition hate playing at, and that was mainly due to the fans. It became too easy for a couple of years. Now we have the entire fan base back on board and in the ground I am sure our excellent home form will continue!

Luv_Gills - Need to keep a “fortress Priestfield” if we want to aim for promotion.  Also need to somehow get our away form better. I can’t remember us ever being really good away from home in our entire history.

Paul - The atmosphere at our ground helped the team perform and some credit needs to go to our new owners on this.

Gillingham Legends - Yes this is even more important than the away form. If we can continue to make Priestfield a fortress, there's less pressure to win every away match and will give us a good basis to aim for promotion.

Lewis - I don’t even mean this in a bias way, we have one of the best atmospheres in the division. If we weren’t winning at half time you always knew a chance would coming shooting towards the Rainham end second half. I’m sure the home form will continue, it’s probably psychobiological too.

BQGillsFan - If you want to be a promotion contender, you can’t afford to drop many points at home in a season. Priestfield must be a fortress, and we certainly made it that in the second half of 2022-23. Long may that continue and serve as the foundation of a glorious campaign next year.

Sean - Home form is always an incredibly important aspect of any team – especially those who are struggling down the bottom end of the division. If you win your home games and pick up some points away and you’ll do alright – and that’s exactly what we’ve done post Christmas. There has been a marked improvement in the atmosphere around Priestfield on match-days which undoubtedly influences results and performances.  We should be able to carry this home form onwards into the next season and make a right good go at getting up the right end of the table.

Rob-B - I certainly hope so. Win most of our home games, draw most of the away and we'll be promoted. With the high season ticket sales there's sure to be a big crowd for most games next season. We just need to fans to get behind the players and support them.

10. AND SPEAKING ABOUT EXCELLENT FORM, AND GILLINGHAM MANAGING TO AVOID RELEGATION, YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE JOB NEIL HARRIS HAS DONE AS GILLINGHAM MANAGER FOR THE 2022 / 2023 SEASON, IS IT A JOB WELL DONE FOR MAKING SURE THAT GILLINGHAM HAVE AVOIDED RELEGATION ??? OR, DOES OUR FORM IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON COME INTO CONSIDERATION, AND DO YOU THINK MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE FROM NEIL HARRIS TO WIN SUPPORTERS OVER ???

Mark - Its a results business. We can't argue with the results from January to May. I don't think you can look at the first half of the season really. He signed the players we could afford - they weren't good enough. I'm not 100% sure about Neil but you can't argue that he doesn't deserve a chance to show what he can do with a real league quality squad.  

Rob - I sit a few rows behind the dugout. Harris is a passionate and, I believe, very talented manager. I don’t think he expected the first half of last season to be as bad as it was but I have every confidence that he will be a success next season. The fact that we never had less than a mid table defensive record gives me confidence. Our forwards weren’t up to scratch in the first half of the season.

Colin - I don’t think we ever had a bottom two budget so I think Harris under achieved in the first half of the season. With half a dozen new players in January he obviously had the tools to get some results and he found a way to not lose and to get some wins. I’m happy to see what he can do with another recruitment window.

Naylor - I think he needs to take some responsibility from the signings that were made in the summer and not utilising those players to the best of their ability. Mandron is a prime example, he didn't win much in the air when he was with us before so signing him as a target man was a waste of time and money. Saying that though, you can't fault him when we had cash to spend and once we got clear of the relegation zone, I think then is when we started to see the type of football he wants to play as manager and it was more exciting.

Loonpotter - I'm on the fence with Neil Harris as regardless of the situation we were in I don't believe we should have been at the bottom of the league up until the takeover.

Harry -  It is so easy to blame the manager, Harris has now proved that when he has got the players he wants he is an excellent manager at this level. The next step up for him will be proving this for an entire season and I certainly think he is the right man to take us forward. Although I do think the Galinsons are ambitious, and I would fear for Harris’ future if we fail to be at the right end of the table around Christmas.

Luv_Gills - I think Neil has done a very good job. He is a very good and experienced manager. It was extremely tough first half of the season. As it was season before but he almost kept us up. Hopefully with a few additions we (he) will play a bit more fluid and attacking style. He is defence minded, and nothing wrong with that from where we have come from. But hope we can get a few more goals this season. He will never win over some of our fans. We have a certain percent of our fans also hated Evans, Lovell, Stimson, Patterson, Taylor, Hess etc etc. Will always be the same for some of them.

Paul - I think Neil’s experience of last season will help him do better next. It is also good to see the addition of Kenny and Hess to help him with recruitment and their experience. Millwall fans think highly of him from the ones I know and he clearly has a passion for the job. A good start to the season will give his popularity a boost for sure l

Gillingham Legends - Neil Harris is a proven manager and showed that when he first took over and almost kept us up against all odds. It's clear now that last summer a lot was going wrong behind the scenes and the money wasn't there to build the team he wanted. Most managers would've been sacked after so many bad results, lack of goals and poor performances, so he was lucky to keep his job. However, I think the second half showed what he can really do given the right resources and am happy to have him.

Lewis - That first half of the season was incredibly strange. I’ve never doubted Harris’ ability but by Christmas I was leaning towards the idea of sacking him purely to have that change. I’m glad we didn’t and he’s 100% the man to lead us forward.

BQGillsFan - We are truly blessed to have Neil Harris. Even when we were at our worst last season, I never blamed him. He was being asked to build a skyscraper, but only being handed twigs and blue-tac to do it. You saw that once he was given support and funding, he turned us into one of the best teams in the league. I do hope next season he sorts out his fist pump timing at the end of games, but I’ll take the mistimed cheers if they are coming after a win every week.

Sean - Personally, I'm relieved more than happy that we have avoided relegation. I thought that we would struggle with the drop into league two but never envisioned it to be the way that it was. Following the signings, we made in January I was sure we would stay up. For me personally, I will only judge Harris on what he manages in the coming season. I have every faith that he will deliver on the potential of this group and have us challenging. I think most supporters are positive and behind the management and group of players.

Rob-B - The budget was a real hamstring for Harris last season. I don't know how to judge a manager when they're only able to bring in the likes of Jordan Green. He stabled the ship and have us a chance of avoiding relegation when he first arrived and that has to be commended. I think at times he's still too defensive, but I can understand that mentality when we were scrapping for points.

11. TWO SAD BITS OF NEWS HAVE HAPPENED IN-BETWEEN THE TWO SUPPORTERS BLOGS, ONE: OLLY LEE HAS HAD TO RETIRE DUE TO PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS AND RAYNAUD’S CONDITION, AND FORMER GILLINGHAM CHAIRMAN TONY SMITH SADLY PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF SEVENTY NINE, YOUR THOUGHTS ON OLLY LEE AND THE SAD NEWS REGARDING TONY SMITH ???

Mark - Both sad but in different ways. Tony was a real saviour of the Gills but 79 is a good age and I'm sure he lived a rich and full life. For a professional sportsperson to have their career cut short must be devastating. I hope he is dealing with the impact that will have on his Mental Health and I hope he finds a new path and is successful.

Rob - I’m (just about) too young to remember Tony Smith. I think Olly Lee was a solid pro and I feel bad for him that he has had to end his career prematurely. A fit and able Olly Lee would still be a part of the team.

Colin - It was obviously sad to see Lee’s career cut short by a medical condition. Hopefully he will do well in a back room position. As for Tony Smith he sacrificed a lot to get the club a lifeline and those of us of an age won’t forget him.

Naylor - Both desperately sad. A fit Olly Lee could have perhaps earned us enough points in the first half of the season that wouldn't have been rock bottom. As for Tony Smith, although before my time, quite frankly we wouldn't have a club without his generosity.

Loonpotter - Very sad regarding both. With regards to Olly Lee though, I believe he'll have a good career in coaching and may even move into management at some point.

Harry - As a younger Gillingham fan I did not have much knowledge regarding Tony Smith but some of the tributes from fans clearly showed how much he did for the club! In regard to Olly Lee, I have seen interviews since and it just shows you never know what is really going on behind the scenes, You can only feel sorry for him really, a really sad end to his career.

Luv_Gills - Very sad in both cases. Both very good servants of GFC.

Paul - Sadly these things happen in life. Tony death was at a senior age so partly expected. I felt sorry for Olly as I do any player whom has to retire early due to medical reasons.

Gillingham Legends - It's a real shame that Olly Lee had to retire so young. A good player on his day but was unable to perform at a decent level anymore. A fully fit Olly Lee would've been very useful in League Two. Very sad to hear of Tony Smith's passing as he is a very important man in Gills history. A fan who put the club first by ploughing his own money in just to keep it afloat. Without him there would be no Gillingham Football Club today. RIP Tony.

Lewis - Both very sad. I wasn’t around for Smith’s time but I’m well aware of how much he loved the club and what he did for it. With Olly, it’s a big shame but he seems to be moving forward into coaching already and getting over that mental hurdle so good for him.

BQGillsFan - On Olly Lee, it’s very sad to see a player have to call time on his career in such a way. To be forced out, rather than choosing to retire, is never the way a player should end their time on the football pitch. A top player on his day, I do hope we give him a proper send off at Priestfield early next season. With Tony Smith, it’s obviously very sad news. He was before my time, so I can’t speak too much about memories or what he means to me, but he was clearly a beloved figure at the club, and I can only send my condolences to his family and friends.

Sean - Mr. Smith is someone who kept this club alive in a difficult period – without him there would be no Gillingham Football Club – his death is an incredibly sad one for the club and I send my thoughts to his family and friends at this difficult time. Olly Lee as a football player has always had the potential to do something special, during his multiple spells with the club he has always performed to the best of his ability and has been an asset. Sadly, his career has been cut short, in pre-season he looked like he would be a key member of this squad, however obviously nobody knew about his health struggles. I hope the club support him in his coaching journey - I also hope that he will get an opportunity to say goodbye to the fans , perhaps with a pitch walk-around before a game at some point?

Rob-B - Olly Lee is a big shame for the player. On his day, he was a quality player at League 1 level but playing deeper often nullified that quality. I'm glad to hear he's going into coaching and will always be welcomed back at Priestfield. I don't know much about Tony Smith other than what I've read and his impact on the club can't be downplayed. Sad news indeed.

12. IN THE SECOND FANS FORUM, KENNY JACKETT SPOKE ABOUT IMPROVING GILLINGHAM’S SCOUTING NETWORK AMONG LOCAL NON LEAGUE CLUBS, AND SIGNING IKE ORGI FROM CHATHAM TOWN APPEARS TO BE THE FIRST OF HOPEFULLY SEVERAL SIGNINGS FROM LOCAL SIDES, HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR GILLINGHAM TO BE PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO PLAYERS PLAYING NON LEAGUE FOOTBALL IN KENT ???

Mark - Very. To be grow sustainably we need to develop players and sell them for profit. We need to be a selling club again.

Rob - I’m pleased that we have a scouting and recruitment department that is more appropriate to the level we are at and aspire to. Whilst it’s always nice to recruit local lads, I don’t mind if we recruit from further afield.

Colin - Clearly investing in scouting if you can afford to can reap rewards be that getting in youngsters, finding gems in non league or finding players who can’t quite make it at some of the bigger clubs. A big problem for us is the likes of Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham being able to spend more than us on academy players and that isn’t going to be easily resolved.

Naylor - We certainly should do more to try and get the best players playing in non-league in Kent. You're never going to get everyone but at least being in with a sniff is progress compared to recent years.

Loonpotter - Very important.. There are undoubtedly some real gems hiding in the lower leagues.. Orji is a player I've seen a few times and he's always excited me with his pace and skill.

Harry - I have said for years we need to scout closer to home, the catchment area we have being the only football league club in Kent is enormous. We need to start making the most of it, and I feel like with the recruitment team we have now this will certainly be the case.

Luv_Gills - Very good for 2 reasons. Local community football links. And future development and potential sales of quality players.

Paul - Not sure about this as the most important focus must be on returning to league one. The strength of the first team is paramount.

Gillingham Legends - This is really encouraging to hear as there have been a number of local young players that have gone to other league clubs and done well or made the clubs money. It would be good if the Gills could have some of that and develop a few more assets.

Lewis - It is important. We’ve seen with this Alfie May saga that we should have signed him before and it’s happened with the likes of Matty Godden. It’ll be important to snap local players up early on.

BQGillsFan - Kent is one of the most populous and largest regions in the country, the fact we don’t see more talent coming through local call-ups has been criminal. Even with London nearby, we should easily be able to get young players from non-league sides in Kent and South East London through the doors to bolster the ranks. Ike Orgi looks like a very promising prospect and I refuse to believe that in a region the size of Kent, there’s not more untapped potential out there for Gills to exploit.

Sean - Kent has a plethora of non-league clubs, and it would be silly not to keep tabs on young players applying their trade in the local area. Historically, we have let to many of these players slip through our net and Jackett is spot on in identifying this as an area for improvement. With us implementing a b-team setup it will be interesting to see where we source this understudy group from and the extent to which we can assist them in finding loan spells in the local area at good clubs at a suitable level.

Rob-B - I think it's relatively important. We should be signing up and coming players and I'm not really fussed if they're from Outer Mongolia or Canterbury. By having local connections it does help in scouting and encouraging players to move when they have family connections to the local area.

13. TOM NICHOLS AND OLI HAWKINS HAVE BEEN GILLINGHAM’S STRIKE-FORCE FOR GILLS INCREDIBLE RUN OF FORM IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON TOM NICHOLS AND OLI HAWKINS AS GILLINGHAM’S STRIKE PARTNERSHIP ???

Mark - I really like Nichols, he's clever, but neither have pace and boy do we need pace up front. I don't think either will be regular starters next season. I expect us to sign players up front with pace.

Rob - I was impressed with how quickly they struck up a partnership. Hopefully they’ll do even better next season.

Colin - Nichols gets goals, Hawkins doesn’t. I think Hawkins will be used as a defender am an auxiliary striker if we get hit by injuries.

Naylor - The partnership did the job for what we needed. Whether it will still be the first choice partnership going into next season I guess we'll have to wait and find out.

Loonpotter - Nichols and Hawkins were terrific together. I do think going forward Hawkins may find himself at the back a bit more though when further signings come in to bolster the attack.

Harry - They did very well, but I still think we are missing a real goal scorer in the squad. I’m sure Tom and Oli will be a big part of our season next year.

Luv_Gills - Good, solid, L2 strike force. Need 2 extras to create competition. Hope Gbode can develop and fill one of those spots.

Paul - Both excellent league two players whom improved our strike force.

Gillingham Legends - Like them both. Like the big man/little man dynamic too. Think Nichols is a really intelligent player who can make things happen and score a few goals. Hawkins wins everything in the air and his hold up play is excellent, a good foil for Nichols. The only thing lacking is a bit of pace but if that's added, we will really be a force to be reckoned with.

Lewis - Their cases are helped because of the trash that was before them but they both did excellently. Both are top players for this level and have clear roles and both seem great blokes too. A lot of love for both players.

BQGillsFan - I like (it, I like it , I like it, I like it) Nichols and Hawkins, and both have been brilliant since arriving in January. My only concern is that they both feel like the work well as the secondary striker in a partnership, rather than being the main man. That is of course a hugely positive quality to have, but it does mean that we lack that pure number 9, which I would like to see us recruit in the summer and then alternate who partners them out of Nichols and Hawkins depending on the situation. I’d lean more to Nichols for most games, but Oli definitely has his advantages in certain scenarios.

Sean - Oli and Tom have done everything asked of them and that will always be remembered. Personally, I have my doubts regarding Oli’s long-term role as a starting member of our strike force. I believe that if we truly desire to challenge up the top of the table, we need to strengthen our attack. Obviously, there has been lots of rumour regarding our interest in certain strikers. Personally i’m attempting to keep a positive mindset – I have no doubt that we will end up adding to our strike force it’s simply a matter of who and when rather then if.

Rob-B - Possibly controversial opinion incoming: they're okay. I think Nichols will score more if he's got better players around him and if Lapslie is closer to him as a 10. Hawkins is good in the air, but again not prolific. We need to play with wingers to get the best from him, but then how does that fit if you still want Nichols and not forcing Lapslie out wide. I still think we need another striker. Alfie May is unlikely to be it, in my opinion.

14. WHO DID YOU VOTE FOR AS GILLINGHAM’S PLAYER OF THE SEASON AND WHY ???

Mark - Not sure I voted but if I did it would have been Glen Morris - he was consistent.

Rob - Glenn Morris. Because without him, a bunch of the draws in the first half of the season would have been defeats.

Colin - I voted for Glenn Morris because of the number of times he prevented us getting battered.

Naylor - I believe I voted for Glenn Morris. The cat was quite simply exceptional.

Loonpotter - Alex MacDonald got my vote for his consistent efforts through both the rough period and the turnaround.

Harry - I went for Alex MacDonald, he played nearly every game and gave his all. Which is an incredible achievement given the injury he came back from at his age. He was also one of a few who stayed in the team after our January rebuild and I think that says it all really.

Luv_Gills - I didn’t vote. Would have been between Macca and Willo.

Paul - Max Ehmer as to me he was consistent all season in our defence with little injury issue.

Gillingham Legends - I voted for Glenn Morris as I felt he was the only player to have been consistently good throughout the whole season, including the abysmal first half.

Lewis - Glenn Morris. Was close to a few others but I think Morris is the best goalkeeper in the division and proved that often.

BQGillsFan - I went with Morris, purely because he was an important player throughout the season, not just the second half of the campaign. To be performing at such a high level at his age is nothing short of incredible, and we are very lucky to have The Cat between the sticks.

Sean - Personally, I voted for Glenn Morris as player of the year. For me he was the only individual who managed to impress me consistently in both halves of the season. I think without him our first half of the season would have been drastically worse (if that is even possible!)

Rob-B - I can't remember and probably went for Morris. He was consistent throughout the bad times and good. People like Jefferies improved considerably after Christmas.

15. ANDY HESSENTHALER SPOKE ABOUT GILLINGHAM IMPLEMENTING A B TEAM IN-BETWEEN THE FIRST TEAM AND THE YOUTH TEAM, AND THAT IS LOOKING VERY LIKELY TO HAPPEN, HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR GILLINGHAM TO HAVE A B TEAM / U21 TEAM IN-BETWEEN THE FIRST TEAM AND YOUTH TEAM ???

Mark - If we use it to develop fringe players then yes its important.

Rob - I’m unsure but very much hoping that it will be positive.

Colin - A reserve team playing in a competitive league would make a big difference to the development and rehabilitation of players who are on the fringe for whatever reason. Whether it’s affordable for a club like Gillingham we’ll find out.

Naylor - It's incredibly important we bridge that gap between youth football and first team. Sending the kids out to non-league teams helps get them knowledge of men's football, but obviously at a lower level then we're expecting them to be able to play at when they get to the first team. Having that bridge gives those young players a potential pathway now to more game time and involvement with the First XI.

Loonpotter - I think it is important to have an U21/B team to give young and/or fringe players the chance to play more competitively.

Harry - This will be great for The club making it a more attractive prospect for younger players, knowing they are not going to be thrown out on loan or sat on the bench if they sign for us and of course if they impress in these games they are at Harris’ disposal for first team fixtures.

Luv_Gills - Vital and puts us back among a lot of lower league clubs who’ve always had one.

Paul - At our level in league two I have my doubts but it’s a useful reserve plus possible profit.

Gillingham Legends - It will be good for fringe players to have games to play and integrate the younger players also. If we have the capacity to do it, it can only be a good thing.

Lewis - I like that Harris is getting the structure he wanted. His vision is coming to life. It’s good to have that gap to avoid potential pointless loans and have more opportunities and less pressure for players to hit the ground running as soon as they go pro.

BQGillsFan - Again, something we should have had for ages, Scally not funding a B-team/U-21 was a huge reason we struggled with player turnover and lack of footballing identity for so many years. If you can bring players through early, imbed a philosophy and a loyalty to the club from a young age, that will only serve as a benefit for the first team.

Sean - I think it would be vital in regard to the long-term production of talent at the club. That gradual pathway between the youth team and first team would ensure players are able to make the necessary improvements to their game. It would also give us greater squad depth which helps if we desire to compete in all three cup competitions alongside the league without being over reliant on the same group of core players. Hopefully, we are able to develop some true gems for the future – adding a level of financial income potentially that we rarely see from player sales.

Rob-B - Very important. We have some promising youngsters but they don't get a chance to play. They either then rot in the reserves, neither playing, nor being on the bench, or get loaned out to lower non-league sides. Having a bunch who play regular games will help them showcase their quality and improve as players.

16. WHEN THE FIXTURES LIST IS ANNOUNCED, WOULD YOU PREFER GILLINGHAM TO HAVE A HOME OR A AWAY GAME ON THE OPENING DAY OF THE 2023 / 2024 SEASON ???

Mark - I want a game I will go to. I'd love Notts County away to see us take a large following. I won't go to many away games next season, so my preference is one of those I have pencilled in.

Rob - Away. I’m likely to be on holiday, so just being selfish.

Colin - We have to play everyone else in the league home and away at some point so I’m not that bothered. Going to Carlisle, Morecambe, Barrow, Forest Green or Salford will be a pain whenever we have to go there.

Naylor - Don't have a preference.

Loonpotter - Home game against one of the teams expected to finish in the bottom half.. A few goals and some confidence gained early on will put us in good stead to start building momentum.

Harry - I would like an away game but in reality I am not too fussed, you have to play everyone twice and you don’t always know who the toughest opposition will be until the season is underway. For me it is about planning my trips etc, and Just praying we don’t get Barrow Away on a Tuesday night!!

Luv_Gills - Doesn’t matter. If I could chose I’d prefer home games at end of season, Boxing Day, New Years Day and over Easter.

Paul - Always a home game.

Gillingham Legends - I always like to start at home but obviously that's now not the case this coming season. I don't think it matters too much.

Lewis - I know a lot of fans wanted an away game like we got but I think a nice home win early on would’ve been good. Stockport will be a very tough test.

BQGillsFan - You obviously always want a home game to start a new season. At the time of writing, we now know that we have away Stockport on the opening day, a very daunting task. But we have to face them at some point, so might as well get it out the way, and victory would send a real statement to the rest of the league that Gills mean business.

Sean - For me, living away from Medway I was quite selfishly hoping for an accessible away game. Stockport is certainly that so I am looking forward to getting to that one!

Rob-B - I don't mind.

17. WITH WREXHAM AND NOTTS COUNTY PROMOTED FROM THE NATIONAL LEAGUE, MK DONS, ACCRINGTON STANLEY, MORECAMBE AND FOREST GREEN ROVERS RELEGATED FROM LEAGUE ONE INTO LEAGUE TWO, AND STOCKPORT COUNTY, BRADFORD CITY AND SALFORD CITY ALL MISSED OUT PROMOTION IN THE PLAYOFFS, DO YOU THINK LEAGUE TWO WILL BE EVEN MORE CHALLENGING AND COMPETITIVE NEXT SEASON COMPARED TO THIS SEASON ???

Mark - It probably will be but I expect us to have a really good season. We need to maintain the momentum we got in the second half of last season.

Rob - Perhaps. I’m not worried about Counterfeit FC coming down to be honest. With luck they’ll be flushed down to the level of the game they ought to have started at. Wrexham will have to play 46 games against more consistently strong opponents, and I suspect they’ll struggle to adapt. Notts and Stockport will be strong though I think.

Colin - As you say a lot of clubs have money and that translates as better players. I think we will be in the mix if we add to our goal scoring options.

Naylor - I do. I think there is about 10 clear challengers for promotion next season as even clubs like Mansfield Town and Doncaster can't be ruled out with their recent spending power. I'm excited about the season from a Gills point of view of course, but I'm wary it is a stronger league than last season so it might have to be done the hard way.

Loonpotter - I think this coming season will be much more competitive than last... Big money Wrexham and hot favourites to do well Notts County join the league along with the likes of Bradford, Mansfield and many more that look like they might splash a little cash. They all have the same problem though and that problem is the rise of the sleeping giant.

Harry - League 2 will be the toughest it’s been in a while next season, with some of the signings teams have made. I honestly wouldn’t be too surprised if any of maybe 18 teams in league 2 next season were to get promoted. I would like to think we will at least be in the playoffs though, if not the automatics.

Luv_Gills - It will definitely be more challenging with the money available to Wrexham, Salford, Notts C and probably MK. Plus teams like Stockport, Bradford, Mansfield still here with decent squads and plenty of money.

Paul - I don’t think the league will be anymore challenging than last season as it’s all about winning.

Gillingham Legends - Definitely so. A lot of good teams but I feel we are in a good position to compete with most of those teams. I'm not so sure Wrexham are going to do as well as everyone expects either.

Lewis - It looks the most competitive it’s ever been to be honest. Some clubs are going to fall short of their objectives. Let’s hope it’s not us.

BQGillsFan - It is indeed looking like a very competitive League Two. Honestly cannot predict how it’s going to go, especially because Wrexham and Notts County come in as huge unknowns. They both obviously had an incredible, historic campaign in the National League last season, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll continue it in a new division. You’d imagine they’ll both be competitive, along with Stockport, Bradford, Morecambe, MK Dons, Forest Green Rovers and hopefully us, League Two will be a very fun league to watch next season.

Sean - I think so yes. It is shaping up to be an incredibly difficult league, Wrexham and Notts County should come up and be right up there and you would assume teams such as Stockport and Bradford are aiming for the automatic promotion places. It is certainly not going to be an easy season and I still believe we need to strengthen in attacking areas if we want to truly challenge the top end of the table. I think at least half of the division will have expectations of competing next season – alongside any dark horses that may rise.

Rob-B - Yes. I think Wrexham and Notts County will be up there this season, plus us. MK Dons will be fighting to go up while the usual suspects of Bradford, Salford, etc will be competing.

18. WHO IS GOING TO ITALY FOR GILLINGHAM’S PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY AGAINST COMO ???

Mark - I am. Nice little break with my now adult kids. I love the alps so that and a chance to see the Gills in Europe will be amazing and Surreal. I did see the Gills play Matra Racing Club in Paris so not technically my first European game!

Rob - Not me I’m sad to say.

Colin - I will be at the Wimbledon Tennis men’s QF on the day Gillingham play a friendly in Como so sadly I won’t be out there.

Naylor - The players and management I suspect.

Loonpotter - I can't go to the friendly in Como as it turns out my passport has expired.

Harry - Unfortunately not as I will be unable to get the time off of work, which is a Shame. I think it’ll be a great experience for any fans going and hopefully we can start to see these trips on a yearly basis!

Luv_Gills - No idea. Unfortunately not me.

Paul - I booked my flight and hotel for the Como trip which I think needs more advertising as it’s a big difference to what some other clubs are doing. The experience for the team in bonding plus seeing how Italians do things will be positive.

Gillingham Legends - Sadly not. Will be a good craic though I'm sure.

Lewis - Sadly not, again because of work. Gutting I’m missing it but hopefully it goes well and paves the way for future tours.

BQGillsFan - I unfortunately will not, due to a combination of work and moving house.

Sean - Sadly, I cannot justify a trip abroad on such short notice. I wish I could afford the time of work but that’s how life is sometimes. I hope everybody going has an enjoyable time and represent the club well!

Rob-B - Nope

19. ARE THERE OTHER FOOTBALL TEAMS / INDIVIDUAL OR TEAM SPORTS TEAMS THAT YOU FOLLOW OR SUPPORT ???

Mark - Not really. I like visiting big stadiums anywhere in the world but couldn't say I support another club. I'm an annoying football tourist that you see on the telly - but no half and half scarf.

Rob - Nope

Colin - I watch a bit of Kent Cricket and I go to some England football matches. I will be at Old Trafford on 19 June for the England game and that will be my first visit.

Naylor - Gillingham is my only football team with exception of my Wednesday night 7aside team Inter Me Naan. I'm big into Formula One and McLaren are my team. I'm hoping to travel to Budapest next year for the Hungarian Grand Prix. As for that I play cricket and Touch Rugby so follow those sports at a distance.

Loonpotter - There are many sports I love watching and a few teams I have soft spots for dating back to my childhood.. Those include Dumbarton, Feyenoord, Genoa, Montpellier, Nuremberg, K V Mechelen,... and of course I am a fan of the Republic of Ireland (my dad is Irish and I always said had I been a professional footballer I would have chosen them over England) which right now is incredibly tough. I'm also a fan of the Turkish league probably because I speak the Turkish language and I have a bit of a soft spot for Samsunspor...  I hope this was random enough lol.

Harry - No other teams for me, I don’t think I would have time with the amount of time I commit to the Gills ! I am a massive football fan generally though and will watch any game that is on almost every night of the week!

Luv_Gills - Not really. I follow all sports, but no particular clubs other than Gills.

Paul - I support no other team than Gillingham and have no wish to do so except the old Gillingham ladies team ( now in my sad view called Chatham town ladies after our club abandoned them in lockdown ) as my 16 year old granddaughter plays in their reserves.

Gillingham Legends - Not really no. I always look out for the ex-Gills players though.

Lewis - I support Kent cricket and I like the likes of Lewis Hamilton and the national teams but that’s it really. There are some football clubs I prefer to others, of course.

BQGillsFan - I am admittedly a two-team fan, but with reason. I moved around a lot as a kid so didn’t have a ‘local’, and my family are not sports fans, meaning I became an Arsenal fan due to friendship groups I was in during the years I started to fall in love with football. Finally settled in Gillingham in 2009, and started going to games in 2010. Especially once I got priced out of going to Arsenal games once I turned 16, I leaned more and more into Gills. Hence why I support both sides. Away from football, I’m a big Max Verstappen fan in Formula 1, and the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL.

Sean - Personally, I am quite a huge fan of motorsports, specifically Formula One, however I do not particularly support any team/driver. I keep an eye on Kent Spitfires in regard to cricket but nothing that even remotely resembles my love for the Gills!

Rob-B - VVV Venlo in the Netherlands. Lost in the enormously complicated playoff system for promotion out of the second-tier. I believe they also have financial issues.

20. AND FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH TO ADD (EXAMPLE: IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE NOT COVERED IN THE NINETEEN QUESTIONS ASKED ABOVE YOU WANT TO EXPAND UPON) ???

Mark - All good but you could have asked for a prediction - 3rd for me.

Rob - Just want to say that I am more excited and optimistic about the upcoming season than I have been for years. Up the Gills!

Colin - Nothing to add other than Up the Gills let’s hope for a successful 2023/ 24 season.

Naylor - Was pleased to see towards the end of the season the food outlets in the Rainham End starting to produce more and better quality food. It gives me confidence that the Paella may return after all.

Loonpotter - And finally.... May the season start tomorrow so the world can bear witness to the rise of the sleeping giant.  UP THE GILLS AND UP THE GALINSONS !!!

Harry - Here’s hoping for a memorable season in 23-24 , UP THE GILLS!!!

Luv_Gills - Nothing else Lee. Keep up the good work and Up the Gills.

Paul - Yes it’s very positive now going forward and I applaud the efforts of the new owners on helping the club recover from the torrid Financial Times of the Covid lockdown. It’s like a new beginning for the Club as it has been for other clubs like Wrexham. Let’s hope Gills can generate similar positive news coverage and go back to our former glory. Remember we have been in the championship unlike most of our competitors so already have a good ground , facilities and experience as fans. We also spent 10 years in league one until last summer.

Gillingham Legends - Only, let's all hope for an exciting season and (shameless plug) any fellow Gills fan, please check out my new book 'The Good, the Bad & the Quirky' for a humorous look at the more bizarre moments in GFC history. You won't be disappointed. UTG!

Lewis - Nothing to add. Thanks as always Lee and up the Gills!

BQGillsFan - Two quick things. Firstly, the new kits for the 2023-24 season are stunning. Possibly the best trio of kits we have ever had. And secondly, it’s truly wonderful to see the positivity around the club right now. Priestfield is once again fun to go to, and not just because of the quality of football. The noise and atmosphere is much happier and far less hostile towards one another, the whole match-day experience is great for fans old and new. We need to keep this up to encourage more fans to come and build a cycle that keeps making things better for everyone. My plea to Gillingham fans is to please keep it up. Don’t turn after one bad result. Don’t throw out hate if one signing doesn’t happen, or we don’t run away with the league. Support the club, support the players, support Harris and support each other. This club has been through a lot of dark times in recent years, let’s all work together to make sure we stay in this new light for as long as possible.

Sean - Nothing from me, thank you for letting me contribute!

Rob-B - Nope. Thanks again for organising and here's to a good season!

Once again, thank you to everyone for participating in this blog, and if anyone who is reading this wishes to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, then feel free to send me a message, and your more than welcome to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, The Strength Of The Gillingham Supporters Blog comes from everyone who has contributed, so once again, thank you to everyone who has participated in every single Gillingham Supporters Blog, There is real excitement and enthusiasm heading into this coming season that The 2023 / 2024 Season will be a very successful season for The Gills, and maybe, just maybe promotion into League One will be on the cards, hopefully, that is what we will be celebrating once the 2023 / 2024 season is completed - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!

#Gillingham #Supporters #Blog

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: HOLLANDS & BLAIR 0-2 GILLINGHAM XI - PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY PRIOR TO 2023 / 2024 SEASON

My Thoughts On Hollands & Blair V Gillingham XI - First Match Of The 2023 / 2024 Season.

I arrived at Hollands & Blair’s Stadium at 6.30PM, and the stadium car park was already full, which suggested that this friendly could have a high turnout, I paid £5 on the turnstiles for admission, but unfortunately there was no match-day programme, and despite asking on several occasions, and I did keep asking and asking, there was unfortunately no team sheet, and without the team sheet, it makes writing this match report that much more difficult and challenging.

But one of the reasons why the car park was so full is because the younger age groups at Hollands & Blair were training on the pitch prior to Hollands & Blair V Gillingham XI, And this would not have been possible without the installation of a multi-use pitch, Because The Soccer Elite FA And Hollands & Blair ground-share The Star Meadow Sport Complex.

And not only do Hollands & Blair And The Soccer Elite FA ground-share the same stadium, But Gillingham’s U18’s will train every-day here, And Gillingham’s newly created B Team will also play competitive matches here as well, so the newly installed 3G Pitch will have four teams constantly using the pitch, and under-age groups can play and train on here prior to first team matches being played as well.

Hollands & Blair’s stadium has changed a lot since I was last here, the small seated stand has gone and a newly installed small seated stand was installed behind the goal, but that was unavailable to be used on Tuesday Night, the dugouts have switched to the opposite side, and new fences are set up behind both goals, and a new permitter fence goes all the way around the pitch, Unfortunately, there was no covered standing or seating area and given that it was absolutely chucked it down with rain (typical, first pre-season friendly in July and it rains) and that meant that we had no-where to take cover from the rain other then the bar.

I queued up to buy a small portion of chips and a can of coke for £3.50 from the refreshments stand, And I got speaking with a few regular Gillingham Supporters that I know, and we were talking about The Alfie May transfer rumours which have gone into over-drive over the last week or so, Charlton Athletic, Derby County, Gillingham and now Bristol Rovers have all expressed an interest in signing Alfie May, and the questions that need to be asked is how far away are Gillingham from Cheltenham Town’s valuation, because if we are not far off, then maybe a deal can be done, if there is night and day between the two valuations, then Gillingham perhaps need to look elsewhere, Does Alfie May want to drop down into League Two ??? - And how much money in-terms of wages do Gillingham need to offer to get this deal done, Because I have always been of the impression that for Gillingham to sign Alfie May, Gillingham would have to offer Cheltenham Town £400,000, and Alfie May will need to be offered a four year deal on £7,000 a week.

Now that is a lot of money and a long term contract for a player who is thirty years old, now Alfie May is a very good striker and he is scoring goals for fun for Cheltenham Town in League One, But are Gillingham looking at signing alternative transfer targets ??? Dipo Akinyemi has strongly been linked to Gillingham, other strikers include re-signing Aiden O’Brien on loan from Shrewsbury Town, Matty Taylor, Andrew Dallas and Joe Pigott has been released by Ipswich Town are various attacking options, And Gillingham can still sign good players who are unattached and it all depends on if Alfie May is willing to sign for Gillingham in League Two, and what will be the transfer fee and wages required to get the deal over the line ???

Neil Harris and Andy Hessenthaler both turned up to watch Hollands & Blair V Gillingham XI, And I never got to ask the questions regarding how will this B Team Structure work, do we need someone to manage this B Team and do Gillingham need to appoint a coaching staff to run this team, because the first team and youth teams will have there own coaching set up’s, but nothing has been mentioned regarding The B Team Coaching Set Up.

Someone I know mentioned that B Teams have no restrictions on the number of over-aged players who can play in B Team Matches, so it ties into playing players who need minutes from the first team, we can organise friendlies against teams like Brentford B, Other U21 Sides, Kent Non League Sides, and playing against local sides means that it costs less to run A B Team then A U21 Team, who have to play in a structured league system, There might be less restrictions on the number of substitutions for B Team Matches compared to U21 Teams playing in a league, But Gillingham have needed this second team in-between The youth team and first team for a long time now, This was one of the topics Neil Harris spoke about when he was first appointed as Gillingham Manager, and we have now implemented A B Team in-between the first team and youth team.

This Is How Gillingham Lined Up Against Hollands & Blair…… Smith, Orji, Giles, Woodliffe, Trialist, Bayliss, Waldock, De Wilde, Macarthur, Sithole, Heasman - The players who’s names I recognise in this squad are Ike Orgi, Alex Giles, Matt Macarthur and Ronald Sithole, we really could have done with a team sheet for this pre-season friendly, I have seen Bayliss’s name mentioned a few times for the youth team, but cannot remember his first name.

And just as the teams lined up on to the pitch ready for kick off, I took my position standing down the side of the pitch opposite the dugouts as both teams get the first pre-season friendly for The 2023 / 2024 Season underway - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!

FIRST HALF:

And within the first minute of the match, Gillingham had a free kick on the edge of Hollands & Blair’s Penalty Area, And Matt Macarthur’s effort on goal from the resulting free kick deflects out of play for A Gillingham Corner.

Hollands & Blair get through down the right flank, and a low cross across the face of goal required last ditch defending from Gillingham to prevent the hosts from opening the scoring, and after that passage of play, Gills are penalised for handball by our number three on the edge of our penalty area, And Hollands & Blair have been awarded a free kick in a very good position on the pitch, And from the resulting free kick, Gillingham just about survived and managed to clear our defensive lines when we thought Hollands & Blair were going to score - set plays is how I can see Hollands & Blair getting themselves on the score-sheet given the inexperience throughout Gillingham’s match-day squad in this pre-season friendly.

Matt Macarthur’s effort on goal was saved by Dan Ellis in goal for Hollands & Blair, And down the other end of the pitch, Hollands & Blair again attack down the right flank, and again whip in a low dangerous cross which really should have been capitalised on and Gillingham thankfully preserve the score-line at 0-0, But this is how Hollands & Blair are creating there best goal-scoring opportunities, by attacking down there right flank.

Gillingham had a half chance to open the scoring when Matt Macarthur looked to get on to the end of a long ball over the top, but there was just a bit too much pace on the ball and Dan Ellis was able to gather the ball inside his penalty area.

I Think Alex Giles was wearing number six for Gillingham, because it was his defensive header which cleared a dangerous in-swinging cross from the hosts, Gillingham were then awarded a free kick in a decent position on the pitch when Matt Macarthur was fouled, and from the resulting free kick, Matt Macarthur’s effort on goal was blocked by Hollands & Blair’s defensive wall.

Gillingham then had three great opportunities in quick succession to open the scoring, ONE: Ronald Sithole’s fiercely driven effort rises over the crossbar with Dan Ellis beaten in goal for Hollands & Blair TWO AND THREE: Jimmy Heasman’s effort on goal is saved by Dan Ellis, and the follow up effort from Ronald Sithole was also saved by Dan Ellis, when we thought that Gillingham had opened the scoring.

But despite this recent passage of play where Gillingham are in the ascendency, Hollands & Blair were awarded a free kick in a very good position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Smith in goal for Gillingham makes an excellent save to prevent Hollands & Blair from taking the lead.

But Gillingham are continuing to put Hollands & Blair under pressure as Ronald Sithole’s cross is cleared out of play for a corner, Matt Macarthur’s cross from the resulting corner kick is cleared and Jimmy Heasman is on to the loose ball, And Jimmy Heasman whips in a dangerous high and hanging cross towards the far post which is too high for anyone to get on to the end of, and Ike Orgi times his challenge to perfection to prevent Hollands & Blair from hitting Gillingham on the counter attack.

Gillingham open the scoring after twenty seven minutes with a fantastic goal, Matt Macarthur charges down a defensive clearance and the loose ball breaks to Harry Waldock, And Harry Waldock works his way into a shooting position before curling the ball into the top right corner, and there is nothing that Dan Ellis in goal for Hollands & Blair can do about that - HOLLANDS & BLAIR 0-1 GILLINGHAM XI

That goal from Harry Waldock has capped off an impressive performance from the young central midfielder, and the player playing alongside Harry Waldock in central midfield has also been noticeable with his own performance, certainly a player who likes to get stuck into the tackle, win the ball and drive Gillingham forwards, also, that goal has given Gillingham a deserved lead given the chances created by Gillingham in the first half so far.

Hollands & Blair had the chance to level the scoring when a driven effort on goal narrowly clears the crossbar with Smith well and truly in-between the sticks, And after that effort on goal from Hollands & Blair, Gillingham were awarded a free kick when Matt Macarthur was fouled outside the penalty area, and from the resulting free kick, Matt Macarthur’s cross was cleared, and in a separate passage of play, an over-hit pass from Gillingham saw the ball go out of play for A Hollands & Blair Goal-Kick.

Hollands & Blair create two great goal-scoring opportunities, and again, the hosts look strong down the right side, this time getting through to the byline, and the low cross is blocked, then blocked again and Hollands & Blair try to create a decent opportunity from the second phase of the same attack before Ike Orgi times his challenge to perfection and just boots the ball clear, better decision making in the final third, and Hollands & Blair would have equalised for 1-1.

And down the opposite end of the pitch, And Jimmy Heasman’s low cross almost picks out Ronald Sithole and last ditch defending from Hollands & Blair kept the score-line to 1-0, and in a separate goal-scoring opportunity, Gillingham almost doubled there lead to 2-0 when Ronald Sithole’s low effort towards goal was turned around the near post by Dan Ellis, who has made a fantastic save to keep Hollands & Blair in this match.

But In The Forty Third Minute Of The Match, Gillingham did double there lead, Ike Orgi and Ronald Sithole try to link up down the right, but Hollands & Blair manage to get the ball partially clear and number four passes the ball to number six for Gillingham, who passes the ball down the line towards Ike Orgi, who takes a touch to set himself, And Ike Orgi whips in a fantastic cross and Jimmy Heasman headers the ball into the back of the net from close range to double Gillingham’s lead to 2-0 - HOLLANDS & BLAIR 0-2 GILLINGHAM XI.

And 2-0 perhaps reflects on the chances that Gillingham have created throughout the first half, but 2-0 should have been 3-0 moments later, a deflected effort on goal from Gillingham hits the top of the crossbar, and Ronald Sithole should have scored the re-bound for 3-0, and how Ronald Sithole has not scored I have no idea, and the final noteworthy moment of the first half was a free kick awarded to Hollands & Blair which didn’t lead to a goal-scoring opportunity for the hosts.VVVV

HALF TIME: HOLLANDS & BLAIR 0-2 GILLINGHAM XI

Gillingham deserve to be leading 2-0 at half time, and Ronald Sithole and Jimmy Heasman have both had opportunities to extend the lead further in Gillingham’s Favour, Ike Orgi has been high and wide on the right flank, providing Gillingham with plenty of width in Hollands & Blair’s final third, Matt Macarthur is a player with a lot of quality, low centre of gravity, can take a free kick and it was great to hear from Matt Macarthur himself that he has signed a new contract.

We found out from one of the coaches that Taite Holtam is training with the first team, and maybe Taite Holtam will play against Dover Athletic if Neil Harris decides not to play one of Jake Turner or Glenn Morris in goal on Saturday, In My Five Potential Goalkeeper Signings Blog LINK IS HERE - https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/718862873519144960/fom-blog-five-potential-goalkeeper-signings-for - I recommended five goalkeepers who Gillingham could sign to be our third choice goalkeeper, because goalkeepers do not count towards The 22 over 21 rule which is a rule that is in place for this season, And Gillingham have got the finances and resources available to have three senior first team goalkeepers on the books this season.

And with pre-season friendlies arranged against Deal Town, Sheppey United, Sittingbourne and Lordswood, Gillingham can take goalkeepers on trial and really take our time looking to sign another goalkeeper, But maybe, Taite Holtam will be promoted into the senior set up as our third choice goalkeeper and Neil Harris will have Glenn Morris, Jake Turner and Taite Holtam as our three senior goalkeepers this season, Because I would have thought we would have seen Taite Holtam in goal for Gillingham against Hollands & Blair.

I was speaking to Gary and Ben at half time, and one thing to take into consideration is the fact that one of our substitutes for the first team in league games, must be “ A Club Development Player” That means Sam Gale, Alex Giles, Ronald Sithole, Taite Holtam, Josh Chambers and Joe Gbode can be named on the bench, and because you have to have “A Club Development Player” on the bench, this makes The B Team Set Up that much more important, and Gillingham have to produce players for the first team, because one of your seven subs has to be a player that comes through the youth system.

And speaking of Joe Gbode, I imagine that Joe Gbode, Josh Chambers and maybe Lewis Walker will drop down to get minutes for Gillingham XI Sides, once we start to make additional signings over the coming weeks, And Joe Gbode is probably the type of player missing in this Gillingham XI Side, someone with physical presence who can play alongside Ronald Sithole and Matt Macarthur.

This is how Gillingham were going to line up for the second half against Hollands & Blair,,,,,,, Sullivan, Webster, Taiwo-Pratt, Trialist, Dobbs, Clark, Khumba, White, Murray, Garrett, Trialist - No idea on squad numbers for any of the players now, and we will be playing a complete guessing game on who is who, just like Bearsted Away on both occasions I have been there where Gillingham have sent XI Sides to Bearsted for pre-season friendlies - now that is one football stadium which is truly in the middle of no-where.

SECOND HALF:

The start of the second half was not as action packed compared to the first half, and the first noteworthy moment of the second half was Hollands & Blair winning a corner kick, which didn’t result in a meaningful opportunity for the hosts, but if Hollands & Blair are going to get themselves on the score-sheet, it is going to come from a set piece.

Gillingham had the chance to extend the score-line even further in our favour to 3-0, And Number 18 for Gillingham saw his fiercely driven effort on goal saved by Dan Ellis and parried wide and out of play for A Gillingham Corner, Gillingham created a half chance from the resulting corner kick, But Hollands & Blair managed to clear there defensive lines.

A Succession of throw on’s broke up the pattern of play combined with the terrible weather, even The Linesman in-front of us mentioned that it always rains when he has officiated at Hollands & Blair, But back to matters happening on the pitch, number 18 for Gillingham should have been booked for a very reckless challenge, and The Referee showed a lot of leniency not to book number 18 for a poor challenge and Hollands & Blair were awarded a free kick on the halfway line, and from the resulting free kick, a long diagonal cross-field cross was flicked on by A Hollands & Blair Player and Sullivan reacts to the knock-down quickly by getting to the ball first, good anticipation from the young Gillingham Goalkeeper.

Down the opposite end of the pitch, Hollands & Blair are penalised for a foul on Gillingham’s Number 19, And Gillingham are awarded a free kick in a decent position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Number 12 clips in a dangerous cross which is headed clear and out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, and although the corner didn’t result in a meaningful goal-scoring opportunity, we are seeing Gillingham continue to create chances despite making wholesale changes at half time.

The next passage of play see’s Gillingham on the front-foot, Gillingham’s Number Nine, gets on to the end of a decent pass out-wide, takes on the left back, but runs out of room by the byline, And Number Nine’s low cross goes out of play for a goal-kick at the near post, In a separate attack, Number 18 was almost on on goal for Gillingham, Before A Hollands & Blair player makes a crucial interception.

And down the opposite end of the pitch, Hollands & Blair had the chance to score for 1-2 down, and a dangerous cross towards the far post was just too high for any player to get on the end of, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, Gillingham had another opportunity to add to the score-line, When Number 15 For Gills see’s his effort on goal from inside the penalty area go narrowly wide of the far post with a curling effort which had Dan Ellis well and truly beaten - had that effort been on target, Gillingham would have scored for 3-0.

Hollands & Blair were looking to create a decent attacking opportunity, until Number 14 made a crucial interception in Gillingham’s final third, But after that challenge from Number 14, Hollands & Blair had a spell in the game where they were on top, winning a corner kick which didn’t lead to a goal-scoring opportunity, and a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, which Hollands & Blair wasted by getting flagged for offside from there own free kick, Number 12 for Gillingham had to make a crucial challenge to knock the ball out of play for a throw on, And Number 14 for Gillingham was penalised for a foul.

A last ditch challenge from A Hollands & Blair Player diverted the ball out of play A Gillingham Corner Kick, and from the resulting corner, Number 14 whips in a dangerous cross which is flicked on and Dan Ellis makes an important save in goal for Hollands & Blair, But Gillingham continue to put Hollands & Blair under pressure by winning several corner kicks in quick succession, A Dangerous Gills cross from a corner kick is palmed away from danger by Dan Ellis for another corner kick, Number 12 for Gills whips in a dangerous cross which is headed clear and out of play for another corner.

And the onslaught continued, as another Gillingham cross was headed partially clear and away from goal, and Gillingham’s Number 7 works his way into a shooting position, before seeing his effort on goal brilliantly saved by Dan Ellis, who parried the ball wide and away from goal, And Gillingham are awarded another corner kick, which eventually lead to another corner kick, and finally Hollands & Blair were able to clear there defensive lines.

At the other end of the pitch, Hollands & Blair were awarded a free kick within shooting territory as Gillingham were penalised for a foul, and the effort on goal from the resulting free kick was brilliantly saved by Sullivan, who parried the ball wide and away from goal and out for a corner, and from the resulting corner kick, Hollands & Blair whip in a dangerous cross and Sullivan was well positioned off his line to gather the high and hanging cross.

And in a separate attack, Gills have to resort to desperate defending to clear the ball out of play for A Hollands & Blair Corner Kick, and from the resulting corner, and just like the previous corner kick, Sullivan was well positioned to gather the high and hanging cross, perhaps with Hollands & Blair having more experience and know how, Sullivan was told to claim any high ball inside our penalty area, And Hollands & Blair are pushing for a consolation goal as the hosts were awarded a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Hollands & Blair whip in another dangerous cross and Sullivan was well positioned to claim the high ball aimed towards the far post.

And the final noteworthy moment of the match was a well timed challenge on A Gillingham Player as Gillingham looked to counter right at the end of the match.

FULL TIME: HOLLANDS & BLAIR 0-2 GILLINGHAM XI

So Gillingham win our first pre-season friendly in preparation for The 2023 / 2024 Season, 2-0 could have been 4-0 with the chances created, But Hollands & Blair perhaps thought they could have got themselves on the score-sheet, especially in the first half when Hollands & Blair looked strong down there right side - Gillingham’s Left - I just wished the weather conditions were better then chucking it down with rain, especially as Hollands & Blair do not have any covered standing or seating stands at The Star Meadow Sports Complex.

And maybe with this joint partnership between Hollands & Blair, The Soccer Elite FA, and Gillingham Football Club, maybe all three sides can help fund some improvements to the stadium, Down the dugout side of the pitch, perhaps where the old seated stand used to be situated, perhaps a bigger seated stand which is raised above pitch level could be installed at the ground, and maybe down the opposite side where myself and a few other Gillingham Supporters were standing, a covered terrace could be put down that side of the football pitch, even if it ran halfway down and the goalposts do not have to be moved, obviously, ground maintenance and improvements cost money, but you do need some covered seats or standing to play in The SCEFL, and perhaps Hollands & Blair are working on the necessary ground improvements, as well as having additional capacity covered for when the club get larger league attendances.

And speaking of attendances, 325 is impressive, especially given the poor weather conditions combined with the fact that this match wasn’t really advertised much, Gillingham did tweet about this game happening prior to the match being played on Tuesday Night, But I don’t know how many people knew the game was going ahead, or, perhaps some people knew the game was going ahead, but are going to Dover Athletic away instead.

I should have asked one of Mark Moss, Andy Hessenthaler or Neil Harris how will this B Team get implemented, ask questions about specific staff appointments needed and required to run The B Team and more details regarding how this B Team will work between the first team and youth team, when I go to other XI Friendlies, hopefully I can find out more about this, Because Gillingham are playing against Lordswood, Sheppey United, Chatham Town, and Sittingbourne, and I am going to go to all four friendlies, there of course is the possibility that now that Gillingham have played Hollands & Blair in pre-season, Gillingham will announce key specific details of the partnership between both football clubs.

But if your a first or second year scholar, a player in the different age groups at the football club, or even first year pro’s like Alex Giles, Sam Gale, Ronald Sithole and Joe Gbode, then this is a good time to be at Gillingham Football Club as a young player, because with the implementation of A B Team in-between the first team and youth team, there is now a pathway into the first team, and your stepping up a level from The Youth Merit League to play for this newly created B Team, who can go from playing pre-season friendlies against other B Teams, to playing matches against Kent Non League Sides, to playing against other academy teams, or even a inter-squad friendly against Gillingham’s First Team.

And for young players who need to go out on loan, maybe there is the opportunity to go to Hollands & Blair, Chatham Town, Sheppey United and other Kent Non League Teams on loan to experience playing competitive first team football, And looking at the players playing for Gillingham last night against Hollands & Blair, there is a good crop of young players coming through, and now we can include the young players either in the youth team, go out on loan to gain first team football, play for the newly created B Team, or if they do really well, play for the first team, there is just more options for our young players now.

And there is also an opportunity for our young players to force there way into the first team for The Football League Trophy Matches, Gillingham will obviously be prioritising League Two, The FA Cup and The League Cup for the first team, But Gillingham should name the minimum amount of first team players required for Football League Trophy Games, and obviously, The Kent Senior Cup is used for youth development for Gillingham, But Neil Harris can give players game-time who are on the fringe of the first team in The Football League Trophy, and protect our key first team players for important league games.

In-terms of players who performed well, Ike Orgi, Ronald Sithole, Matt Macarthur, all stood out with there respective performances, But Harry Waldock capped off his own individual performance with a truly magnificent strike to open the scoring for Gillingham, and the midfielder who played alongside him in central midfield also impressed, And Sullivan in goal in the second half put in a commendable performance in-between the sticks, But Harry Waldock would probably be the player who would get Gillingham’s Man Of The Match for me, not just for the goal, which was excellent, but his performance in midfield just impressed us on the day.

#Gillingham #Hollands&Blair #Football

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: FIVE POTENTIAL GOALKEEPER SIGNINGS FOR GILLINGHAM

With Glenn Morris And Jake Turner under contract for next season, there will be some supporters who will understandably asking the question as to why do Gillingham need to sign another goalkeeper when we have got two very good goalkeepers at the football club already, And this is a very reasonable question to ask as well.

But despite the fact that Gillingham have already got Glenn Morris and Jake Turner contracted at the football club for next season, Gillingham have already been linked with a move for Reading Goalkeeper Luke Southwood, And Luke Southwood has made fifty one appearances for Cheltenham Town on loan from Reading this season, and Neil Harris has spoken about further strengthening Gillingham’s Goalkeeper Options For The 2023 / 2024 Season.

And speaking of The 2023 / 2024 Season, squad rules will change next season, because League One And League Two Clubs can only have twenty two players in there entire squad over the age of twenty one years old, however, goalkeepers do not count towards the age restriction limit, So Glenn Morris and Jake Turner do not count towards this age restriction which is only reserved for out-field players.

But Gillingham now have got the finances and resources available to them to have three senior first team goalkeepers contracted at the football club, and permanently contracted at the football club is the crucial aspect here, because we saw in The 2021 / 2022 Season when Chelsea recalled Jamie Cumming from his loan spell at Gillingham only to send him back out on loan to MK Dons, And Gillingham signed Pontus Dahlberg on loan because Jamie Cumming had been recalled from his season long loan at Gillingham, And if Neil Harris is looking to sign another goalkeeper to add further reinforcements, or to provide additional cover and competition, then the goalkeeper Neil Harris will be looking to sign will be someone on a permanent contract, and not a loan signing.

Below, Are five goalkeepers who I think Gillingham could sign to add additional depth to the goalkeeping position……

ONE: ADAM PRZYBEK (AGE: 23) - Adam Przybek was released by Stevenage at the end of this season having only played two matches, all be it, one of those games was on the final day of the season where Adam Przybek kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 away win against Barrow, Adam Przybek has been capped by Wales at U21 Level and would provide additional depth to Gillingham’s Goalkeeping Options.

TWO: LUKE MCGEE (AGE: 27) - Luke McGee Was Forest Green Rovers First Choice Goalkeeper In The 2021 / 2022 Season, And Forest Green Rovers secured promotion into League One, However, this season has seen Luke McGee make twenty five appearances, with the last of those appearances being back in January, Both Goalkeepers I have mentioned so far have been in squads that have got promoted from League Two into League One, and that experience of gaining promotion could be something Neil Harris looks at when looking to sign another goalkeeper.

THREE: SHAUN MACDONALD (AGE: 26) - Shaun MacDonald has made all four appearances for Cheltenham Town In The Football League Trophy This Season, However, Shaun MacDonald has made the most appearances of his footballing career at Torquay United In The National League, But Shaun MacDonald may well be looking to sign for A Football League Club in the summer, rather then drop back into The National League again.

FOUR: SAM SARGEANT (AGE: 25) - Sam Sargeant made four appearances for Leyton Orient In The 2022 / 2023 Season, three of those appearances were in The Football League Trophy, And Sam Sargeant found game-time limited at Leyton Orient with Lawrence Vigouroux performing brilliantly in goal for Leyton Orient, And just like my earlier suggestions of Adam Przybek and Luke McGee, Sam Sargeant has been involved in a squad that has achieved promotion from League Two into League One, And Leyton Orient were promoted as League Two Champions, This suggestion is also realistic with the geographical locations of Leyton Orient and Gillingham, And I am sure that Sam Sargeant will want to sign for A Football League Club this summer as well.

FIVE: BRIAN SCHWAKE (AGE: 21) - One of the talking points Head Of Recruitment And Gillingham Legend Andy Hessenthaler mentioned regarding Gillingham’s recruitment and scouting this summer, was the fact that Gillingham have been scouting players in Scotland And The Republic Of Ireland, and one goalkeeper who has been playing regular first team football in The Scottish Championship who might have a bit of potential is Brian Schwake, The American Goalkeeper has spent this season on loan at Greenock Morton and could be a player that Gillingham have kept there eye on, Gillingham have already been linked to one player playing in Scotland this summer in Ayr United Striker Dipo Akinyemi, and maybe Gillingham have also been looking at Goalkeeper Brian Schwake as well, Andy Hessenthaler found a hidden gem of a goalkeeper in Paulo Gazzaniga during his second spell as Gillingham Manager, and perhaps Gillingham are looking to sign a younger goalkeeper with a bit of potential.

So these are my five suggestions for potential goalkeeping signings who Gillingham could sign this summer, Other honourable mentions were Jonathan Mitchell released by Doncaster Rovers and Ben Killip who has rejected a new contract at Hartlepool United, but both goalkeepers were first choice goalkeepers for Doncaster Rovers and Hartlepool United respectively this season, and I just thought that both goalkeepers would be unrealistic options for Gillingham, purely to sign someone who will add additional squad depth to our goalkeeping options for The 2023 / 2024 Season, Because if Gillingham are looking to sign a goalkeeper to add additional depth to our goalkeeping options, then whoever Gillingham sign has to be a player who understands and is willing to be a back up option.

Three senior goalkeepers contracted at the football club is something that Gillingham have not had for some-time, And the last time Gillingham had three senior goalkeepers at the football club was back in The 2017 / 2018 Season with Tomas Holy, Stuart Nelson and Steve Arnold all at the football club, and wages for a third goalkeeper would quite often go towards strengthening other positions on the pitch, especially when Gillingham were operating with limited resources, but that is not the case now, Gillingham can afford to sign a third goalkeeper without affecting the quality and ability of our first team out-field players, and Neil Harris has spoken about wanting to strengthen the goalkeeping department this summer, and I do think we will sign another goalkeeper to make sure that there is additional cover and competition along with Glenn Morris and Jake Turner at the football club.

And with XI Pre-Season Friendlies organised against Lordswood, Chatham Town, Sheppey United and Deal Town, Gillingham can use these matches to look at goalkeepers on trial and take our time looking at different goalkeepers before deciding on which goalkeeper to sign to add additional reinforcements to our goalkeeping options, and the closer we get to the season starting, players start to look at options that were not grabbing there interest in June or early July, and considering that a additional goalkeeper isn’t the highest priority on our list, Gillingham can take there time before looking to sign another goalkeeper, but I do believe we will see another goalkeeper signed before the season starts again in August.

#Gillingham #Goalkeepers

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: MY UPDATED FOOTBALL STADIUM CHECK LIST - 2022 / 2023

This Stadium List Has Been Updated On 31st May 2023 / At The End Of The 2022 / 2023 Season......

I will start off by naming the grounds I have been too, this could take a while.

Accrington Stanley - The Crown Ground

AFC Fylde - Mill Farm

AFC Wimbledon - Kingsmeadow And New Plough Lane

AFC Bournemouth - Dean Court

Aldershot Town - The EBB Stadium

Ashford United - The Homelands

Barnet - Underhill and The Hive

Barnsley - Oakwell

Barrow - Holker Street

Bearsted - Honey Lane

Billericay Town - New Lodge

Birmingham City - St Andrews

Blackburn Rovers - Ewood Park

Blackpool - Bloomfield Road

Bolton Wanderers - The Macron Stadium

Brackley Town - St James Park

Bradford City - Valley Parade

Brentford -  Griffin Park And The Gtech Community Stadium

Brighton & Hove Albion - The Amex Arena and Withdean Stadium

Bristol City - Ashton Gate

Bristol Rovers - The Memorial Stadium

Bromley - Hayes Lane

Burton Albion - The Pirelli Stadium

Bury - Gigg Lane

Cambridge United - Abbey Stadium

Carlisle United -  Brunton Park

Charlton Athletic - The Valley

Chatham Town - The Sports Ground

Cheltenham Town - Whaddon Road

Chester City - The Exacta Stadium

Chesterfield - The Proact Stadium and Saltergate

Colchester United - Weston Homes Community Stadium

Coventry City - Sixfields and The Ricoh Arena

Crawley Town - Broadfield Stadium

Crewe Alexandra - Gresty Road

Crystal Palace - Selhurst Park

Dagenham & Redbridge - Victoria Road

Dartford - Princes Park

Darlington - The Darlo Arena

Doncaster Rovers - Keepmoat Stadium

Dover Athletic - The Crabble

Ebbsfleet United - Stonebridge Road

Exeter City - St James Park

Faversham Town - Salters Lane

Folkestone Invicta - Cheriton Road

Fleetwood Town - Highbury Stadium

Gillingham - Priestfield Stadium (Of Course)

Gillingham Town - Hardings Lane - Only went to view the stadium, not watch a game there

Grimsby Town - Blundell Park

Hartlepool United -  Victoria Park

Harrogate Town - Wetherby Road

Hereford United - Edgar Street

Herne Bay - Winch's Field

Hollands & Blair - Star Meadow Sports Stadium

Huddersfield Town - Galpharm Stadium

Hythe Town - Reachfields Stadium

Ipswich Town - Portman Road

K Sports FC - K Sports Cobdown

Leeds United - Elland Road

Leyton Orient - Brisbane Road

Lincoln City - Sincil Bank

Luton  Town - Kenilworth Road

Maidstone United - The Gallagher Stadium

Manchester United - Old Trafford ( But this was only a tour of the stadium, not to watch a game)

Mansfield Town - Field Mill

Macclesfield Town - Moss Rose

Margate - Hartsdown Park

Millwall - The Den

Milton Keynes Dons - stadium mk

Morecambe - The Globe Arena and Christie Park

Newport County - Rodney Parade

Northampton Town - Sixfields

Norwich City - Carrow Road

Nottingham Forest - The City Ground

Notts County - Meadow Lane

Oldham Athletic - Boundary Park

Oxford United - The Kassam Stadium

Peterborough United - London Road

Phoenix Sports - The Mayplace Ground

Plymouth Argyle - Home Park

Port Vale - Vale Park

Portsmouth - Fratton Park

Preston North End - Deepdale

Ramsgate - Southwood Stadium

Reading - Madejski Stadium

Rochdale - Spotland

Rotherham United - The New York Stadium, Don Valley and Millmoor

Salford City - Peninsula Stadium

Scunthorpe United - Glanford Park

Sittingbourne - Bourne Park (For The Concord Rangers V Gillingham Game)

Sheffield United - Bramall Lane

Sheffield Wednesday - Hillsborough Stadium

Sheppey United - The Havill Stadium

Shrewsbury Town - Greenhous Meadow

Slough Town - Arbour Park

Southampton - St Mary's Stadium

Southend United - Roots Hall

Stevenage - Broadhall Way

Stockport County - Edgeley Park

Sunderland - Stadium Of Light

Sutton United - Gander Green Lane

Swansea City - Liberty Stadium

Swindon Town - The County Ground

Tonbridge Angels - Longmead Stadium

Torquay United - Plainmoor

Tottenham - White Heart Lane (The Old Stadium)

Tranmere Rovers - Prenton Park

Walsall - The Bescot Stadium

Watford - Vicarage Road

Welling United - Park View Road

Whitstable Town - The Belmont Ground

Wigan Athletic - DW Stadium

Wolverhampton Wanderers - Molineux

Wycombe Wanderers - Adams Park

VCD Athletic - The Oakwood

Yeovil Town - Huish Park

York City - Bootham Crescent

Wembley Stadium - for Gillingham's promotion into League One in 2009 and for Tunbridge Wells defeat in The FA Vase Final in 2013, And I watched Cray Valley at The FA Trophy And FA Vase Finals Day.

#Football #Stadiums #AwayDays #England

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: MY RELEASE / RETAIN LIST FOR THE 2023 / 2024 SEASON

Gillingham finished The 2022 / 2023 Season on a high with a 1-0 away win against Salford City On Monday The Eighth Of May, and now that the football season is over, we can turn our attentions to which players will be released who are out of contract, which players who are out of contract that Gillingham will want to keep, Which players will Gillingham sign in the summer, and the dates for the pre-season friendlies that Gillingham will play in preparation for The 2023 / 2024 Season.

Below are my thoughts on every player and which players I would keep, and which players I think Gillingham should release, And we have already heard news regarding Glenn Morris, Robbie McKenzie, Max Ehmer and Shaun Williams signing new contracts and Cheye Alexander triggering a contract extension, and it makes for a pleasant change compared to previous season’s where Gillingham would make wholesale changes to the squad and then need to sign twenty players in the off season, But here is my release / retain list for this summer as Gillingham look to build a squad capable of challenging for promotion in League Two For The 2023 / 2024 Season…..

GOALKEEPERS

GLENN MORRIS - KEEP - Glenn Morris Got My Vote For Gillingham Player Of The Season, And Glenn Morris won that award at the presentation evening on Sunday, There have been many games in the first half of the season where we can point to crucial saves in key matches where Gillingham have picked up points due to the performances of Glenn Morris in goal for Gillingham, and as the squad improved throughout The January Transfer Window and Gillingham added quality and much needed firepower to help Gillingham turn losses into draws and draws into wins, and even when Gillingham were winning matches against Hartlepool United, Colchester United, Rochdale and Grimsby Town, we can point to moments in these matches where Glenn Morris has made important saves when the score-line was 0-0, or when Gillingham had taken the lead and gone 1-0 up, And despite the fact that Glenn Morris will be forty next season, I expect we will see Glenn Morris line up as our first choice goalkeeper next season.

JAKE TURNER - KEEP - BUT COULD LEAVE ON LOAN - Jake Turner has played eighteen matches for Gillingham this season, Three Football League Trophy Matches, Four League Cup, Four FA Cup, And Seven League Two Matches, Jake Turner was also in goal for Gillingham against Tonbridge Angels In The Kent Senior Cup, And Gillingham have played a lot of cup matches this season, And Jake Turner has helped Gillingham to contribute in our impressive cup runs in The FA Cup and League Cup, and that penalty shootout win against Brentford will live long in the memory, however, Gillingham have been linked with a move for Luke Southwood from Reading, And Taite Holtam has been named as Gillingham’s Club Development Player on the bench for a few league games this season, And I do wonder if Jake Turner will be sent out on loan next season if Gillingham are linked with signing another goalkeeper in the summer ???

TAITE HOLTAM - KEEP - Taite Holtam has been named as Gillingham’s Club Development Player on the bench for the first team for a few times this season, and when I have seen Taite Holtam in goal for Gillingham, It was mostly playing for The XI Sides in pre-season against Chatham Town and Bearsted, But with the likelihood of A U21 Team to be implemented in the summer, I think Taite Holtam will get game-time for Gillingham in a newly created U21 Side.

DEFENDERS

CHEYE ALEXANDER - KEEP - Cheye Alexander has triggered a one year contract extension with the number of appearances he has made for Gillingham this season, And Cheye Alexander has gone from back up / rotational right back, to now being Gillingham’s First Choice Right Back, And Cheye Alexander and Alex MacDonald do link up well down the right flank between the two of them, Cheye Alexander’s goal against AFC Wimbledon was voted as Gillingham’s Goal Of The Season, And Cheye Alexander has assisted a few important goals for Gillingham in the second half of the season, Oli Hawkins stoppage time equaliser against Bradford City, And Oli Hawkins late winner against Grimsby Town come to mind, Cheye Alexander scored the penalty against Leyton Orient to give Gillingham A 2-0 Lead, and Cheye Alexander scored the winning goal from the penalty spot against Salford City, and his performances in the second half of the season are deserving of a new contract.

ROBBIE MCKENZIE - KEEP - Just before Gillingham played against Newport County On Saturday, We saw the announcement that Robbie McKenzie had signed a new contract at Gillingham and most supporters were unsure of Robbie McKenzie either signing a two year deal, or a deal until the end of the season, and clearly it must have been the latter, hence why Robbie McKenzie has signed a new deal, but when I did this post last season, I mentioned that Robbie McKenzie was My Choice For Gillingham Player Of The Season For The 2021 / 2022 Season, and we know that Robbie McKenzie can cover any position in defence and midfield, and that versatility and having a utility player capable of playing in several positions on the pitch is so important in a long football season, especially the long and lengthy season Gillingham have had this season, Robbie McKenzie can also hurl in a long throw, which has caused teams problems defensively, especially when the opposition are marking Tim Dieng and Oli Hawkins, And Robbie McKenzie has been lining up at Left Back for the most part, A Quality Player who has proven to be a decent player for Gillingham in League One Last Season, And has been a consistent performer for Gillingham In League Two This Season.

IKE ORGI - KEEP - The Nineteen Year Old Right Back signed for Gillingham from Chatham Town and continued his development playing for Chatham Town on loan for the rest of the season, helping Chatham Town to get promoted into The Ryman Premier Division, And Ike Orgi will likely come back to Gillingham in the summer to provide additional cover and competition for Cheye Alexander and Robbie McKenzie At Right Back, And I can see Ike Orgi getting game-time for Gillingham in the newly created U21 Team, or playing for Gillingham In The Football League Trophy And Kent Senior Cup Games, there is also the possibility of Ike Orgi getting sent out on loan to A Conference South Club to get game-time at a higher level of non league football.

DAVID TUTONDA - BEEN OFFERED  A NEW CONTRACT - When Neil Harris spoke about David Tutonda being offered a new contract, I think it is fair to say that many supporters were surprised when this announcement was made, Because one of the problems we have seen from David Tutonda, and this perhaps explains why many supporters thought that David Tutonda would have been released is lack of consistency, we either see great moments from David Tutonda like the header against Colchester United, winning the corner kick that lead to Oli Hawkins scoring the stoppage time equaliser away against Bradford City, and the out-standing backs against the wall defensive performance against Stockport County for a 0-0 away draw at Edgeley Park, but we have also seen poor performances and error’s that have lead to goals, granted, the defence was under the cosh for the most part in the first half of the season, and that needs to be taken into consideration, But we have seen Cheye Alexander and Robbie McKenzie start ahead of David Tutonda at Left Back, and we do need to strengthen in this area of the pitch, more so at left back then right back if Gillingham are to be challenging at the top end of the division next season, There is also the possibility that David Tutonda would be OK with being understudy left back to someone who will be signed to be first choice and David Tutonda can play Left Wing Back and Left Midfield to provide Gillingham cover in these positions, but many supporters thought that David Tutonda was going to be released in the summer.

BAILEY AKEHURST - KEEP - With the likely implementation of A U21 Side, I can see quite a few young players currently staying at Gillingham to step up from U18 Football into the newly created U21 Set Up, And Bailey Akehurst has been out on loan at Cray Wanderers this season, and I think that loan will have helped Bailey Akehurst with his development, there is of course the possibility that Bailey Akehurst could be offered a new contract at Gillingham, but sent out on loan and play competitive first team football on a week in, week out basis at Cray Wanderers next season.

LEWIS PAGE - RELEASE - I have seen Lewis Page make one second half substitute appearance for Gillingham away against Northampton Town, and two late sub appearances for Gillingham against Doncaster Rovers and Salford City, and three appearances is not enough to make a fair judgement on a player, but also, Gillingham need to strengthen at left back and I do think that Neil Harris is looking to sign a first choice left back, and given that David Tutonda has been offered a new contract and perhaps David Tutonda is going to be understudy to whoever is signed to be first choice, then I can see Lewis Page getting released, and if David Tutonda were to reject the new contract, then Gillingham will need to sign two left back’s in the summer, because it is clear that Gillingham do need to improve our options at left back for next season.

WILL WRIGHT - KEEP - In the first half of the season, Will Wright was assisting Elkan Baggott, Mikael Mandron and Scott Kashket with goals when goals were in short supply, And Will Wright scored for Gillingham against Brighton & Hove Albion’s U21’s In The Football League Trophy, And Will Wright scored for Gillingham in our 3-3 away draw against Swindon Town, But game-time has been limited for Will Wright with Max Ehmer and Conor Masterson forming Gillingham’s first choice centre back pairing, and with Gillingham likely to sign another centre back in the summer, I do wonder if Will Wright will drop further down the pecking order at Gillingham ??? - We know that Will Wright can play Right Back, Right Wing Back, Right Centre Back, Centre Back and even Defensive Midfield, and that versatility is an asset, but I also think that versatility will see Will Wright drop back to becoming a very useful squad player.

MAX EHMER - KEEP - Gillingham have kept seventeen clean sheets in League Two this season, And Max Ehmer’s performances in defence have helped contribute to that impressive defensive record and Neil Harris clearly rates Max Ehmer very highly, hence why Max Ehmer has been offered a new contract for next season, and if Max Ehmer is a regular starter for Gillingham next season, then Max Ehmer will surpass 400 appearances for Gillingham, which would be an out-standing achievement, We know that Ehmer has got the odd mistake in him like the error that leads to Andy Cook scoring against Gillingham for Bradford City at Priestfield Stadium, But we also know what we get from Max Ehmer when is he is performing well alongside a centre back who starts week in, week out, rather then Max Ehmer having a host of centre back partner’s throughout a season, Most of the players already signed up to new contracts are the defensive minded players who have been here all season, and the defence was never really the problem for Gillingham in the first half of the season, it was our appalling goal-scoring record as to why Gillingham were bottom of League Two in December / Early January.

CONOR MASTERSON - KEEP IF POSSIBLE - Last Summer, I thought it was very unlikely that Gillingham would be able to sign Conor Masterson, But this summer, the possibility of Conor Masterson signing on a permanent basis is more likely to happen, but only if we can offer Conor Masterson a very highly paid long term contract, and with Brad Galinson as Chairman, this is something Gillingham can do now, however, other clubs in League One will also be keen to sign Conor Masterson, and they might be able to offer higher wages and first team football in a higher division, but we just have to hope that after a second loan spell at Gillingham, that Conor Masterson will want to make the move permanent in the summer, now thankfully, QPR have managed to avoid relegation, because had QPR been relegated into League One, then I could see Conor Masterson being offered a new contract by QPR.

MIDFIELDERS

STUART O’KEEFE - RELEASE - One Year Ago, I mentioned the following regarding Stuart O’Keefe,,,, Not only would I keep Stuart O’Keefe at Gillingham Football Club, I give him The Captain’s Armband and Stuart O’Keefe will be the first name on the team-sheet for the start of next season. - And for Stuart O’Keefe to go from Club Captain and first name on the team-sheet to a player who cannot get into the match-day squad and a player who can no longer make an impact on the pitch is a real shame, because a fully fit and firing Stuart O’Keefe should be one of the best midfielders in League Two, and right now that is not the case and since the influx of new signings in January, Stuart O’Keefe has only made two appearances for Gillingham, and one of those performances was a disappointing performance for Gills against Bradford City, but when Stuart O’Keefe was at his best, he was getting yellow cards, and being a combative and competitive midfielder, the lack of bookings seems to suggest that Stuart O’Keefe cannot get around the pitch like he used to.

BEN REEVES - RELEASE - A Nasty Knee Injury against Colchester United On Boxing Day has ruled Ben Reeves out for the rest of the season, and it is an unfortunate injury for Ben Reeves, but it is yet another season where Ben Reeves has spent most of the season on the sidelines, twenty two appearances this season and twenty six appearances last season, and when fully fit, Ben Reeves is a technically gifted midfielder who is very creative, but this is two season’s in a row where Ben Reeves has spent more time on the sidelines then on the pitch, and granted, this injury is a nasty long term injury, but with the squad rule changes for next season, Gillingham have to make sure that the players we have got in the squad next season are going to be players who are fit and available for selection, and unfortunately, injuries have seen Ben Reeves spend most of the season on the sidelines for The Gills.

OLLY LEE - RETIRED - Olly Lee has unfortunately had to retire due to psoriatic arthritis and Raynaud's condition, And I wish Olly Lee the very best for the future in his coaching role, and it’s a real shame that Olly Lee had to retire for reasons out of his control and his playing career was taken from him early, when Olly Lee perhaps felt he could have carried on playing for another five or six years, I am also pleased we were able to give Olly Lee a decent reception for the final home game of the season against Newport County at Priestfield Stadium.

SHAUN WILLIAMS - KEEP - Shaun Williams has signed a one year contract extension at Gillingham and Shaun Williams has always been described as the quiet leader who does his job effectively and efficiently in central midfield, and ever since The Leicester City Game, Shaun Williams performances have gone up a level for Gillingham scoring against Crawley Town and Tranmere Rovers, and the goal that really did stand out was Shaun Williams stoppage time winner for Gillingham against Carlisle United, Goals are not really what Shaun Williams game is about, but he has been on the score-sheet for Gillingham in the second half of the season, and his performances in midfield have been excellent, forty seven appearances this season, would have been fifty had Shaun Williams not picked up that injury which ruled him out for the rest of this season with a few games to go.

ETHAN COLEMAN - KEEP - Ethan Coleman is getting an opportunity to start games for Gillingham because of that injury to Shaun Williams, And Ethan Coleman can consider himself unlucky not to score for Gillingham because he has had efforts on goal against Stockport County and Bradford City blocked and Ethan Coleman first made a decent impression in his first starting appearance for Gillingham away against Stockport County, And Gillingham have got themselves the perfect understudy to Shaun Williams for next season, And I think Ethan Coleman will start more matches as well, because Shaun Williams will need more rest and recovery time given that he will be thirty seven next season, Ethan Coleman can also line up at centre back if we need him to, but defensive midfield is Ethan Coleman’s best position on the pitch.

ALEX MACDONALD - KEEP IF POSSIBLE - Neil Harris has mentioned that contract negotiations are on going with Alex MacDonald and Alex MacDonald has spoken about how he wants to stay at Gillingham if the deal is right, which points to the fact that Alex MacDonald wants A One Plus One Contract, Or, A Two Year Deal, and this deal, if it is indeed on the table is taking time to get completed, What you get from Alex MacDonald is 100% energy and commitment, he will run himself into the ground, Alex MacDonald is a popular player amongst Gillingham Supporters and he is a popular player inside the football club as well, and considering how bad that injury was last season, for Alex MacDonald to play fifty five matches this season is an incredible stat, But I also think we might see Gillingham make reinforcements to strengthen our options in midfield and Alex MacDonald may well drop down to being an squad player, but what a player to be able to bring on off the bench if we need to make a change off the bench next season though.

DOM JEFFERIES - KEEP - Dom Jefferies Won The Young Player Of The Season Award and his performances in the second half of the season have been excellent, Dom Jefferies scored for Gillingham against Hartlepool United and his energetic performances on the left flank have made the right impression among Gillingham Supporters, against Colchester United when Gillingham won 2-0, Dom Jefferies was everywhere, and a few of us supporters mentioned that day that Gillingham have got to do all we can to secure Dom Jefferies to a long term contract, because Jefferies looks like he could be a player who Gillingham could sell for a decent sized transfer fee in the future, and this is something Gillingham have got to do now, secure young players on to longer contracts so that we don’t have to accept the first fee that comes along for one of our players with twelve months left to go on there contract.

JAYDEN CLARKE - KEEP - Scored against Tonbridge Angels In The Kent Senior Cup and since that match, Jayden Clarke has made two sub appearances for Gillingham against Bradford City and Newport County, And Jayden Clarke made an impact when he came on against Bradford City as well, And those sub appearances were rewarded when Jayden Clarke made his first starting appearance for Gillingham against Salford City on the final day of the season, Neil Harris has described Jayden Clarke as a raw talent and a midfielder who has a lot to work on to still get used to full time football having stepped up from part time football at Dulwich Hamlet, Next season, I think Jayden Clarke will stay in and around the first team squad, I don’t think we will see Jayden Clarke go out on loan.

HAKEEB ADELAKUN - BACK TO LINCOLN CITY - Hakeeb Adelakun scored the winning goal against Dagenham & Redbridge In The FA Cup Second Round Replay, and he put in a great performance at Right Back against Swindon Town when Gillingham went down to ten men, But since all the new signings have signed for Gillingham in January, Hakeeb Adelakun has made two sub appearances off the bench and he has not made the match-day squad in recent weeks and he has fallen down the pecking order with Tim Dieng, George Lapslie, Aiden O’Brien and Ethan Coleman all signing for Gillingham in January, We know Hakeeb Adelakun has ability and the lack of consistency from him was something that frustrated Gillingham Supporters.

JORDAN GREEN - RELEASE - In pre-season against Folkestone Invicta, Dover Athletic and Crystal Palace, We saw Jordan Green make an impact, and when the season started, he caused Rochdale problems in the first home league game of the season, scored against AFC Wimbledon In The League Cup and he assisted Scott Kashket with the stoppage time equaliser against Dagenham & Redbridge In The FA Cup, But Jordan Green was too light-weight, he would get out-muscled by stronger and more experienced players in League Two, and he built up a reputation, either fairly or unfairly that he dived inside the opposition penalty area, Gillingham had to assemble a squad on a shoestring budget last summer, and that won’t be the case this summer, and something clearly happened at Sutton United Away between the coaching staff and Jordan Green, because since then, Jordan Green has been no-where near the first team other then playing for Gillingham against Tonbridge Angels In The Kent Senior Cup.

JOSH CHAMBERS - KEEP - Josh Chambers has performed exceptionally well out on loan with Worthing In The Conference South, And I have seen Josh Chambers mentioned a few times regarding goals and assist’s, and with The Shaun Williams injury, Neil Harris has decided to recall Josh Chambers back to the first team, and fair enough, he didn’t come on against Bradford City, But Josh Chambers should have come on as sub against Newport County, But Josh Chambers did get to come on as a sub against Salford City on the final day of the season, And I do wonder if Gillingham plan to loan Josh Chambers out to A Conference National Side Next Season, or, keep Josh Chambers in and around the first team as our Club Development Player on the bench ???

TIM DIENG - KEEP - Tim Dieng has scored for Gillingham against Swindon Town and Bradford City, and against Bradford City, Tim Dieng came close to scoring another goal in that game, and in the home game against Stockport County, Tim Dieng scored a perfectly good header which was ruled out for a foul, Gillingham broke a release clause signing Tim Dieng from Exeter City for £150,000, and that looks like money well spent, because Tim Dieng has played a crucial role to help Gillingham to retain our Football League Status, And Dieng provides Gillingham with physicality in midfield, and physicality in both boxes when attacking and defending set plays, and Shaun Williams performances have improved with Tim Dieng In Central Midfield.

GEORGE LAPSLIE - KEEP - The big problem Gillingham have got is how do we get the best out of George Lapslie who is considered one of the best midfielders in League Two, And Neil Harris mentioned in a recent fans forum that he wants two, two striker formations next season, now to play George Lapslie in his best position in central attacking midfield with two strikers on the pitch at the same-time either means a 4-4-2 diamond midfield, or, a 5-2-1-2 formation, But in recent weeks, Gillingham have lined up with a 4-4-1-1 formation and George Lapslie is playing in his natural position, and he did score against Stockport County playing in his best position on the pitch, Lapslie has also scored for Gillingham against Rochdale and Grimsby Town and there is much more to come from him next season for Gillingham.

AIDEN O’BRIEN - KEEP IF POSSIBLE - Aiden O’Brien can cover four or five positions in midfield and attack and to play close or over one hundred appearances for Millwall in The Championship is very impressive and Neil Harris knows Aiden O’Brien very well and wise versa, and Gillingham isn’t far from where Aiden O’Brien currently lives and the move to Gillingham for Aiden O’Brien just ticks all the right boxes, Aiden O’Brien scored for Gillingham against Northampton Town and Crewe Alexandra, and I don’t really see Aiden O’Brien as an out and out centre forward, just a player who can play there from time to time, but wide midfield usually is where Aiden O’Brien mostly plays these days, But that versatility and experience will prove to be valuable in a long season, out of the two loan signings of Aiden O’Brien and Conor Masterson, and I hope that Gillingham can sign both players, But Aiden O’Brien signing for Gillingham Looks the more likely deal to get done, because there are a lot of clubs interested in signing Conor Masterson.

STRIKERS

TOM NICHOLS - KEEP - Tom Nichols could not have got off to a better start in his Gillingham Career, scoring three goals in his first three appearances, and since then, Tom Nichols has scored three goals in nineteen appearances, but in those nineteen appearances, Tom Nichols could have scored a hat-trick against Bradford City, Nichols header went just wide against Northampton Town, And Tom Nichols was very unlucky not to score against Crawley Town, But Gillingham have got themselves a striker who has scored six goals in half a season for a side trying to battle to avoid relegation into non league football, replicate that goal-scoring form over the entire season, and your talking twelve to sixteen goals from a striker who from the first minute he walked through the door at Gillingham Football Club was convinced that we were not getting relegated and Tom Nichols spoke about a promotion push for the following season as well.

OLI HAWKINS - KEEP - The 6’6’ Towering Centre Forward has played a crucial role in helping Gillingham to get out of the relegation zone, and that first match against Hartlepool United just saw Tom Nichols and Oli Hawkins link up alongside each other in attack, And Oli Hawkins has scored for Gillingham against Grimsby Town, Rochdale and Bradford City, and three goals for a striker is not a lot and Oli Hawkins isn’t going to be a striker who scores fifteen to twenty goals a season, but Hawkins wins the ball in the air, can hold the ball up and lay the ball off to team-mates and Tom Nichols has spoken about Oli Hawkins being a striker’s dream to play alongside up-front because it takes two or three defenders to mark Oli Hawkins because he is so good in the air, Oli Hawkins can also play centre back should we need him to play in that position on occasion, But Neil Harris clearly see’s Oli Hawkins best position on the pitch for Gillingham as a striker.

SCOTT KASHKET - RELEASE - First half of the season, we appreciated the hard working and chase every blade of grass we saw from Scott Kashket, And Scott Kashket scored for Gillingham against Rochdale, Dagenham & Redbridge, and Crewe Alexandra, But we have seen better quality of strikers signed in January with Tom Nichols, Oli Hawkins and Aiden O’Brien all signing for Gillingham, And I think additional signings in the final third in the summer will push Scott Kashket further down the pecking order, and had Scott Kashket been fully fit, he might have been able to contribute more off the bench, But I think Scott Kashket will sign for another club in the summer.

TRISTAN ABRAHAMS - LET GO - Tristan Abrahams was signed on deadline day because of injuries to Lewis Walker and Scott Kashket, both injuries were long term injuries as well and because Gillingham had hit FFP this season despite impressive cup runs in The FA Cup And League Cup, Gillingham had to make do with signing a player on loan and Tristan Abrahams helped Gillingham out in the short term, and his only starting appearances were against Stockport County and Barrow, But in the home game against Carlisle United, I think Tristan Abrahams impact off the bench helped Gillingham to win that game, But with better signings expected in the summer, I think Tristan Abrahams will go back into Non League, but his performances for Gillingham will have not gone unnoticed by other Non League Clubs.

JOE GBODE - KEEP BUT SEND OUT ON LOAN - I think Joe Gbode would benefit from going out on loan to A Conference South Club for the season, maybe go out on loan to Worthing and continue that link between both football clubs, or maybe a loan spell with Welling United or Dover Athletic, Joe Gbode has proven himself time and again at Hastings United, But a loan spell at A Conference South Club would be really beneficial for the young striker.

LEWIS WALKER - KEEP - And because Joe Gbode will go out on loan in my scenario, I can see Lewis Walker staying at Gillingham just to add squad depth to our attacking options, I don’t think Lewis Walker is earning a high wage and Neil Harris does rate Lewis Walker, who scored four goals for Gillingham in cup competitions this season, and maybe training and working with better players will see more improvement from Lewis Walker, But if Gillingham were to bring in other strikers who are 18, 19 or 20 years old who move ahead of Lewis Walker in the pecking order, then Lewis Walker could move on in the summer.

KEEP FOR THE UNDER TWENTY ONE SQUAD

WILL DEMPSEY, FREDDIE CARTER, JULIAN KUHR, SAM GALE, ALEX GILES, MATT MACARTHUR, KAI GARRETT, STAN SKIPPER, RONALD SITHOLE AND HARRY BRIDLE - With The U21 Team likely to be implemented this summer, I can see quite a few of our young players in the youth team being given contracts for the newly created U21 Side, Alex Giles, Ronald Sithole and Matt Macarthur could all be loaned out to Sheppey United or Chatham Town respectively, As Gillingham are looking to build a link with both non league clubs, Sam Gale could be a player who gets an opportunity to go out on loan at A Conference South Side having impressed at Sheppey United out on loan this season.

The number of young players staying at Gillingham Football Club will depend on how The U21 Structure is set up, and how many young players from other clubs Gillingham are looking to sign who get released from bigger clubs, one player who I have not spoken about listed here is Harry Bridle, who was top goal-scorer for the youth team this season, but younger then the likes of Ronald Sithole and Sam Gale, I think Harry Bridle will stay with the youth team and continue to develop at U18 level.

THE TWENTY TWO OVER TWENTY ONE RULE

There is a new rule which will effect how League One and League Two Clubs assemble there squads for The 2023 / 2024 Season, and this rule has been in place this season, but will likely be set in stone for next season, So what is The Twenty Two Over Twenty One Rule ??? - Your allowed a maximum squad size of twenty two players who are twenty one or older in your entire squad, Goalkeepers do not count towards the squad cap, and neither do players who are under the age of twenty one, Jayden Clarke for example didn’t hit the limit this season, but will next season, And this is how Gillingham’s Squad will look like with this rule in place.

DEFENDERS - Cheye Alexander, Robbie McKenzie, Will Wright, Max Ehmer, Conor Masterson, David Tutonda

MIDFIELDERS - Aiden O’Brien, George Lapslie, Tim Dieng, Shaun Williams, Jayden Clarke, Ethan Coleman, Alex MacDonald

STRIKERS - Tom Nichols, Oli Hawkins, Lewis Walker

This gives Gillingham the maximum of six senior first team signings and any more then six signings will require players to leave, so maybe if Gillingham sign seven players who are considered experience first team signings, then maybe Lewis Walker will be sent out on loan to facilitate the additional signing, However, players who are younger then twenty one do not count towards the squad limit, so this perhaps places greater importance on loan signings and signing good young players on loan who can play first team football for Gillingham in League Two.

But if Gillingham are keen to get The U21 Team implemented in the off season, Andy Hessenthaler, Kenny Jackett and Keith Millen might all be scouting young players who get released by bigger clubs, and if one or two of the young players Gillingham sign in the summer can count towards The Club Development Player Rule, then those signings will be beneficial, Because Taite Holtam has been on the bench to see Gillingham name the maximum of seven subs, and Josh Chambers is currently on the bench for the first team, but there have been several games this season where Gillingham have had to make do with naming just six subs on the bench, because we have not named A Club Development Player in the squad.

This season has tested Gillingham’s squad to the limit, especially with the cup runs in The FA Cup and League Cup, Gillingham have played close to sixty matches in all competitions this season, next season, Gillingham are going to need depth and quality in the squad to not only have a squad capable to challenging for promotion, but also, having players available which will allow Gillingham to rest the likes of Glenn Morris, Shaun Williams, Max Ehmer, Alex MacDonald and Tom Nichols as and when required to do so, because when Gillingham were promoted as League Two Champions in 2012 / 2013, Martin Allen could make five changes to the starting line up from one match to the next, and it didn’t affect the quality on the pitch, that is the kind of depth Gillingham will need in our squad for next season.

SO WHERE SHOULD GILLINGHAM STRENGTHEN THE SQUAD???

Goalkeeper - Luke Southwood is the goalkeeper linked with a move to Gillingham, now Luke Southwood could sign for Gillingham, or Neil Harris has other transfer targets in mind, but clearly Gillingham want another goalkeeper to strengthen our goalkeeping options next season with Glenn Morris, Jake Turner and another goalkeeper all at the football club, it’s been a long time since Gillingham have had three senior goalkeepers, because in previous season’s, young goalkeepers like Tom Hadler and Joe Walsh have been back up goalkeepers to Tomas Holy and Jack Bonham respectively, there are also two other situations to take into consideration, the twenty two over twenty one rule doesn’t apply to goalkeepers so Gillingham can sign another experienced goalkeeper to be understudy to Glenn Morris, and also, if the goalkeeper signed in the summer is signed on a permanent basis, it means that all five loan signings can be used to sign five out-field loanee’s to strengthen the first team.

Centre Back

Left Back

Central Midfield Cover For Tim Dieng - Maybe someone who can play centre back and central midfield and provide Gillingham with that physicality which Tim Dieng has got, Because Tim Dieng not playing against Salford City highlighted what Gillingham were missing when he was unavailable due to injury.

Winger With Pace - Someone that just gives Gillingham something different and gives us that game changer off the bench.

Two Strikers - A like for like replacement for Oli Hawkins, could be someone under the age of 21 to ensure that Gillingham have got a spot in the squad for another over 21 player, or potentially Harry Smith, who has been linked to Gillingham and used to play for Folkestone Invicta and is currently at Leyton Orient.

The second striker will be the hardest player to find, a proven established goal-scorer in League Two, this may well force Tom Nichols to a bench role for Gillingham, or maybe Tom Nichols could be the goal-scorer we have got all along, but we do need to sign a striker who you know is a guaranteed goal-scorer in this division, which is easier said then done, Alfie May has already been linked with a move to Gillingham, and I am just not sure if Gillingham will be able to sign Alfie May.

YOUNG SIGNINGS

But besides the six players mentioned above, I think we can expect to see Gillingham sign a lot of young players to go into the newly created U21 Side, And I think many of the players in this squad will get the opportunity to play for Gillingham in Football League Trophy and Kent Senior Cup Games, this season has seen Gillingham play a lot of cup matches, having a group of young players ready to play in these matches and allow Gills to rest players for league matches is going to be so important, Because next season, the expectation will be on Gillingham to challenge for promotion, finishing seventeenth this season was essentially about ensuring that Gillingham retained our Football League Status, next season, achieving a position in the playoffs will be seen as our minimum objective.

The Kent Senior Cup is basically used for youth development for Gillingham, and if Gillingham want to do well in The Kent Senior Cup with a young side, then we will need better quality young players at the football club who are ready for when these matches take place, and The U21 Side will need to either play in a league, or play friendlies every week to ensure that the players are match fit and match sharp if and when they need to be called upon.

I watched Chatham Town V Margate In The Kent Senior Cup Final - Margate won on penalties - And the attendance on that Wednesday Evening was 2,758, I think the attendance would have been over 7,000 had Gillingham hosted The Kent Senior Cup Final At Priestfield Stadium, Having a group of young players who are not far off the first team in-terms of ability is going to be so important, not just for The Kent Senior Cup, but for producing players for the first team, and having that pathway from the youth team, into The U21 Team and into the first team, You have to say that the youth side of the football club has been neglected in recent season’s, having a proper pathway into the first team is only going to be beneficial for there development.

SO WITH ALL OF MY SUGGESTIONS, WHAT WILL GILLINGHAM’S SQUAD LOOK LIKE FOR THE 2022 / 2023 SEASON ???

GOALKEEPER - Glenn Morris, Jake Turner

DEFENDERS - Cheye Alexander, Robbie McKenzie, Ike Orgi, Will Wright, Max Ehmer, Conor Masterson (If Gillingham Can Sign Masterson), David Tutonda

MIDFIELDERS - Aiden O’Brien (If Gillingham Can Sign O’Brien), George Lapslie, Tim Dieng, Shaun Williams, Jayden Clarke, Ethan Coleman, Dom Jefferies, Alex MacDonald, Josh Chambers

STRIKERS - Tom Nichols, Oli Hawkins, Lewis Walker, Joe Gbode (But Joe Gbode could go out on loan).

YOUTH - Taite Holtam, Will Dempsey, Freddie Carter, Julian Kuhr, Bailey Akehurst, Sam Gale, Alex Giles, Matt Macarthur, Kai Garrett, Stan Skipper, Ronald Sithole, Harry Bridle

When I did My Release / Retain List a year ago, eighteen players were suggested to be released, and a clear out of the squad was expected and needed, but Gillingham go into this summer with Glenn Morris, Robbie McKenzie, Cheye Alexander, Max Ehmer and Shaun Williams all signed on for next season with new contracts, or in Cheye Alexander’s case, triggering a one year contract extension, Alex MacDonald and David Tutonda have both been offered contracts, and looking at the squad listed above, and only counting the players considered to be part of the senior first team squad, Gillingham have got twenty players in the squad for next season, we will be hoping to turn Conor Masterson and Aiden O’Brien’s loan deals into permanent deals, but time will tell if those deals happen or not.

And if both players were to sign on the dotted line, then Gillingham may well only need to sign six first team signings, and all six players signed you think would be players that either start or are close to starting, any squad player signings can be supplemented with players signed for The U21 Team, But we actually go into the summer knowing which positions in the squad need to be desperately strengthened with first team signings, and other positions in the squad that perhaps don’t need to be top of the priority list can be strengthened with signing A U21 Player who can cover that position on the pitch.

Because Gillingham having to sign eighteen to twenty players every summer, having to stretch our budget thin to build a squad, then trying to gel that squad together throughout pre-season and during the season was getting frustrating on a yearly basis, and going into next season with the core squad contracted and we can focus on specific signings for the first team is going to be so important, because next season cannot be a slow start, there is anticipation and expectation on Gillingham starting next season in good form quickly and having the core squad who know there team-mates strength’s and weaknesses already at the football club is going to be vital.

There won’t be any excuses or benefit of the doubt next season, the pressure is on Neil Harris and his coaching staff to get Gillingham promoted, and I really do hope that we can match what Leyton Orient, Stevenage and Northampton Town have done this season next season, and in twelve months time, Gillingham are celebrating promotion into League One at the end of The 2023 / 2024 Season, But with the expectation and anticipation on next season, Gillingham cannot start next season with a stuttering start, and having the core group of the squad contracted for next season is going to hopefully help Gillingham take our second half form into the first half of next season.

I am sure Gillingham will announced The Release / Retain List over the next few days, and some clubs have already announced there release / retain lists already, and I am guessing that Gillingham will announce there release / retain list on Friday, but that is only a guess, I have mentioned my suggestions in this blog, it be interesting to see how many Gillingham Supporters agree or disagree with my suggestions, and of course, it be interesting to see how many players are released when Gillingham do make a official announcement as well.

#Gillingham #List #Football

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: CAN A BACK THREE GET THE BEST OUT OF GEORGE LAPSLIE?

The title of this blog rhymes and has some humour to it, but there is a more serious matter of how do Gillingham get the best out of George Lapslie, who’s performances have been disappointing in recent weeks, which is down to a combination of George Lapslie not performing as well as we have hoped, as well as the more pressing concern that George Lapslie is not playing in his best position (which is central attacking midfielder), and therefore, Gillingham are not getting the very best out of George Lapslie.

Gillingham have won our recent home matches against Crewe Alexandra and Carlisle United 2-1 and 1-0 respectively, and in both matches, George Lapslie has come on as a sub in the 67th minute against Crewe Alexandra and in the 73rd minute against Carlisle United, and in both substitute appearances, when George Lapslie has come on, the score-line was level at 1-1 and 0-0 respectively, and George Lapslie has contributed off the bench to help Gillingham win both matches, and whilst those contributes off the bench have not lead to a goal or a assist, there is no denying the fact that George Lapslie has helped Gillingham to pick up six points in back to back home league matches, and those wins have effectively secured Gillingham’s Football League Status, And Gillingham will be playing League Two Football again next season.

George Lapslie has played fifteen times for Gillingham this season, seven starting and eight substitute appearances, and the almost fifty / fifty split perhaps suggests that Gillingham cannot quite get the best out of George Lapslie as we are currently battling to avoid relegation and that battle looks to be a successful battle won for Gillingham, But Neil Harris won’t be treating the rest of this season as a vacation and Gillingham will want to pick up as many points as possible, but the matches against Crawley Town, Hartlepool United, Rochdale, Colchester United, Grimsby Town and Crewe Alexandra were matches that Gillingham had to win, and it was very much a case of points first and performance second.

And perhaps this is why Gillingham are not able to get the best out of George Lapslie at the moment because we’re in a relegation battle, and your not going to be passing the ball through the thirds and getting the ball down and playing attractive attacking football in a relegation battle, and when George Lapslie has started for Gillingham, it has been wide left in a flat 4-4-2 formation, And Lapslie has scored for Gillingham playing in this position, away against Rochdale in a 2-0 away win, But we know there is more to come from a midfielder described as one of the best attacking midfielders in League Two.

So, how do Gillingham get the best out of George Lapslie and continue to line up with two strikers ??? Because Neil Harris has mentioned in the most recent fans forum that he wants two, two striker formations next season, pointing out that Gillingham are at our best whenever we line up with two strikers, But to play two strikers and a central attacking midfielder either means lining up with a diamond midfield formation, or, as my title suggests, Gillingham line up with a back three and play a 5-2-1-2 formation, with George Lapslie lining up behind Tom Nichols and Oli Hawkins.

And we have seen in recent weeks that Walsall and Carlisle United both line up with a back three and Carlisle United are pushing for promotion with a 3-5-2 formation, perhaps this is one possible formation that Gillingham could line up with next season, especially with Neil Harris speaking about - a clean sheet mentality - and lining up with three centre back’s will allow George Lapslie to play in a more central position on the pitch and play just behind Tom Nichols and Oli Hawkins in attack.

However, a back three / back five formation with one of Shaun Williams or Ethan Coleman in midfield playing alongside Timothee Dieng will be considered a very defensive formation, and do Gillingham want to completely change what has been working over the past few months, just to get George Lapslie playing in his preferred position on the pitch ???

I do believe there is way more to come from George Lapslie, and perhaps we will see the best from George Lapslie when Gillingham can work on things in pre-season in the summer that we have not been able to work on during the season, where our focus has been very much avoid relegation, But maybe one thing which can help George Lapslie is a consistent run of starting appearances, Because George Lapslie has come on as a sub in the last three league games against Barrow, Carlisle United and Crewe Alexander respectively, and maybe starting George Lapslie for the remaining seven league games of the season will see Gillingham get better performances out of the midfielder, there has been plenty of praise and admiration for George Lapslie, many supporters wanted to see Lapslie named in the starting line up and now we want to see what he is really capable of playing in his best position on the pitch.

Now if Gillingham were to line up with a back five, Will Wright could force his way back into the starting line up playing at Right Centre Back, But if Gillingham are to line up with wing backs rather then full backs, both wing backs need the pace, fitness and athleticism to get up and down the pitch, many supporters have spoken about the lack of pace Gillingham have got right the way through the squad, and maybe lining up with wing backs who have got pace would be one way to inject some much needed pace into this side, as well as lining up with two strikers in attack.

But finding a solution to the problem of how to get the best out of George Lapslie, may well be a question Gillingham will find answers to for next season, and at the very least, George Lapslie needs to be consistently named in the starting eleven, but the system or systems Gillingham line up with next season will determine if we are going to give George Lapslie the best opportunity to put in better performances in his most preferred position on the pitch, or, we have to play George Lapslie slightly out of position for the benefit of the team.

#gillingham #GeorgeLapslie #Tactics #Football

[fan-of-mulligan]

GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS BLOG - 2022 / 2023 SEASON - PART TWO

Back In November, I asked Gillingham Supporters for there thoughts and opinions on Gillingham’s Chances Of Avoiding Relegation, Gillingham’s Penalty Shoot-Out Win Against Brentford, Why Have Gillingham Struggled To Score Goals, And How Do You Think Gillingham Should Line Up Against Salford City, And the link to that blog is here -  https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/702719284334444544/gillingham-supporters-blog-2022-2023-season - And The Link To The First Gillingham Supporters Blog For The 2022 / 2023 Season Is Here - https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/691153015697227776/fom-blog-gillingham-supporters-blog-season 

This Blog Is A Follow Up Blog which was previewing Gillingham before the start of The 2022 / 2023 Season, The second supporters blog was previewing Gillingham V Salford City, which was Gillingham’s Twentieth Game Of The Season, Rochdale V Gillingham Is The Thirtieth Game Of The Season, and with no Tuesday Night Game, this is a good time to get a supporters blog posted, especially with plenty of Tuesday Night League Games coming up over the next few weeks.

Answering these questions are the following Gillingham Supporters,,,,, Colin, Paul, Naylor, Dazza, Loonpotter, Mark, Richard, Cian, Lewis, and Matt - I want to thank everyone who has participated in the latest Gillingham Supporters Blog, as well as thank those who participated in Previous Gillingham Supporters Blogs, It is because of the involvement of everyone who has participated in the previous blogs which have made these blogs so successful, so once again, thank you, Now on to the questions and answers……..

1. NEW CHAIRMAN BRAD GALINSON PROMISED GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS - A AGGRESSIVE AND SUCCESSFUL JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW - AND IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT HAS HAPPENED, WITH GILLINGHAM SIGNING TOM NICHOLS, TIMOTHEE DIENG, GLENN MORRIS, OLI HAWKINS, GEORGE LAPSLIE, CONOR MASTERSON, AIDEN O’BRIEN AND TRISTAN ABRAHAMS, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GILLINGHAM’S TRANSFER BUSINESS IN JANUARY ???

Colin - Given the constraints imposed on spending by the lower league financial fair play rules I think we used the Chairman’s loan and the Cup income effectively.  We were desperate for goal scorers and now we have some. Masterson at the back is a good replacement for Baggott too.

Paul - Excellent additions to the team with valuable experience to offer.

Naylor - What a refreshing January window that was. The first time in many years we were in a position we could compete with teams to sign players, paying fees or activating release clauses. The players brought in certainly have made us stronger than what we had.

Dazza - Our transfer window was the best I can remember. Quality additions in the areas needed. 2 decent strikers (I asked for that in the last blog). And sounds like we didn’t overspend on players who obviously wanted too much. The only thing we now lack is that bit of pace. Not harming us at present, and I think that will be addressed in the summer. I’d rate our window as 11/10.

Loonpotter - January was very exciting with some top quality additions to the squad.. The best window we've had for some time.

Mark - Amazing and what we needed or we could have been cut adrift by now. Without doubt Brad has saved us from relegation to non league. We have signed quality players and its made an immediate impact. Great window.

Richard - Very very good. Compared to what has happened in recent times we can surely be nothing other than delighted with the new additions. Results have improved significantly which confirms the new additions have been a success so far.

Cian - All this business is solid in my opinion. We’ve signed some quality names in that group with some real pedigree, it certainly means that we’re stronger now than we were in the first half of the season! Im a big fan of it all and can see us pulling away from the relegation zone.

Lewis - It was exactly what we needed. Our best transfer window in years and I don’t think there are any misses there at all.

Matt - Am i dreaming? Did this really happen? Wow, this is probably the best January transfer window any team in the country has had this year. All of the players brought in add real quality and depth to this squad. Not only did Brad and his team deliver, but a renewed hope has struck all, associated with the club.

2. AND AS WELL AS SIGNING THE EIGHT PLAYERS MENTIONED ABOVE, GILLINGHAM HAVE ALSO SIGNED JAYDEN CLARKE, ETHAN COLEMAN AND IKE ORGI AS LONGER TERM SIGNINGS, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON ALL THREE SIGNINGS ???

Colin - I don’t know anything about these players other than that Chatham Town fans I meet rate Orji, but the strategy of developing against future needs is a good one, if you can afford it. If it works out we will have some usable and saleable assets in a couple of years time.

Paul - I am sure all of these non league players will get a chance to play at some time.  I hope they are getting game time though as must be frustrating sitting in the wings.

Naylor - Yep it's only positive. Clarke & Orji have real potential and Coleman already appears to be knocking at the door and traveling with match-day squads. Building something for the future shows we're moving forward as a football club.

Dazza - Those 3 younger signings all sound promising. I think Coleman may even be around our 1st team next season. But add them all to our current good youth team and there’s the basis of a decent U23 side next season.

Loonpotter -  I don't know much about Coleman but Jayden Clarke comes very highly regarded. I've seen Orji play quite a few times and he is certainly an exciting player with flicks, tricks and quick feet.

Mark - As you say long term singings. We made signings to save us from relegation and players for the future. Looking forward to seeing them come through.

Richard - All have the potential to add value over time. There will undoubtedly be injuries and times when they will play a part. If we are safe from relegation then I can see them figuring more frequently till the end of the season. It would be good to see them given a chance.

Cian - In honesty I have limited knowledge of these players, however I trust the recruitment team's judgement and hope to see them prove themselves as long term assets. I think building a strong B-team / youth team structure will be vital for us if we desire long term success. Orgi as a signing is significant in my opinion, I think we need to build stronger links with the non-league clubs in Kent.

Lewis - I like the idea that we’re building for the future but they can be used if necessary. All big talents and can be worked with while having little pressure on their shoulders.

Matt - It’s great the club is looking forward to the future. All 3 have the potential to go far in this game and i cant wait to see them in a gills shirt.

3. AND AS WELL AS A AGGRESSIVE AND SUCCESSFUL JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW, GILLINGHAM HAVE APPOINTED KENNY JACKETT AS DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL, AND GILLINGHAM LEGEND ANDY HESSENTHALER AS HEAD OF RECRUITMENT, HOW IMPORTANT ARE THESE APPOINTMENTS FOR GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB MOVING FORWARD ??? OR, DO YOU THINK THE WAGES FOR HESSENTHALER AND JACKETT COULD HAVE GONE TOWARDS SIGNING MORE PLAYERS ???

Colin - Again if you can afford it it’s good to have someone other than the team manager looking at the wider and longer term playing side of things. We already had a recruitment lead in Nicky Shorey so it’s only an increase of one to the overheads.

Paul - I am not sure exactly what Kenny job description is apart from recruitment as Director of football is a sort of general title . At some clubs it’s mainly recruitment but others advisory.

Naylor - Brad openly answered that the businesses he's been involved in, for them to be successful they need professionals in at the top who know what they're doing to run the show, and these two have experience in abundance. Jackett & Hess both have a good eye for a player and whilst being able to manage the day to day football side of the business, allows Harris to just purely focus on matters on the pitch. It's the modern way for successful football clubs, long gone are the days the manager did every minor detail and I think that's only positive.

Dazza - I’m glad we have those experienced guys in the background to take the work load off the football manager. If we go ahead with a U23 team, that’s a lot more than Neil can do in his own. And under the current ownership, I don’t think employing Jackett and Hess will take anything from the playing budget.

Loonpotter - I thinking signing Jackett in particular was a very good move.. Has worked and managed at decent clubs, at a decent level and clearly knows the game.

Mark - In previous years I would have questioned the spend on backroom staff but it seems we can afford both now. Brad is clever enough to realise he's not an expert in English football so he's recruited people to take care of that in the same way Fisher will take care of off the field things. Wise move from a wise man.

Richard - Both Kenny and Andy are proven professionals at this level and have the respect that will help recruit decent players to the squad. In my opinion its an inspired move to bring both into the club.

Cian - I'm of the opinion that Hess and Jackett could've been the most important recruits of the window. They add quality and expertise to the recruitment department and ensure that Harris can focus on managing the team and have faith in those giving him reports on potential signings.

Lewis - No, I think it’s a good move. We’ve got the structure of a proper football club now. Neil Harris has wanted this for ages and he’s got it. A great team too.

Matt - I think it’s important to get the right back room staff in, and kenny and hessy are very experienced in the football league.  Looking forward to seeing what talent they can help bring to our club.

4. TOM NICHOLS (THREE GOALS), TIMOTHEE DIENG, WILL WRIGHT, DOM JEFFERIES, OLI HAWKINS (TWO GOALS), GEORGE LAPSLIE (TWO GOALS), DAVID TUTONDA, AND SHAUN WILLIAMS HAVE ALL BEEN ON THE SCORE-SHEET FOR GILLINGHAM OVER THE LAST SEVEN LEAGUE GAMES - FOUR OF THE PLAYERS MENTIONED HERE ARE NEW SIGNINGS IN TOM NICHOLS, TIMOTHEE DIENG, GEORGE LAPSLIE AND OLI HAWKINS - HAVE THE NEW SIGNINGS GIVEN GILLINGHAM THE FIRE-POWER THAT WAS SO CLEARLY LACKING IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON ???

Colin - Prior to the January recruitments we couldn’t buy a goal. Now we are finding a way to score even when we don’t play particularly well.

Paul - Yes the front scoring line has certainly improved over last year since the new appointments.

Naylor - Seven goals in our first 23 league games compared to 12 in our last seven I think shows we have better players offensively and are reaping the rewards as a result. So yes, they have.

Dazza - More firepower? Obviously. We had NONE before. But now we have added decent scorers in Hawkins, Nichols, O’Brien and Lapslie. Plus more creativity and forward movement in Dieng O’Brien and Lapslie.

Loonpotter - Massively improved us going forward.. Nichols has been fantastic.

Mark - Yes. Its the biggest change. We can now score goals when the likes of Mandron, Walker and Kashket could not. It is that simple and it is why we will not be relegated when we were nigh on certs before Christmas.

Richard - Without a doubt. Shows goals can come from various players. Tom Nichols is a natural goal scorer so I expect more from him for sure.

Cian - Undoubtedly! Tim Nichols has revolutionised our attacking play and individuals such as Hawkins, Lapslie and Dieng clearly have quality in the attacking third. Our defence hasn’t been the worst this season but now with our new look attack I have faith in us winning games – which is something I couldn’t say before Christmas.

Lewis - I think clearly yes. We’re creating chances and taking them too which we weren’t doing before, practically a new team.

Matt - Yes......unfortunately some of the players brought in during the summer just didn’t hit the mark. Harris promised his strikers would score goals, and now he has the players he wants, they are!

5. ONE PLAYER WHO HAS BEEN PUTTING IN IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCES FOR GILLINGHAM IN RECENT WEEKS IS MIDFIELDER DOM JEFFERIES, DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM SHOULD BE NEGOTIATING A NEW CONTRACT WITH DOM JEFFERIES TO ENSURE THAT HE TIED DOWN TO A NEW DEAL FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE ???

Colin - I think Jeffries has been helped a lot by having Dieng and Nichols playing in front of him. He has certainly upped his game. Giving out long term contracts is always a risk but he is young and fit and looks to have potential to play at a higher level so yes.

Paul - Yes I think every player who performs well should be given new contracts if needed as be nice to have consistency for a change.

Naylor - He had bit of a shaky start and then missed a month or so through injury meant he has to bide his time, but we're certainly seeing the potential Harris talked about in the summer when he was signed. We obviously don't know the current length of his contract but to tie him down for longer wouldn't do us any harm if he continues on the trajectory he has been.

Dazza - Jefferies? Absolutely get young Dom on a good long contract. I think he has the potential and drive to go a long way. Whoever spotted him as a good transfer target in the summer did well. I think he’s arguably our PoTS so far. Definitely Young PoTS. One of the few highlights of the first half of the season.

Loonpotter - Dom Jeffries levels have gone up a notch as better players have been added around him.. I'd like to see him tied down as I think he will only get better.

Mark - Yes - lets get the players with potential on long terms deals so that we can develop and sell at a profit rather than see them walk on frees.

Richard - In a word yes. Really raised the bar of late.

Cian - I think Dom Jefferies has the ability and potential to be a mainstay in our midfield for the foreseeable future – including the possibility of any potential promotions in the coming years which we can all hope for. I believe he captained the Brentford B team, and he clearly exudes confidence, he certainly could captain the club in the future and therefore I'd love to see his deal extended.

Lewis - Yes, I’d love to see Dom sign on longer term. He’s one of the few shining lights that have come through from the first half of this season and he’s really flourished in this wide midfielder role. I’d like him to be captain next year too.

Matt - I think its extremely important to sign him up for a longer contract. To many times quality players have left us at the end of their contracts. Dom has the ability to become a key member of our squad over the next few years, but if he was to move on, we need to make sure we are well compensated.

6. GILLINGHAM’S  2-0 AWAY WIN AGAINST ROCHDALE WAS GILLINGHAM’S THIRTIETH LEAGUE GAME OF THE SEASON, AND GILLINGHAM HAVE PICKED UP SIXTEEN POINTS OUT OF A POSSIBLE TWENTY ONE, WHICH HAS COINCIDED WITH A DECENT RUN OF FORM, HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS GILLINGHAM’S LEAGUE PERFORMANCES AND RESULTS SO FAR THIS SEASON, AND DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM CAN RETAIN THERE LEAGUE TWO STATUS ???

Colin - We were dead and buried at New Year so any kind of form is an improvement. We have played and beaten teams around us and bagged the points from where it matters. We are still a long way short of what would be needed to mount a promotion challenge next season but for now it’s all about staying up. I am predicting 18th.

Paul - Certainly our run of good results have helped us get off Rock bottom, but how on earth we reached that low must be considered. There are still a lot more games to play and I hope we go as high up the league as possible.

Naylor - August to 13th January - 2/10, 14th January to present - 9/10 - I know think we'll be fine.

Dazza - We’ll definitely retain our league status now. Barring catastrophic injuries or something. Can’t really judge the whole season as one. We were abject and abysmal until xmas. Since then it’s a completely different team so a different season. We now have a good competitive squad. If the season started in Jan 2023 we’d be looking forward to a play off push.

Loonpotter - Gillingham WILL retain league 2 status.. I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever.

Mark - Since January absolutely great results and yes we will easily stay up.  In December I was 99% sure we would drop.

Richard - Clearly a complete turnaround since Brad and Shannon Galinson’s involvement. That said we have played predominantly lower table teams with stiffer competition coming up. Can we stay up? I think so although I don't think it will be as easy as some predict.

Cian - I doubt that we will be in the relegation battle towards the end of the season. With the quality we now have we should pull ourselves up the table.

Lewis - I’m not sure i have the energy anymore to talk about the first part of the season. It was the worst time I’ve had as a Gills fan and I want to forget it! These last few games have been much better and I have no fears at all about relegation.

Matt - Had we not strengthened in January, i would of feared the drop. But with the recent singings, and other teams really struggling. I feel confident we will finish well clear of the bottom 2.

7. AND WITH THAT AGGRESSIVE AND LUCRATIVE TRANSFER WINDOW SPOKEN ABOUT EARLIER, IT WOULD BE FOOLISH OF ME NOT TO TALK ABOUT THE CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP IN THIS GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS BLOG, SO WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BRAD GALINSON AS GILLINGHAM’S NEW CHAIRMAN ???

Colin - It wasn’t hard to improve on the previous incumbent. Galinson’s loan has got us out of a hole. Maybe he has also donated some cash I don’t know. He comes across positively as does Shannon and there at lots of off field indications of things improving, like attendances, boxes being sold, the set up in the Factory, food outlets reopening, half time entertainment and new sponsors.

Paul - I think Brad and Shannon taking over the club has been very positive and they are a likeable couple whom have won the hearts of many fans.

Naylor - Brad & Shannon have been a breath of fresh air. They've reinvigorated our football club. We have a club to be proud of again and that's come from the love and care (and capital) that they've put into business already. I appreciate we're in a Honeymoon period right now, but it really is an exciting time to be a Gills fan again and they're a big reason as to why.

Dazza - Brad Galinson? Where to start. I’ll just say, if Carlsberg did Football Club owners… We have really come up smelling of roses. Brad and his family are saying, and more importantly DOING all the right things. I’ll give Scally some credit in selling up to these guys. We couldn’t have asked for better.

Loonpotter - Brad Galinson has been an absolute breath of fresh air as have his family... He has done, so far, exactly what he said he would do.. He's done it with the kind of excitement a fan would get and they've really thrown themselves into the Gillingham community.

Mark - He's a true leader, read how he praises others around him rather than have it all about him as Scally did. Brad has reconnected fans and club. We are very, very lucky to have him and I think we are going places with Brad and Shannon. I can't believe how lucky we are.

Richard - The Galinson’s ownership has transformed the club both on and off the pitch. They have approached matters in a professional and thoughtful way which has been appreciated by all. Lovely to have a feel good factor around the club once more. Long may it continue. Hopefully it will lift the area as a whole and the whole community will benefit.

Cian - I still have to pinch myself just thinking about it. The Galinsons have truly reinvigorated the whole club and their money certainly has been useful! The whole family's engagement with the supporter base has really helped in building a positive atmosphere around the ground. He has fulfilled on his promises so far and is certainly a man who has passion for the project. When I spoke to him (albeit shortly) outside the ground at Stevenage he spoke with such passion that I could tell he was the right person for the job.

Lewis - He’s given us new life. In the football club but in life itself. Football means so much to many people and to have a club that’s being run properly with ambition and one that’s ready to drive forward is heartwarming. Thank you to them both.  

Matt - I am loving the fact he is engaging with fans on social media, he is definitely sticking to his promises to serve the fans and act as a custodian for our football club. Long may he reign.

8. BRAD GALINSON HAS KEPT PREVIOUS CHAIRMAN PAUL SCALLY ON AS MINORITY SHAREHOLDER AND BOARD MEMBER, AND PAUL FISHER STAYS AT THE FOOTBALL CLUB AS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON PAUL SCALLY AND PAUL FISHER STAYING ON AT GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB ???

Colin - Fish is doing a great job and has said he will stay till the end of the season. I am not sure what the other fellow brings to the table but Brad can afford to keep him around and must see some continuity benefits to that.

Paul - Paul Fisher is chief operating director and very experienced plus efficient. Paul Scally deserves credit for what he has done over the years for the club so deserved rest and more peaceful retirement. Time for change was needed and it looks like a very effective change over now.

Naylor - Yep the right call for both to stay. Fisher can now crack on and do the job he probably has wanted to do since August when he came in, and Scally can take a back seat and do the things he's good at, without needing to be the public face anymore, or the target of criticism and abuse. 27 years is a long time for anyone in the same job, but especially as a chairman of a football club so it was definitely time we had a fresh impetus installed from new ownership.

Dazza - Paul Fisher has been superb ever since he came in. Even back in the dark days last summer and early this season, he did a great job in starting to get things around the club going better. I hope he’s here long term. And I’m glad Paul Scally is kept on and staying in the back ground. He has a lot of experience and knowledge in what he does. You don’t simply discard that. But PR and fan engagement is not good from him. Best he does his work quietly and let’s Brad and CheckFish be the front men.

Loonpotter - Fish seems a really good guy and it doesn't effect me whatsoever whether Scally is still there or not.

Mark - Fisher was a no brainer as he can manage the off the field activities when they are in the US. It makes sense to keep Scally around as he knows so much about running a lower league club. I am really pleased he's silent and in the background though. I never want to see or hear from Scally again. Scally stoked a toxic relationship between fans and club and had us in a spiral to the bottom. Scally is our past. The future is Brad and Shannon. The future is healthy.

Richard - Personally I agree with the decision to keep both parties. Like it or hate it PS has a lot of experience of running the club and will be a good reference point for the Galinsons. Paul Fisher held the club together while negotiations were being dealt with and has proved a tried and trusted member of the club who is easy for fans to relate to and communicate with. A great person to have around.

Cian - I think Fish staying on is one of the best parts of the takeover. His engagement with fans is wonderful and he has worked wonders in his relatively short time back at the club. Personally, so long as Mr. Scally works behind the scenes and is benefiting the club with his experience I have limited issues with his staying. However, I think there's a lot he can do to rebuild his relationship with a lot of fans of the club.

Lewis - Paul Scally I have no more to say on. He did some good things but plenty bad and almost killed the club. I’d rather he’s gone, but whatever. Fish has done a truly fantastic job and is vital to the running of this club. Top bloke too.

Matt - I will always be grateful to Paul Scally for saving our club, and although the last few years haven't been the best, he kept us afloat. Brad will be able to learn a lot from Paul Scally and I think that can only be a good thing. I am extremely glad Paul Fisher has stayed on. He is Gillingham through and through and I can only see his involvement in the club as a huge positive.

9. IF YOU WERE TO PICK YOUR BEST GILLINGHAM STARTING ELEVEN PLUS NINE SUBSTITUTES FROM ALL THE PLAYERS WHO PLAYED FOR GILLINGHAM UNDER PAUL SCALLY’S TENURE AS GILLINGHAM CHAIRMAN, WHICH PLAYERS WOULD BE INCLUDED IN YOUR TWENTY MAN SQUAD ???

Colin - I am not going to list all twenty names as that size of squad uses pretty much everyone who is fit to play apart from the young development players. My starting eleven would be: Morris, Alexander, Ehmer, Masterson, Tutonda, McDonald, Jeffries, Dieng, Lapslie, Nichols, Hawkins.

Paul - A tough one for me to answer as been so many outstanding players over the years, but I particularly like Connor Ogilvie, Cody McDonald And Bayo.

Naylor - Well I never knew a pre Paul Scally Gillingham so there's no conflict for me there. GK: Jason Brown DEF: Barry Fuller, Barry Ashby, Simon King, Joe Martin MID: Nicky Southall, Andy Hessenthaler, Paul Shaw (CAM), Matt Jarvis ST: Cody McDonald & Tom Eaves - Subs: Stuart Nelson, Nyron Nosworthy, Chris Hope, Danny Jackman, Andrew Crofts, Bradley Dack, Chris Whelpdale, Andy Barcham, Simeon Jackson.

Dazza - Sorry Lee, haven’t got enough hours to figure that one out, Suffice to say, Hess and SuperBob Taylor would be in there.

Loonpotter - In no particular order : Paul Shaw, Brad Dack, Barry Ashby, Leo Fortune-West.... its impossible.. Theres far too many ... Andy Hessenthaler..

Mark - Thats a great question but would take too long. I'll pass.

Richard - Simon Royce, Richard Green, John Egan, Simon King, Connor Ogilvie,  Paul Smith , Bradley Dack, Andy Hessenthaler, Iffy Onuora, Robert Taylor, Carl Asaba, Subs:  Jim Stannard, Barry Ashby, Jack Tucker, Simon Osborn, Neil Smith, Nicky Southall,  Curtis Weston, Simeon Jackson, Adi Akinbiyi, - So many to choose from. Had to leave out the likes of : Stuart Nelson, Tom Eaves, Marlon King, Leon Fortune West, Cody McDonald etc out. Who would have believed it.

Cian - Having only began following the Gills properly when I was 9 during the 13/14 season and having my first season ticket in 14/15 it would be impossible for me to comment on players who played for us in the first 18 or so years of Mr. Scallys ownership, however if I were to compose a squad from the years that I have been going it would probably look something like this:  

Stuart Nelson, Barry Fuller, Max Emher, John Egan, Connor Ogilive, Mark Byrne, Kyle Dempsey, Jake Hessenthaler, Bradley Dack, Cody McDonald, Tom Eaves SUBS: Tomas Holy, Gabriel Zakuani, Jack Tucker, Leon Legge, Luke O'Neill, Alfie Jones, Regan Charles-Cook, Jordan Graham, Danny Kedwell, And then I will cheekily jump the gun and throw Tom Nichols in there.

Lewis - Blimey. My first game was in 2007 so I’ll have to go off what I saw live. Nelson, Egan, Barrett, King, Fuller, Dempsey, Lee, Jackman, Dack, McDonald, Jackson. 352. Subs maybe Royce, Jackman, Ogilvie, Morris, Jones, Graham, Eaves, Kedwell, Oliver. That’s off the top of my head and my favourites as well as best so forgive me if I’ve forgotten anyone major!

Matt - Stuart Nelson, Jason Brown, Simon King , Nyron Nosworthy, Barry Ashby, Guy Butters, Ian Cox, Barry Fuller, Connor Ogilvie, John Egan, Andy Hessenthaler , Nicky Southall, Matt Jarvis, Andrew Crofts, Kyle Dempsey, Bradley Dack, Marlon King, Simeon Jackson, Danny Kedwell and Cody McDonald.

10. MANSFIELD TOWN MANAGER NIGEL CLOUGH MENTIONED IN A RECENT INTERVIEW THAT GILLINGHAM AND COLCHESTER UNITED HAD CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE FOR TRANSFERS IN LEAGUE TWO, ESPECIALLY WHEN GILLINGHAM SIGNED OLI HAWKINS AND GEORGE LAPSLIE FROM MANSFIELD TOWN, DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM HAVE OVER-SPENT ON SIGNINGS IN JANUARY, OR HAS OUR TRANSFER BUSINESS ONLY BEEN SMART AND SENSIBLE ???

Colin - The rules mean that in theory you can’t overspend. Maybe a couple of the fringe players don’t add much immediately but if they have potential then fine. It’s a pity we don’t have an U23 or competitive reserve team they can get match time in.

Paul - It’s hard to judge exactly what was spent as most is confidential but certainly we were helped by Brad and I am sure we kept within the EFL rules.

Naylor -  Well so far you'd have to say it's been smart. I guess if you wanted to be negative then you could suggest there isn't too much resale value to those players due to their ages, but if we stay up, they've been worth the money.

Dazza - Without knowing exactly how much we paid and what wages, it seems to me as though we have met the market, paid what we could but not “broken the Bank”. It’s rumoured we paid total of about £300k max over the 4 or 5 fees. That’s not high at all and is probably covered by the 2 cup runs income. It’s not like we spent millions. I think we are now simply paying what other L2 clubs are paying. In summer I would not be surprised to see us sign that one (or 2) big marquee players that we tried this time (like Stockley or Marriott).

Loonpotter - We haven't overspent because it was necessary.. If we had been relegated then we would have underspent and relegation is exactly where we were heading.. We've spent well on decent players.

Mark - We've spent money to survive as a league club. That's sensible if you can afford it - seems we can.

Richard - Smart and sensible. Compared to other clubs higher up what has likely been spent is chicken feed by comparison. Unfortunately you need funding to make progress in any league these days.

Cian - I think we have been rather astute with our business and have not overextended ourselves. We undoubtedly have a lot more to work with now, but it was nice to hear rumours of us walking away from deals that did not have financial sense – at the end of the day we have to work within the parameters and regulations of reality.

Lewis - It’s been very smart and sensible. We were assured of that at the fan forum. It will continue to be and we have the resources and right people to do that.

Matt - I think we have been incredibly smart this window. Yes our new owner has come in with loads of money, but that doesn’t mean we will be splashing the cash on just anybody. I think we have had a very smart window, not just looking at the hear and now, but also looking to our future.

11. SINCE THE LEICESTER CITY GAME AND ALL THE NEW SIGNINGS GILLINGHAM HAVE MADE IN JANUARY, GILLINGHAM HAVE WON FIVE, DRAWN ONE AND LOST ONE - SCORED TWELVE,  AND CONCEDED SIX - AND WE’RE PERHAPS STARTING TO SEE WHAT A NEIL HARRIS GILLINGHAM SIDE LOOKS LIKE WITH QUALITY PLAYERS, SO HOW MUCH CREDIT MUST GO TO NEIL HARRIS FOR GILLINGHAM’S UPTURN IN FORM OVER THE PAST SEVEN LEAGUE GAMES ???

Colin - I don’t know how good Harris is. He didn’t do much with what Fisher call a median quartile budget. It would have been hard not to do better when poaching other clubs’ best players. I am happy to give him the benefit of the doubt while he is getting us results. We have some tough games coming up against teams higher up the table so let’s see how he does.

Paul - I am sure the coaching staff including the manager try their best to win games and the big cup runs was excellent. Embarrassing though to get beaten by non league Tonbridge in the Kent senior cup and I hope next year we do better. FA and League cup success though brought valuable PR and money to the club so all credit to the lads.

Naylor - I used the term earlier but Harris has looked reinvigorated since the club's sale went through. He now looks like a manager enjoying his job again and can now finally play with a full deck of cards. We're starting to see the benefits from that and once we're mathematically safe, I would expect the last few games of the season to see more attractive football being played too. We need to get there first though.

Dazza - I give a lot of credit to Neil Harris. He takes unnecessary stick from some fans who seem to have to blame all the time. We have half a new side, but they are already playing pretty decent stuff at times. And I’m sure they’ll get better over the next month or 2.

Loonpotter - I don't give him much credit at all for that to be honest.

Mark - Not as much credit as the family that funded it ! However, that said this is a results business and Harris has got them. I'm not convinced he's the right man for the long term but you can't argue with his results since January so fair play to him and he will definitely see the season out.

Richard - A huge amount. Ultimately he picks the team. Personally I've never seen Neil Harris as the problem. I felt we were fortunate to recruit him and nothings changed my mind.  Ok he's made some questionable tactical decisions,  maybe, but he's human like the rest of us. Off course the Galinsons , Kenny and Andy have been participant but I would like to see NH progress with us. Hopefully he stays for a good while yet.

Cian - I think Neil has done a fantastic job and that he, Jackett and Hess have performed well in the transfer market and have added true quality to our squad. As manager of the football team, he is judged on results – before the takeover they simply were not good enough and he has to accept degrees of responsibility for that however at this point in time he is performing well – which is what everyone wants to see. Long may it continue!

Lewis - We’re starting to see how good a manager Harris is. He’s not blameless for the start to the season but he’s got the resources now and he can spread his wings.

Matt - I have always believed we have one of the best managers in the division in Harris. Before the January window, even though we were bottom of the league, our defence didn't concede a lot of goals. Now we have that fire power upfront we are starting to see what a Neil Harris team looks like.  

12. WHICH PLAYERS WHO WERE IN GILLINGHAM’S SQUAD AT THE START OF THE SEASON DO YOU THINK HAVE REALLY IMPROVED SINCE THE INFLUX OF NEW SIGNINGS IN JANUARY ???

Colin - I think that Alexander looks a lot better and maybe Tutonda too. Jeffries and Williams look more confident. McDonald is much improved although that may be a result of him gradually getting fitter after injury.

Paul - I can’t comment on the players selected by the club at the start of the season to play in the league but I am sure they all tried their best, Although we were bottom of the league recently we did have a number of good draws to the credit of the team but the scoring record was terrible for what ever reason. We don’t see what happens on the training pitch and I wish those injured players a quick recovery.

Naylor - A few have certainly lifted their games. Alex MacDonald has been getting back to his best and having better players around him has helped that. Shaun Williams has looked much more assured in the middle and is now performing to the levels I think we expected when he signed. Ehmer looks better for having a regular partner alongside him now and as already spoken about, Jeffries looks much better too.

Dazza - Improving players? No surprises in my nominations - Dom Jeffries - gets better every game, Alex Macca - getting back to best form, David  Tutonda - never realised he could be this decent, Max Ehmer - getting back to his best. Excellent club servant for many years.

Loonpotter - Tutonda and Jeffries. I'm not counting MacDonald out but I think he's ALWAYS given 100% and played to his ability.

Mark - Good question. Most have been good since January so hard to single anyone person out.

Richard - Dom Jefferies certainly, Max Ehmer has got back to form and Masterson’s arrival has helped that. Tutonda has also impressed.

Cian - I think players such as Dave Tutonda, Alex MacDonald and Shaun Williams have come along leaps and bounds but the player that has impressed me the most has been that of Dom Jefferies, he has been quality in my opinion and warrants all the praise he has received.

Lewis - Jefferies, Morris, Ehmer, Tutonda, Williams, Macca. All deserve good credit.

Matt - David Tutonda, Shaun Williams and Dom Jefferies.

13. DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM SHOULD RE-OPEN THE CLUB SHOP ???

Colin - I think you need a physical shop to add to the online offering. I like to size up and feel the quality before I buy and I’m sure most people do. The old facility is now a school room so presumably it’s difficult to resolve the situation.

Paul - If a demand yes a club shop should reopen.

Naylor - We do need a club shop yes, but it's been made clear the old megastore has already been converted to classrooms. I'm lead to believe there's space behind the Rainham End in some of those outbuildings next to the Gordon Road turnstiles aren't being utilised efficiently, so that would probably be the best place to build a new one. Having a matchday kiosk in the Rainham End would also be beneficial though I think, and maybe even a small stand in the Factory that just sold programmes & scarves would be good.

Dazza - Definitely need to open a club shop. And I think they will. We will see a “new Priestfield” next season I reckon.

Loonpotter - I'm not sure it matters whether the club shop is reopened as its easy enough nowadays to purchase online.. That said, we know it can be a pain buying clothes online.

Mark - Only if it makes money. I think I'd rather see pop up stalls in the shopping centres and on match-day to be honest.

Richard - Yes. I really miss it. Good to do some window shopping prior to games as well. Please bring it back. Offer Jo her job back.

Cian - I certainly think it could be a positive move – it would just make us feel more professional. However, realistically if it does not make financial sense it isn’t a priority. If we do happen to renovate the Town End I would quite like to see some sort of usage of the areas behind that stand. However that’s just a dream and is not a priority.

Lewis - Yes. I’m very big on this. Not sure it’ll happen but it’s a huge huge thing for me.

Matt - Absolutely. I used to love popping in on a match day with my nephew and buying him something.

14. ONE OF THE TOPICS SPOKEN ABOUT IN THE FANS FORUM FROM BRAD GALINSON WAS BRINGING GILLINGHAM LADIES BACK INTO THE FOOTBALL CLUB, HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB TO HAVE A STRONGER LINK / BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH GILLINGHAM LADIES FC ???

Colin - If a club can afford to run one it’s great to have a women’s side because as they say “it’s her game too”. I doubt that the subsidies required are massive as a women’s team can attract sponsorships and grants. The current team is now partnered up with Chatham Town so we may need to start from scratch.

Paul - Be nice to have the ladies team back again.

Naylor - Incredibly important. We saw the success of the Women's Euros last year how big the women's game now is, and we shouldn't be falling behind other clubs in having a ladies team. When the club took the decision to cut ties with them in 2020 I believed it to be incredibly short-sighted on the clubs part, so I hope we can have them back soon.

Dazza - Very important to assist the women’s game in any way possible. Not sure if we can take the current team back under our wing. It’s part of Chatham FC now. But I’m sure they’ll do what they can. Brad mentioned it at the fans forum. And Shannon is a champion of all women’s sport.

Loonpotter - I think its very important.. I'll be the first to admit its not my cup of tea but at the same time it's popularity has risen in recent years.

Mark - I think it would be nice. Ladies football has come on leaps and bounds in recent years and that's great to see. However, not sure I would watch them play so that's a bit hypocritical for me to say the club should back them. I think Brad answered it well - we will see how we can help them.

Richard - Crucial. All clubs should have a ladies team if they can. It's good to see their involvement and without doubt widens the clubs recognition both locally and nationally.

Cian - I would personally love a realignment with the ladies' team! I think it needs to happen in all honesty and I was very annoyed when we lost them. I think it should be a priority in all honesty. We’ve seen the great work of the HerGameToo movement around the club and the way in which the club have embraced the project and therefore i’m hopeful of a return.

Lewis - It’s very important, especially with Her Game Too partnering the club. Scally binned the team as soon as covid hit in reality but it shouldn’t be like that. Having Shannon in power too will help and I hope it’s changed soon.

Matt - I am a big supporter of bringing the ladies team back. I do understand why they were let go during covid, but think bringing them back should be high on brad and Shannon’s to-do list.

15. GILLINGHAM’S PAY WHAT YOU CAN DEAL SAW A ATTENDANCE OF 9,317 PACK PRIESTFIELD STADIUM FOR GILLINGHAM’S 1-0 HOME WIN AGAINST CRAWLEY TOWN, WITH TICKETS FOR THIS DEAL SOLD OUT VERY QUICKLY OF THIS INCENTIVE BEING ANNOUNCED, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE GILLINGHAM OFFER ANOTHER TICKET DEAL FOR A HOME GAME LATER ON IN THE SEASON, AND HOW SUCCESSFUL DO YOU THINK THE TICKET DEAL WAS FOR THE CRAWLEY TOWN GAME ???

Colin - As a season ticket holder I’m still happy to see people getting in at low prices as long as it’s not so often as to make buying an ST unattractive. It was certainly a good atmosphere v Crawley. The test is whether the extra fans are willing to come back and pay full price and whether gates actually really go up longer term.

Paul - Obviously the deal attracted a lot of people but we have to put season ticket holders first. So I think any new push must be to fill the empty places now the popular ones with cheap tickets.

Naylor - I don't believe the club can do another offer this season having already reduced tickets for the Exeter Carabao cup game earlier in the season due to EFL rules. It was great to see so many people in Priestfield again though and I hope many of those people come back on a regular basis.

Dazza - That initiative for the Crawley game was a brilliant idea. It may have lost money initially. Some of those losses may have been made up in food, drink and merchandise sales anyway. And repeat business. But it was invaluable as a marketing tool. To get Priestfield packed. To see if the ground and shops/staff could cope and what needs improving. And to keep the feel good factor going. I’ve already heard of many stories of new fans returning and maybe getting season tickets. I think there might be another offer later in the season, maybe a £5 or £10 entry. So long as we are allowed another (2 max per season I think).

Loonpotter - Great idea to get the stadium filled.. I would definitely like to see more of those.

Mark - It was very successful and cemented the feel good factor post Scally. The club needs to find the sweet spot on what people are prepared to pay. Next time I'd raise the minimum to say £10 and see what response we get.

Richard - Perhaps once more before the end of the season with season ticket holders offered a small incentive. By getting the stadium full everyone benefits, the team, the club with the extra sales from food, drink, programmes etc. Numbers would need crunching to work out the feasibility of this further.

Cian - I think ticket deals are always positive, I think we may be limited in how many we can hold though so as welcome as it would be, I'm not too sure if it's possible. I think the incentive clearly highlighted an appetite for live football in the area and winning that game should hopefully help entice more people to return.

Lewis - It was very successful. It sounds as if it’s got people interested and attendances are still decent now. If it gets people through the door and works financially then I’m all for it.

Matt - I thought the pay what you can deal was a great success and would love to see the club do more. The ground was packed and the atmosphere was electric prior to kick off.

16. GILLINGHAM HAVE WON THREE HOME LEAGUE GAMES IN A ROW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME - 2-0 AGAINST HARTLEPOOL UNITED, 1-0 AGAINST CRAWLEY TOWN AND 2-1 AGAINST GRIMSBY TOWN - IS FORTRESS PRIESTFIELD STADIUM BACK, AND WITH AFC WIMBLEDON AND BRADFORD CITY AT HOME IN QUICK SUCCESSION, HOW IMPORTANT CAN GILLINGHAM’S HOME FORM BE IN OUR BATTLE TO AVOID RELEGATION ???

Colin - We still need to keep picking up points to stay ahead of the teams behind us. No one apart from Rochdale looks dead in the water. It’s easier to get those points at home. A decent crowd can give the home side an advantage and we haven’t had that for a long time. You still need the right tactics and to be able to execute them so we need to continue to raise our levels.

Paul - I think it’s a great help to have the 12 the man at the Rainham End cheering the team on.

Naylor - Think it's still early days to call it a fortress just yet but it's certainly what we hope for as a Gills fan is to be winning our games at Priestfield.

Dazza - Home form is always very important. It used to be a fortress, we need to get that feeling back.

Loonpotter - Form in general is important as the final 6 run in is a little tricky.. I wouldn't describe Priestfield as a fortress yet as we have only played fellow strugglers.

Mark - We are picking up points away so home wins are less critical for the relegation battle (not that we are in one now) but home wins are important to develop the home support. I expect us to win plenty more games.

Richard - It will be very important off course. That said where the results come from is less important as long as we get them. With the attendances improving the home support could be a very decisive factor in getting home results.

Cian - In all honesty we have the quality to pull away from the relegation battle quite quickly but that will be reliant on ensuring Priestfield feels like a fortress. As is often said in football, if you win your home games and draw your away ones, you are onto a winner. Transforming the atmosphere of the ground this season will hopefully allow us to carry that momentum into next season – one in which we should hopefully have our eyes and attention focused on the right end of the table!

Lewis - I hope it’s back. It really is one of the best atmospheres in the league, if not the best, when it’s in full flow and can be a big asset to us in games.

Matt - I think our home form will be very important between now and the end of the season. Lets make priestfield a fortress that teams don't want to come and play at.

17. A RAINHAM END STYLE STAND COULD BE BUILT TO REPLACE THE TEMPORARY UNCOVERED BRIAN MOORE STAND IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, DO YOU THINK THE MONEY SPENT ON A NEW STAND IS A GOOD IDEA, OR, DO YOU THINK THE MONEY FOR A COVERED BRIAN MOORE STAND COULD BE BETTER USED FOR MONEY ON A NEW STADIUM ???

Colin - Galinson seems to have put the new stadium idea on the back burner for now preferring to concentrate on the challenges we already have on the pitch and in bringing in income streams. I expect to see a revamped Town End in place at some point next season but nothing on the scale of the RE.

Paul - Not sure what plans are for a new stadium but the away end needs updating even if only a roof put on and part of the old scaffold taken down.

Naylor - Until we sell out on a regular basis, Priestfield is fine to continue for the interim although the thoughts of a new stadium is exciting. I think a stand that matches the Rainham End would work well.

Dazza - Need something done up the BMS. Cannot wait for a new ground. Even if plans drawn and approved (years usually) it will take even more years to complete and actually move. Get Priestfield fixed now, then we can sit back and wait till we regularly fill it before moving. Having a decent covered stand (that keeps the capacity over 10k imho) would be excellent. Maybe with seats and safe standing areas. Dividable into 1/3rds to cater for different size away followings would be ideal.

Loonpotter - I think its a good idea to help get their feet under the table. I'm sure a new stadium for the future has been thought about though.

Mark - We don't need a new, bigger stadium until we are regularly selling out. I hope that day comes but until then a simple block work stand at the town end would be a good idea.

Richard - Good question. If we are staying at Priestfield for several years then I would say develop it as long as it's financially prudent. The key question for me is how long are we going to stay at Priestfield? If it was for only 2 seasons it may not be worth it.

Cian - I am a big advocate of something like this! Personally, I see moving stadium as neither a necessity nor a realistic option at this point in time. Having spent the first few seasons that, I had a season ticket in the Town End, it would be great to see levels of improvement. In honesty I doubt that a possible stand requires the capacity of the Rainham End and think that a slightly smaller stand would transform the whole atmosphere of the stadium. It would definitely be a welcome improvement on not only my part but that of visiting supporters from around the country!

Lewis - We definitely need a new stand. I don’t know the ins and outs of location but it’s not a bad stadium. We’ll need a new one eventually but I’m not sure it should be a priority. A new stand though should.

Matt - I would love us to go down the safe standing route, I remember watching guy butters score within 2 minutes of our first game in the championship from the old gillingham end.

18. GILLINGHAM PLAY AGAINST AFC WIMBLEDON ON THE 25TH OF FEBRUARY, WHAT IS YOU PREDICTED GILLINGHAM STARTING LINE UP AND SUBSTITUTES BENCH FOR THIS LEAGUE TWO FIXTURE ???

Colin - Morris, Alexander, Ehmer, Masterson, Tutonda, McDonald, Jeffries, Dieng, Lapslie, Nichols, Hawkins. Subs  Turner, Wright, Williams, McKenzie, Adelakun, O’Brien, Abrahams, Clarke, Gbode.

Paul - Tough one but I would keep most of the team the same but rest anybody who needs it.

Naylor - Morris, McKenzie Ehmer Masterson Tutonda, Williams, Jeffries, Macdonald, Lapslie, Hawkins & Nichols.

Dazza - Wimbledon team same as Rochdale but with 2 changes. Nichols back for O’Brien (although he was excellent). Macca back in and give Dom a quick break. He’s played every game recently.

Loonpotter - Morris, Tutonda, McKenzie, Masterson, Ehmer, Dieng, Lapslie, Nichols, Jeffries, MacDonald, Hawkins..

Mark - Same as Rochdale only Nichols will replace O’Brien.

Richard - Morris, McKenzie, Ehmer, Masterson, Tutonda, Dieng,  Lapslie, MacDonald, Jefferies, Hawkins, Nichols, Subs: Williams, Alexander,  Turner, Wright, Gbode.

Cian - I would probably go for something along these lines;  Glenn Morris, Cheye Alexander, Conor Masterson, Max Ehmer, Robbie McKenzie, Tim Dieng, Shaun Williams, Dom Jefferies  , George Lapslie, Tom Nichols, Oli Hawkins SUBS: Jake Turner, Will Wright, Dave Tutonda, Stuart O'Keefe, Alex MacDonald, Aiden O'Brien, Joe Gbode.

Lewis - It’s hard because we have options but I’ll go for the following. Morris, Alexander, Ehmer, Masterson, McKenzie, Williams, Dieng, Jefferies, Lapslie, Hawkins, Nichols. Diamond. Subs Turner, Wright, Tutonda, MacDonald, Abrahams, O’Brien, Gbode.

Matt - Morris, Alexander Ehmer Masterson McKenzie, Jefferies Williams Dieng Lapslie, Hawkins Nichols, Subs: Turner , Wright, Tutonda, MacDonald, O'Keefe, O'Brien, Gbode

19. AND WHAT IS YOUR SCORE PREDICTION FOR GILLINGHAM V AFC WIMBLEDON ???

Colin - Our record against Wimbledon isn’t great but I’m saying 2-1 Gillingham. I won’t be putting any money on that though.

Paul - Two nil to us again.

Naylor - Let's be hopeful, 2-0 Gills.

Dazza - I think this will be very tough. I’d love a close win but I think 1-1. Nichols back on the scoresheet.

Loonpotter - 2-0 to Gillingham.

Mark - 2-0 Gills.

Richard - 1- 0 Win.

Cian - Wimbledon have been a bogey-team of ours traditionally, but I predict a 2-1 win for the Gills!

Lewis - 1-0 to Gillingham!

Matt - 3-1 Nichols, Hawkins and O'Brien to score.

20. AND FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH TO ADD (EXAMPLE: IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE NOT COVERED IN THE NINETEEN QUESTIONS ASKED ABOVE YOU WANT TO EXPAND UPON) ???

Colin - Bring back Programme sellers.

Paul - The confidence level amongst us fans has increased since Brad and Shannon came on board and long may it continue, Thanks Lee for all your hard work as a loyal fan whom goes to most games.

Naylor - I was glad to see that the food outlets are finally reopening again in the Rainham End. Hopefully the paella will be back before we know it.

Dazza - Nothing much to add, except I’m loving the new Galinson era. I think we will see some big changes to the club, Priestfield and the whole supporting experience before next season starts. Really looking forward to it.

Loonpotter - I'm already looking towards that summer window.

Mark - Isn't it nice to be happy at Gills again!

Richard - Great to see some smiles around the club after a horrible period. We are back!! Thanks for inviting me to take part Lee. Hopefully we can stay in League 2 and move upwards next year.  Up the Gills.

Cian - Nothing To Add.

Lewis - Nothing else to add. Thanks Lee, and up the Gills.

Matt - Nothing To Add.

Once again, thank you to everyone for participating in this blog, and if anyone who is reading this wishes to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, then feel free to send me a message, and your more than welcome to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, The Strength Of The Gillingham Supporters Blog comes from everyone who has contributed, so once again, thank you to everyone who has participated in every single Gillingham Supporters Blog, Now, Gillingham have got back to back home league games against AFC Wimbledon and Bradford City, and hopefully, Gillingham can pick up back to back league wins and start to pull clear of The League Two Relegation Zone - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!

#Gillingham #Supporters #Blog

[fan-of-mulligan]

GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS BLOG - 2022 / 2023 SEASON - PART ONE

At the start of the season, I asked Gillingham Supporters for there thoughts and opinions on Gillingham’s Transfer Activity, Which Included Gillingham Signing The Likes Of Shaun Williams, Will Wright, Mikael Mandron, Scott Kashket and Elkan Baggott, Can any of Gillingham’s Young Players Like Joe Gbode and Bailey Akehurst force there way into the first team this season, Increasing the number of substitutes from three to five, and Gillingham’s Predicted League Position For The 2022 / 2023 Season, And the link to that blog is here - https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/691153015697227776/fom-blog-gillingham-supporters-blog-season

This Blog Is A Follow Up Blog which was previewing Gillingham before the start of The 2022 / 2023 Season, Now Leyton Orient 2-0 Gillingham On Tuesday Night was Gillingham’s Fifteenth League Game Of The Season, And I would usually do a part one for The Gillingham Supporters Blog after fifteen league games played, But with so many mid-week matches against Crawley Town, AFC Fylde In The FA Cup First Round Replay, and Brentford In The League Cup, I thought the week break between The Dagenham & Redbridge and Salford City Matches would be the ideal time to write up A Gillingham Supporters Blog.

Answering these questions are the following Gillingham Supporters,,,,, Loonpotter, Rob, David, Dazza, Gillingham Legends, Rob-B, Mike, Colin, Mark, and BQGillsFan - I want to thank everyone who has participated in the latest Gillingham Supporters Blog, as well as thank those who participated in Previous Gillingham Supporters Blogs, It is because of the involvement of everyone who has participated in the previous blogs which have made these blogs so successful, so once again, thank you, Now on to the questions and answers……..

1. I HAVE GOT TO START THIS GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS BLOG BY ASKING THIS IMPORTANT QUESTION, BACK IN AUGUST, PAUL SCALLY ANNOUNCED THAT HE WAS STEPPING AWAY AND TAKING A EXTENDED BREAK ON THE DAY TO DAY RUNNING OF GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB, AND IN RECENT WEEKS, THERE HAVE BEEN RUMOURS ABOUT A POTENTIAL TAKEOVER, CAN YOU SEE A CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP AT GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB HAPPENING ???

Loonpotter - It seems like it's happening as the stadium is now listed as belonging to Brad Galinson from what I hear..

Rob - I hope so. I don’t think Mr Scally has the means any more to finance the club to a competitive standard at league level.

David - Yes.

Dazza - As I write, it appears we are already in the midst of a takeover. Interesting few days, weeks and months ahead.

Gillingham Legends - Was never sure how true the rumours were but after today's news it now looks very likely to happen imminently.

Rob-B - Yes I can. Clearly the club have been loaned money from the potential new owner, Brad Galinson, with the stadium used as collateral. That's an unusual move if it's not a precursor to a full takeover, as there seems little benefit to Brad for this move. I am expecting weeks rather than months now.

Mike - 100% the takeover will happen, what the changes that we’ve seen on Companies House this week I think within the next 2 weeks we will be under a new ownership.

Colin - There needs to be a change in ownership. The owner can’t keep taking a large consultancy fee while failing to fund an adequate playing squad. Fans are voting with their feet and find more enjoyable ways of spending their Saturdays. It can’t go on much longer.

Mark - Yes, only a matter of time now. I can’t wait. I am hoping it can make a real impact and change the direction of travel which is only down under Scally.

BQGillsFan - Scally just doesn’t care, does he? Insults the fans, then bans them when they insult him back. Dreams of becoming a big club, refuses to put money or funds in to do so. Witnesses our worst season in over a decade, runs away and leaves Paul Fisher to pick up the slack, all whilst pissing off a manager who realistically should be plying his trade two divisions up, not down here with us. When we needed him to step forward, he’s run away. A change of ownership may very well be on the cards, but a) I need to see it to believe it, and b) Very high chance it will be some vulture swooping in to take whatever he can before leaving the club to die, given we’ve done a pretty good job of killing ourselves in recent years.

2. AND IF A CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP WERE TO HAPPEN EITHER THIS SEASON OR NEXT, WHAT IMPROVEMENTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE CHANGE FOR THE BETTER FOR GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB, BOTH ON AND OFF THE PITCH ???

Loonpotter - The changes all need to happen on the pitch initially to get us away from the bottom end of league 2.

Rob - Predominantly I would like to see an improvement in football infrastructure. A proper coaching and scouting system and youth development are a must. Then an improvement in the playing squad of course. When Evans & Raynor left, the lack of infrastructure was badly exposed and was embarrassing to be frank. Finally I would like to see a well run catering and bar operation in the ground,  & more entertainment for kids.

David - More. Investment.

Dazza - A better match day experience for the fans. And I believe an American owner is likely to have some good ideas along these lines. At least getting Priestfield back to the service levels it was a few years ago would be a start. On the pitch, simply an injection into the playing budget would help enormously. A couple of decent proven strikers would help.

Gillingham Legends - Well clearly there needs to be more funds available for better players and wages. I think with a successful team, everything else goes hand in hand. The club seems to be using the Great Hall a lot better and are staging some good gigs and events with big names which is very pleasing and good for the club. Hopefully more positive off field things like that will happen.

Rob-B - Pretty much everything needs to change. In the short term, we need better quality players, especially if we're to stay in this division or get back out the one below. Smaller changes such as making sure there's hot water, milk for teas, and so on also need to change. Then there's the long term challenges: building a new stadium at Mill Hill, having our own and improving the training ground, and redeveloping Priestfield. One big difficulty will be changing the culture of the club - for too long it's been a joke and treated as such. The fan base is understandably very cynical and our marketing is poor. Running out of milk to make teas was a good case in point - either staff didn't feel empowered to go and get some or knew they wouldn't be reimbursed if they did. That mentality has to change as well.

Mike - On the field a much better quality of players, it hasn’t worked out with the current crop for one reason or another. Lack of goals is the big one as we aren’t conceding many to be honest. Off the field, The Brian Moore Stand to be finally built after 20 years, I would like a safe standing terrace with a low roof so that the sound echoes around. A proper club shop back even if it’s the one in Gordon Road like it use to be many years ago.

Colin - A new owner needs to first and foremost be able to fund a playing squad that can win some games and score a few goals so as to bring some pleasure back into being a Gillingham fan. Beyond that there needs to be much better and more positive engagement with fans, sponsors and the wider community.

Mark - On the pitch win more games, score more goals. Lack of investment on the pitch has led us to where we are, facing relegation out of the league. Off the pitch lets reconnect with the fan base, lets promote the club and lets make it a happy place to be.

BQGillsFan - I mean, where to begin. Quite literally. Clean up the stadium. Give club staff support and paying what they actually deserve. Give fans a reason to want to come back. Invest in the playing squad. Invest in a youth setup. Have a long-term structure in mind. Build something that the fans, players and management can get on board with. There is not one thing being done correctly at Gillingham right now, and I honestly don’t know if one man can fix all the problems before it’s too late.

3. ALSO, PAUL FISHER HAS COME INTO THE FOOTBALL CLUB DURING GILLINGHAM’S TIME OF NEED TO HELP RUN THE FOOTBALL CLUB DAY BY DAY, AND PAUL FISHER HAS INTERACTED WITH SUPPORTERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, YOUR THOUGHTS ON PAUL FISHER’S WORK AT GILLINGHAM SO FAR ???

Loonpotter - I've seen no difference whether it be Fisher or Scally in charge.. He does interact but it's just the same, safe, almost scripted rubbish.

Rob - Paul Fisher seems to be doing a good job of getting off the field income going again. Whether it’s enough to save the current team from relegation will be clear from what happens in the January transfer window.

David - Very Good.

Dazza - Personally I think Paul Fisher has done very well. Things are beginning to happen around the club on Match days. Functions and the Factory are improving. I personally wish he’d stop the constant interactions with fans on Twitter. The “anti” fans just find fault in everything he says like they do with Scally.

Gillingham Legends - I think he's trying to listen to fans and improve things as much as he can with limited resources. He is certainly more approachable and interactive, which is probably the area where Paul Scally isn't the best.

Rob-B - If we find a successful buyer then he's done his job. He's managed to be a buffer for Scally in this awful season - I shudder to think of the abuse he'd be getting if he was in the crowd. I wouldn't be opposed to him continuing as CEO under the new ownership.

Mike - I like Paul and hope he stays on in CEO role as in his time back at the club, The Great Hall is being used a lot more and he has the knowledge to get things done with limited resources so with bigger resources (hopefully) behind him things will get much better for everyone involved.

Colin - We don’t know Paul’s full remit but from what I have seen he is looking to get the off field basics back on track and he has done an excellent job reviving the gigs in the Great Hall and bringing revenue back into the club. He comes across as a fan not just a hired hand.  We don’t know what he’s role is with regard to a sale of the club but anything he has been doing to facilitate that must be a good thing.

Mark - I think his hands are tied. He’s done OK but hasn’t really had the impact I thought he might given his background. I suspect his hands are well and truly tied though.

BQGillsFan - Finally, someone with the guts to address the fans and speak like he actually cares about the club. I really feel for Paul Fisher. He’s been dumped in to take the hits for the coward that owns this club, and he has done the best he can. But he’s not in control, not really. I have no doubt he wants what is best for the club, but he quite literally can’t do anything to save it. Engagement and emotional investment is the bare minimum somebody running a football club should have, and Fisher has done the best he can with the dregs he was handed.

4. AFTER NINETEEN LEAGUE GAMES IN LEAGUE TWO, GILLINGHAM HAVE WON TWO, DRAWN EIGHT, AND LOST NINE, AND GILLINGHAM ARE CURRENTLY IN THE RELEGATION ZONE, DO YOU THINK RELEGATION INTO THE CONFERENCE NATIONAL IS A REAL POSSIBILITY ??? - AND WHAT DO GILLINGHAM NEED TO CHANGE TO ENSURE THAT THE GILLS ARE STILL A FOOTBALL LEAGUE CLUB FOR THE 2023 / 2024 SEASON ???

Loonpotter - Wholesale player changes are required in January.. Nicky Shorey should probably go fishing for a year if he hasn't been already.  I don't believe we'll go down even though I recognise its a possibility.  

Rob - Without any significant changes in the playing squad, I think we would be very fortunate indeed to avoid relegation. I think with better quality players, Harris will get results. This is the worst team I’ve ever seen at the Gills by some distance in 27 years as a fan. I think it was always going to be 3-4 transfer windows with at least some financial backing for Harris to turn around what he found when he arrived. We are stuck with 3-4 on the wage bill that almost certainly wouldn’t be here if they had been out of contract in the summer.

David - Yes it is a real possibility. We need to invest in some better players.

Dazza - Definitely a possibility. We have been absolutely dire so far. Without a change we are going down. Fortunately a change is happening. I hope it is enough to turn the tide. We won’t come back from the NL in a hurry.

Gillingham Legends - Given the current position you have to say yes, it is definitely a possibility. We need to score goals to win more games and that just hasn't happened. I don't think you can fault the players for effort, they are definitely trying but there is a lack of quality.

Rob-B - If we carry on as we are, I think we're in for a double relegation. We simply do not score enough goals to win games nor come back from conceding. To ensure we stay up? 5 or 6 players of good quality - they need to be top League 2 players to cover the deficiencies of others - but they don't come cheap.

Mike - All depends on the budget for January, if it’s decent and we can bring in quite a few players which is always hard in January we will be safe, if not it might be a long 2nd half of the season.

Colin - The current squad isn’t of Football League standard. Unless there is a complete overhaul in January we will be in a three way fight against relegation. I don’t rate our chances unless a takeover goes through this month.

Mark - Yes its greater than 50/50 unless something changes. If we do nothing then we are relying on two worse teams. I’m not sure there is. We need to invest in attacking, creative players and goal scorers. That won’t happen under Scally. Either takeover happens in time for January funding or we are hoping that others are worse.

BQGillsFan - Without major investment in January, which we know isn’t happening, we are down. Neil Harris shall be gone by February at the absolute latest I reckon, and we won’t be able to attract any manager of calibre that can save us. No manager, no quality, no leadership from the top. How can it be anything other than relegation at this rate.

5. AND WITH GILLINGHAM CURRENTLY SITUATED IN THE LEAGUE TWO RELEGATION ZONE, THIS HAS SEEN SUPPORTERS ASKING QUESTIONS REGARDING NEIL HARRIS’ FUTURE AS GILLINGHAM MANAGER, DO YOU THINK A CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT SHOULD HAPPEN, OR, SHOULD GILLINGHAM STICK WITH NEIL HARRIS ???

Loonpotter - I'm 100% on the fence with this one.

Rob - I understand the frustration with results under Harris but paying off him, Livermore and Shorey at this point doesn’t address the deeper systemic issues at the club and just reduces the funding available in January. We are not attractive to any manager in a job elsewhere above National League South level either, so would need to attract an out of work manager and coaching staff that’s better than what we have. That doesn’t seem realistic to me.

David - Neil Harris must stay.

Dazza - Tough one. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s replaced. Most managers would have been with our current record. But I think these are weird times and he will survive and hopefully get us performing with an injection of funds. If he can identify some attacking options I think we’ll be fine.

Gillingham Legends - Neil Harris has proven himself to be a very decent manager. We all loved him when he came in and nearly kept us up against all odds. Things are difficult, we're not getting results but he is still a good manager. Not sure we'd attract anyone better.

Rob-B - I would stick with him. He's been dealt a rotten hand with a bunch of players that a) he didn't want to stay at the club and b) almost certainly didn't want to sign. Some of his comments about being happy with the squad must be looked at in the appropriate context - it would have been devastating for the players' morale if he'd said they were all rubbish before a ball was kicked. I think if we gave Neil a competitive budget, we'd be competitive.

Mike - Tough one really do we stick or twist, would be interesting to see if the players perform better if Neil went or would it be the same. But for the moment I think we stick, get the takeover done and a decent January window and go from there.

Colin - Harris spouted a lot of big talk pre season. We were going to have a much better squad than we had under Evans. All that talk was nonsense. I know the budget isn’t good but it isn’t the second worst in the division. Fisher said it was median quartile whatever that means. I think Harris should be doing better despite the budget limitations. He seems to have given up and is just waiting on more money to acquire decent players. Whether he will get that chance who knows.

Mark - In normal circumstances he’d be gone. These aren’t normal circumstances though. I doubt if we have the money to settle his contract so I think we are stuck with each other. Hard to believe that anyone could get worse results so I wouldn’t be sorry to see him leave. Gillingham Nil is grating.

BQGillsFan - What’s better? I don’t know. But can it get any worse? Not really. Sometimes, no matter how good a manager is, a change of voice is needed (take for example Ralph Hassenhuttl at Southampton). Harris is undeniably top three, if not top one, amongst managers in this league, but something clearly isn’t working, and there is yet another fractured relationship between the manager and the owner. I really don’t know what the answer is, or whether there even is one right now.

6. GILLINGHAM PROGRESSED INTO THE FOURTH ROUND OF THE LEAGUE CUP AFTER A 6-5 PENALTY SHOOTOUT WIN AGAINST BRENTFORD IN THE THIRD ROUND, WERE YOU ONE OF THE 2,163 GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS IN THE AWAY END AT THE GTECH COMMUNITY STADIUM, AND WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THAT DAY ???

Loonpotter - It's nice to get a win like that but it's tarnished by the realisation that you'll probably be slipping further down the league on the following Saturday.

Rob - I did go to Brentford. The feeling that I had most was pride in our travelling support. We never stopped getting behind the team and the atmosphere was great. The team deserves credit for hanging in there and the goal was probably the best we have scored this season. I think we can also see from Brentford what’s possible if a club is well run and has a sustainable long term plan. Historically Brentford aren’t a significantly bigger club than Gillingham.

David - I wasn’t there.

Dazza - No I wasn’t there. Would love to have been. One of the few highlights.

Gillingham Legends - Unfortunately I didn't go due to work commitments and with our poor form, did not fancy our chances either. Was a fantastic and shock result of which we were all deserving of after little else to shout about in recent times.

Rob-B - I remember checking the score, seeing we had conceded and then not bothering to look again until right before the end of the match when I saw we had drawn. I listened to the penalties on the radio.

Mike - Yes I was 1 of the 2,163 fans that attended, apart from the win. It was the first time I’ve got off a coach and walked the last bit as the traffic was shocking. But on the pitch a great performance and the noise from us fans reminded me of the good old days in the championship.

Colin - Yes I was at Brentford. The result was a shock. Brentford eased off after their early goal and paid for it. The penalty shoot out was the only excitement we have had this season.

Mark - I was. I’ll be honest I only went to tick the ground off and have a few London beers.  I had little expectation of us doing anything. What do I remember? Great little ground, I’d love that to be ours. I enjoyed the atmosphere. I like the gallows humour of “we’ve lost the ball” chants. Obviously brilliant when we scored and when they missed the penalty. Great night. I want more like it. I want a new stadium like that. I think secretly I want to move to Richmond and become a Brentford fan Lee.

BQGillsFan - I was in attendance for the game, but not in the away end. I went with two uni mates who are Brentford fans, so I was stuck in with the home fans. It was the worst-best day of my life. I genuinely had a headache from trying to contain myself. Absolutely unbelievable night, and proof that there is something there with this team if given support from all areas of the club. We made Brentford look ordinary. Obviously better than us, but ordinary enough that we always had a chance. And I’m awful with watching penalty shoot-outs anyway, so imagine being stuck in with the home fans during that one. Hoping to make the trip to Wolverhampton for the next round, this time in with the away fans.

7. AND AS WELL AS PROGRESSING INTO THE FOURTH ROUND OF THE LEAGUE CUP, GILLINGHAM ARE STILL IN THE FA CUP THANKS TO SCOTT KASHKET’S STOPPAGE TIME EQUALISER AWAY AGAINST DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE, CAN CUP RUNS IN THE FA CUP AND LEAGUE CUP GIVE GILLINGHAM THE FINANCES THEY NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE SQUAD IN JANUARY ??? - OR DO YOU THINK THE CUP RUNS IN BOTH COMPETITIONS HAVE BEEN UNWANTED DISTRACTIONS FROM OUR LEAGUE FORM ???

Loonpotter - You can never be distracted by extra income and/or cup wins.. Whether it’s used wisely is another issue.

Rob - The FA Cup is a decent money maker. There’s no prize money before the semis in the League Cup though, So gate receipts is the only difference and any gain is probably offset by other costs in the earlier rounds and the costs of participating in the EFL Trophy, which is definitely a pointless competition. Getting to R3 of the FA Cup would be nice for the club.

David - The cup runs are great.

Dazza - Cup runs vital with how poor we’ve been in the league. Extra funds (especially with some TV games) and also gives fans some big games to look forward to.

Gillingham Legends - I think we probably need the distractions from our league form and can try and take the cup form over. Financially it has to help too and the fans deserve nights like Brentford.

Rob-B - The finances we receive will make enable us to sign perhaps one player in January. I don't think that's enough. It's always good to be winning some games, although the bread and butter is the League.

Mike - Again a tough one as it brings in money that we can use in January but does take your eye off the bread and butter of the league. Neil Harris said the other day by the time we played Wolves we would have played 37 games where as Wolves have played 14, it’s crazy amount.

Colin - With the exception of the Brentford game, have stuttered our way through the early rounds of both cup competitions. There was nothing much between us and Fylde and Dagenham in terms of quality. A lot of the games are going to extra time, penalties or replays and that must be taking its toll on the squad. That said the squad is so bad I don’t think we have any key players we need to worry about more than others. At least cup football has brought us fans some cheer and the club/ owner some additional revenue.

Mark - Cup runs have been the only bright spot on a dark season. We need them and we need the money. I suspect we will set an exceptionally low gate for the replay though – under 2K perhaps.

BQGillsFan - Anything that can be considered a distraction from the league right now is a good thing. Cup runs are the things you remember more than anything as a fan, and the fact we could get three Premier League opponents in a single season is an amazing experience. Plus, the bonus of finances being bought in through prize money and TV, still being in both cup competitions is a great thing.

8. GILLINGHAM HAVE ONLY SCORED SIX GOALS IN NINETEEN MATCHES IN LEAGUE TWO - A DREADFUL STAT - AND ONLY ONE OF THE SIX GOALS GILLINGHAM HAVE SCORED IN THE LEAGUE HAS COME IN OPEN PLAY, WHAT DO YOU PUT THE POOR GOAL-SCORING RECORD DOWN TO ??? - LACK OF CREATIVITY IN MIDFIELD, POOR QUALITY STRIKERS UP-FRONT, HARRIS NOT SETTING GILLINGHAM UP TACTICALLY TO ATTACK TEAMS, OR ANY OTHER REASON YOU CAN THINK OF FOR GILLINGHAM ONLY SCORING SIX GOALS IN THE LEAGUE THIS SEASON ???

Loonpotter - They are clearly not good enough.. 1 or 2 bad games ok.. Half a season, not good enough.

Rob - I think that the lack of goals is mostly down to poor decision making and performance from the players. We have clearly got budget constraints and there are sometimes questions to be asked about the tactical setup but mostly we use possession very poorly and the forwards don’t show enough to make defenders work hard.

David - Poor quality strikers.

Dazza - Those 3 reasons you state are all correct Lee. Poor quality strikers. Poor quality delivery and lack of creativity from midfield. Defensive set up. I’d also add now, very low confidence. It’s a vicious cycle.

Gillingham Legends - It's pretty embarrassing. We do not have a decent goalscorer in the squad. Not just strikers, all over the pitch. We could certainly be creating more but are very light up front. Maybe the tactics aren't encouraging that. Must say we've not had much luck either though.

Rob-B - The players are simply not good enough. We lack creativity in midfield, the wingers are pacey but either have no end product or are so lightweight they fall over when someone breathes near them. Our strikers do not have a history of goalscoring and are also starved of confidence and supply.

Mike - A bit of everything, players, tactics and blooming bad luck!

Colin - We don’t have any goal-scorers. Mandron is the pick of the bunch but he has never been prolific wherever he has been. Kashket and Walker would struggle to get into the  Ebbsfleet team. The midfield engine room of Williams and O’Keefe have both had their day and create nothing. The wide players Green and Adelakun have been disappointing. Our full backs are slow and don’t overlap. We aren’t equipped to score goals.

Mark - Harris sets us up not to lose and that stifles creativity. We don’t have good enough players and the ones we have lack confidence. It’s a sad team to watch. I am so glad I didn’t renew my season ticket.  

BQGillsFan - I want the names of everyone who said fans were over-reacting when we bought Mikail Mandron back and we said it was shit. Unsurprisingly, a striker who was bad for us a few years ago, and is now older and had a worse scoring record since leaving, is still bad for us. There is absolutely no quality in any department up front, or in the creative areas of the midfield. We still should not be scoring so few goals; I feel like most Sunday League teams could manage what we’ve done by accident if you stuck them in League Two. It’s honestly embarrassing.

9. IT’S VERY UNFORTUNATE FOR ME TO ASK THIS QUESTION, AND MAYBE FELLOW SUPPORTERS MIGHT AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT, BUT THE MATCH-DAY EXPERIENCE AT PRIESTFIELD STADIUM HAS GENUINELY BEEN QUITE POOR THIS SEASON, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE GILLINGHAM DO TO IMPROVE THE MATCH-DAY EXPERIENCE AT HOME MATCHES ???

Loonpotter - Just win some games for a start to raise the atmosphere.

Rob - I sit in the Medway stand and the match day experience has been poor for years. The whole operation is staffed as cheaply as possible and therefore poorly led. The standard of food and beverage options is very low and it’s almost impossible to buy anything in the half time break. The tannoy system is not loud enough to hear and there’s no Wi-Fi or mobile signal. Some sort of half time entertainment would be fun for younger fans as well.

David - I haven’t been.

Dazza - More food outlets. More staff. Re open the club shop. Factory open longer before and after games. Personally I’d love to see a section of one stand have safe standing option to create better atmosphere. All these things cost money. Hopefully the new owner can provide.

Gillingham Legends - For me, the match day experience reflects how the team is doing. If the team is doing well, the attendances are higher and the atmosphere is much better. We're struggling and playing poorly, so the attendances are understandably down and the atmosphere is lacking. Not sure how much the other bits matter. If we were doing well, nobody would care.

Rob-B - We need to win more. Simple as that. A few weeks ago we were losing and the board went up for 6 minutes. People groaned, not because it wasn't enough, but because they wanted to go home. In years gone by the Rainham End would have been rocking as we pushed for an equaliser - this year, just resignation that we'd lost and wouldn't be coming back.

Mike - It only needs a couple of things changing like all the food kiosks open and not running out of food. Think music wise, Brentford had it to a tee with the build up music for the match so maybe we could do something like that to make Priestfield a fortress again.

Colin - The club is on its uppers. The ticket office is closed most of the time so getting away tickets means risking the Mail during industrial action, there isn’t an adequately stocked accessible club shop, the food offering has been poor, the Factory doesn’t sell real beer, there is no half time entertainment, the place looks dirty and unloved. All of this needs to change if former fans are to be enticed back.

Mark - Chances, excitement, goals that draw bigger crowds. People will watch a winning team. I’ve only done one home game all season. Not missed it one bit. I started in 1984.

BQGillsFan - One element is something stadium staff can’t control, and that’s the quality on the pitch. Obviously if the team was playing better, it would feel better going to games. But in terms of what can be done off the pitch, I have a few ideas. Firstly, drop ticket prices. We saw last year when prices came down, we nearly doubled the attendance and the atmosphere was great. Sell 3,000 tickets at £22, or sell 7-8,000 at £10 each? More money, more fans, better atmosphere. Secondly, pay the money to actually make sure the catering services have enough stock. The number of times over the last 18 months I’ve gone down at the start of half-time and there’s no more alcohol, no more hot food, no more water bottles is embarrassing. You know how many people turn up each week, why are supplies running out so quickly every match, and so frequently. Fans sit through 45 minutes of depression, then can’t even get a drink or food during the 15 minute pause before another 45 minutes of depression.

10. AND WITH THE 2022 WORLD CUP IN QATAR CURRENTLY ON-GOING, AND THE PREMIER LEAGUE AND CHAMPIONSHIP CLUBS TAKING A MID-SEASON BREAK, SHOULD GILLINGHAM BE DOING TICKET DEALS TO TRY AND GET MORE SUPPORTERS TO TURN UP TO LEAGUE TWO MATCHES AT PRIESTFIELD STADIUM ???

Loonpotter - I'm not sure it matters when match-day is as unattractive as it currently is.

Rob - I am not sure that there’s a ticket deal that overcomes the problem of the poor team and match day experience.  We are already letting youngsters in for free as it is. Undercutting season ticket holders when there isn’t really much point in having a season ticket already is probably bad for business in the longer term. It’s unlikely we will win any converts from Premier League or Championship clubs.

David - Of course we should.

Dazza - Yes. I’m glad they’ve done a deal this week. Pity some of our supporters find fault in it.

Gillingham Legends - I mean they could but honestly, in the position we're in, are the supporters going to be that interested? Especially when there's World Cup games on the TV. Again, if we were doing well it might be a different story.

Rob-B - Maybe but who is actually going to? Sit at home in the warm and watch Mbappe or pay £10 to freeze and watch a dreadful game of football.

Mike - This is a good idea but affects season ticket holders who miss out on the deals so it’s a catch 22 situation.

Colin - Sadly I can’t see too many Premiership fans coming to watch a team at the bottom of the league that can’t score goals.

Mark - Yes, but without advertising it won’t make much difference. Its also such a poor product why should we expect people to want to come.  

BQGillsFan - Brand it as a deal sure, but just repeat the above comments I made about ticket prices, applying it to ALL fans. The recent deal done for the Salford game is a slap in the face of regular fans, saying some dude with a Spurs or Chelsea season ticket can come for a £10 cos their team is on a break, whilst we regular fans still have to pay full price for more of the same we’ve supported all season is an insult.

11. GILLINGHAM HAVE SIGNED CALLUM HARRIOTT ON A SHORT TERM CONTRACT, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS SIGNING ???

Loonpotter - Potentially a decent signing but I'm ready to be let down.

Rob - I don’t know much about him. Hopefully he improves the squad.

David - We needed someone.

Dazza - Weird signing given the takeover events and promise of future funds this week. Unless Callum hits the ground running straight away, is quality at the level and on a very minimal wage, then I see no point in a 2 month(?) contract.

Gillingham Legends - A good player that I've always liked however he hasn't played for a long time and is way of fitness. We need more quality and IF he can get himself fit then he could provide it.

Rob-B - Yeah fine. He's not yet match fit so I don't know when we'll be seeing him and his record is okay. I can't imagine he'll do much to change this team.

Mike - Good signing if we can get him fully fit but sounds like we a couple of weeks away from that.

Colin - The transcript of the recent court case doesn’t paint a pretty picture. As a footballer he has some talent but he isn’t anywhere near match fit and I doubt we will see much of him before his deal expires.

Mark - I suspect we will never see him play. If he can get fit then potentially a good signing but a sign of predicament that we have to sign players who are not match fit.

BQGillsFan - Genuinely know nothing about the guy. Been drilled into me not to have high hopes, so I’ll wait and see before even beginning to be optimistic.

12. AND WITH THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW JUST AROUND THE CORNER, WHICH POSITIONS IN THE SQUAD WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE GILLINGHAM STRENGTHEN ??? - AND HOW MANY PLAYERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE GILLINGHAM SIGN, TWO, THREE, FOUR, OR MORE THEN FOUR ???

Loonpotter - Strengthen everywhere!!!

Rob - I think we need a centre half, 2 attacking midfielders and a centre forward. Probably need a goalkeeper too with Morris injured.

David - We need to sign as many as we can.

Dazza - Last week I’d have said 2 or 3 players in if we could afford it. Now, IF a full takeover happens, I think we may get 4 or 5 players in. And in an ideal world they will be forwards and a creative midfielder or 2. We probably could do with another full back (Mnoga going back) and a keeper.

Gillingham Legends - Quite a few I'd say. Obviously a goalscorer is a priority. A quick, creative player or two. A solid central defender would be good to partner Baggott.

Rob-B - I think we're fine in goal. Turner is okay for this level. Baggott/Wright is okay but the full backs are weak. O'Keefe, Williams and Jeffries are decent but lack creativity. The wingers are dreadful and the strikers lack any kind of potency. We need 5 or 6 to keep us up, and then another 6 or 7 to challenge next year.

Mike - Where to start, I think goalkeeper is sorted. Defence we need to strengthen up along with midfield and the forward dept well a full change so I think about 6 players if possible.

Colin - The whole squad is inadequate. I can’t see us bringing in nine or ten players though and the priority has to be three new strikers.

Mark - We need as many as we can and we need them to be better quality than we have. They need to make an impact as immediate starters not be substitutes. If not I think we will be relegated.

BQGillsFan -  Striker, attacking midfielder, two wingers, centre-back and a left-back…. And maybe about 10 other players too. I hear Cristiano Ronaldo is a free agent, reckon he’d like the change of scenery.

13. GLENN MORRIS, RYAN LAW, ELKAN BAGGOTT, HAKEEB ADELAKUN AND HAGI MNOGA ARE GILLINGHAM’S FIVE LOAN SIGNING’S IN OUR SQUAD, HOW MANY OF THE PLAYERS LISTED HERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE GILLINGHAM KEEP UNTIL THE END OF THE SEASON ???

Loonpotter - I wouldn't be bothered if they all left.

Rob - I would keep Morris if he’s fit, Law if management doesn’t think they can get anyone better and Baggott regardless. The other 3 have not been up to the level needed and so should be gone.

David - Not many.

Dazza - Only Elkan Baggott to stay. I can now see all the rest returning to their clubs and us trying another set of 5 loans.

Gillingham Legends - I'd probably keep all except M'Noga. Morris is still a good keeper at the level and if fit, I'd keep. Baggott has been decent and is improving all the time. Adelakun has been a bit hit and miss but is probably the most gifted player we have. Law is nothing special but fairly reliable. M'Noga started terribly and has never recovered or had the chance to. The manager obviously doesn't think he's good enough either.

Rob-B - Morris ideally, but I know is injured. Law is okay as a backup, Baggott has improved after a shaky start. Adelakun is neither here not there and Mnoga is on a fast track to the Isthmian League.

Mike - Glenn Morris can stay, Elkan Baggott would love him to stay but Ipswich have other plans I think. Hakeeb Adelaukun maybe and Hagi Mnoga just hasn’t worked out and sounds like he is going back in January.

Colin - Law, Adelakun and Mnoga haven’t been any good and should be binned off. Morris is currently injured and Baggott is going to be missing for 6 weeks so we might have seen the last of both of them too.

Mark - Morris and Baggott.

BQGillsFan - Elkan Baggott is the only one of our loan signings I’d be happy to see back in the future.

14. DO YOU THINK THE LACK OF CONTINUITY IN THE SQUAD FROM ONE SEASON TO THE NEXT IS WHY GILLINGHAM ARE STRUGGLING IN LEAGUE TWO THIS SEASON, BECAUSE CALLUM HARRIOTT IS GILLINGHAM’S SEVENTEENTH SIGNING THIS SEASON AND THE NUMBER OF SIGNINGS IS ONLY GOING TO INCREASE IN JANUARY, AND THE SUMMER JUST GONE WAS ANOTHER SUMMER WHERE GILLINGHAM HAVE HAD TO COMPLETELY RE-BUILD THE FIRST TEAM SQUAD ???

Loonpotter - Hard to say.. If you get good enough players in it shouldn't matter too much.

Rob - I think that getting to a point where the manager doesn’t start every July with 6-7 players will be a big part of making the club competitive again. There are a number of other clubs in League One and Two in the same boat but it is rare that anyone recruits 15 new players in July and competes at the top of the table in any division.

David - Yes

Dazza - Having a constant turn over of players doesn’t help. But we aren’t the only club. Football has changed massively over the years. Players very rarely stay anywhere for more than a few seasons. It would be nice to get a few players signed on longer contracts at younger age. But it’s always a risk.

Gillingham Legends -  Having to sign so many players is always a gamble. It worked for two seasons with Evans but the last two haven't. You never know if the players are going to gel, it can take time and at the moment it's looking like it's not working. I'm not sure Harris knows his best team and he's chopped and changed an awful lot which doesn't help either.

Rob-B - Possibly. We don't offer long contracts, but then, of those who were already under contract, how many would we want to keep? Harris said not all and I would agree.

Mike - Hopefully once the takeover happens we may only see this again in January and the end of this season then hopefully player movement will start to settle down.

Colin - No. We are poor because we have let the likes of Vadaine Oliver,  Kyle Dempsey and Danny Lloyd go without replacing them and Shorey has recruited some very poor players.

Mark - Yes, without a doubt. It also stops us developing players to sell on at a profit. It’s something the new owner must address.

BQGillsFan - Well yeah. Changing the entire squad every season is never going to allow for consistency on the field. And whilst we’ve been fortunate enough to find hidden gems doing this in recent years (Eaves, Graham, Ogilvie, Dempsey), you’ll eventually hit a period where recruitment throws up nothing but duds, which is what has happened for the last two seasons.

15. AND OF THE SIGNINGS GILLINGHAM HAVE MADE THIS SUMMER AND DURING THE SEASON, WHICH PLAYER DO YOU THINK HAS BEEN GILLINGHAM’S BEST SIGNING ???

Loonpotter - I can't pick a best, I've been disappointed too often.

Rob - Glenn Morris.

David - I don’t know.

Dazza - Elkan Baggott by far. Turner has played well and Morris was good until injury. Wright has had some good games but a bit inconsistent. The rest have not played to the standard I think they are capable.

Gillingham Legends - Probably Shaun Williams. We seem to play better when he's playing. He's a calm, experienced presence.

Rob-B - Erm...Kashket maybe. I genuinely have no idea who my player of the season is so far, Morris I guess.

Mike - Can’t really pick out anyone at the moment I’m afraid.

Colin - Baggott has generally looked better than the rest. Will Wright has had a couple of decent games at centre back. It’s hard to be positive.

Mark - Arguably Morris which speaks volumes but I think Baggott is getting better.

BQGillsFan - I think it’s generous to call anyone a ‘best’ signing, but by definition I guess someone has to be. I’d say probably Elkan Baggott.

16. DO YOU THINK THE GROUP STAGE OF THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE TROPHY AND THE FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS OF THE LEAGUE CUP SHOULD BE PLAYED IN THE SUMMER, WHICH COULD ALLOW FOR MORE MID-WEEK FIXTURES TO BE FREED UP FOR LEAGUE MATCHES AND POSSIBLE POSTPONEMENTS LATER ON IN THE SEASON ???

Loonpotter - No, I like the current schedule.

Rob - I’d bin the EFL Trophy altogether. Not that interested in when it is scheduled. If we had a more talented and stable squad it would be useful for fringe players getting game time.

David - No.

Dazza - No idea, but I can’t see it happening. I’d sooner see the Mickey Mouse cup be reformatted into a pre-season friendly competition to free up some time during the season. And scrap replays in first few rounds of the 2 major cups.

Gillingham Legends - Maybe the Papa John's trophy could, it's is a waste of time anyway. Don’t see a problem with the league Cup as it is.

Rob-B - No, just get rid of the Pizza cup. It's an insult that we have to have Premier League and Championship U21s side playing in the tournament with up and coming stars like Jay Spearing and Andrew Crofts playing for their respective sides.

Mike - Yes 100%

Colin - The EFL trophy should be a knock out competition solely for League One and Two member clubs. I don’t think bringing players back early will help their close season recovery.

Mark - I think the trophy should be binned. Summer evening football sounds nice to me.

BQGillsFan - With the Football League Trophy, honestly bin the competition off. Nobody goes to the games, none of the teams want to play it, it makes scheduling a nightmare if there needs to be other games played from cancellations/replays in other competitions. It could just be the tournament format needs a rework, but I honestly don’t care enough about it to think about how to do that. Then without the Football League Trophy, League Cup fixtures being where they are wouldn’t be as much of a problem.

17. DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE V GILLINGHAM WAS A 5PM KICK OFF TIME, AND GILLINGHAM V SALFORD CITY IS A 12.30PM, DO THE CHANGE IN KICK OFF TIMES AFFECT IF YOU CAN MAKE IT TO A MATCH, AND IF A CHANGE IN KICK OFF DOES HAPPEN, DO YOU PREFER THE 12.30 - 1PM KICK OFF TIME, OR, 5PM ???

Loonpotter - 12.30-1pm I think is better.. you still have the evening to drink away what you just witnessed on the pitch.

Rob - Kick off times changing is generally a pain but I am more likely to still go if it’s early than late. Less cold that way!

David - I don’t go to home matches.

Dazza - Changes in Time don’t affect me. No preference. It’s todays game which is tied to TV timing. It won’t change.

Gillingham Legends - Personally it doesn't affect me too much, in fact at this moment in my life with young kids, an earlier or later kick off actually suits me better as it's less disruptive to the day. However I do like tradition and think 3pm should always be standard.

Rob-B - 12:30 is a bit of a pain this week as I'm going on the train. Doesn't overly affect me.

Mike - It doesn’t really affect me what time kick off but I know it does to many others, hopefully this is just due to the world cup and not something that will change going forward.

Colin - I live locally so can generally make the revised times but I prefer the traditional 3pm on a Saturday starts. Many people of course have to miss out on attending because of other commitments. FIFA is corrupt and hosting the World Cup should never have been “won” by Qatar.

Mark - It doesn’t this season as I’m not going to games. If I were going then I’d prefer lunchtime to 5PM.  

BQGillsFan - Not really. Wasn’t sure I’d be attending either anyway, so not a big deal for me to see kick off times changes.

18. GILLINGHAM PLAY AGAINST SALFORD CITY ON SATURDAY 3RD OF DECEMBER, WHAT IS YOU PREDICTED GILLINGHAM STARTING LINE UP AND SUBSTITUTES BENCH FOR THIS LEAGUE TWO FIXTURE ???

Loonpotter - I don't think even Neil Harris knows that.

Rob - Turner, McKenzie, Wright, Ehmer, Baggott, Williams O’Keefe, Reeves, Kashket, McDonald, Mandron. Subs: Alexander, Law, Adelakun, Green, Jeffries,  Walker and the Goalkeeper whose name I don’t remember.

David - I don’t know.

Dazza - I’d have a stab at the same starting line up v Salford. Up front I’d like to see Gbode given a good long run at it. Either starting (and given 60-70 mins) or coming on with plenty of time left not after 80 mins. I reckon if he can get a goal or two his confidence will soar.

Gillingham Legends - Who knows! As already mentioned, Harris seems to change the team every week so it's anyone's guess. Honestly don't know. I'd imagine Kashket is probably deserving of a start though.

Rob-B - Turner; McKenzie, Wright, Baggott, Law; O'Keefe, Williams, Jeffries; Adelakun, Kashket; Mandron. Whoever else is left on the bench.

Mike - I expect changes following Dagenham last week, predicting it is a lucky dip.

Colin - Choosing a team from the current squad is deeply depressing but if I must it’s Turner, Alexander, Wright, Ehmer, Law,  Williams, Jeffries, McDonald, Adelakun, Mandron, Gbode.  Anyone left who is halfway fit will be on the bench.

Mark - Same as last game – he really doesn’t have much choice.

BQGillsFan - Turner, McKenzie, Wright, Baggott, Law, Williams, Jeffries, Adelukan, McDonald, Gbode, Kashket // Subs: Holtham, Alexander, Ehmer, O’Keefe, Reeves, Walker, Mandron.

19. AND WHAT IS YOUR SCORE PREDICTION FOR GILLINGHAM V SALFORD CITY ???

Loonpotter - 2-0 to Salford

Rob - Gillingham Nil, Salford Nil.

David - Nothing To Add.

Dazza - 1-1 is the most positive result I can honestly hope for. Unfortunately I think a loss will come along and dent our good vibes from this week.

Gillingham Legends - I'm gonna be optimistic and say 1-0 to the Gills.

Rob-B - 0-2.

Mike - 1-0 snatch and grab.

Colin - We will lose 0-1.

Mark - Gillingham to lose to nil – I’ll go with 0-2.

BQGillsFan - 0-3 to Salford.

20. AND FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH TO ADD (EXAMPLE: IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE NOT COVERED IN THE NINETEEN QUESTIONS ASKED ABOVE YOU WANT TO EXPAND UPON) ???

Loonpotter - I have no confidence that the right players will be brought in in January.

Rob - I can’t see any justification for not having a flat rate for ticket prices at this level.

David - Nothing To Add.

Dazza - Regarding Brad Galinson. My hope is that the charge against Priestfield is the first part of a full takeover and is simply a way to get debts cleared and funds into the club to help in Jan. An announcement along these lines might give the fanbase a lift and get the place buzzing again. Having Priestfield (or Mill Hill) as it was back in the glory years of the Championship, and maybe even better, is the stuff of my dreams.

Gillingham Legends - Just want to add with regards to the proposed takeover, that I remember when Scally bought the club when the club was in real financial despair, (which it's worth noting we are nowhere near that currently) the feeling and atmosphere around the club and fans was instantly buzzing. This was obviously helped by a fantastic team assembled by a great manager and years of unprecedented success followed. I'm hoping and praying that if it does go through we can have that feeling once again. UTG!

Rob-B - No. Thanks for doing this again Lee, having a good Christmas and New Year. Let's hope 2023 is a much brighter year for Gills than 2022 was!

Mike - Let’s hope that the takeover happens and the good times return, UP The Gills!!

Colin - Scally really does need to go.

Mark - I think you could have asked us to summarise the Scally era – maybe that’s for next time if he truly has gone.

BQGillsFan - I’ve already done enough moaning today, don’t think adding any more comments would be handy at this point.

Once again, thank you to everyone for participating in this blog, and if anyone who is reading this wishes to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, then feel free to send me a message, and your more than welcome to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, The Strength Of The Gillingham Supporters Blog comes from everyone who has contributed, so once again, thank you to everyone who has participated in every single Gillingham Supporters Blog, Now, Gillingham have got three home matches in a row against Salford City, Dagenham & Redbridge and Bradford City, hopefully, Gillingham can get off to the best start and set the tone by winning against Salford City Today - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!

#Gillingham #Supporters #Blog

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM 1-0 SUTTON UNITED - LEAGUE TWO - 2022 / 2023 SEASON

With the train strikes affecting travel to Priestfield Stadium For Saturday 1st October 2022, I got a lift over to the ground, and I know many other supporters who had to make alternative travel plans for Gillingham V Sutton United, and there are also train strikes for Crewe Alexandra V Gillingham, which will affect how supporters will travel to Gresty Road the following Saturday, But the train strikes combined with the traffic problems on The A249 meant additional difficulty getting to the ground for Gillingham V Sutton United

When I arrived outside Priestfield Stadium at 13.30PM, (After I went to Sainsbury’s to buy A 500ML Bottle Of Coca Cola and something to eat) I spoke with a few supporters regarding Hartlepool United 0-0 Gillingham, Now in isolation, A 0-0 Draw away from home would be considered a respectable result, but with Gillingham only scoring two goals in ten league matches, and Gillingham having only scored four goals in thirteen competitive matches this season, the lack of goals scored combined with Gillingham’s low league position in League Two is very concerning, also, there were question marks surrounding Neil Harris’s tactical decisions away at Hartlepool United, Lewis Walker and Joe Gbode did not come on to freshen up our attacking options, Cheye Alexander came on to replace Stuart O’Keefe who was substituted because of injury, and Gillingham were playing for the point in the closing stages of the match, and Gillingham held on for the point thanks to a excellent save from Glenn Morris, and had Hartlepool United won the match late on, Gillingham would have dropped into the relegation zone in League Two.

But what was even more concerning about The 0-0 draw against Hartlepool United was the lack of creativity, it’s not like we can point to a encouraging performance and Gillingham just came up against A Hartlepool United Goalkeeper who made six or seven fantastic saves and the performance was superb and Gillingham just came up against A Goalkeeper who was outstanding on the day, Because the goalkeeper who put in the outstanding performance was Glenn Morris, and Ryan Law also made an important goal-line clearance right at the end of the first half as well, and looking at the attacking options Gillingham have got in Mikael Mandron, Scott Kashket, Lewis Walker, Jordan Green and Hakeeb Adelakun - Scott Kashket and Mikael Mandron are good signings at this level, Hakeeb Adelakun was superb at Scunthorpe United and he has plenty of experience playing League One and League Two Football, Jordan Green has got pace, and Gillingham have taken a chance on Lewis Walker, But in the summer, Neil Harris spoke about adding pace, physicality and power to this Gillingham Side, and if I was Neil Harris, I am looking at the free agent market to sign another striker and looking at signing someone like Tom Elliott or look at alternative options like Theo Robinson and Leon Clarke, Tom Elliott is the striker who stands out because he fits the description of a physical aerial presence up-front, and Gillingham can do with signing A Target-Man Type Of Striker, Because Mikael Mandron doesn’t win the ball often enough in the air for Gillingham.

Eventually, Gillingham’s Team News Appeared On Social Media, And Gillingham Lined Up As Follows….. Glenn Morris, Cheye Alexander, Will Wright, Max Ehmer, Ryan Law, Jordan Green, Robbie McKenzie, Shaun Williams, Hakeeb Adelakun, Scott Kashket, Mikael Mandron SUBS: Jake Turner (GK), Hagi Mnoga, Elkan Baggott, Alex MacDonald, Lewis Walker, and Joe Gbode - Stuart O’Keefe not included in the squad wasn’t too much of a surprise, but there is no Ben Reeves, Olly Lee, Dom Jefferies, David Tutonda, and Josh Chambers clearly wasn’t going to be included in the match-day squad for Gillingham against Sutton United.

But with only six substitutes on the bench, and this time it isn’t because of no club development player on the bench because Joe Gbode is in the match-day squad, the injuries are pilling up and five of the players mentioned are midfielders in Olly Lee, Ben Reeves, Stuart O’Keefe, Dom Jefferies and Josh Chambers, and it is a good thing that Gillingham have re-signed Josh Chambers, Because Gillingham’s options in midfield are looking very depleted at the moment, But one change which has not happened is Elkan Baggott starting for Gillingham against Sutton United, Because Elkan Baggott must be suffering the affects of jet-lag having traveled back from Indonesia to England, and that is a very long flight as well.

And after going into The Ticket Office to buy away tickets for Doncaster Rovers, Crewe Alexandra and Leyton Orient, as well as buying tickets for home matches against Brighton & Hove Albion’s U21’s And Colchester United In The Football League Trophy, I made my way to The Family Enclosure Entrance For The Medway Stand, showed My Season Ticket at the gate, walked through the turnstiles before queuing up to buy two match-day programmes at The Kiosk for £6, and I made my way towards my seat towards The Back Of The Medway Stand Lower.

I got speaking to Season Ticket Holders sitting behind me about Gillingham’s 0-0 draw away against Hartlepool United, a match which saw Gillingham wear a brand new yellow away kit because Gillingham’s Home And Away Kits both clashed with Hartlepool United’s Home Shirt, And Hartlepool United have got a dreadful winless run and there was an opportunity for Gillingham to pick up three points against another side down the bottom of end of League Two and slowly move up The League Two Table, now, if Gillingham were to win against Sutton United, then that point the previous week looks a better point and Gillingham will have picked up four points from two matches against Hartlepool United and Sutton United, but the real concern is where are the goals going to come from ???

And perhaps this is why Neil Harris is starting Jordan Green, Hakeeb Adelakun, Scott Kashket and Mikael Mandron, with the thought process being all four players on the pitch at the same-time are going to cause Sutton United problems defensively, and that may well mean that Gillingham have to be vulnerable defensively to try and create more goal-scoring opportunities against Sutton United, similar to how Gillingham played against Grimsby Town, Where Gillingham drew 1-1 and had two goals disallowed for offside, both goals were scored by Mikael Mandron in that game, but perhaps this is how Gillingham need to play to create goal-scoring opportunities and score more goals.

Both teams then walked out on to the pitch at Priestfield Stadium As Gillingham host Sutton United in this important League Two Fixture, prior to kick off, Sutton United come into this fixture sitting in Thirteenth Position in League Two with four wins, two draws and four defeats and fourteen points from ten matches played, Gillingham are Twentieth In League Two with one win, four draws and five defeats from ten matches played, A Win for Gillingham would move The Gills on to ten points and Gillingham would slowly move themselves up The League Two Table, And let’s hope that Gillingham can pick up all three points against Sutton United - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!

FIRST HALF:

At least Referee David Rock doesn’t switch ends, which means that Gillingham are kicking towards The Brian Moore Stand In The First Half, And Sutton United are kicking towards The Rainham End, Which means that Gillingham are kicking towards The Rainham End In The Second Half, Sutton United Supporters are situated in the end two blocks in The Gordon Road Stand, for the supporters who have made it to Priestfield Stadium, they have done well to navigate the busy traffic and having to deal with the additional problems of the train strikes, which makes traveling a bit more difficult for supporters who usually travel via rail to home and away matches.

And the first noteworthy moment of the match see’s Scott Kashket win a throw on for Gillingham by kicking the ball against Rob Milsom, And Gillingham have won a throw on in Sutton United’s Final Third Down The Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Throw, Robbie McKenzie hurls in a long dangerous throw and Omar Bugiel wins the first aerial challenge and Craig Eastmond boots the ball clear with a up and under clearance for Sutton United and Shaun Williams headers the ball down the line towards Jordan Green and Jordan Green works his way into a crossing position before seeing his cross charged down by Louis John at the expense of conceding a corner for Gillingham, and from the resulting corner kick, Shaun Williams whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Coby Rowe headers the ball wide and away from goal and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Throw Down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Throw, Robbie McKenzie throws the ball short to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adlakun is twisting and turning and using his skill to take on both Harry Beautyman and Josh Neufville, And Hakeeb Adelakun’s cross from the byline goes out of play for A Sutton United Goal-Kick - What we have seen in the opening stages is how Sutton United are capable of dealing with the aerial threats from long throws and corner kicks, Because Sutton United are another tall physical side in League Two, so any set play for Gillingham has got to be exceptional delivery for Gills to test Sutton United defensively.

Three Minutes Into The Match, And Cheye Alexander has kicked the ball into touch for A Sutton United Throw, And From The Resulting Throw, Sutton United show there first attacking intent of the match, Rob Milsom hurls the ball long down the line and Jordan Green wins the initial challenge and gets the ball under control before being challenged robustly by Omar Bugiel and Rob Milsom passes the ball down the line towards Will Randall, And Will Randall runs inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area in possession of the ball, And Will Randall passes the ball square to Joe Kizzi on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Joe Kizzi lays the ball off to Josh Neufville, and Josh Neufville passes the ball back to Craig Eastmond, who threads through a low through-ball first time and Max Ehmer makes the important clearance and Louis John has possession of the ball for Sutton United, And Louis John’s speculative effort from distance is blocked by Robbie McKenzie, and the ball ricochets out of play for A Sutton United Throw On.

And once the ball has gone out of play, Jordan Green can get some treatment from the physio’s, And after a moment or two of getting some treatment, Jordan Green is back on his feat, but even though Jordan Green is back on his feat, that knock is a cause for concern, Because Ben Reeves, Olly Lee, Stuart O’Keefe, Dom Jefferies and David Tutonda are all sidelined because of injury, and Gillingham have only been able to name six substitutes on the bench for Gillingham V Sutton United, OK, Josh Chambers has signed and he is deemed not fit enough to make the squad for this match, but there are still plenty of players who are unavailable because of injury, and does Neil Harris start to look at the free agent market if players are sidelined because of injury for three or four weeks, or maybe consider promoting some young players into the first team to cover some gaps in the squad ???

Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Sutton United created the first clear cut goal-scoring opportunity of the game so far, Sutton United have a throw on in Gillingham’s Final Third Down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Joe Kizzi throws the ball short to Josh Neufville, who turns past Hakeeb Adelakun, And Josh Neufville runs inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area in possession of the ball and Josh Neufville’s curling effort towards goal is saved and parried by Glenn Morris and Cheye Alexander completes the clearance for Gillingham and Scott Kashket chases after the loose ball and charges down Louis John’s pass down the line and Scott Kashket’s challenge deflects the ball out of play for A Sutton United Throw On - I do believe you have got to give credit for Glenn Morris for the save, because that effort on goal from Josh Neufville went past Ryan Law and maybe Glenn Morris was unsighted momentarily and had to react late to make the save - but regardless of how unorthodox the save is from Glenn Morris, that save preserves The 0-0 score-line.

Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had a half chance to try and open the scoring, Max Ehmer has possession of the ball in Gillingham’s Half Of The Pitch, And Max Ehmer passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Glenn Morris, who takes a touch to control the ball before kicking the ball long down-field and Louis John wins the aerial battle up against Mikael Mandron to header the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw, And From Here, Cheye Alexander throws the ball short to Hakeeb Adelakun, who plays a short pass back out-wide to Cheye Alexander, And Cheye Alexander passes the ball back to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball square to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law threads a long pass down the line for Scott Kashket to get on to the end of, And Scott Kashket manages to retain possession of the ball and lay the ball off to Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron works his way towards the byline and passes the ball back to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law manages to pick out Robbie McKenzie with a squared pass towards the edge of Sutton United’s Penalty Area, And Robbie McKenzie’s driven effort towards goal is charged down by Craig Eastmond, and the ball deflects out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Shaun Williams whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Craig Eastmond headers the ball partially clear towards the edge of Sutton United’s Penalty Area, And Hakeeb Adelakun’s first time pass out-wide goes out of play for A Sutton United Throw - Gills are going to find Sutton United difficult to beat in the air with the size and stature of Sutton United’s Players, Because Gillingham do not have five players of Tom Eaves height in our starting line up for this fixture.

And from the resulting throw, Rob Milsom throws the ball long down the line and Omar Bugiel wins the aerial challenge to flick the ball on and Cheye Alexander knocks the ball forwards and Will Randall kicks the ball against Shaun Williams, and the ball deflects out of play for A Sutton United Throw, And From The Second Sutton United Throw, Rob Milsom throws the ball long down the line and again Omar Bugiel wins the aerial challenge and Robbie McKenzie’s clearance is more up and under then height and distance, and Hakeeb Adelakun wins the aerial challenge on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Mikael Mandron boots the ball long down towards the halfway line and Louis John thumps the ball forwards first time and Glenn Morris gathers the ball with ease.

And from here, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Mikael Mandron does win the aerial challenge to try and flick the ball on towards Scott Kashket and Coby Rowe flicks the ball through to Craig Eastmond, who boots the ball clear and Kylian Kouassi tries to flick the ball past Ryan Law, But Ryan Law wins the initial aerial challenge and Kylian Kouassi passes the ball back towards Joe Kizzi, And Joe Kizzi kicks the ball long down-field and Max Ehmer wins the first aerial challenge and Shaun Williams wins the fifty / fifty challenge and that allows Max Ehmer to pass the ball first time forwards towards Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron lays the ball off to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams manages to pick out Scott Kashket with a long pass down-field and even though Scott Kashket had almost got on to the end of that pass from Shaun Williams before Sutton United Goalkeeper Lewis Ward kicked the ball clear, Scott Kashket was flagged for offside.

Thirteen Minutes Into The Match, Max Ehmer played a heavy pass back to Glenn Morris, And Glenn Morris passes the ball out-wide to Will Wright, who took no chances and kicked the ball into touch at the expense of conceding a throw on for Sutton United In Gillingham’s Final Third, And From The Resulting Throw, Rob Milsom hurls in a long dangerous throw and Robbie McKenzie headers the ball behind and out of play for A Sutton United Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner, Sutton United should have opened the scoring, Will Randall whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Joe Kissi headers the ball headers the ball back across the face of goal and both Coby Rowe and Louis John cannot make contact with the header across the face of goal from Joe Kizzi and the ball goes pout of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick - But this is Sutton United’s strength’s, they are a big physical, combative League Two Side - The type of team that Neil Harris was trying to construct at Gillingham during the off season - and Sutton United are going to be strong from set plays and that is a huge let off for Gillingham.

And from the resulting goal-kick, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Mikael Mandron wins the initial aerial challenge and the loose ball drops kindly to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun plays a first time through-ball through to Scott Kashket, And Scott Kashket accurately places the ball into the bottom left corner of the net with a very composed finish, But The Linesman Down The Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch had his flag raised for offside, Decent goal from Scott Kashket, but that offside flag was raised very quickly - OFFSIDE ONE FOR GILLINGHAM.

And from the free kick given for offside, Lewis Ward kicks the ball long down-field and Omar Bugiel wins the aerial challenge to try and header the ball on towards Kylian Kouassi and Glenn Morris gathers the ball with ease, and from here, Glenn Morris kicks the ball high towards the halfway line and Craig Eastmond wins the first aerial challenge and Kylian Kouassi manages to shield the ball and lay the ball off to Omar Bugiel, and Omar Bugiel clips the ball through to Josh Neufville, and Josh Neufville is being closely marked by Ryan Law and has to pass the ball back to Joe Kizzi, And Joe Kizzi takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back to Coby Rowe, who is being challenged by Mikael Mandron and Coby Rowe passes the ball centrally towards Louis John on the halfway line, And Louis John passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Lewis Ward, Lewis Ward then boots the ball long down-field and Glenn Morris makes a routine save in goal for Gillingham - And I don’t think Louis John or Coby Rowe look comfortable in possession of the ball, both centre back’s are physical, strong and combative, but neither centre back looks comfortable when they have the ball at there feat.

Seventeen Minutes Into The Match, And Shaun Williams tries to pick out Scott Kashket with a clipped pass down the line and Louis John clears the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw Down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And The Resulting Throw is taken very quickly by Hakeeb Adelakun, who throws the ball forwards towards Scott Kashket and Scott Kashket gets to the ball first ahead of Louis John and Coby Rowe, and Scott Kashket tries to lob the ball over the advancing Lewis Ward, And Lewis Ward saves and gathers the ball at the second attempt -  a very quick throw from Hakeeb Adelakun see’s Gillingham try and force the opening goal of the game, and again, Louis John and Coby Rowe are both not the quickest and Gillingham can get in and behind this Sutton United Defence and Scott Kashket was very unlucky not to open the scoring for Gillingham there.

Eighteen Minutes Into The Match, And Sutton United have a throw on in Gillingham’s Final Third Down The Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Throw, Rob Milsom hurls in a long dangerous throw and Shaun Williams headers the ball partially clear and away from goal, and Rob Milsom gets the ball under control before playing a short squared pass inside to Will Randall, And Will Randall turns and passes the ball centrally towards Joe Kizzi, and Joe Kizzi takes a touch to control the ball before chipping in a dangerous in-swinging cross, and Robbie McKenzie headers the ball away from goal and Josh Neufville is first to the loose ball, and Josh Neufville runs inside into a more central area on the pitch, and Josh Neufville passes the ball back towards Louis John, Louis John then passes the ball out-wide to Rob Milsom, And Rob Milsom passes the ball down the line towards Will Randall, And Will Randall runs back towards the halfway line in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Coby Rowe, Coby Rowe then passes the ball out-wide to Joe Kizzi, who passes the ball down the line towards Josh Neufville, and Josh Neufville tries to back-heal the ball through to Kylian Kouassi, But Hakeeb Adelakun was in the right place at the right time to make the important interception, and Hakeeb Adelakun tries to pick out Mikael Mandron with a threaded through-ball and Louis John comes across to sweep up at the back, and Louis John boots the ball long down-field, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Throw On - But Sutton United are just starting to put Gillingham under a bit of pressure defensively.

Twenty Minutes Into The Match, And Mikael Mandron is penalised for a foul on Will Randall, And Sutton United have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Will Randall’s high and hanging cross towards the back-stick was too high and too long for Joe Kizzi to get on to the end of and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, But In The Twenty Second Minute Of The Match, Sutton United almost opened the scoring from A Gillingham Error, Gillingham had a throw on in Sutton United’s Final Third Down The Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Robbie McKenzie hurls in a long throw and Omar Bugiel headers the ball clear and Shaun Williams headers the ball forwards and Louis John headers the ball clear for Sutton United and Shaun Williams headers the ball out-wide to Robbie McKenzie, Robbie McKenzie then passes the ball back to Cheye Alexander, And Cheye Alexander passes the ball back to Glenn Morris, And Glenn Morris’s first time clearance ricochets off Kylian Kouassi and Glenn Morris thankfully was able to boot the ball clear and away from goal and Louis John wins the aerial challenge up against Mikael Mandron and Shaun Williams wins the next aerial challenge, and Mikael Mandron tries to flick the ball on towards Jordan Green, and although Louis John wins the aerial challenge, Jordan Green has possession of the ball for Gillingham, And Jordan Green’s pass back to Will Wright was not great, But Kylian Kouassi lunges into a late challenge on Will Wright, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick.

GLENN MORRIS ERROR - There have been a few error’s from Glenn Morris in recent week’s Grimsby Town opening the scoring from a poor error from Glenn Morris, and Morris made another error in that match which was not capitalised on, giving away the penalty against Mansfield Town, which Glenn Morris atoned for by saving the penalty and most of Glenn Morris’s goal-kicks went out of play that day, and now this error against Sutton United, There have been many matches this season where Glenn Morris has earned Gillingham important points with vital saves, but there have been just a few error’s over the past few weeks which have concerned Gillingham Supporters.

And from the resulting free kick, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Louis John headers the ball clear and Will Randall flicks the ball on and Cheye Alexander headers the ball forwards and Jordan Green flicks the ball on, Harry Beautyman then chests the ball under control and tries to pass the ball down the line, But Scott Kashket manages to nip in there to intercept the ball and Scott Kashket runs down towards the byline, And Scott Kashket’s first time cross is deflected out of play off Louis John at the expense of conceding a corner, and from the resulting corner kick, Shaun Williams whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Max Ehmer headers the ball down towards Mikael Mandron and Mikael Mandron cannot get a shot off on goal because three Sutton United Players are around him and the visitor’s manage to clear there lines - But that was a much better corner kick from Gillingham, something different to cause Sutton United problems defensively.

Twenty Five Minutes Into The Match, And Coby Rowe smashes the ball long down-field and Will Wright is in the right position to header the ball back to Glenn Morris, and from here, Glenn Morris boots the ball long down-field and Louis John wins the aerial challenge up against Mikael Mandron and Hakeeb Adelakun clips the ball down the line towards Jordan Green In The Medway Stand / Brian Moore Stand Corner Of The Pitch, And Jordan Green manages to keep the ball in play, use his pace to take on Rob Milsom, And Jordan Green’s clips in a dangerous cross and Louis John wins the initial aerial challenge and Mikael Mandron goes for the spectacular over-head kick, and the ball drops down towards Ryan Law who smashes the ball into the back of the net, But Referee David Rock had already blown his whistle for a foul and the goal will not stand.

DISALLOWED GOAL NUMBER TWO FOR GILLINGHAM - It was always going to be a disallowed goal as soon as Mikael Mandron went for the over-head kick, Now had Mikael Mandron chested the ball back to Ryan Law, and Ryan Law smashed the ball into the back of the net, then the goal would have counted, Nothing controversial about this goal being ruled out for a high foot, But two disallowed goals for Gillingham, and we’re seeing a bit more from Gillingham as a attacking threat compared to the last two league games against Mansfield Town and Hartlepool United.

Twenty Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham have a throw on in there own final third, And Cheye Alexander throws the ball long down the line and Mikael Mandron wins the aerial challenge and Louis John gets the ball under control before smashing the ball long down-field, and Will Wright wins the aerial challenge to header the ball towards the halfway line and Josh Neufville is on to the loose ball, takes a few touches and passes the ball out-wide to Will Randall, And Will Randall checks back on himself, runs back towards the halfway line and pass the ball square to Coby Rowe, And Coby Rowe threads a pass down the line towards Joe Kizzi, And Joe Kizzi is being closely marked by Hakeeb Adelakun and Joe Kizzi passes the ball back towards Coby Rowe, Coby Rowe then boots a high and hanging diagonal cross-field cross and Omar Bugiel wins the aerial challenge up against Cheye Alexander and Robbie McKenzie to try and header the ball down towards Harry Beautyman or Kylian Kouassi, But Glenn Morris makes the important stop for Gillingham.

And from here, Glenn Morris rolls the ball short to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law takes one touch to control the ball, but his pass forwards towards Mikael Mandron is intercepted by Coby Rowe, who runs forwards in possession of the ball, And Coby Rowe plays a short pass square to Omar Bugiel, and Omar Bugiel tries to clip a pass through to Kylian Kouassi, But Glenn Morris makes a routine gather for Gillingham, And Sutton United are just starting to cause Gillingham a few more problems defensively.

Mikael Mandron is then penalised for a foul on Will Randall, and from the resulting free kick, Rob Milsom clips in a high and hanging cross and Shaun Williams headers the ball wide and away from goal and Joe Kizzi is first to the second ball, And Joe Kizzi’s cross is woefully over-hit, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, And In The Thirty Fourth Minute Of The Match, Harry Beautyman is penalised for tripping Hakeeb Adelakun right on the edge of Sutton United’s Penalty Area, And Gillingham have got a chance here to test Lewis Ward in-between the sticks for Sutton United, and from the resulting free kick, Hakeeb Adelakun’s driven effort towards goal is blocked by Sutton United’s Defensive Wall and Shaun Williams gets the ball under control before passing the ball back to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law chips the ball forwards and Louis John wins the aerial challenge and Shaun Williams headers the ball out-wide to Jordan Green, who manages to keep the ball in play, and Jordan Green passes the ball back to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams passes the ball forwards towards Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron’s attempted threaded pass through to Scott Kashket is blocked by Louis John - Better from Gillingham - even though we have not tested Lewis Ward, we are seeing small sign’s of improvement from The Gills.

Thirty Six Minutes Into The Match, And Rob Milsom is penalised for jumping into the back of Jordan Green, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in a promising position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Shaun Williams whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Joe Kizzi headers the ball away from goal and Kylian Kouassi completes the clearance heading the ball even further away from goal, and Hakeeb Adelaun passes the ball back towards Glenn Morris, And Glenn Morris boots the ball long down-field and Louis John wins the first aerial challenge and Craig Eastmond passes the ball back to Coby Rowe, Coby Rowe then boots the ball forwards and Ryan Law wins the aerial challenge on the halfway line and Hakeeb Adelaun passes the ball inside centrally to Shaun Williams, Shaun Williams passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law passes the ball forwards towards Mikael Mandron, Mikael Mandron then passes the ball back to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams runs down the line down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch In Possession Of The Ball, And Shaun Williams is fouled by Omar Bugiel, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick.

And from the resulting free kick, Will Wright passes the ball through to Scott Kashket inside Sutton United’s Penalty Area, And Scott Kashket is through by the byline, And Scott Kashket fires the ball low across the face of goal and Goalkeeper Lewis Ward can only parry the ball straight into the path of Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron sticks the ball into the back of the net from close range, and we all though that Gillingham had taken the lead, But Gillingham have a third goal ruled out for offside by The Linesman Down The Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch - OFFSIDE NUMBER TWO, AND THE THIRD GOAL DISALLOWED FOR GILLINGHAM.

I have to say, that this offside decision looks the most controversial, Because it looked liked Scott Kashket had bended his run to time his positioning to perfection to get on to the end of that pass from Will Wright, But The Linesman had raised his flag for offside, And I did see comments from supporters post match who sit in the opposite end of The Medway Stand to where I sit, and many of the comments I saw online suggested that this goal should have counted and the offside decision was the incorrect decision, I wish we had the option to see a highlight from the opposite side and we can see clearly if the offside decision was correct or not, but I did see comments from supporters in a better position in The Medway Stand which seemed to suggest that Mikael Mandron’s goal should have stood.

Thirty Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Scott Kashket is chasing a lost cause and putting pressure on Louis John, and although the ball has gone out of play for A Sutton United Throw On, the endeavour from Scott Kashket is appreciated from The Gillingham Supporters, And In The Forty First Minute Of The Match, Harry Beautyman’s pass out-wide to Rob Milsom is over-hit and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Throw, and pressure from Gillingham is forcing mistakes from Sutton United, and from the resulting throw, Jordan Green throws the ball short to Mikael Mandron who plays the ball back out-wide to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green takes on Harry Beautyman and plays a short pass to Mikael Mandron, who has possession of the ball out-wide, And Mikael Mandron passes the ball back to Cheye Alexander, And Cheye Alexander’s first time cross see’s Robbie McKenzie win the aerial battle and Joe Kizzi has to header the ball away from goal for Sutton United and Hakeeb Adelakun has possession of the ball, and Hakeeb Adelakun runs wide and tries to win a corner for Gillingham, But Joe Kizzi makes the important clearance for Sutton United and Kylian Kouassi wins the initial aerial challenge and Shaun Williams chests the ball under control but could not keep the ball in play, as the ball goes out for A Sutton United Throw.

And just as we reach the end of the first half, Rob Milsom whips in a high and hanging cross towards the far post and Ryan Law manages to kick the ball against Joe Kizzi and the ball ricochets out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, and the final noteworthy moment of the first half see’s Will Wright kick the ball into touch at the expense of coinciding a throw on for Sutton United In Gillingham’s Final Third, And From The Resulting Throw, Rob Milsom hurls in a long dangerous throw and Robbie McKenzie wins the first aerial challenge and Jordan Green headers the ball out of play for a corner kick for Sutton United, But Referee David Rock blows his whistle for half time at Priestfield Stadium, and the score-line is goal-less between both sides.

HALF TIME: GILLINGHAM 0-0 SUTTON UNITED

Gillingham have had three goals disallowed, two for offside and one for a foul, And Glenn Morris’s first time clearance ricochets off Kylian Kouassi which almost saw Sutton United capitalise on a goalkeeping error and Josh Neufville’s shot towards goal was saved by Glenn Morris, Hakeeb Adelakun’s effort on goal from a free kick was blocked by Sutton United’s Defensive Wall, And Scott Kashket had a decent chance to open the scoring, But Lewis Ward had saved Kashket’s lobbed effort.

But Coby Rowe and Louis John are both slow, both centre back’s are dominate in the air because Mikael Mandron isn’t winning many aerial challenges, but both centre back’s are not the quickest and neither centre back is comfortable in possession of the ball either, if Jordan Green, Hakeeb Adelakun and Scott Kashket can get the ball to feat and get the chance to run at Sutton United’s Defence, I do think Gillingham can find the opening goal, and that’s the key talking point, Gillingham have to score first, If Sutton United score first, the visitor’s will sit on the one goal lead, If Gillingham score, Then Gills will force Sutton United to open up and Gillingham could exploit space vacated by Sutton United if the visitor’s need to bring on another attacking player.

As for any substitutions or tactical changes for Gillingham, Alex MacDonald was warming up, and we have to wait and see on who will get substituted at half time, But if Gillingham can win against Sutton United, then you are talking about four points out of six for Gillingham against Sutton United and Hartlepool United, Yes, we want Gillingham to be higher up the table, even if Gillingham can find the winning goal against Sutton United, But we need any win against Sutton United just to give the players a lift.

Because one season ticket holder sitting behind me mentioned that Gillingham are not scoring goals and winning games, players confidence and belief levels look fragile, so any win will hopefully give the players a lift, Because The Gillingham Side we saw playing against Rochdale in the opening home game of the season is not The Gillingham Side we are seeing right now, so any win against Sutton United will do, and hopefully, three points for The Gills is precisely what we see as the players came out on to the pitch ready for the start of the second half - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!

SECOND HALF:

And right at the start of the second half, Alex MacDonald comes on to replace Jordan Green, who did pick up a knock in the first half, But with Olly Lee, Stuart O’Keefe, Dominic Jefferies and Ben Reeves not in the squad, Gillingham are lacking options in midfield, And Jordan Green’s injury is concerning and highlights the lack of midfield options Gillingham have got in the squad, thankfully, Josh Chambers was signed earlier in the week, but the number of midfield players injured is very concerning.

And from the re-start, Shaun Williams passes the ball back to Will Wright, who takes a touch to control the ball, and Will Wright kicks the ball long down-field and Coby Rowe wins the first aerial challenge and Robbie McKenzie wins the second aerial challenge and Alex MacDonald gets the ball under control and passes the ball square to Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron passes the ball out-wide to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun hits a over-hit cross towards the far post which goes out of play for A Sutton United Throw, And From Here, Rob Milsom throws the ball down the line and Omar Bugiel wins the aerial challenge and Shaun Williams kicks the ball forwards for Gillingham, and Louis John boots the ball long down-field and Will Wright is slightly lucky to be able to control the ball and Will Wright passes the ball back to Ryan Law, who runs forwards in possession of the ball and lays the ball off to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun  retains possession of the ball and passes the ball back to Will Wright, Will Wright then threads a pass down the line towards Cheye Alexander, And Cheye Alexander threads a pass down the line towards Scott Kashket, who tries to make something happen and Rob Milsom intercepts the ball and Harry Beautyman is on to the loose ball, takes a few touches before passing the ball back to Rob Milsom, who boots the ball long down-field, and Max Ehmer is on to the loose ball and passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Glenn Morris, Glenn Morris then boots the ball long down-field and Louis John wins the aerial challenge up against Mikael Mandron and Shaun Williams headers the ball down towards Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, who runs down the line in possession of the ball, And Ryan Law plays a short pass inside to Hakeeb Adelakun, who cannot get the ball under control and Craig Eastmond passes the ball out-wide to Rob Milsom, who boots the ball long down-field and Will Wright tries to thread a pass down the line which is intercepted by Harry Beautyman, and Will Randall is on to the second ball, and Will Randall turns and runs into a more central area of the pitch, And Will Randall switches the play to Joe Kizzi on the opposite flank, And Joe Kizzi passes the ball back inside to Will Randall, and Will Randall lays the ball off to Harry Beautyman, who tries to clip a pass through to Omar Bugiel first time and Glenn Morris makes a comfortable save in goal for Gillingham.

Forty Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Shaun Williams kicks the ball long down-field and Scott Kashket was chasing a lost cause, and the off the ball running from Scott Kashket forces Goalkeeper Lewis Ward to kick the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw Down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And from the resulting throw, Cheye Alexander throws the ball short to Robbie McKenzie, And Robbie McKenzie passes the ball back out-wide to Cheye Alexander, And Cheye Alexander runs down the right flank in possession of the ball before laying the ball off to Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald see’s his attempted cross blocked and the ball ricochets off A Sutton United Player and Cheye Alexander, and the ball deflects into Alex MacDonald’s Path, And Alex MacDonald passes the ball inside centrally towards Hakeeb Adelakun, who runs inside Sutton United’s Penalty Area in possession of the ball and Will Randall comes across to make a vital interception, And Will Randall’s clearance almost creates a counter attacking opportunity for Sutton United, But Shaun Williams manages to intercept the ball and Shaun Williams passes the ball square to Will Wright, And Will Wright takes a few touches in possession of the ball before hitting a diagonal cross-field cross and Ryan Law cannot keep the ball in play and the ball goes out of play for A Sutton United Goal-Kick.

And from the resulting goal-kick, Sutton United created a decent goal-scoring opportunity, Goalkeeper Lewis Ward kicks the ball long down-field and Robbie McKenzie wins the aerial challenge to header the ball forwards and Coby Rowe shields the ball from Scott Kashket to allow the ball to run through to Lewis Ward, And Lewis Ward kicks the ball long down-field again and this time, Striker Omar Bugiel headers the ball out-wide to Josh Neufville, And Josh Neufville runs forwards in possession of the ball inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Josh Neufville’s driven effort towards goal is blocked by Max Ehmer and the ball deflects out of play for A Sutton United Corner Kick, And from the resulting corner kick, Rob Milsom whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Coby Rowe’s looping header towards goal fails to hit the target and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick - Set Plays is how I think Sutton United can cause Gillingham problems, Because Sutton United have got Omar Bugiel, Coby Rowe, Louis John and Kylian Kouassi, who all can provide Sutton United with a aerial threat.

Fifty One Minutes Into The Match, And Louis John is penalised for a foul on Alex MacDonald, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in the far corner of The Gordon Road Stand / Rainham End, and from the resulting free kick, Shaun Williams whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards Mikael Mandron and Louis John gets the ball half cleared and Joe Kizzi just smashes the ball clear for Sutton United and Glenn Morris is on to the loose ball, And Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Rob Milsom gets the ball under control and passes the ball down the line towards Will Randall, And Will Randall passes the ball inside centrally towards Harry Beautyman, who does really well to pass the ball back to Louis John, And Louis John passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Lewis Ward, And Lewis Ward kicks the ball long down-field and Shaun Williams gets the ball under control before running forwards in possession of the ball, And Shaun Williams squared pass to Robbie McKenzie is intercepted by Josh Neufville, and Josh Neufville passes the ball inside centrally to Harry Beautyman, And Alex MacDonald manages to time his challenge to perfection to knock the ball out of play for A Sutton United Throw, And from the resulting throw, Joe Kizzi throws the ball down the line towards Josh Neufville, And Ryan Law and Hakeeb Adelakun between the two of them manage to intercept the ball and Hakeeb Adelakun kicks the ball long down-field and Scott Kashket manages to chase after the loose ball, and Scott Kashket runs inside into a more central position of the pitch and passes the ball back to Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald passes the ball square to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams passes the ball out-wide to one or Ryan Law or Hakeeb Adelakun, and the ball rolls slowly out of play for A Sutton United Throw On, That’s poor from both Ryan Law and Hakeeb Adelakun, it’s not like Shaun Williams has fired the ball out-wide, it was a slowly paced pass which should have been kept in play.

Fifty Five Minutes Into The Match, Gillingham have a throw on down The Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch In Sutton United’s Final Third, And Robbie McKenzie has hurled in a long dangerous throw and Max Ehmer was very harshly penalised for a soft foul, and any possibility of Gillingham getting a shot off on goal, and maybe even opening the scoring had gone as quickly as the throw that Gillingham had won in a matter of seconds.

Fifty Six Minutes Into The Match, And Josh Neufville is penalised for a foul on Ryan Law, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in there own half of the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Scott Kashket and Louis John both are chasing the loose ball and Louis John makes very faint contact with Scott Kashket inside Sutton United’s Penalty Area, but the ball has gone out of play for A Sutton United Goal-Kick - But questions are being asked if that should have been a penalty kick for Gillingham ??? - I thought very doubtful at the time, and re-watching the incident again, there is contact from Louis John, but the contact is very very minimal to say the least.

Fifty Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Louis John is booked for fouling Scott Kashket off the ball and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Will Wright’s long ball down-field towards Max Ehmer and Hakeeb Adelakun is over-hit and the ball goes out of play for A Sutton United Goal-Kick - Just a complete waste of a set play from Gillingham, and we’re not testing Sutton United with free kick’s in promising positions on the pitch which is really disappointing.

Sixty Minutes Into The Match, And Sutton United have a throw on in there own final third, and from the resulting throw, Rob Milsom throws the ball long down the line and Robbie McKenzie wins the aerial challenge and Scott Kashket’s first touch works Scott Kashket into a shooting position, And Scott Kashket see’s his driven effort towards goal blocked by Coby Rowe and Joe Kizzi wins the next aerial challenge and Craig Eastmond now has possession of the ball and goes on a driving run forwards being seeing his pass cut out by Cheye Alexander, And Cheye Alexander passes the ball inside to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams passes the ball back to Will Wright, And Will Wright passes the ball square to Max Ehmer, Max Ehmer then passes the ball back to Glenn Morris, who smashes the ball long down-field and Scott Kashket does brilliantly to chase after a lost cause to keep the ball in play, And Scott Kashket is intercepted by Joe Kizzi and Ryan Law intercepts the ball off Harry Beautyman, And Scott Kashket goes down to the deck and lays the ball off to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law plays the ball back to Hakeeb Adelakun, who skilfully retains possession of the ball, plays a short pass forwards to Scott Kashket, and Scott Kashket plays the ball out-wide first time to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law fires in a low cross first time which no Gillingham Player can get on the end of.

And Rob Milsom now has possession of the ball for Sutton United, And Rob Milsom goes on a driving run forwards towards the halfway line in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Harry Beautyman, And Harry Beautyman passes the ball square to Craig Eastmond, And Craig Eastmond passes the ball out-wide to Joe Kizzi, Joe Kizzi then passes the ball down the line towards Josh Neufville, and Josh Neufville passes the ball inside to Omar Bugiel, who retains possession of the ball and lays the ball off to Harry Beautyman, and Harry Beautyman passes the ball out-wide to Rob Milsom, And Rob Milsom lays the ball off to Will Randall, Will Randall then passes the ball back to Harry Beautyman, and Harry Beautyman passes the ball back to Coby Rowe, Coby Rowe passes the ball out-wide to Joe Kizzi, And Joe Kizzi passes the ball inside to Craig Eastmond, Craig Eastmond then plays a first time pass out-wide to Josh Neufville, who tries to take on Ryan Law, And Ryan Law times his challenge to perfection on Josh Neufville, at the expense of conceding a corner kick - and from the resulting corner kick - Rob Milsom whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Rob Milsom’s cross is punched clear by Glenn Morris, And Josh Neufville’s pass out-wide to Rob Milsom is poor and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Throw On.

The Match is just starting to open up and go more end to end in the past few minutes, and looking at the options Gillingham have got on the bench, Lewis Walker and Joe Gbode are on the bench if Neil Harris wants to freshen up Gillingham’s Attacking Options, Scott Kashket has been superb for Gillingham, But Mikael Mandron unfortunately has put in a disappointing performance, and Mikael Mandron is the striker I would substitute within the next five to ten minutes for Gillingham.

Sixty Three Minutes Into The Match, Craig Eastmond is booked for his challenge on Scott Kashket, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in Sutton United’s Half Of The Pitch, And from the resulting free kick, Will Wright’s long ball down-field is comfortable for Lewis Ward to gather and it is another wasted set play from Gillingham, and from here, Lewis Ward quickly throws the ball forwards and Cheye Alexander wins the aerial challenge to header the ball down to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun lays the ball off to Cheye Alexander who is intercepted and Will Wright passes the ball back to Glenn Morris, who boots the ball long down-field and Louis John wins the aerial challenge up against Mikael Mandron and Robbie McKenzie headers the ball out-wide to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun runs down the line in possession of the ball, cuts inside and passes the ball square to Robbie McKenzie, And Robbie McKenzie lays the ball off to Mikael Mandron, who retains possession of the ball before passing the ball back to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun threads a through-ball through to Robbie McKenzie, And Robbie McKenzie cannot get to threaded pass as Louis John smashes the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw.

And from the resulting throw, Robbie McKenzie hurls in a long dangerous throw and Omar Bugiel headers the ball clear and Kylian Kouassi headers the ball further away from goal and Shaun Williams first time ball forward is blocked and I think on the breakaway, Shaun Williams was fouled by Craig Eastmond, and yet, Referee David Rock has awarded a free kick in Sutton United’s Favour, And with this stoppage in play, Sutton United make a substitution as Charley Kendall comes on to replace Kylian Kouassi, and I am looking at Gillingham’s options on the bench, I can understand Elkan Baggott not coming on, But Joe Gbode, Lewis Walker, and Haji Mnoga are all on the bench if Neil Harris wants to make changes, and with five substitutes in The Football League this season, Gillingham have got more options and the substitutes bench will play a crucial role for Gills this season as well, Neil Harris has surely got to start thinking about making a change.

And from the resulting free kick, Rob Milsom kicked the ball long down-field and Omar Bugiel  wins the aerial challenge to flick the ball on and Glenn Morris makes a very important save in goal for Gillingham, and from here, Glenn Morris was quick to throw the ball forwards towards Alex MacDonald, But Craig Eastmond gets to the ball first, And Craig Eastmond turns wide towards the byline and Craig Eastmond over-runs the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw, thanks to the persistence from Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald quickly throws the ball forwards towards Scott Kashket, And Scott Kashket turns and see’s his driven effort towards goal take a slight deflection off Rob Milson, and the ball deflects out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner, Shaun Williams whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Coby Rowe wins the first aerial challenge to header the ball up and under inside Sutton United’s Penalty Area and Omar Bugiel wins the second aerial challenge, And Mikael Mandron jumps into the back of Omar Bugiel and Sutton United have been awarded a defensive free kick, just foolish from Mikael Mandron, And Neil Harris has got to substitute Mikael Mandron now and bring on one of Lewis Walker or Joe Gbode, Mandron has put in a disappointing performance and Gillingham have got to make a change up-front.

Craig Eastmond is penalised and booked for a foul on Scott Kashket after seventy three minutes, this happened after Scott Kashket was charging down a uncontested drop ball from a free kick which should have never been uncontested in the first place so well done Scott Kashket for earning Gillingham a deserved free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Shaun Williams almost picks out Will Wright with a cross towards the far post and Omar Bugiel smashes the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And from the resulting corner, Shaun Williams whips in a cross towards the far post, and although Mikael Mandron has gone down to the deck, no penalty kick has been awarded, and the ball goes out of play for A Sutton United Goal-Kick, No Penalty For Gillingham was the correct decision as well.

Seventy Five Minutes Into The Match, And Max Ehmer clears the ball out of play for A Sutton United Throw Down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, and from the resulting throw, Rob Milsom hurls in a long dangerous throw and Will Wright wins the initial aerial challenge and Craig Eastmond’s shot towards goal takes a double deflection and Louis John and Joe Kizzi win the next two aerial challenges and Shaun Williams manages to intercept the ball from Josh Neufville, and Shaun Williams pass the ball down the line towards Alex MacDonald is over-hit and the ball goes out of play for A Sutton United Throw, And from this throw, Joe Kizzi throws the ball long down the line and Ryan Law and Will Wright win the first two aerial challenges and Charley Kendall manages to flick the ball against Shaun Williams and the ball ricochets out of play for A Sutton United Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Sutton United had the chance to take the lead, Rob Milsom whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Louis John’s Header towards goal fails to hit the target, And Sutton United had two players at the far post ready to header the ball on target or back across the face of goal, and this is where Sutton United can cause Gillingham problems, from set plays and winning the first and second balls.

Seventy Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham have a throw on down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, and from the resulting throw, Hakeeb Adelakun is quick to throw the ball forwards towards Scott Kashket and Coby Rowe’s clearance is more up and under then height and distance, and Louis John wins the second aerial challenge and Hakeeb Adelakun is on to the loose ball, And Hakeeb Adelakun plays a one / two with Mikael Mandron before firing a driven effort towards goal which comfortably fails to hit the target, and the ball goes out of play for A Sutton United Goal-Kick.

Seventy Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Sutton United have a throw on down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, In Gillingham’s Final Third, And From The Resulting Throw, Rob Milsom throws the ball down the line towards Will Randall, who is intercepted by Hakeeb Adelakun, and Hakeeb Adelakun runs wide in possession of the ball before being disposed and Mikael Mandron lays the ball off to Cheye Alexander, who is intercepted by Harry Beautyman, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball inside to Will Randall, who passes the ball back to Craig Eastmond, And Craig Eastmond passes the ball square to Joe Kizzi, who plays a pass down the line towards Josh Neufville, and Josh Neufville see’s his first cross blocked by Alex MacDonald and his second cross partially cleared by Max Ehmer, and Craig Eastmond lays the ball off to Joe Kizzi, who clips in a dangerous in-swinging cross first time and Will Wright’s defensive header goes just wide of the far post with Glenn Morris scrambling across his goal-line and Harry Beautyman was there waiting at the far post as well - I thought that was in for a moment, but the ball has gone out of play for A Sutton United Corner Kick.

And from the resulting corner kick, Will Randall whips in a cross towards the far post and Joe Kizzi’s header is cleared by Mikael Mandron and Craig Eastmond’s first time pass forwards is blocked by Will Wright and Hakeeb Adelakun completes the clearance for Gillingham and this stoppage in play allows Neil Harris to make his second substitution of the match after eighty minutes as Lewis Walker comes on to replace Mikael Mandron, Now Mikael Mandron was jeered off the pitch, and supporters will either agree or disagree if that is acceptable or unacceptable, For me, I am focusing on the substitution being the correct decision and really, Neil Harris should have made that substitution fifteen minutes earlier, Because the score-line is 0-0, Lewis Walker and Joe Gbode are both on the bench and Neil Harris doesn’t make the changes, there are five substitutions in The Football League This Season, Manager’s are going to be making more tactical substitutions and Neil Harris has not used the bench, especially as Gillingham are still drawing 0-0 and needing to find a way to score a late winner.

Sutton United also make a substitution themselves as Enzio Boldewijn comes on to replace Will Randall, Now Sutton United have stopped the game twice so they can only make there three remaining substitutions in one go now, Gillingham can at least stop the game twice to make our remaining substitutions, But Neil Harris needs to use the bench to try and find a winning goal for Gillingham here.

And when the match resumed, Gillingham created a half chance, Ryan Law throws the ball long down the line and Joe Kizzi wins the first aerial challenge and Ryan Law wins the second aerial challenge and Scott Kashket flicks the ball down towards Shaun Williams, who wins the fifty / fifty ball and passes the ball out-wide to Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald passes the ball down the line and Lewis Walker retains possession of the ball and lays the ball off to Shaun Williams, Shaun Williams then passes the ball out-wide to Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald boots the ball long down-field and Louis John’s Clearance goes up into the air and Louis John headers his own clearance forwards and Robbie McKenzie is on to the loose ball, And Robbie McKenzie runs forwards in possession of the ball, lays the ball off to Scott Kashket, And Scott Kashket clips the ball out-wide to Cheye Alexander, And Cheye Alexander is twisting and turning before passing the ball out-wide to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun takes on Enzio Boldewijn before whipping in a dangerous in-swinging cross which is comfortable for Lewis Ward to save in goal for Sutton United.

And from here, Lewis Ward kicks the ball long down-field and Ryan Law headers the ball forwards for Gillingham and Coby Rowe wins the aerial challenge up against Scott Kashket and Shaun Williams passes the ball out-wide to Cheye Alexander, And Cheye Alexander passes the ball forwards to Hakeeb Adelakun, who back heals the ball back to Cheye Alexander, And Cheye Alexander tries to pick out Lewis Walker with a threaded pass out-wide, but the ball goes out of play for A Sutton United Throw, And From The Resulting Throw, Rob Milsom throws the ball down the line and Omar Bugiel wins the aerial challenge to flick the ball on and Will Wright passes the ball forwards and Louis John boots the ball long down-field for Sutton United and the ball goes all the way through to Glenn Morris, And Glenn Morris boots the ball long down-field and Louis John wins the fifty / fifty challenge with Scott Kashket and Ryan Law and Alex MacDonald manage to regain possession of the ball for Gillingham between the two of them, And Alex MacDonald passes the ball back to Will Wright, And Will Wright kicks the ball long down-field and Rob Milsom wins the aerial challenge and Shaun Williams pinches possession of the ball for Gillingham, passes the ball short out-wide to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun fires in a low dangerous cross first time and Lewis Walker gets the ball under control and Lewis Walker’s shot on the turn goes narrowly wide - A Chance For Gillingham - A Chance For Lewis Walker to score his first goal for Gillingham and what a important goal it could have been as well.

Eighty Six Minutes Into The Match, And Josh Neufville times his challenge to perfection on Ryan Law at the expense of knocking the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And the atmosphere around Priestfield Stadium raises in volume and can Gillingham find a late winner ??? - and from the resulting corner kick, Alex MacDonald almost scored directly from the corner as Lewis Ward parried the ball down inside the penalty area and Josh Neufville gets the ball partially clear and Cheye Alexander headers the ball forwards for Gillingham and Shaun Williams plays a first time pass out-wide to Alex MacDonald, and Alex MacDonald see’s his initial cross charged down and Shaun Williams clips the ball across to the far side of Sutton United’s Penalty Area, And Hakeeb Adelakun went for goal from a very wide angle and Lewis Ward has to divert the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And from the resulting corner kick, Shaun Williams passes the ball short to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun passes the ball back out-wide to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Max Ehmer and Louis John both compete for the ball, the ball ricochets up into the air and Robbie McKenzie headers the ball back towards Will Wright, And Will Wright’s low driven effort towards goal is brilliantly saved by Lewis Ward because that penalty area was very crowded and congested - HOW HAVE GILLINGHAM NOT SCORED!!!!!

And with that effort on goal saved by Lewis Ward preventing Will Wright from scoring, you just wonder if today is one of those days of chances created, But Gillingham still cannot score goals, and with the ball out of play, Sutton United make a double substitution as Jonathan Barden and Kwame Thomas come on to replace Harry Beautyman and Omar Bugiel, This double substitution is Sutton United’s way of trying to see out the rest of this match with A 0-0 Draw, and yet, Neil Harris has got Joe Gbode on the bench, Maybe move Max Ehmer up-front as a extra striker, Because Sutton United have made four substitutions, Gillingham have made two, Gills have got to do something to try and turn this 0-0 draw into a 1-0 win.

Eighty Nine Minutes Into The Match, Ryan Law tries to thread a pass down the line towards Lewis Walker, And Coby Rowe manages to shield the ball out of play for A Sutton United Goal-Kick, And there is a altercation between Coby Rowe and Lewis Walker, neither player was booked for this altercation and a warning was sufficient punishment, And Lewis Ward is going to take as much time as possible with the resulting goal-kick, And The Fourth Official has put five additional minutes of added time up on to the board, five minutes for Gillingham to find a late winner - COME ON GILLS!!!!!!!

And from the resulting goal-kick, that is precisely what Gillingham were able to achieve, Lewis Ward kicks the ball long down-field and Robbie McKenzie wins the initial aerial challenge and Hakeeb Adelakun boots the ball long down-field and Louis John wins the next fifty / fifty challenge and Craig Eastmond’s clearance goes straight to Shaun Williams, who passes the ball square to Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald gets the ball under control before running forwards in possession of the ball, and Alex MacDonald threads a pass through to Scott Kashket inside Sutton United’s Penalty Area, And Scott Kashket’s shot towards goal is saved by Lewis Ward and Alex MacDonald headers the re-bound into the back of the net with the ball clipping the inside of the post to give Gillingham A 1-0 Lead, and a deserving 1-0 lead as well - GILLINGHAM 1-0 SUTTON UNITED

What a fantastic moment for Alex MacDonald to score potentially a last gasp winning goal for Gillingham with Alex MacDonald having a long injury layoff last season, and great reactions from Alex MacDonald to header the ball into the far corner of the net as well, Because with Scott Kashket’s effort on goal saved by Lewis Ward, you just wondered if the chance had gone, But there was Alex MacDonald to header the ball into the back of the net to give Gillingham a crucial lead so late on in the match.

And in the aftermath of those celebrations, Elkan Baggott comes on to replace Scott Kashket, who fully deserved to be applauded off the pitch with his non stop running and exceptional performance for Gillingham all game against Sutton United, And Elkan Baggott comes on just to give Gillingham the additional protection of a third centre back.

But straight from the kick off, Sutton United could and perhaps should have equalised, the kick off is played back to Craig Eastmond, who passes the ball out-wide to Rob Milsom, And Rob Milsom smashes the ball long down-field and the ball is flicked on and Shaun Williams gets the ball clear and Coby Rowe passes the ball out-wide to Craig Eastmond, And Craig Eastmond kicks a diagonal cross-field cross and Enzio Boldewijn headers the ball down and Shaun Williams just smashes the ball clear and Lewis Walker manages to header the ball out-wide to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun is twisting and turning and looks to run centrally before passing the ball out-wide to Cheye Alexander, And Cheye Alexander passes the ball short to Hakeeb Adelakun, But Rob Milsom intercepts the ball and passes the ball forwards towards Kwame Thomas, and Kwame Thomas turns and passes the ball down the line to Enzio Boldewijn, and Enzio Boldewijn passes the ball inside to Jonathan Barden, and Jonathan Barden passes the ball out-wide to Joe Kizzi, And Joe Kizzi lays the ball off to Josh Neufville, and Josh Neufville passes the ball centrally to Jonathan Barden, Jonathan Barden then passes the ball square to Rob Milsom, And Rob Milsom passes the ball down the line to Enzio Boldewijn, and Enzio Boldewijn whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Joe Kizzi headers the ball down towards Josh Neufville, And Josh Neufville’s shot across the face of goal goes narrowly wide of the far post - I thought for a moment that Sutton United were going to score a last gasp equaliser.

But there was a chance from this goal-kick for Gillingham to secure the win, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Lewis Walker flicks the ball on and Rob Milsom passes the ball back to Lewis Ward, who passes the ball square to Coby Rowe, and Coby Rowe passes the ball square to Louis John, And Louis John passes the ball out-wide to Rob Milsom, who plays a pass down the line to Enzio Boldewijn, and Enzio Boldewijn passes the ball back to Rob Milsom, And Rob Milsom plays the ball square to Craig Eastmond, who square the ball to Jonathan Barden, and Jonathan Barden passes the ball out-wide to Joe Kizzi, who plays the ball back to Coby Rowe, And Coby Rowe boots the ball long down-field and Max Ehmer wins the aerial challenge and Jonathan Barden wins the second ball and Craig Eastmond is on to the third ball for Sutton United, But Robbie McKenzie times his challenge to perfection, turns and runs forwards in possession of the ball, And Robbie McKenzie passes the ball through to Lewis Walker, who runs through on goal into Sutton United’s Penalty Area, And Lewis Walker’s cross / shot was saved by Lewis Ward.

But after five additional minutes of added time, And Gillingham managed to win 1-0 and secure three priceless points, three deserved points, three points which could be the result that kickstarts Gillingham’s Season, The Gillingham Players were down on the deck after that win, especially the likes of Max Ehmer, Shaun Williams and Alex MacDonald, Because this was also a big win mentally for the players as well, And finally - WELL DONE GILLS!!!!!!!

FULL TIME: GILLINGHAM 1-0 SUTTON UNITED

I mentioned to one supporter after the game that this win for Gillingham was a big psychological win for Gillingham, and if you were to look at the last two league games that Gillingham have played, Hartlepool United 0-0 Gillingham and Gillingham 1-0 Sutton United, It’s four points out of six, it’s back to back clean sheets in the league, and it is something for Gillingham to build on, also, looking at this performance as a whole, Gillingham deserved to win, and most importantly, we found a way to win as well thanks to Alex MacDonald, and again, what a moment that was for Alex MacDonald, scoring a late winner in-front of The Rainham End.

I mentioned the following on Social Media,,, Psychologically, This is a massive win for Gillingham, to get our second home win of the season having not won the previous five home league games, and with four of the next five matches at home, hopefully, Gillingham can start to turn Priestfield Stadium into a fortress.

The photo of Alex MacDonald’s Goal Celebration is a nice moment, and Glenn Morris mentioned that he has kept his fifth clean sheet in the league this season, Paul Fisher mentioned that the players deserved the win for the hard work and effort that they are putting in every single day and the supporters were great as well, and the win is deserved with the three goals disallowed in the first half, and how Gillingham looked the more likely side to score a late winner as well.

And that is because Lewis Walker came on and made a big impact and he changed the way Gillingham played, unfortunately, Mikael Mandron struggled and he needed to be substituted, thankfully, Gillingham won late on, But Neil Harris has got to use his bench more, Elkan Baggott was clearly jet lagged after playing for Indonesia, so he never was going to start for Gillingham against Sutton United, But there are five substitutions in The Football League This Season, And Neil Harris needs to use the bench to Gillingham’s Advantage.

As for Gillingham’s Man Of The Match, Scott Kashket for me, Because Scott Kashket was running everywhere and he was a constant pest for Sutton United to try and deal with, and even with the winning goal, It was Scott Kashket’s shot that was saved by Lewis Ward and Alex MacDonald headed in the re-bound to score Gillingham’s Winning Goal.

But winning against Sutton United is so important, Because four of the next five matches are home games, Brighton & Hove Albion’s U21’s and Colchester United are Football League Trophy Games, Stevenage and Barrow are League Two Matches, an opportunity for Gillingham to try and turn Priestfield Stadium into a fortress and hopefully go on a cup run in The Football League Trophy as well.

Yes, Sutton United were very ordinary, yes, Gillingham look way off the teams in the top seven of League Two, yes, the lack of goals scored is still very concerning, but the performance from Gillingham was encouraging, It’s four points out of six and back to back clean sheets in the league, these are small steps and positives to take into the next few matches, the key is for Gillingham to build on this, go on a decent unbeaten run and keep picking up points and hopefully score more goals in the coming weeks, But this was a big win for Gillingham against Sutton United, and home wins were in short supply in The 2021 / 2022 Season, Hopefully, Gillingham can build on this result against Sutton United and maybe, just maybe, this win can kick-start Gillingham’s Season - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!

#Gillingham #SuttonUnited #Football #LeagueTwo #Gills

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM 0-0 SWINDON TOWN - LEAGUE TWO - 2022 / 2023 SEASON

Gillingham’s Team Sheet Appeared On Twitter, And Gillingham Lined Up As Follows….. Glenn Morris (GK), Haji Mnoga, Max Ehmer, Elkan Baggott, Ryan Law, Stuart O’Keefe, Shaun Williams, Ben Reeves, Hakeeb Adelakun, Scott Kashket, Mikael Mandron Substitutes: Jake Turner (GK), Will Wright, David Tutonda, Alex MacDonald, Jordan Green and Lewis Walker - It was a bit of a surprise to see Gillingham lining up with a back four, Because I had predicted Gillingham to line up with a back five, Ryan Law starts at Left Back ahead of David Tutonda, and Mikael Mandron retains his spot in the starting line up after his disappointing performance against Carlisle United in our previous league game.

Robbie McKenzie clearly wasn’t fit enough to make the substitutes bench, and Cheye Alexandra, Olly Lee and Dominic Jefferies also miss out on the eighteen man match-day squad and Gillingham can only name six substitutes on the bench, there were practical reasons as to why this is the case, and those practical reasons are as follows,,,,, Gillingham have to name “A Club Development Player” on the substitutes bench and one of the substitutes has to be a player who comes through the youth set up at the football club, so that means one of Freddie Carter, Bailey Akehurst, Matt Macarthur or Joseph Gbode have to be named on the bench, and this rule change places greater importance on youth development at Gillingham Football Club, I didn’t know about this rule before kick off for Gillingham V Swindon Town and I only found out about this rule change in Neil Harris’s Post Match Comments after the game.

I had to wait for KFG because I had got his Friends For A Fiver Ticket for Gillingham V Swindon Town and his train was running late, the train I was on arrived at 13.24PM instead of 13.16PM so there were problems with the trains on this Saturday Afternoon, And KFG mentioned that there was a altercation between Gillingham and Swindon Town Supporters close to Gillingham Train Station, it’s foolish and stupid and no need to get involved in anything like that, Now I always arrive early and leave late both before and after the game, and one of the reasons why I have done that is to avoid being caught up in any ridiculous incidents like this.

And with the train running late and KFG avoiding getting caught up in the crossfire meant I had to wait before going inside the ground, and once KFG paid a fiver for his ticket, it was close to 2.30PM before I was inside the ground, and I queued up to get two match-day programmes for £6 (I got a third one for KFG at half time so I ended up queuing up twice) and once I picked up both match-day programmes, I spoke with Neil briefly before having to head up towards my seat, which is at the back of The Medway Lower, As it was getting  bit packed in The Medway Lower.

I spoke with other supporters about Carlisle United V Gillingham, and that long trip to Carlisle United saw me get up at 4AM in the morning, I was on the coach at 6AM, arrive in Carlisle at 2PM, Gillingham lost 1-0, and we were back on the coach, and the long journey back home saw me get back indoors at 1.15AM On Sunday Morning, and it is not like we can say Gillingham lost 1-0 and Tomas Holy has made five or six outstanding saves and on another day Gillingham get a point at least, the fact that David Tutonda and Elkan Baggott had our best chances in the first half summed up our lack of fire-power, and Lewis Walker’s header had to hit the target at the very least, and at the end of the game, some supporters politely clapped, but most supporters were frustrated and irritated, and quite rightfully so, because the performance was poor, Gillingham lost 1-0, it’s another defeat, and another game where Gillingham have failed to stick the ball into the back of the net.

And as we turn our attentions to Gillingham V Swindon Town, Neil Harris has spoken about how this match with a unusual rivalry could well be the match that kick starts Gillingham’s Season, And even though Swindon Town have not made a fantastic start to this season, Swindon Town have won one, drawn four and lost one, So Swindon Town are struggling for wins, but they are also difficult to beat, and Swindon Town are also very much a side who just love to dominate possession of the ball with a pass, pass, pass style of play, Gillingham are going to have to be at our very best off the ball, and good on the ball, because this could well be a match where Gillingham get 30% - 35% of the ball and we are going to have to be patient when the goal-scoring opportunities come our way.

And Gillingham V Swindon Town was played just a few days after the transfer window had closed, Robbie McKenzie returning to Gillingham Football Club is a excellent signing because Robbie McKenzie can cover any position in defence and midfield, a very consistent versatile utility player who should be playing in League One for someone like Ipswich Town, Portsmouth, Peterborough United, Bolton Wanderers or Charlton Athletic, So to see Gillingham re-sign Robbie McKenzie was a very pleasant surprise, Haji Mnoga is highly rated at Portsmouth, hence Portsmouth giving Haji Mnoga a long term contract, And Neil Harris has been looking to sign a centre back to add depth and quality to the squad, and Gillingham have clearly missed out on a number of experienced centre back’s, and Haji Mnoga comes in to reinforce our defensive options alongside Robbie McKenzie, Max Ehmer, Will Wright and Elkan Baggott.

But the one position Gillingham failed to strengthen was up-front, and Gillingham should have signed a striker on Deadline Day, We all know that the striker Gillingham missed out on was Harry Smith from Leyton Orient, who chose to sign for Exeter City, And even though Gillingham failed to sign Harry Smith, Neil Harris was given the green light to sign another striker and now Gillingham have to look at the free agent market at the likes of Josh Parker, Tom Elliott, Leon Clarke or someone else, and Neil Harris has got to sign another striker because Gillingham have got to add additional reinforcements up-front, we saw last season how there were no alternative attacking options besides Vadaine Oliver, and although Gillingham have got more attacking options in the squad compared to last season, Mikael Mandron, Lewis Walker and Scott Kashket are the three strikers capable of playing centrally, and even though, Scott Kashket has played more out-wide then through the middle for Gillingham, Neil Harris needs to sign another striker, personally, in my opinion, Gillingham need to sign Tom Elliott, Because Tom Elliott has worked with Neil Harris during there time together at Millwall, Tom Elliott is a physical striker and capable of playing up-front as a central striker, and I think Tom Elliott would just bring some much needed experience in a crucial area of the pitch for The Gills.

As for score predictions, I went for Gillingham 2-1 Swindon Town, I know Gillingham have not been scoring goals recently, but I think supporters were more hoping then expecting for a win against Swindon Town, and maybe the rivalry will see Gillingham wake up, put in a very creditable performance, and pick up the three points that Gillingham need to kick start the season, and hopefully, that is precisely what happens, and with both teams walking out on to the pitch, the atmosphere raises in volume inside Priestfield Stadium as both teams line up in-front of The Medway Stand, and at least Gillingham are kicking towards The Brian Moore Stand In The First Half, Which Means That Gillingham are kicking towards The Rainham End In The Second Half, and with this match just about to kick off, let’s hope for a win for Gillingham this afternoon - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!

FIRST HALF:

And after Gillingham and Swindon Town respectfully observe the one minute’s applause for Danielle, this League Two Fixture gets under way with Swindon Town kicking this League Two Fixture off, and the first noteworthy moment of the match see’s Frazer Blake-Tracy kick the ball long down-field towards Jacob Wakeling, But Glenn Morris was able to gather that long ball down-field from Frazer Blake-Tracy with ease, and from here, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field towards Hakeeb Adelakun, and the ball goes out of play for A Swindon Town Throw On Down The Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Throw, Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring, Frazer Blake-Tracy throws the ball square to Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan almost losses possession of the ball to Stuart O’Keefe and has to pass the ball back to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed is forced to rush his clearance and Shaun Williams plays a first time pass forwards towards Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe gets the ball under control and passes the ball forwards towards Ben Reeves on the edge of Swindon Town’s Penalty Area, And Ben Reeves gets the ball under control before initially looking to pass the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, But Ben Reeves turns back on himself and curls a shot towards goal just over Scott Kashket’s head and Sol Brynn has to make a unsighted difficult save in goal for Swindon Town and Ben Reeves had the chance to open the scoring for Gillingham there.

And having almost conceded with that effort on goal from Ben Reeves, Swindon Town almost opened the scoring instantly themselves, Elkan Baggott has to hook a long pass down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch clear and away from danger and Marcel Lavinier wins the initial aerial challenge for Swindon Town and Stuart O’Keefe’s first time pass through to Scott Kashket is cut out by Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald kicks the ball long down-field, and although Elkan Baggott wins the initial aerial challenge, the second ball drops kindly towards Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan retains possession of the ball before playing a really poor pass out-wide towards Frazer Blake-Tracy, and Frazer Blake-Tracy keeps the ball in play by passing the ball down the line towards Jonny Williams, who plays a first time pass centrally towards Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan turns back on himself and passes the ball back towards Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball out-wide to Frazer Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy manages to pick out Angus MacDonald with a pass inside centrally on the halfway line, and Angus MacDonald losses the ball to Ben Reeves on the halfway line and Mikael Mandron passes the ball forwards towards Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun tries to dummy the ball through to Scott Kashket, but Louis Reed makes a crucial interception, plays a one / two before laying the ball off towards Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin passes the ball back towards Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball back towards Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, and Sol Brynn passes the ball square to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball down the line towards Fraser Blake-Tracy on the halfway line, and Fraser Blake-Tracy gets the ball under control before passing the ball inside centrally to Jonny Williams, And Jonny Williams lays the ball off to Saidou Khan, Saidou Khan then takes several touches in possession of the ball before threading a pass through to Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin gets the ball under control, works his way towards the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Ben Gladwin shrugs off the attempted challenge from Shaun Williams, And Ben Gladwin’s low effort towards goal goes just wide of the far right post and Swindon Town almost took the lead.

So we are two minutes into this match and both teams have had opportunities to take the lead, and so early on into this match, we have seen the pass, pass, pass style of play from Swindon Town that so many Gillingham Supporters have spoken about before kick off, and with this style of play is a element of risk, but with that risk comes domination of possession and Swindon Town will create meaningful goal-scoring opportunities, and had Ben Gladwin’s low effort on goal been on target, I don’t think Glenn Morris saves that effort on goal and Swindon Town would have taken the lead.

And from the resulting goal-kick, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Tom Clayton chests the ball under control before booting the ball long down-field and Max Ehmer wins the first aerial challenge and Mikael Mandron wins the second aerial challenge, Fraser Blake-Tracy wins the third aerial challenge and Louis Reed plays a one / two with Ben Gladwin before playing a very poor pass forwards and Ryan Law has time in possession of the ball, and Ryan Law takes several touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball down the line towards Scott Kashket, And Scott Kashket retains possession of the ball and passes the ball back towards Ryan Law, And Ryan Law passes the ball back to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball square to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer returns the pass back to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott see’s his pass forwards towards Scott Kashket cut out and Ben Gladwin tries to thread a pass through to Jacob Wakeling, and fortunately, from A Gillingham Point Of View, Ben Gladwin’s pass was over-hit and the ball runs out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick - And Elkan Baggott can consider himself very lucky that Swindon Town didn’t capitalise on that poor pass.

And from the resulting goal-kick, having almost seen Swindon Town capitalise on a poor pass from Elkan Baggott, Gillingham had the chance to take the lead, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Mikael Mandron wins the aerial challenge to try and flick the ball on towards Scott Kashket and Mikael Mandron’s header goes all the way through to Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, and Sol Brynn rolls the ball short to Tom Clayton, who takes a touch to control the ball, And Tom Clayton plays a short pass out-wide to Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy tries to thread a pass down the line which is cut out by Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe keeps the ball in play by passing the ball back to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer’s clearance is more up and under and the ball runs through to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball back towards Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, And Sol Brynn takes a touch to control the ball before pressure from Scott Kashket forces Sol Brynn into a rushed clearance and Hakeeb Adelakun manages to divert the ball with a out-stretched leg into Scott Kashket’s path, And Scott Kashket’s first time effort towards goal goes over the crossbar and that was a great opportunity for Gillingham to open the scoring, looking at the highlights, it is important to note that Scott Kashket had to go for goal first time because Angus MacDonald was right there, but better composure in-front of goal could have seen Scott Kashket give Gillingham the lead after four minutes, in what you have to say has been a very fast end to end approach to this match from both teams.

And from the resulting goal-kick, Gillingham had the chance to score again, Sol Brynn passes the ball short to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton’s pass down the line towards Fraser Blake-Tracy see’s Haji Mnoga intercept the ball in Swindon Town’s Final Third, And Haji Mnoga runs forwards in possession of the ball and lays the ball off to Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe is challenged inside the penalty area fairly, and there was a pass on for Scott Kashket to get on to the end of - And Swindon Town just look so vulnerable in there own defensive final third and Swindon Town just cannot deal with the pressing from Gillingham in there own final third.

Five Minutes Into The Match, And Haji Mnoga is penalised and booked for a foul on Ben Gladwin and Swindon Town have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Ben Gladwin plays a one / two with Tom Clayton before passing the ball back towards Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald gets the ball under control before passing the ball out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball inside centrally towards Tyrese Shade, and Tyrese Shade is twisting and turning before passing the ball back to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball square to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton tries to pick out Jacob Wakeling with a clipped pass down the line which runs all the way through to Glenn Morris to make a comfortable save in goal for Gillingham.

A Minute Later, And Ryan Law is penalised for a foul on Marcel Lavinier In Swindon Town’s Half Of  The Pitch, Down The Gordon Road Stand Side, and from here, Louis Reed passes the ball back to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald passes the ball forwards to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball square to Tom Clayton down the opposite side of the pitch, And Tom Clayton passes the ball down the line towards Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy retains possession of the ball and passes the ball inside to Ben Gladwin, Ben Gladwin then see’s his attempted pass cut out by Mikael Mandron and Ben Reeves is on to the loose ball and passes the ball back to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer plays a one / two with Shaun Williams before kicking the ball long down-field and Tom Clayton headers the ball down towards Louis Reed, And Louis Reed see’s his pass out-wide intercepted by Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron works his way into a shooting position, cuts inside and squares the ball to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun manages to retain possession of the ball and pass the ball out-wide to Ben Reeves, And Ben Reeves gets the ball under control before twisting and turning and working his way into a decent position, And Ben Reeves plays a fantastic threaded through pass through to Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun see’s his first time cross blocked by Fraser Blake-Tracy and the ball still remains in play and does not go out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And Hakeeb Adelakun tries to pick out A Gillingham Player with a cross towards the far post which is over-hit and the chance has gone for The Gills.

Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had another chance to open the scoring, Ben Reeves manages to intercept the ball off Angus MacDonald In Swindon Town’s Final Third, And Been Reeves runs forwards in possession of the ball before laying the ball off to Mikael Mandron on the edge of Swindon Town’s Penalty Area, And Mikael Mandron’s first time effort towards goal takes a massive deflection off Angus MacDonald, and the ball loops over Swindon Town’s Crossbar at the expense of conceding a corner kick - Swindon Town are over playing the ball in there own final third, the front four of Ben Reeves, Hakeeb Adelakun, Scott Kashket and Mikael Mandron are just causing Swindon Town so many problems by pressing there defence in there own final third, and that pressing from the front is something that Swindon Town just are struggling to deal with, and for the most part, it is Swindon Town’s over passing the ball in there own final third which is allowing Gillingham to press from the front so successfully.

And from the resulting corner kick, Shaun Williams in-swinging cross is poor and goes all the way back towards Haji Mnoga, and with Haji Mnoga urged to shoot from The Gillingham Supporters, Haji Mnoga hits a fiercely driven effort towards goal which is blocked and Jacob Wakeling runs away with possession of the ball for Swindon Town as Swindon Town look to hit Gillingham on the counter attack, And Haji Mnoga has slide in and mis-timed his challenge and the foul on Jacob Wakeling was the correct decision and Haji Mnoga has been shown two yellow cards inside ten minutes of his Gillingham Debut and the sending off is the right decision, and for me, there are no complaints about either challenge being a yellow card for Haji Mnoga, But it is such a stupid and reckless sending off, because Ryan Law and Hakeeb Adelakun are both back defending and if you go to ground with a sliding challenge and you have already been booked, then those challenges have to be timed to perfection.

ADDITIONAL MENTION: I did see a small handful of comment criticising Neil Harris for starting Haji Mnoga, But at the end of the day, once the players cross the white line, it is down to the players to put in the performances, and Haji Mnoga may well be only twenty, but he is old enough to know that once you have been booked, you are walking on thin ice and the criticism for the sending off for me has to go towards the player, But I do agree with other comments that a more experienced defender would not have dived into that challenge - and had Gillingham signed A Aaron Pierre or Alex Baptiste, both of those players would have the experience and know how to not make that challenge once they had been booked.

But Gillingham’s promising and encouraging start to the game now goes out of the window, And Neil Harris has to think what to do now, and of all the teams to go down to ten men against, It’s A Swindon Town Side that love to retain possession of the ball, MK Dons constantly retain possession and we have seen how MK Dons play whenever Gillingham have played against MK Dons home or away, and Swindon Town very much play the same way, with not as much quality in there side, hence the difference of being in League One and League Two.

And that early dominance started when Swindon Town have a throw on down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Throw, Tyrese Shade throws the ball square to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball square to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball inside centrally towards Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin spins and switches the play towards Marcel Lavinier Down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Marcel Lavinier plays a one / two with Saidou Khan before seeing his pass into midfield cut out, but Marcel Lavinier is on to the loose ball, and Marcel Lavinier has to pass the ball all the way back towards Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, and Sol Brynn passes the ball short to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball square to Angus MacDonald, Angus MacDonald then passes the ball down the line towards Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier plays a one / two with Ben Gladwin before passing the ball centrally towards Louis Reed, And Louis Reed almost losses the ball to Scott Kashket and has to rush to pass the ball back to Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, who has to rush his clearance, and Shaun Williams manages to win possession of the ball in midfield, And Shaun Williams see’s his pass down the line go out of play for A Gillingham Throw - But the challenge on Shaun Williams was late and Gillingham should have been awarded a free kick.

And from the resulting throw, Ryan Law throws the ball short to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams takes a touch to control the ball and just threads a pass down the line to keep the ball in Swindon Town’s Final Third, And Ryan Law times his challenge on Tyrese Shade to perfection and the ball goes out of play for A Swindon Town Throw On, And From The Resulting Throw, Swindon Town had the chance to open the scoring, Marcel Lavinier throws the ball short to Ben Gladwin, who takes a touch to control the ball, and Ben Gladwin manages to retain possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier kicks the ball long down-field and although Ryan Law wins the initial challenge, Ben Gladwin is on to the second ball, And Ben Gladwin wins the initial aerial challenge and Louis Reed is on to the second ball, And Louis Reed passes the ball square to Fraser Blake-Tracy Down The Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Fraser Blake-Tracy runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball down the line towards Jonny Williams, And Jonny Williams gets the ball under control before passing the ball inside to Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan works his way into a shooting position before dragging his effort towards goal wide of the near post which Glenn Morris had covered.

But that sending off has changed how Gillingham were pressing on the front foot and Swindon Town couldn’t cope with Gillingham’s pressing in there own final third, and now Swindon Town can play there patient possession based style of play, And Gillingham now line up as follows,,,, Glenn Morris in goal, Hakeeb Adelakun is playing at Right Back, Max Ehmer, Elkan Baggott and Ryan Law complete the back four, Shaun Williams sits in-front of the back four, Stuart O’Keefe and Ben Reeves in central midfield, Scott Kashket in the attacking midfielder role and Mikael Mandron up-front, But the rest of this match is going to be all about Gillingham staying compact, organised and hard to break down, and Swindon Town are just going to dominate possession of the ball.

Fourteen Minutes Into The Match, And Max Ehmer’s long ball down-field towards Scott Kashket went all the way through to Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, and from here, Sol Brynn throws the ball out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier gets the ball under control before laying the ball off to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald passes the ball square to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball forwards towards Ben Gladwin on the halfway line, and Ben Gladwin quickly passes the ball out-wide to Fraser Blake-Tracy, who gets the ball under control before running into a more central position on the pitch in possession of the ball, and Fraser Blake-Tracy passes the ball square to Tyrese Shade, And Tryese Shade passes the ball inside to Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin lays the ball off to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton runs forwards in possession of the ball before threading a pass down the line towards Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy runs down the left flank in possession of the ball and whips in a dangerous low cross towards Jacob Wakeling, and Jacob Wakeling cannot get the ball under control because Elkan Baggott is touch tight on The Swindon Town Striker, but the ball goes across Gillingham’s Penalty Area towards Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier’s shot towards goal is blocked by Ryan Law, and Marcel Lavinier, is penalised for a foul on Ryan Law and Gillingham have been awarded a defensive free kick - Superb Defending From Ryan Law - But it has to be noted that both full backs are high and wide for Swindon Town in Fraser Blake-Tracy and Marcel Lavinier, and Swindon Town will want both full back’s to provide additional width in Gillingham’s Final Third.

Sixteen Minutes Into The Match, And Ryan Law puts in a strong robust but fair challenge in on Ben Gladwin, but a minute later, Hakeeb Adelakun looked liked he had nipped in and intercepted the ball off Jonny Williams, And Swindon Town were awarded a free kick, that looked liked a soft free kick awarded in Swindon Town’s Favour There, and from the resulting free kick, Swindon Town had the opportunity to open the scoring, Jonny Williams passes the ball back to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed takes a touch before passing the ball square to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald passes the ball square to Marcel Lavinier Down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Marcel Lavinier takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball down the line towards Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade runs into a more central area of the pitch before passing the ball back to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball forwards towards Saidou Khan in a left / central of the pitch roughly twenty five yards from goal, and Saidou Khan passes the ball back to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball forwards towards Jonny Williams, who controls the ball on the half turn, and Jonny Williams manages to retain possession of the ball despite Shaun Williams closely marking him, and Jonny Williams passes the ball square to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball out-wide to Ben Gladwin Down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Ben Gladwin passes the ball inside centrally to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade threads a pass through to Jacob Wakeling right by the byline, And Jacob Wakeling tries to pass the ball across the face of goal, and there was Elkan Baggott to make a crucial block at the expense of conceding a corner kick for Swindon Town - That pass, pass, pass, patient possession style of play that Many Gillingham Supporters have spoken about before kick off is really coming into fruition here with Swindon Town understandably dominating possession.

And from the resulting corner kick, Louis Reed and Ben Gladwin play a short corner kick between the two of them, and Ben Gladwin passes the ball back towards Jonny Williams, And Jonny Williams takes a touch to control the ball before seeing his fiercely driven effort towards goal blocked by Mikael Mandron and although Gillingham have prevented Swindon Town from testing Glenn Morris in-between the sticks, It is the visitor’s who continue to pile on the pressure, With Stuart O’Keefe penalised for fouling Jonny Williams and there is a sense of frustration among many home supporters that every Gillingham Tackle is a foul in Swindon Town’s Favour, and from the resulting free kick, Ben Gladwin passes the ball short to Jonny Williams, who takes several touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan  passes the ball back to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed plays a first time pass out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, Marcel Lavinier then goes on a driving run forwards in possession of the ball, And Marcel Lavinier’s pass through to Tyrese Shade goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

And In The Twenty First Minute Of The Match, Tom Clayton’s pass down the line is cut out by Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Mikael Mandron right in-front of the dugouts, and Mikael Mandron takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball centrally to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams plays a first time pass back towards Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer takes a touch to control the ball before clipping the ball forwards towards Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron lays the ball off to Ben Reeves, And Ben Reeves flicks the ball back into Mikael Mandron’s path, and Mikael Mandron passes the ball down the line towards Hakeeb Adelakun, And Hakeeb Adelakun is through inside Swindon Town’s Penalty Area, And Hakeeb Adelakun’s dangerous cross towards the near post is blocked by Angus MacDonald at the expense of diverting the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick.

And from the resulting corner kick, Ben Reeves in-swinging cross is headed behind by Ben Gladwin at the expense of conceding another corner, and from the second corner kick, Ben Reeves whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Mikael Mandron is penalised for a foul and Swindon Town have been awarded a defensive free kick, and with Swindon Town having the numeric advantage, and with Swindon Town playing a patient possession style of play, any chances that Gillingham get to cause Swindon Town problems defensively are opportunities where Gillingham have got to test Swindon Town at the very least.

And straight from the re-start, Swindon Town created a half decent goal-scoring opportunity, Goalkeeper Sol Brynn passes the ball short to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball out-wide to Tyrese Shade, who plays a first time pass back to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald passes the ball square to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball forwards towards Marcel Lavinier on the halfway line, and Marcel Lavinier plays a short pass forwards to Louis Reed, Louis Reed then plays a first time pass back out-wide to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade plays a cross-field pass towards Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton lays the ball off to Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan passes the ball out-wide to Jonny Williams, who passes the ball first time centrally to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed clips the ball out-wide to Tyrese Shade down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Tyrese Shade threads a pass through to Marcel Lavinier in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Marcel Lavinier whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross first time which Glenn Morris was able to gather with ease.

Twenty Five Minutes Into The Match, And Elkan Baggott times his challenge to perfection on Jacob Wakeling, And Elkan Baggott boots the ball clear down the line and Tom Clayton passes the ball back to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald threads a pass out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball inside centrally to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade lays the ball off to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed plays a pass out-wide to Fraser Blake-Tracy, and although Fraser Blake-Tracy keeps the ball in play, the second ball goes to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams passes the ball back to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law passes the ball inside to Shaun Williams and Shaun Williams passes the ball back to Elkan Baggott - Keep the ball Gillingham was very much the thought process, just keep possession and relieve some of the pressure that has been building on to our goal - Elkan Baggott passes the ball back to Glenn Morris, who passes the ball forwards to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer takes a few touches in possession of the ball before kicking the ball long down-field and Tom Clayton wins the first aerial challenge and Stuart O’Keefe wins the second aerial challenge to header the ball forwards towards Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron is challenged by Tom Clayton and Saidou Khan is on to the loose ball, and Saidou Khan takes several touches in possession of the ball for Swindon Town before passing the ball out-wide to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade runs centrally in possession of the ball and lays the ball off to Ben Gladwin, and Ben Gladwin runs wide towards The Gordon Road Stand before whipping in a high and hanging cross towards the far post, and Ben Gladwin’s cross is too high for Jonny Williams to get on to the end of, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick - Swindon Town do not really have a striker like A Tom Eaves or Vadaine Oliver who have got the aerial presence to get on to the end of crosses, and maybe that contradicts with Swindon Town’s possession based style of play, but the lack of a physical striker does prevent Swindon Town from having the option to knock the ball long, if they need to go with A Plan B Option.

Hakeeb Adelakun puts in a great challenge to prevent Jonny Williams from getting on to the end of Tom Clayton’s pass, But Swindon Town created a great opportunity to open the scoring after twenty eight minutes, Jonny Williams has possession of the ball in Gillingham’s Half Of The Pitch, And Jonny Williams is twisting and turning and looking for passing options centrally, And Jonny Williams has to pass the ball back to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton lays the ball off to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed managed to pick out Tyrese Shade with a cross-field cross pass, And Tyrese Shade threads a pass down the line towards Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin fires a dangerous cross / shot across the face of goal and neither Jacob Wakeling or Jonny Williams can get a connection to get on to the end of that cross / shot from Ben Gladwin, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

But that cross / shot from Ben Gladwin not being capitalised on was only a temporary reprieve for Gillingham, because a minute later, Swindon Town had the opportunity to open the scoring, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Mikael Mandron wins the aerial challenge to try and flick the ball on towards Scott Kashket and Fraser Blake-Tracy times his initial challenge to perfection and Louis Reed passes the ball back to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald passes the ball square to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Tyrese Shade down The Gordon Road Stand Side of The Pitch, And Tyrese Shade runs inside centrally in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball out-wide to Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan passes the ball inside centrally to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade takes a few touches in possession of the ball before squaring the ball to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed manages to pick out Fraser Blake-Tracy with a cross-field cross pass and Fraser Blake-Tracy chests the ball under control, lays the ball off to Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan passes the ball back to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball square to Louis Reed, Louis Reed then passes the ball out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball inside to Tyrese Shade on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Tyrese Shade see’s his driven effort towards goal blocked by Shaun Williams and Jonny Williams sticks his leg out to make contact with the deflected effort on goal from Tyrese Shade, And Hakeeb Adelakun lets the ball go out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

However, Referee Martin Woods points for A Swindon Town Corner Kick, And you can tell from the reaction from The Gillingham Supporters In The Medway Stand, Gordon Road Stand and Rainham End that the corner kick was the incorrect decision, but most importantly, Hakeeb Adelakun let the ball go out of play, there is no way Hakeeb Adelakun does not let the ball go out of play thinking that Swindon Town would be awarded a corner kick, And Max Ehmer is furious with Referee Martin Woods, and from the resulting corner kick, Louis Reed whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Max Ehmer headers the ball partially clear and away from goal and Louis Reed keeps the ball in play for Swindon Town, And Louis Reed whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross first time and Glenn Morris manages to gather that cross with ease and Glenn Morris eases the pressure building on to Gillingham’s Goal - We would have been furious had Swindon Town scored with a controversial corner kick - And given the numerical advantage and the domination in possession, it does appear that it is only going to be a matter of time before Swindon Town do in-fact open the scoring.

Saidou Khan is penalised for a foul on Shaun Williams and from the resulting free kick, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field, Mikael Mandron wins the aerial challenge and Scott Kashket slips at the crucial moment when it looked liked Gillingham were going to create a rare goal-scoring opportunity since the sending off, and moments later, Ben Reeves threads a pass towards Scott Kashket down the line, And Scott Kashket is tackled by Angus MacDonald, Now if Scott Kashket was a bit faster and had got to the ball first, maybe Scott Kashket could have been through on goal for Gillingham ???

Thirty Three Minutes Into The Match, And Jonny Williams runs into a central area of the pitch in possession of the ball, And Jonny Williams passes the ball square to Tryese Shade, and Tryese Shade takes a touch to control the ball before threading the ball down the line towards Marcel Lavinier, and Ben Reeves positions himself in-between Marcel Lavinier and the ball to shield the ball out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, And In The Thirty Sixth Minute Of The Match, Swindon Town were looking to make the breakthrough as Ben Gladwin runs forwards in possession of the ball, And Ben Gladwin tries to thread a pass through to Jonny Williams, And Hakeeb Adelakun makes the crucial interception and Hakeeb Adelakun unfortunately see’s his pass go straight to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade gets the ball under control before passing the ball square to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed threads a first time through-ball through to Jonny Williams and Hakeeb Adelakun times his challenge to perfection, and Saidou Khan gets to the loose ball first and pass the ball out-wide to Ben Gladwin, And Hakeeb Adelakun times his sliding challenge to perfection to clear the ball out of play for A Swindon Town Throw On - Hakeeb Adelakun is putting in a very creditable performance for Gillingham At Right Back.

And from the resulting throw, Fraser Blake-Tracy throws the ball short to Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back towards Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball short to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball towards Angus MacDonald in a right / central area of the pitch, and Angus MacDonald plays the ball inside to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball short to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton takes a few touches in possession of the ball before threading a pass down the line towards Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy passes the ball back to Tom Clayton, who passes the ball square to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald tries to hit a diagonal cross-field cross pass which is headed clear and away from goal by Hakeeb Adelakun, And Swindon Town have a throw on in Gillingham’s Final Third, and from the resulting throw on, Swindon Town had the chance to open the scoring, Fraser Blake-Tracy quickly throws the ball short to Jonny Williams, And Jonny Williams gets the ball under control before flicking the ball through to Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan passes the ball back to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball square to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball down the line towards Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball inside centrally to Tyrese Shade, Tyrese Shade then passes the ball back to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed quickly switches the play to Tom Clayton, who lays the ball off to Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin plays a cross-field cross pass towards Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier gets the ball under control before passing the ball back to Tyrese Shade on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Tyrese Shade passes the ball square to Jonny Williams, who evades the attempted challenge from Scott Kashket, And Jonny Williams lays the ball off to Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan has to pass the ball out-wide to Marcel Lavinier very quickly, and Marcel Lavinier whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross low towards the near post and Jonny Williams gets to the loose ball first, And Jonny Williams fiercely driven effort towards goal flashes over Gillingham’s Crossbar.

But that was a huge goal-scoring opportunity for Swindon Town though!!!!!! - Had Jonny Williams effort on goal been on target, Swindon Town would have taken the lead, And had Swindon Town taken the lead, given the how Swindon Town play and how Gillingham are struggling with a numerical disadvantage, then Gillingham would do well to recover from 1-0 down to draw 1-1 with ten men, all the while the score-line is 0-0, Gillingham have still got a chance of getting a point, or maybe, just maybe, pick up all three points, but for the players still out there on the pitch, it is going to require a monumental effort.

And from the resulting goal-kick, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Mikael Mandron wins the aerial challenge to flick the ball on towards Scott Kashket, and Goalkeeper Sol Brynn was able to gather the ball right inside his penalty area on the eighteen yard line, and from here, Goalkeeper Sol Brynn rolls the ball short to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed plays a short first time pass towards Marcel Lavinier, who passes the ball forwards towards Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade is intercepted by By Ben Reeves, And Ben Reeves turns back on himself and plays a one / two with Shaun Williams, And Ben Reeves passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, and Ryan Law fires in a dangerous low cross first time which is blocked by Louis Reed and Scott Kashket passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law lays the ball off to Ben Reeves, who is twisting and turning and passes the ball back to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams passes the ball down the line towards Scott Kashket, And Scott Kashket fires in a dangerous low cross first time which is cleared by Angus MacDonald and Shaun Williams wins the first aerial challenge, Ben Gladwin headers the ball forwards and Ben Reeves times his fifty / fifty challenge to perfection to pass the ball back to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, and Ryan Law passes the ball inside centrally to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams passes the ball down the line towards Scott Kashket, And Scott Kashket retains possession of the ball and passes the ball back to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law passes the ball back to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott plays a one / two with Ben Reeves before evading the attempted challenge from Ben Gladwin, And Elkan Baggott clips the ball long down-field, and Scott Kashket is though on goal for Gillingham and Scott Kashket turns past Angus MacDonald’s attempted challenge, And Scott Kashket’s low effort towards goal crashes against the outside of the post with Goalkeeper Sol Brynn well and truly beaten.

CHANCE - I do think if Mikael Mandron had made the run towards the far post, then Scott Kashket could have passed the ball across the face of goal and Mikael Mandron could have scored a easy tap in, or maybe Scott Kashket took too long to make a decision and Scott Kashket opted to go for goal himself, Had Gillingham been scoring goals, then Scott Kashket and Mikael Mandron would be in more confident form and our strikers would not be over-thinking every decision in the final third, and the only way to get back to natural and more confident finishing is for Gillingham to be scoring more goals, But I also think that Neil Harris was given the green light to sign Harry Smith from Leyton Orient, there are clearly funds available for Neil Harris to sign another striker, and that is precisely what Neil Harris should be doing, looking at the free agent market to see which strikers are available, and most importantly, affordable.

Forty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Marcel Lavinier has possession of the ball for Swindon Town, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball down the line towards Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade passes the ball inside centrally towards Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald fires a cross-field cross pass towards Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy passes the ball back to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton switches the play towards Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier lays the ball off to Ben Gladwin, Ben Gladwin then tries to pick out Louis Reed with a clipped pass inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, But Max Ehmer was in the right place at the right time to header the ball out of play for A Swindon Town Corner Kick, And from the resulting corner kick, Louis Reed passes the ball short to Jonny Williams, And Jonny Williams is twisting and turning before seeing his shot towards goal blocked and Ben Reeves is fouled by Jonny Williams, And Ben Reeves was trying to over-play the ball in Gillingham’s Final Third, and really, Jonny Williams should have been shown a yellow card, not for the foul on Ben Reeves, but for kicking the ball away in frustration, and that should be a booking for The Swindon Town Midfielder.

And from the resulting free kick, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Tom Clayton headers the ball forwards for Swindon Town and Elkan Baggott wins the next aerial challenge, but the second ball drops kindly to Tyrese Shade, who gets the ball under control before passing the ball through to Marcel Lavinier on the over-lap, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball down the line towards Ben Gladwin, and Elkan Baggott times his challenge to perfection to clear the ball out of play for a throw on, and from the resulting throw on, Marcel Lavinier throws the ball short to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade gets the ball under control before passing the ball back to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald passes the ball square to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball out-wide to Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy passes the ball back to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald passes the ball square to Louis Reed, Louis Reed then threads a pass through to Ben Gladwin, and Ben Gladwin passes the ball first time out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball down the line towards Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade’s first time cross is blocked by Ben Reeves at the expense of conceding a corner kick.

And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Swindon Town created a clear cut goal-scoring opportunity, Louis Reed passes the ball short to Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post, And Fraser Blake-Tracy’s bullet header towards goal was brilliantly saved by Glenn Morris and Mikael Mandron headers the ball half clear and Hakeeb Adelakun boots the ball clear and away from danger - excellent save from Glenn Morris to keep the score-line at 0-0 just as we are approaching half time.

And the final noteworthy moment of the first half went to Swindon Town, Louis Reed manages to pick out Tyrese Shade with a cross-field cross pass down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Tyrese Shade takes on Ryan Law and fires in a dangerous cross across the face of goal and Jonny Williams cannot quite get the ball under control, But Fraser Blake-Tracy lays the ball off to Louis Reed on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Louis Reed has dragged his low effort towards goal well wide, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, and after two additional minutes of added time, the half time score at Priestfield Stadium Is Gillingham 0-0 Swindon Town.

HALF TIME: GILLINGHAM 0-0 SWINDON TOWN

I queued up at The Kiosk to buy KFG’s Match-Day Programme for Gillingham V Swindon Town as his message just came through to me at half time, and it took a while to queue up just to buy a match-day programme, and why there are not programme sellers around the ground which just saves on people queuing up who just buying a match-day programme I have no idea, it also makes the queue shorter for people who want to buy food and drink, and people who want to buy match-day programmes.

But after queuing up and paying for the match-day programme, I head back up to my seat, and I got speaking with The Gillingham Supporter sitting in-front of me, and we spoke about how Gillingham have done very well to get to half time with the 0-0 score-line in-tact, unfortunately, Gillingham have now broken the record for the most minutes without scoring a goal in consecutive matches, but Gillingham V Swindon Town is exceptional circumstances because of Haji Mnoga’s early sending off, and prior to that sending off, with the way Gillingham were playing and performing, Swindon Town were struggling to cope with Gillingham’s high press.

And now, that sending off means that Gillingham have got to keep the scoreline to 0-0, because the last time Gillingham won from a losing position was back in The 2020 / 2021 Season, that is a horrendous stat and a stat that Gillingham have got to eliminate, but this is not the match to put that stat to the test though, as for any tactical changes, I don’t see Neil Harris making a substitution at half time, but with five substitutes in The Football League This Season, Gillingham have got more opportunities to substitute tiring players, Will Wright and David Tutonda both give Gillingham the option to freshen up in the full back positions if we have to substitute Hakeeb Adelakun and Ryan Law.

SECOND HALF:

Neither Gillingham or Swindon Town made any changes at half time, and with the substitution rule changing, clubs can make five substitutions in three stoppages plus half time, and with no substitutions at half time, both teams have a maximum of three stoppages to make five subs, this is to prevent clubs from making five individual substitutions in The 84th, 86th, 88th, 90th and a final sub in stoppage time, and therefore prevent any time wasting substitutions from happening.

And Swindon Town make a very fast start to the second half, Jacob Wakeling is on to a loose clearance into midfield, and Jacob Wakeling passes the ball out-wide to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade gets the ball under control before working his way towards the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Tyrese Shade’s shot towards goal is blocked by Elkan Baggott and Ryan Law gets to the loose ball first ahead of Marcel Lavinier, And Ryan Law has been fouled by Marcel Lavinier and Gillingham have been awarded a defensive free kick - this is going to be a very long second half for The Gills, Forty Six Minutes into The Match, Gillingham have a throw on right in-front of the dugouts, and Ryan Law throws the ball down the line, Marcel Lavinier wins the first aerial challenge and Elkan Baggott gets stuck into Jacob Wakeling and kicks the ball long down the line and the ball goes out of play for A Swindon Town Throw On - And Jacob Wakeling has gone to the deck and clearly needs treatment from the physio and this stoppage in play, all be it at the start of the second half, just allows Gillingham to slow the tempo of the game down a bit into our favour.

Forty Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Mikael Mandron is penalised for a foul on Angus MacDonald and Swindon Town have been awarded a defensive free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Swindon Town had the chance to open the scoring, Louis Reed passes the ball short to Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy passes the ball back inside to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed played a one / two with Ben Gladwin before passing the ball square to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald passes the ball out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, who passes the ball inside to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade plays the ball back to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald passes the ball square to Tom Clayton, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball, And Tom Clayton passes the ball forwards towards Jacob Wakeling, and Jacob Wakeling gets the ball under control before passing the ball back to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball square to Jonny Williams, Jonny Williams then plays a one / two with Fraser Blake-Tracy before running centrally and passing the ball square to Louis Reed, who passes the ball short to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball out-wide to Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy works his way down by the byline, and Fraser Blake-Tracy passes the ball back to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton curls a dangerous cross towards the far post and Tyrese Shade wins the aerial challenge up against Ryan Law and Saidou Khan is on to the second ball first, and Saidou Khan’s first timed volleyed effort towards goal clears Gillingham’s Crossbar by some considerable distance.

Fifty Minutes Into The Match, And Max Ehmer is penalised for a foul on Jonny Williams down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Fraser Blake-Tracy passes the ball back to Tom Clayton, who plays a one / two with Louis Reed before playing another one / two this time with Angus MacDonald, and Tom Clayton passes the ball out-wide to Fraser Blake-Tracy, who passes the ball forwards to Jonny Williams, And Jonny Williams passes the ball centrally to Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin fires a diagonal cross-field cross pass towards Tyrese Shade, who gets the ball under control, And Tyrese Shade runs inside into a central position on the pitch before passing the ball inside to Louis Reed on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Louis Reed losses possession of the ball, however, Angus MacDonald clips the ball forwards and Hakeeb Adelakun does enough to prevent Jonny Williams from getting to the ball first inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Hakeeb Adelakun just smashes the ball forwards and Angus MacDonald is forced into a rush pass back to Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, and Sol Brynn slices the ball completely out of play for A Gillingham Throw On In Swindon Town’s Final Third.

And from the resulting throw on, Ryan Law throws the ball short to Ben Reeves, and Ben Reeves passes the ball back out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Mikael Mandron tries to header the ball down towards Scott Kashket, But Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, makes a comfortable save in goal for Swindon Town, Fifty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Shaun Williams wins a throw on for Gillingham, and from the resulting throw on, Ryan Law throws the ball long down the line and Marcel Lavinier kicks the ball long down-field and Shaun Williams wins the next aerial challenge and Mikael Mandron flicks the ball on towards Scott Kashket, And Scott Kashket chases after his own pass and Tom Clayton passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, And Sol Brynn gets the ball under control and plays a short pass to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald see’s his pass intercepted by Scott Kashket and Stuart O’Keefe is first to the ricochet, and Stuart O’Keefe gets the ball under control and threads a pass through to Scott Kashket inside Swindon Town’s Penalty Area, And Scott Kashket’s cross is blocked by Angus MacDonald at the expense of conceding a corner kick - But well done Scott Kashket for so much off the ball running there.

Before the corner kick can be taken, Swindon Town make there first substitution of the match as Luke Jephcott comes on to replace Jacob Wakeling as Swindon Town bring on a striker with a bit more experience and know how, and from the resulting corner kick, Ben Reeves whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Ben Gladwin headers the ball half clear and away from danger and Ben Reeves is first to the loose ball and passes the ball inside centrally to Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe is fouled by Jonny Williams on the edge of Swindon Town’s Penalty Area, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick and Jonny Williams has been booked for that challenge as well, and from the resulting free kick, Ben Reeves effort on goal from the free kick is blocked and cleared and Ryan Law is on to the loose ball and runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in a dangerous cross from a deep position on the pitch, And Max Ehmer wins the aerial challenge to header the ball across the face of goal and Angus MacDonald was in the right place at the right time to header the ball clear and Tyrese Shade keeps the ball in play by passing the ball down the line towards Louis Reed, And Louis Reed pass forwards towards Luke Jephcott see’s Hakeeb Adelakun make the all important clearance and Scott Kashket gets the ball under control and Scott Kashket fires a speculative effort from distance which fails to hit the target by a large margin, and there were better passing options in Stuart O’Keefe and Mikael Mandron that Scott Kashket could have chosen there.

Fifty Sixth Minute Into The Match, And Max Ehmer blocks Jonny Williams dangerous low cross at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Jonny Williams passes the ball short to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball back to Ben Gladwin, and Ben Gladwin gets the ball under control before passing the ball square to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball out-wide to Fraser Blake-Tracy. And Fraser Blake-Tracy passes the ball inside centrally to Louis Reed, Louis Reed then passes the ball centrally to Ben Gladwin, and Ben Gladwin takes a touch to control the ball before clipping a pass towards the far side of Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Ryan Law headers the ball away from Fraser Blake-Tracy at the expense of conceding a corner kick - Ben Gladwin is capable of threading those eye of a needle passes - and he is the one player who has been trying to pick out those type of passes for Swindon Town, and from the resulting corner kick, Louis Reed whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Fraser Blake-Tracy’s header towards goal is blocked by Stuart O’Keefe and Angus MacDonald headers the ball forwards for Swindon Town and Glenn Morris saves the ball and goes down on to the deck just to relieve some of the pressure building on to Gillingham’s Goal.

And from here, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Mikael Mandron wins the aerial challenge to header the ball on towards Scott Kashket and pressure from Scott Kashket forces Angus MacDonald to kick the ball into the back of The Rainham End at the expense of conceding a corner for Gillingham, I perhaps failed to notice during the game at the time, But Mikael Mandron won more then his fair share of aerial battles, but the off the ball running from Scott Kashket has to be commended and applauded, and from the resulting corner kick, Ben Reeves in-swinging cross is headed half clear and away from goal and Stuart O’Keefe’s high and hanging cross was comfortable for Goalkeeper Sol Brynn to save, and from here, Sol Brynn rolls the ball quickly to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier runs forwards in possession of the ball before laying the ball off to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade switches the play to Fraser Blake-Tracy down the opposite flank, and Fraser Blake-Tracy passes the ball down the line towards Jonny Williams, who flicks the ball through to Saidou Khan, and Saidou Khan passes the ball back to Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy plays a one / two with Louis Reed and Saidou Khan before passing the ball inside centrally to Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin threads a pass out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier see’s his driven cross blocked by Ryan Law, and Swindon Town have a throw on in Gillingham’s Final Third.

And the pressure continue’s to be pilled on to Gillingham’s Goal as Hakeeb Adelakun times his challenge to perfection on Saidou Khan and knock the ball out of play for A Swindon Town Throw On, And From The Resulting Throw, Fraser Blake-Tracy throws the ball short to Saidou Khan, who passes the ball out-wide to Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy plays a short pass back to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball square to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed squares the ball to Tyrese Shade, who lays the ball off to Angus MacDonald, and Angus MacDonald passes the ball forwards to Ben Gladwin, Ben Gladwin passes the ball back to Louis Reed, and Louis Reed passes the ball down the line towards Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy whips in a dangerous cross and Max Ehmer headers the ball away from goal and Tryese Shade is on to the loose ball and passes the ball back to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier whips in a dangerous cross and Ben Gladwin’s up and under headed effort towards goal is comfortable for Glenn Morris to save, and we are just coming up to the hour mark, and maybe Neil Harris is considering making a few substitutions ???

But it is Swindon Town looking to make a change, as Ronan Darcy comes on to replace Saidou Khan, And Swindon Town have one stoppage remaining if they want to bring on there three remaining substitutions, as for Gillingham, I think if we are looking to make a change, David Tutonda on for Ryan Law stands out as one option, but another option would be Jordan Green on for Mikael Mandron, just so that Gillingham have got the option to hit Swindon Town on the counter attack.

Sixty Five Minutes Into The Match, And Marcel Lavinier threads a pass down the line towards Ronan Darcy, and Elkan Baggott has come across to shield the ball out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, And From The Resulting Goal-Kick, Glenn Morris has kicked the ball long down-field and Marcel Lavinier wins the initial aerial challenge and Shaun Williams tries to pick out Scott Kashket with a long ball down-field and the bounce of the ball favoured Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, now if the ball didn’t bounce as high off the turf, I think Scott Kashket could have been in on goal here, and from here, Goalkeeper Sol Brynn rolls the ball short to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball square to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball down the line towards Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy plays a short pass forwards towards Jonny Williams, And Jonny Williams runs into a more central area of the pitch in possession of the ball, And Jonny Williams tries to knock the ball long but Max Ehmer headers the ball down to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams passes the ball out-wide to Hakeeb Adelakun, and Hakeeb Adelakun kicks the ball long down-field and pressure from Scott Kashket forces Tom Clayton to pass the ball back to Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, and Sol Brynn passes the ball out-wide to Tom Clayton, who keeps the ball in play but is closely marked by Mikael Mandron, And Tom Clayton’s pass inside to Louis Reed is not great and Louis Reed is double marked by Ben Reeves and Mikael Mandron and although Louis Reed wins Swindon Town a throw on, It is in Swindon Town’s Final Third - But well done Gillingham, defending from the front with ten men.

And from the resulting throw, Fraser Blake-Tracy throws the ball short to Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin gets the ball under control before managing to pick out Marcel Lavinier with a cross-field cross pass, and Marcel Lavinier runs forwards in possession of the ball for Swindon Town, And Marcel Lavinier passes the ball out-wide to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade tries to take on Ryan Law, But over-runs the ball out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

Sixty Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Tyrese Shade whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Hakeeb Adelakun makes a very crucial clearance for Gillingham and Goalkeeper Sol Brynn has the ball for Swindon Town, And Sol Brynn passes the ball short to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed looks to switch play with a cross-field cross pass and Hakeeb Adelakun wins the first aerial challenge, Jonny Williams wins the second aerial challenge and Shaun Williams is on to the loose ball and passes the ball forwards and Mikael Mandron wins the fifty / fifty challenge up against Tom Clayton and lays the ball off to Stuart O’Keefe, who passes the ball forwards towards Scott Kashket, And Scott Kashket passes the ball out-wide to Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron manages to pass the ball inside centrally to Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe passes the ball square to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball down the line towards Ryan Law, And Ryan Law runs forwards in possession of the ball inside Swindon Town’s Penalty Area, And Ryan Law see’s his low driven effort towards goal blocked by Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier takes several touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Ronan Darcy, And Ronan Darcy lays the ball off to Jonny Williams, Jonny Williams then runs forwards in possession of the ball for Swindon Town, And Jonny Williams passes the ball out-wide to Ronan Darcy, And Ronan Darcy passes the ball centrally to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed plays a short pass square to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball out-wide to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade passes the ball back to Louis Reed, Louis Reed then passes the ball centrally towards Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton plays a one / two with Ronan Darcy before passing the ball out-wide to Jonny Williams, And Jonny Williams tries to pick out Ben Gladwin with a pass towards the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, But Mikael Mandron was in the right place at the right time to make the all important clearance.

Seventy Two Minutes Into The Match, And Neil Harris makes a double substitution with Lewis Walker and Alex MacDonald both coming on for Mikael Mandron and Ben Reeves - Lewis Walker might give Gillingham some fresh legs in Swindon Town’s Final Third to try and stretch Swindon Town defensively, although I did wonder if Jordan Green could have come on and done that job more effectively, And Alex MacDonald replacing Ben Reeves just allows Gillingham to protect Ben Reeves, who picked up a lot of injuries last season, So Harris might want to rest Reeves to ensure that he is available for selection for the league games we have got coming up against Grimsby Town and Mansfield Town.

And after that double substitution, Swindon Town had the chance to take the lead, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field for Gillingham and Tom Clayton wins the aerial challenge and Tyrese Shade retains possession of the ball down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Tyrese Shade passes the ball down the line towards Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball inside centrally to Luke Jephcott, And Luke Jephcott lays the ball off to Ronan Darcy, And Ronan Darcy passes the ball square to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball forwards towards Jonny Williams and Jonny Williams passes the ball out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier works his way inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball back to Jonny Williams, who clips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Max Ehmer headers the ball partially clear and away from goal and Tyrese Shade see’s his first time effort towards goal blocked by Hakeeb Adelakun, and Marcel Lavinier, is on to the second ball, cuts inside centrally to avoid the attempted challenge from Scott Kashket, And Marcel Lavinier’s driven effort towards goal fails to hit the target by some considerable distance.

And from the resulting goal-kick, Swindon Town had the chance to open the scoring again, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Lewis Walker wins the first aerial challenge, Ben Gladwin wins the second aerial challenge and Stuart O’Keefe is first to the knock down, But Fraser Blake-Tracy and Ben Gladwin manage to intercept the ball between the two of them for Swindon Town and Louis Reed managed to switch the play to Jonny Williams Down The Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Jonny Williams runs forwards in possession of the ball before threading a pass through to Luke Jephcott, And Luke Jephcott passes the ball out-wide to Ronan Darcy, And Ronan Darcy passes the ball back to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball inside centrally towards Angus MacDonald, And Angus MacDonald passes the ball towards Fraser Blake-Tracy down the left side of the pitch, And Fraser Blake-Tracy threads a pass down the line towards Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade’s first time low cross is blocked by Elkan Baggott at the expense of conceding a corner kick.

And from the resulting corner, Swindon Town really should have opened the scoring, Louis Reed whips in a high and hanging cross towards the far post and Fraser Blake-Tracy wins the aerial challenge to header the ball down towards Luke Jephcott, And Luke Jephcott’s first time volleyed effort fails to hit the target from inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and the ball has somehow cleared the crossbar and gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick - Because the ball was quickly headed towards Luke Jephcott, maybe he didn’t have the time to readjust, But Luke Jephcott should have opened the scoring for Swindon Town, and that is a massive let off for The Gills.

And from the resulting goal-kick, Gillingham created a half decent goal-scoring opportunity, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Lewis Walker wins the aerial challenge and Alex MacDonald wins the fifty / fifty challenge in midfield and Lewis Walker passes the ball back to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law passes the ball down the line towards Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald works his way into a crossing position, And Alex MacDonald’s cross is saved and gathered at the second attempt by Goalkeeper Sol Brynn.

Seventy Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Will Wright comes on to replace Scott Kashket, With Gillingham now switching to A 5-3-1 Formation for the rest of this match, Neil Harris clearly wants to make sure that Gillingham held on for this 0-0 draw against Swindon Town now, and Will Wright will play alongside Max Ehmer and Elkan Baggott in the heart of Gillingham’s Defence as our three man central defensive partnership, David Tutonda and Jordan Green are Gillingham’s two remaining out-field substitutions left, and given that Gillingham can only stop the game one more time, I do wonder if both players will come on in the closing stages of the match to help Gillingham see out the rest of this match ???

But In The Eightieth Minute Of The Match, Swindon Town should have opened the scoring, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Marcel Lavinier headers the ball down towards Louis Reed, And Louis Reed gets the ball under control and passes the ball out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier runs forwards in possession of the ball towards the halfway line and laying the ball off to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed manages to pick out Fraser Blake-Tracy with a cross-field cross pass, And Fraser Blake-Tracy runs forwards in possession of the ball, plays a short pass forwards to Ronan Darcy, And Ronan Darcy passes the ball out-wide to Tyrese Shade, who runs inside into a more central area of the pitch, And Tyrese Shade takes on Hakeeb Adelakun and Stuart O’Keefe before curling a excellent strike towards goal which is matched in quality with a excellent save from Glenn Morris who parries the ball wide and away from goal - Fantastic Save From Glenn Morris.

Eighty Five Minutes Into The Match, And Swindon Town had another opportunity to open the scoring, Fraser Blake-Tracy has possession of the ball in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Fraser Blake-Tracy plays a one / two with Tyrese Shade before whipping in a high and hanging cross towards the back-stick and Marcel Lavinier’s first time effort towards goal goes over the crossbar by some considerable distance - and this effort on goal succeeded a domination of possession for Swindon Town, And Swindon Town wanted a penalty for a foul on Jonny Williams, and no penalty was awarded for the visitor’s.

Eighty Six Minutes Into The Match, And Louis Reed’s mis-placed pass towards Marcel Lavinier see’s Alex MacDonald run on to the loose ball and Alex MacDonald is challenged by the on rushing Swindon Town Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, who did win the ball, and Sol Brynn kicks the ball long down-field and Glenn Morris makes a comfortable routine save for Gillingham, Swindon Town had a chance to find the winning goal a minute later as Marcel Lavinier boots the ball long down the line and Max Ehmer headers the ball forwards for Gillingham and Lewis Walker wins the aerial challenge and tries to chase his own flick on and Angus MacDonald passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, who passes the ball square to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton runs forwards in possession of the ball before laying the ball off to Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin passes the ball square to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball forwards towards Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball down the line towards Jonny Williams, Jonny Williams then passes the ball back to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball back to Louis Reed, who hits a diagonal cross-field cross pass and Fraser Blake-Tracy gets the ball under control, And Fraser Blake-Tracy passes the ball back towards Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade see’s his low shot towards goal turned around the post brilliantly by Glenn Morris - and that save by Glenn Morris was superb, because Tyrese Shade’s shot towards goal took a massive deflection off Will Wright, and that deflection was going to take the ball into the bottom corner of the net until Glenn Morris made that fantastic save.

And from the resulting corner kick, Swindon Town had the chance to open the scoring again, And Swindon Town take the corner very quickly, and the cross from Fraser Blake-Tracy is headed clear by Max Ehmer, and Marcel Lavinier is on to the loose ball, and Marcel Lavinier passes the ball square to Ronan Darcy, And Ronan Darcy passes the ball square to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball square to Jonny Williams, And Jonny Williams passes the ball down the line towards Angus MacDonald, And Angus MacDonald turns back on himself and passes the ball short to Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin passes the ball square to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton passes the ball out-wide to Tyrese Shade, who passes the ball back to Ben Gladwin, And Ben Gladwin passes the ball short to Louis Reed, who plays the ball back to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier’s pass to Ben Gladwin runs through to Tom Clayton, And Tom Clayton played a one / two with Luke Jephcott before passing the ball out-wide to Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy passes the ball centrally to Tyrese Shade on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Tyrese Shade’s effort on goal is blocked by Max Ehmer, And Tyrese Shade lays the ball off to Louis Reed, who clips in a dangerous cross and Will Wright headers the ball half clear and then clears the ball towards the edge of the penalty area, And Tyrese Shade gets the ball under control before seeing his driven effort towards goal saved by Glenn Morris.

David Tutonda comes on for Hakeeb Adelakun, who gets a magnificent reception after his substitution for a exceptional performance at Right Back For Gillingham, David Tutonda will hopefully come on and provide Gillingham with fresh legs in defence to help Gillingham see out the rest of this match, and even though Gillingham still have one substitute remaining, this is our third stoppage in the game, so therefore, Gillingham cannot make another substitute because we have stopped the game three times.

Swindon Town had the chance to score a late winner just as we are approaching stoppage time, Tom Clayton has possession of the ball for Swindon Town, and Tom Clayton passes the ball forwards towards Fraser Blake-Tracy, And Fraser Blake-Tracy goes on a driving run forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Tyrese Shade, And Tyrese Shade passes the ball back to Louis Reed, And Louis Reed passes the ball square to Angus MacDonald, And Angus MacDonald passes the ball out-wide to Marcel Lavinier, and Marcel Lavinier whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Ben Gladwin’s glancing header goes narrowly wide of the far post, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

And from the resulting goal-kick, Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Angus MacDonald wins the first aerial challenge and Stuart O’Keefe and Lewis Walker win the next two aerial challenges and Shaun Williams is on to the loose ball in midfield, And Shaun Williams passes the ball down the line towards Ryan Law, And Ryan Law runs forwards in possession of the ball and passes the ball inside to Lewis Walker inside Swindon Town’s Penalty Area, and there were question marks over whether Lewis Walker was fouled by Marcel Lavinier and should Gillingham be awarded a penalty - didn’t look much in it, although I did appeal for the penalty at the time.

And the final noteworthy moment of the match see’s Glenn Morris save Marcel Lavinier’s dangerous in-swinging cross and after six additional minutes of added time, Referee Martin Woods blows his whistle for full time, And Gillingham have given it everything they have to secure themselves a point against A Swindon Town Side who love to play a possession based style of play, and considering that Gillingham were down to ten men as early as the tenth minute of the match, this is a excellent point for The Gills.

FULL TIME: GILLINGHAM 0-0 SWINDON TOWN

Post Match, I saw a lot of praise and plaudits from Gillingham Supporters towards the players for heading out for a 0-0 draw against Swindon Town, Because the sending off did change the way Gillingham had to play, because prior to the sending off, Gillingham were on the front-foot, we were pressing Swindon Town in there own final third and Swindon Town couldn’t cope with the pressure, but the sending off just saw Swindon Town dominate possession of the ball and Gillingham had to sit in The 0-0 draw, and this is a good point, yes, the lack of goals is a concern, and that is something that Gillingham need to address going forwards, But Haji Mnoga’s Sending Off meant that Gillingham’s game plan went out of the window.

Hakeeb Adelakun, Glenn Morris and Scott Kashkrt were the three players who stood out for me, and given that Hakeeb Adelakun put in a fantastic performance for Gillingham by playing out of position at Right Back, Then Hakeeb Adelakun would be my choice for Man Of The Match, And Hakeeb Adelakun got a fantastic reception when he was substituted as well, Gillingham also have gone 630 minutes without scoring a goal, but the sending off against Swindon Town meant that we have to take this match into exceptional circumstances territory, because once Gillingham went down to ten men, it was always going to be difficult to create meaningful clear cut goal-scoring opportunities.

But Scott Kashket’s chance in the first half when he hit the post, If Mikael Mandron made the run to the far post, Scott Kashket could have squared the ball and Mikael Mandron would have scored a simple tap in, I also think the lack of goals scored means that our attacking players are over-thinking everything and not taking goal-goal-scoring opportunities with confidence or composure, It is also worth mentioning that if Gillingham kept this match at eleven verses eleven and Gillingham continued to play the way Gills played in the first ten minutes of the match, Gillingham would have won against Swindon Town, once Gillingham went down to ten men so early on in the match, avoiding defeat was crucial, and the point has to be considered a excellent point.

But the rule change that one of the substitutes has to be A Academy Player / Club Development Player was something we only found out in Neil Harris’s Post Match Press Comments, So One Of Freddie Carter, Bailey Akehurst, Matt Macarthur or Joseph Gbode have to be named on the substitutes bench otherwise Gillingham have to name just six substitutes on the bench, and that explained only six substitutes on the bench for Gillingham V Swindon Town, And had Crawley Town V Gillingham gone ahead, Jake Turner would have started in goal and Taite Holtham would have been named on the bench, And Taite Holtham would have been The Club Development Player In The Match-Day Squad.

But all in all, taking in the circumstances of the sending off, and Gillingham having to play for over eighty minutes with ten men against A Swindon Town Side who are very good in possession of the ball, this is a very good result for Gillingham, Yes, we want to see Gillingham scoring more goals and winning more football matches, but this is a good point and another clean sheet for Gillingham, hopefully, this excellent defensive performance and the point and clean sheet against Gillingham can see Gills build on this performance and result against Swindon Town in the next few league matches - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!

#Gillingham #SwindonTown #Football #supporters

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY BLOG - 2022 / 2023 SEASON

Gillingham have strengthened there defensive options with Robbie McKenzie re-signing for Gillingham, And Haji Mnoga signed for Gillingham on A Season Long Loan From Portsmouth, and those two signings combined with the way Gillingham have lined up recently with Will Wright, Max Ehmer and Elkan Baggott starting as Gillingham’s Three Man Centre Back Pairing As Neil Harris looked to line up with a back five to ensure that Gillingham were solid defensively and harder to score against, and that has happened to a extent with 0-0 draws against Walsall and Exeter City, But questions still remain unanswered amongst supporters regarding the lack of attacking options and who will score the goals for Gillingham ???

But the signings of Haji Mnoga and Robbie McKenzie provide Neil Harris with more defensive options, and Robbie McKenzie can cover any position in defence or midfield as we saw from McKenzie last season, And Haji Mnoga provides Gillingham with cover and competition in defence, But the one signing Gillingham Supporters were all hoping for on transfer deadline day was another striker, and at least this season, Gillingham can explore the free agent market to have a look at any striker who is available (and most importantly affordable) and Gillingham should be looking at any striker who is out of contract to try and tempt that player to sign for the football club.

Below are my thoughts on both of Gillingham’s Deadline Day Signings On Transfer Deadline Day……….

Robbie McKenzie - Fantastic Signing, Because Robbie McKenzie was my choice for Gillingham Player Of The Season For The 2021 / 2022 Season, Because Robbie McKenzie can cover so many positions in defence and midfield, and you can ask Robbie McKenzie to start at Right Wing Back, Left Wing Back, Right Back, Left Back, Centre Back and Central Midfield, And Robbie McKenzie can put in very creditable performances for Gillingham in any of those positions, and it is that versatility and the consistency in his performances in any of those positions mentioned which is why Robbie McKenzie is such a highly rated and highly regarded player amongst Gillingham Supporters

I mentioned In My Release / Retain List Blog that I would be surprised if Robbie McKenzie signed for any club in League Two, So for Robbie McKenzie to return to Gillingham is a exceptional signing, I do think teams like Bolton Wanderers, Portsmouth, Charlton Athletic and Oxford United all had a look at Robbie McKenzie, and there were suggestions that Robbie McKenzie went back to Hull City just to keep himself fit and ticking over during the off season, But Neil Harris has clearly kept in close contact with Robbie McKenzie over the past few weeks and Gillingham were able to get a deal completed on deadline day for Robbie McKenzie to return to Gillingham Football Club.

Haji Mnoga - Throughout the entire off season and during The 2022 / 2023 Season, Gillingham were linked with several experienced centre back’s that we were unable to get over the line for one reason or another, Alex Pearce, Aaron Pierre and Alex Baptiste were three defenders mentioned over the past few weeks or so, And Gillingham took quite a few defenders on trial during the off season, And Haji Mnoga’s name had been mentioned previously prior to Neil Harris signing Haji Mnoga on A Season Long Loan On Transfer Deadline Day.

And Neil Harris has watched Haji Mnoga play a few times for Portsmouth and Portsmouth do rate Haji Mnoga very highly, hence why Haji Mnoga has signed a long term contract at Portsmouth, but the sending off on his debut against Swindon Town Last Saturday was reckless and foolish, and there is no benefit of the doubt, there is no controversial talking point, both bookings were bookable offences and Haji Mnoga deserved to be sent off against Swindon Town On Saturday, and as other supporters have quite rightfully pointed out, a more experienced defender with more nous and know how would not have got sent off after picking up that first yellow card.

And from the very brief appearance we saw from Haji Mnoga on Saturday, he was physical and aggressive and he backed his ability, and had a bit of pace about him, but you cannot put in reckless challenges like that and expect to stay on the pitch, the apology from Haji Mnoga is a admission of guilt from the young defender, but Haji Mnoga is still experienced enough at twenty years old to not get sent off for two reckless challenges, especially the second booking when there were enough players back covering to prevent the counter attack from being an option for Swindon Town.

Also, Gillingham now have got Will Wright, Cheye Alexandra, Robbie McKenzie and Haji Mnoga who can all play at Right Back / Right Wing Back, So Gillingham have got more then enough players to cover the full back positions now, But not signing a experienced centre back and signing three defenders on loan in Elkan Baggott (Ipswich Town) Ryan Law (Plymouth Argyle) and Haji Mnoga (Portsmouth) suggests that Neil Harris didn’t not have the finances available for Gillingham to sign someone like Aaron Pierre, now missing out on a player like Harry Smith who has signed for Exeter City In League One is one thing, losing out on Aaron Pierre who has signed for Sutton United is very concerning, and this perhaps highlights the limited budget that Neil Harris has to work with at Gillingham Football Club.

THE STRIKER - Harry Smith was the striker who was very close to signing for Gillingham Football Club from Leyton Orient, and the deal made sense for many many reason’s, Neil Harris would have worked with Harry Smith at Millwall, And Harry Smith used to play for Folkestone Invicta, so he would have been a local lad signing for Gillingham, But Exeter City put in a offer which was too good to turn down.

But that deal was turned down at 7.10PM, Paul Fisher had given Neil Harris the green light to sign another striker, so clearly there was money in the budget for Neil Harris to sign another striker on Transfer Deadline Day, And I agree with James On The ME7 Podcast, there are a list of strikers in Sam Winnall, Josh Parker, Tom Elliott, Leon Clarke and Caolan Lavery, use that money which was going to be used to sign Harry Smith from Leyton Orient and see which of these five strikers (or someone else) will sign for Gillingham on the same terms on Transfer Deadline Day, Because supporters were calling for a striker to be signed to strengthen our attacking options, and any of the five players I have mentioned here will strengthen our attacking options, we’re not in a position to say, oh Gillingham cannot sign this player, any striker is better then no incoming striker at all.

Because looking at who Gillingham have got, we’re relying on Mikael Mandron, Lewis Walker and Scott Kashket as our main central striking options, Jordan Green and Hakeeb Adelakun are better out-wide then through the middle, and if Scott Kashket is going to play out-wide, then we’re over-relying on Mikael Mandron to keep himself fit, because Lewis Walker is a twenty four year old striker with the appearance record of a twenty one / twenty two year old, Now Lewis Walker will put in the effort, but he needs time to develop as a striker, and it doesn’t help Lewis Walker at all that our more experienced attacking options are struggling to put the ball into the back of the net, Because the biggest concern amongst supporters is what happens if Mikael Mandron and Scott Kashket were both injured, then Gillingham only have got Jordan Green, Hakeeb Adelakun and Lewis Walker, And Lewis Walker is probably the only player who is more comfortable to play as a central striker out of those three players who have been mentioned here.

I also disagree with Neil Harris regarding his reluctance to explore the free agent market, the green light was given for Neil Harris to sign Harry Smith, use those funds to sign another striker, bring players in on trial for a few weeks and have a look at who is the best possible signing for the funds we are putting on the table, If Gillingham can offer £800 a week as a hypothetical scenario and let’s say Sam Winnall wants £1,500 a week, then you move on from Sam Winnall and go down the list until you find the best possible signing for the wages we are offering, it could be £800, £900, £1,000 or £1,100 a week, the wages is a secondary point, the main point is Gillingham signing the best possible striker for the wages we can offer, Neil Harris will know himself that Gillingham need to sign another striker, and had Gillingham signed a striker on deadline day, supporters would have been very pleased with all three incoming signings.

Looking at the strikers who are available as free agents, for me, Tom Elliott would be my choice as the striker Gillingham should sign, Tom Elliott is 6’4’, he has the physical presence which I think is lacking in Gillingham’s Final Third because Mikael Mandron doesn’t win the ball in the air and the ball doesn’t stick up top, and Tom Elliott would provide Gillingham with a focal point in attack, Neil Harris would have worked with Tom Elliott before during there time together at Millwall and he also adds some much needed experienced with Lewis Walker being inexperienced, other supporters have mentioned Sam Winnall, and Josh Parker has been mentioned because of his previous spell at Gillingham, I saw a few supporters mention that Josh Parker would be a solid signing, because we were getting to the stage on Deadline Day where Gillingham have got to sign any striker.

And now that the transfer window has closed, it appears that Gillingham’s transfer business has been completed, but another striker is needed, and I am hoping that Neil Harris is taking his time going through the strikers available on the free agent market and seeing if anyone else can come in to strengthen Gillingham’s Attacking Options, Because Gills do need to sign another striker, and hopefully there is movement for one more incoming signing over the next few weeks for The Gills.

And it doesn’t have to be a striker who is signed on a long term contract, Neil Harris can look to sign a striker on a short term contract until January and the player in question has the incentive to earn themselves a longer contract at Gillingham, and the additional striker signing on a short term contract just provides additional cover and competition in attack and Neil Harris can then look at players who are available in The January Transfer Window who Gillingham were unable to sign in the summer or before the transfer window closes, and a striker signed on a short term contract means that supporters are not as concerned about the lack of attacking options Gillingham have got available in the squad as well.

#Gillingham #Transfers #Football

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: MY THOUGHTS ON CARLISLE UNITED 1-0 GILLINGHAM - LEAGUE TWO - 2022 / 2023 SEASON

My Thoughts On Carlisle United 1-0 Gillingham - League Two - 2022 / 2023 Season

Gillingham have played eight competitive matches this season, and Gillingham have failed to score in six of those matches (AFC Wimbledon, Tranmere Rovers, Harrogate Town, Walsall, Exeter City and Carlisle United) and Gillingham have scored just one goal in six league games, which was Scott Kashket’s goal against Rochdale, who are bottom of League Two, And Jordan Green and Mikael Mandron were on the score-sheet when Gillingham won 2-0 against AFC Wimbledon In The First Round Of The League Cup.

Against Walsall and Exeter City, Neil Harris has switched to five at the back because Gillingham had conceded five goals against Tranmere Rovers and Harrogate Town, And Gillingham drew 0-0 against Walsall and could have won late on when Lewis Walker’s effort on goal hit the inside of the post and somehow stayed out, and Gillingham won 6-5 on penalties against Exeter City, a result which see’s Gillingham travel to Brentford In The Third Round Of The League Cup, and with back to back clean sheets, and Gillingham winning on penalties against Exeter City, there was hope that Gillingham have turned things around slowly, and a win against Carlisle United would be a good end to the week and Gillingham can start to climb up The League Two Table.

But losing 1-0 against Carlisle United means that Gillingham have won one, drawn one and lost four of our opening six league matches in League Two, Gillingham are twenty first in The League Two Table, and so early on into this season, there is already concerns amongst supporters that Gillingham are looking over there shoulders at another relegation battle, and we should not be thinking about relegation into The Conference National so early on into this season, but just look at the list of teams who are playing in The Conference National, Southend United, Notts County, Chesterfield, Scunthorpe United, Wrexham, Dagenham & Redbridge, York City, Yeovil Town, and Barnet, all are former Football League Sides playing in the fifth tier, Oldham Athletic have changed owner’s and are getting close to 9,000 attendances at Boundary Park, Notts County, Southend United, Wrexham and Chesterfield also get very good attendances, and The Conference National is so difficult to get out of with one team promoted automatically, and a second team gets promoted through the playoffs.

But we are looking over our shoulders at the relegation zone because Gillingham cannot score goals, and Gillingham have got to sign a striker before the transfer window closes, Tom Elliott, Paul McCallum and Josh Parker, have all been mentioned as potential transfer targets, maybe there is someone else Gillingham are looking to sign to strengthen our attacking options as well, but whoever Gillingham are looking to sign, it has to be a first choice signing, not someone signed purely for squad depth, obviously, we take the latter option over signing no-one, But Gillingham have got to sign someone who the supporters will look at instantly as a proven goal-scorer and someone who will greatly strengthen Gillingham’s Attacking Options.

Now Lewis Walker and Scott Kashket both came on and they both made an impact from the substitutes bench, Because Mikael Mandron really did struggle against Carlisle United, he was not winning the aerial battles, the ball was not sticking up top so that Jordan Green and Hakeeb Adelakun could spin in and behind and cause Carlisle United Problems with there pace, where as Scott Kashket and Lewis Walker showed effort, energy and endeavour when they came on, But Lewis Walker had to hit the target with that header from Will Wright’s Cross in the second half, and for me and many other Gillingham Supporters, Lewis Walker Is A Twenty Four Year Old Striker with the game-time and experience of a twenty one / twenty two year old, Lewis Walker is behind in his development and needs a lot of work on the training ground for Walker to improve as a player, especially considering that Lewis Walker has been playing in Serie C and Serie D In Italy, And Lewis Walker has to readjust to life in the lower league’s of English Football.

It has to be noted that Mikael Mandron was isolated at times with Gillingham lining up with a 3-4-3 formation with Jordan Green and Hakeeb Adelakun both playing out-wide and Mikael Mandron didn’t always have the service or support, but it is also two matches in a row against Walsall and Carlisle United where Mikael Mandron has struggled and has had to be substituted, and Scott Kashket and Lewis Walker will most likely start for Gillingham against Charlton Athletic On Wednesday Night In The Football League Trophy, But On Thursday, Gillingham have got to sign a striker on Deadline Day, without signing another striker, we should be very concerned about the rest of this season, especially as Gillingham are already carrying a small first team squad so far this season, and Gillingham have got to sign more players to strengthen the squad, But against Swindon Town Next Week, I think Mikael Mandron should be dropped to the bench, maybe freshen things up and try different personal in attack for Gillingham to get themselves on the score-sheet on a more regular basis.

Gillingham also can do with signing a senior first choice centre back, someone like A Adam Barrett, Gabriel Zakuani, or Chris Hope, A Experienced No Nonsense Centre Back who can lead Gillingham from the back, and more importantly, allow Neil Harris to line up with the back four that Neil Harris clearly wanted to line up with for this season, Because Neil Harris clearly was forced to line up with a back five last season because Gillingham were conceding goals left, right and centre and we had no pace in attack, and a lot of central midfielders, and Neil Harris just had to make do with the players he had in the squad last season, this season, Neil Harris clearly wanted to line up with a back four, but with the goals Gillingham were conceding against Tranmere Rovers and Harrogate Town, Neil Harris has switched to a back five, and back to back clean sheets against Walsall and Exeter City were small steps in the right direction before Saturday’s Disappointing Defeat Against Carlisle United.

David Tutonda should have been sent off against Carlisle United in the second half and was lucky to stay on the pitch, and Ryan Law was quickly subbed on for David Tutonda Because Neil Harris knew straight away that David Tutonda should have been sent off, David Tutonda is much better as a wing back then full back, But Ryan Law has not got enough pace to take on a player and whip in a cross, I know Plymouth Argyle Supporters do rate Ryan Law very highly, But we just to hope that Ryan Law is a player who will develop as the season progresses.

And looking at the squad as a whole, I predicted Gillingham to finish this season in League Two with seventy points, I thought with Neil Harris as manager and with Gillingham looking to strengthen the squad during the season and with no Transfer Embargo this season as well, Gillingham will look to stabilise this season and finish the season with a respectable league position for our first season in League Two, However, The CCJ is another problem for Gillingham off the pitch, relegation into League Two has clearly cost Gillingham financially, and without home matches against the likes of Portsmouth, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich Town, Rotherham United, Oxford United, Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic, the away end for the most part is going to be empty this season, look at the attendance at Priestfield Stadium for Gillingham V Walsall -  3,917 (333 away fans). - That means that there were less then 3,600 Gillingham Supporters Inside Priestfield Stadium For A Saturday Home League Game. (The train strike has to be mentioned though, which did clearly have a impact, but a attendance under 4,000 for A Saturday League Game is still very worrying).

And with Gillingham not scoring goals, not winning games of football, not having the strongest of squads to challenge for promotion or a playoff push, then supporters are not going to be in a rush to buy tickets for home league games, and even if Gillingham had won all six league games this season, with The The Ticket Office only open on Friday’s and match-days, the stadium is cashless, there have been problems with food and drink sold inside the stadium, there is no fifty / fifty match-day lottery, there are no programme sellers, there are no ball boys, no half time penalty shoot-out and the club shop is closed, the match-day experience at Priestfield Stadium is poor and we are turning hundreds - maybe even a few thousand - supporters away from the football club altogether.

That’s why Kent Non League Sides like Sheppey United, Folkestone Invicta, Chatham Town, Margate, Ramsgate, Bromley, Ebbsfleet United, Dartford, Dover Athletic, Tonbridge Angels and Welling United have seen there attendances on the rise, you can pay on the day with cash on the turnstiles, you can buy a match-day programme, food and drink and go into the club shop with little difficulty, and because supporters can move around the ground at local non league clubs, the match-day experience is much better then what we are experiencing at Priestfield Stadium, and also, these clubs are going into this season with hope and optimism that they can achieve something this season, where as I don’t see Gillingham pushing for promotion, and also, if we cannot open The Ticket Office, Club Shop or sell food and drink, which are the necessities of every football club, then how can Gillingham solve some of the more complex problems which require a lot of thought and time to implement ???

Back In The Summer, Neil Harris spoke about how League Two is a physical league, and he was looking to add pace, physicality and power to Gillingham’s Squad over the summer, and because Alex MacDonald, Max Ehmer, David Tutonda, Olly Lee and Ben Reeves are still contracted at the football club and all five are probably on decent wages and Neil Harris probably wanted to get rid of all five players mentioned to free up wages to sign the players he wanted to sign during the off season, I do think that Gillingham have missed out on signing players like Chris Gunter, Alex Pearce, Aaron Pierre, and Stevenage have also signed Danny Rose, I am not suggesting that Gillingham would have signed all four players suggested, But Neil Harris clearly had a thought process in mind, he wanted to line up with a back four, Harris was talking about pace, physicality and power, which suggested a direct back to front style of play.

Now maybe Neil Harris and Director Of Football Development Nicky Shorey had plenty of targets in mind, but because Gillingham have had to build a entire first team squad from scratch - which is now the fourth consecutive season which Gillingham have had to completely re-build the first team squad -  and Gillingham are preparing for this season in League Two, it means that transfer targets who would have signed for Gillingham a year ago would not sign for Gillingham now, and maybe Neil Harris and Nicky Shorey were working with Budget A in mind, but when the playing budget was likely cut to Budget B, it meant that Gillingham were looking at different options in the transfer market, and we also have players still contracted this season who are on League One Wages In League Two.

Will Wright, Shaun Williams and Dominic Jefferies were Gillingham’s first three signings, all players had worn the captain’s armband and the leadership qualities of all three players was mentioned as admirable attributes by Neil Harris, Ashley Maynard-Brewer and Jake Turner were both signed to be Gillingham’s First and Second Choice Goalkeepers, and when Ashley Maynard-Brewer dislocated his shoulder in pre-season, Gillingham were looking to sign another goalkeeper which probably wasn’t planned, but signing Glenn Morris on loan is a excellent loan signing.

Elkan Baggott, Ryan Law, and Hakeeb Adelakun are three players signed on loan from League One Clubs, Mikael Mandron and Scott Kashket were both signed for Gillingham after they were released by Crewe Alexandra, and both players have got reasonable goal-scoring records, so supporters were pleased with both signings, Because Gillingham were over-relying on Vadaine Oliver for goals last season, Gillingham were looking to add to there attacking options, and Jordan Green impressed during pre-season to earn himself a contract and how Gillingham signed Lewis Walker was unorthodox, because Gillingham had Lewis Walker on trial, he then went on trial to AFC Wimbledon before signing for Gillingham, and Cheye Alexandra was signed to be back up right back to Will Wright, But with Gillingham lining up with a back five, both players are starting for Gillingham in our back five formation.

But even with fifteen signings, Gillingham still only have twenty three players in our first team squad, Glenn Morris, Jake Turner, Ashley Maynard-Brewer, Cheye Alexandra, Will Wright, Max Ehmer, Elkan Baggott, Bailey Akehurst, David Tutonda, Ryan Law, Shaun Williams, Dominic Jefferies, Stuart O’Keefe, Olly Lee, Ben Reeves, Alex MacDonald, Matt Macarthur, Jordan Green, Hakeeb Adelakun, Lewis Walker, Scott Kashket, Mikael Mandron and Joseph Gbode - Gillingham have got twenty three players in our first team squad, But Ashley Maynard-Brewer is out injured, Elkan Baggott and Ryan Law are both young players signed on loan who are learning and developing as footballers, Bailey Akehurst, Matt Macarthur and Joseph Gbode are First Year Pro’s who Gillingham have to be patient with to turn into first team players - after all, look how long it took for Bradley Dack and Jack Tucker to go from first year pro into senior first team player, it took those two a few years at least.

And then you have got Alex MacDonald and Ben Reeves, who are two players Gillingham have to be cautious and protective with, because both players do have injury concerns and Alex MacDonald is going to take a month or two to get back to 100% full fitness and match sharpness, and with everything mentioned above, plus your trying to gel a brand new first team squad, Gillingham are playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, and we’re still trying to add depth and quality to the squad on transfer deadline day, you can see why there are problems, but did anyone really think Gillingham would not score in the past five matches and six out of eight matches in all competitions Gillingham have failed to score ??? I don’t think anyone would have thought Gills poor goal-scoring record from last season would carry over into this season, but the stats are there for all to see and the lack of goals scored is very concerning.

Gillingham need to sign A First Choice Centre Back and First Choice Striker, If Gillingham could add A Adam Barrett at one end of the pitch and A Cody McDonald at the other end on Deadline Day, then there would be some more optimism heading into The Gillingham V Swindon Town Game, you could even make the case that Gillingham should sign more then the two players suggested, just so that Gillingham have got more depth in the squad, because a lack of squad depth was one of many many contributing factors as to why Gillingham were relegated into League Two on the final day of The 2021 / 2022 Season.

My Gillingham Man Of The Match For Carlisle United V Gillingham goes to The 237 Gillingham Supporters who were in the away end, everyone was frustrated and ticked off at full time, If Gillingham lost 1-0 And Tomas Holy has made five or six quality saves, we can pick out positives in the performance and there would be something to build on, Disappointing Performance and Result against Carlisle United and a lot of boo’s and anger and frustration aimed towards the players after the full time whistle, whilst some supporters politely clapped, most were irritated, I wasn’t clapping the players after the appalling performance we saw, losing 1-0 doesn’t suggest we were as bad as losing 5-0, but supporters are genuinely concerned and worried about what is going to happen to Gillingham Football Club during The 2022 / 2023 Season, also, it was a very very long journey to Carlisle United, I had got up at 4AM, was on The Supporters Coach at 6AM, and we had arrived in Carlisle at 2PM after stopping at the services twice, and on the way back, we had a traffic diversion which added additional travel time on to our journey and I was back home at 1.10AM in the morning, that’s a long journey to see Gillingham lose 1-0, and the manner of the defeat was concerning, because it is another game where Gillingham have failed to score.

We know that Neil Harris is A Championship Standard Manager and he wants to improve Gillingham Football Club on and off the pitch, Neil Harris wants to implement A U21 Team to bridge the gap between the youth team and the first team and try and help Gillingham bring players through the youth set up, which is especially important with Gillingham not having the largest resources to spend on signing players, and we can point to the transfer embargo, The CCJ, And we have mentioned at length, and maybe to ad nauseum and irritation length’s regarding Paul Scally as Gillingham Chairman, and do you want to see a change in ownership at the football club ???

And even though I probably think that Neil Harris is managing Gillingham Football Club with both hands tied behind his back - other’s might disagree and feel free to comment with your own thoughts and opinions - even if that is the case, Neil Harris selects the starting line up, he names the team, he makes the tactical changes and the substitutions, and how long do we speak about limited resources, problems at the football club on and off the field before we do start to question some of the decision’s Neil Harris is making ??? - I am not calling for a managerial change, or demanding for a sacking, Because I think Gillingham have got a exceptional manager in Neil Harris, But if we continue not to score goals and win football matches, then the pressure is only going to increase in November / December Time if Gillingham find themselves still in 21st Position In The League Two Table.

And it’s not like Gillingham have got A Bradley Dack or John Egan type of player in our first team squad who Gillingham can sell on deadline day, and reinvest that money into strengthening the squad, how many players have Gillingham got who you could call sellable assets, I don’t think there is anyone in the squad who fits that description, and selling players is something Gillingham have not done often enough, yes, Gillingham will get compensation fee’s for Brandon Hanlan, Robbie McKenzie, Josh Chambers and Jack Tucker, and that money is very very important, and had I not mentioned those four players, I would be disingenuous, But Tomas Holy, Jack Bonham, Connor Ogilvie, Jordan Graham, Tom Eaves and Vadaine Oliver have all left the football club for nothing, trying to replace those six players, and with Gillingham looking to completely re-build the first team squad for the last four successive season’s has been a problem, and even with fourteen new signings, Neil Harris can still do with signing two, three or four more players on transfer deadline day to strengthen the squad, and even more so, strengthen the starting line up, four players, even if they are players like Liam Nash, or Ben Nugent are four players Gillingham didn’t have before deadline day, But Gillingham need to sign quality, especially up-front, and someone who is signed who you know is going to be a proven goal-scorer for Gillingham In League Two.

#Gillingham #CarlisleUnited #Football #Supporters

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM 0-2 HARROGATE TOWN - LEAGUE TWO - 2022 / 2023 SEASON

Gillingham V Harrogate Town was a must win game for Gillingham for several reasons, Gillingham had just lost 3-0 against Tranmere Rovers in what was a dreadful performance and dire defending at Prenton Park, So Gillingham needed to get back to winning ways to put that defeat against Tranmere Rovers behind us, Gillingham V Harrogate Town was the first of three home games in a week and Gillingham needed to get off to the best possible start by picking up three points against Harrogate Town, and a win would mean six points out of a possible twelve from our first four league games of the season, not the best start to the season, but not the worst either, and the win would set things up nicely for Gillingham heading into the two home games against Walsall and Exeter City.

Gillingham losing 2-0 against Harrogate Town has highlighted several concerning stats, Gillingham have scored one and conceded seven in four league games, Gillingham have failed to score in three of the four league games Gillingham have played in League Two This Season, and it was a lack of goals which was one of many many reasons why Gillingham were relegated at the end of last season despite Neil Harris nearly achieving the impossible dream of keeping Gillingham In League One, And just like so many matches last season, Gillingham lose another home game at Priestfield Stadium without scoring, And Harrogate Town could have quite easily scored more then the two goals they did score against Gillingham as well, The 2022 / 2023 Season is the fourth consecutive season where Gillingham are having to completely re-build the first team squad from scratch, and this constant re-building the first team squad is not helping Gillingham at all, the small squad, transfer embargo, injuries and suspensions were dreadful to contend with last season, and even though Neil Harris has signed fourteen players so far, Gillingham can still do with signing A Centre Back, A Central Midfielder, A Striker, And you can quite easily make the case that Gillingham should be signing two centre back's, Because unfortunately, Max Ehmer just doesn't look up to it anymore, even with relegation into League Two, Max Ehmer is struggling and although Ehmer has served Gillingham well, I think Max Ehmer struggles to line up in a back four, in a back three, he is less exposed with Will Wright and Elkan Baggott alongside him, and with seven goals conceded already, Gillingham do not have the defence capable of challenging for promotion, or challenge for a playoff position, because all the while your conceding two or three goals, the attack need to score three or four to win a game of football.

And because Gillingham continue to have to sign, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen and eighteen players every off season, it means it takes time for the squad to gel, and by the time we get to the end of September, Gillingham have played eleven league games already, and that's twenty five percent of the league season done and dusted, Gillingham do not have time for the squad to gel, and with Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday Matches week in and week out, Gillingham and every other club in The Football League needs to be capable of carrying a much bigger first team squad this season, especially with the implementation of five substitutions in The Football League.

Our optimism, hope and enthusiasm is with Neil Harris, Gillingham have got A Championship Standard Manager managing Gillingham Football Club In League Two, Gillingham are still in The League Cup, and if Gillingham were to win against Exeter City and progress into The Third Round Of The League Cup, And Gillingham get a money spinning cup tie in Round Three, then maybe some of that money can be used for Neil Harris to sign additional reinforcements to strengthen the squad, But Exeter City are a really good side, Exeter City will be favourites, they have got a decent record at Priestfield Stadium, And if Gillingham are struggling against Harrogate Town, then what are we going to be like playing against Exeter City in a week's time, and that hope, optimism and enthusiasm I spoke about at the start of this paragraph, well, that changes completely if Neil Harris doesn't believe that he change the infrastructure at Gillingham Football Club and decides to resign and go somewhere else where Harris will be backed financially, Because Gillingham Need A U21 Team, Gillingham need Nicky Shorey to look at potential transfer targets and see who can Gillingham sign, we need to start tying players down to long term contracts, and the youth set up at Gillingham has been completely neglected for some-time now, I look at young players like Bailey Akehurst, Joseph Gbode and Matt Macarthur, And it is going to take the three of them eighteen months to develop from a youth team first year player, into a player who will regularly be named in the match-day squad or a first team player, like Jack Tucker and Bradley Dack, and those two players took a few years before they forced there way into the first team.

The talk about Neil Harris resigning is hyperbolic and over the top, But a lot of things do need to happen, like the implementation of A U21 Team, having a better scouting system to look at potential signings, start building up better links with Premier League and Championship Clubs to sign players on loan, and improve the youth set up at Gillingham Football Club - Look At AFC Wimbledon and there link with Brentford, AFC Wimbledon sign players on loan from Brentford every season because Brentford trust AFC Wimbledon to look after and develop there young players, why Gillingham cannot build a link like that with West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Brentford I have no idea.

And Walsall On Saturday could well see Neil Harris line up with Will Wright, Max Ehmer and Elkan Baggott in defence, Gillingham have been conceding goals, we may well need the extra security of a third centre back so Gillingham can start to keep clean sheets and maybe we need to nick a few games 1-0 before Gillingham start to open up and be more expansive, because the way Gillingham played for the first twenty five minutes against Harrogate Town, Gillingham could have scored three or four goals in those twenty minutes, But Harrogate Town had there chances to score as well, and defensively, Gillingham look so vulnerable, If Gillingham can sign Aaron Pierre, or sign A Adam Barrett or Gabriel Zakuani type of defender, a no nonsense experienced defender who would improve Gillingham's Defence, And Gillingham need to sign someone who will either start ahead of Max Ehmer, or, if Gillingham switch to a back three, start a new signing who can play alongside Max Ehmer and just make Gillingham stronger defensively.

Everyone I spoke to pre-match mentioned that Gillingham need to win against Harrogate Town, make Priestfield Stadium a fortress and get back to winning ways after losing to Tranmere Rovers, but post match, we are talking about another defeat, another game where Gillingham have not scored, another game where the opposition could have added to there goal tally, and there is still talk about the compensation fee's for Brandon Hanlan, Josh Chambers, Robbie McKenzie and Jack Tucker, and even if Gillingham got £2,000,000 for Jack Tucker from The Football League Tribunal for example, that fee can be paid slowly across five season's, and we don't get exact details on how much money Gillingham get per season, Players are often signed without disclosing the length of the contract, and there are concerns early on this season that Gillingham could be involved in another relegation battle, having just suffered relegation last season, Elkan Baggott and Ryan Law are both young players who will improve, but these two players are playing down the left side of Gillingham's Defence, they are going to make mistakes and they are going to be inconsistent, in-fact, three of the back five are loan signings, with Will Wright and Max Ehmer being the other two who are permanent signings, But I think the biggest concern is with Max Ehmer, who just doesn't look like the player he was back in 2019 / 2020, and we saw some sign's of that Max Ehmer in a few games last season, especially when Gillingham switched to a back three under Neil Harris, but in a back four, I think Max Ehmer's weaknesses get more exposed, I know we missed Shaun Williams badly last night, but both goals should have been defended much better, it's poor goals Gillingham are conceding at the moment.

FIRST HALF:

And yet, Gillingham made a fantastic start to the match, Neil Harris demanded a response from his players, and we saw that right from the kick off - With Gillingham Kicking Towards The Rainham End In The First Half - And these were the chances created in that fast start for The Gills, ONE: Ben Reeves has possession of the ball in a central area of the pitch roughly twenty five yards from goal, And Ben Reeves passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law down the left side of the pitch in Harrogate Town’s Final Third, And Ryan Law takes a few touches in possession of the ball before working his way inside the penalty area, And Ryan Law’s low cross almost picks out Ben Reeves inside the penalty area before Harrogate desperately clear the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw TWO: Gillingham have a throw on down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Will Wright throws the ball short to Jordan Green, who passes the ball back out-wide to Will Wright, And Will Wright passes the ball down the line towards Jordan Green and looks to take on Jaheim Headley with his pace, And Jordan Green manages to win a corner kick for Gillingham in-front of The Rainham End, although, highlights do indicate that the final touch did come off Jordan Green, So Harrogate Town should have been awarded a goal-kick THREE: From The Resulting Corner Kick, Will Wright tries to pick out Mikael Mandron with a dangerous cross towards the far post which is headed clear and out of play for A Gillingham Throw On FOUR: And Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring from the resulting throw, Stuart O’Keefe throws the ball back to Ryan Law, who takes a touch to control the ball, and Ryan Law kicks the ball long down-field towards Mikael Mandron inside Harrogate Town’s Penalty Area, And Mikael Mandron wins the aerial challenge to header the ball down towards Ben Reeves, who chests the ball under control before firing a fiercely driven effort towards goal which clears Harrogate Town’s Crossbar - And Mark Oxley was well and truly beaten had Ben Reeves effort on goal hit the target - all these chances were created in the first three minutes of the match.

Joe Mattock is penalised and booked for pulling Jordan Green down to the deck, and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Will Wright whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross which is partially cleared away from goal and Olly Lee wins the second aerial challenge to header the ball square to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green over-runs the ball into central midfield and losses possession of the ball, But Stuart O’Keefe clips the ball through to Ben Reeves inside Harrogate Town’s Penalty Area, And Ben Reeves gets the ball under control before Joe Mattock gets to the loose ball, and pressure from Ben Reeves forces Joe Mattock to knock the ball out of play for a corner kick, and from the resulting corner, Ben Reeves whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and the ball has been flicked across the face of goal inside a crowded penalty area and Elkan Baggott wins the second aerial challenge and Kyle Ferguson headers the ball away from goal and Hakeeb Adelakun gets the ball under control, takes a few touches and passes the ball square towards Ben Reeves, who twist and turns and works his way inside Harrogate Town’s Penalty Area, And Ben Reeves has fired the ball low and across the face of goal, and all we needed was a touch from Mikael Mandron or Elkan Baggott and Gillingham would have taken the lead.

Ten Minutes Into The Match, And Stuart O’Keefe almost picks out Hakeeb Adelakun with a clipped pass forwards and Goalkeeper Mark Oxley was able to make the all important save, and a minute later, Harrogate Town, despite being under a lot of pressure in the opening ten minutes of the match almost take the lead, Gillingham have a throw on in Harrogate Town’s Final Third Of The Pitch, And From Here, Ryan Law throws the ball short to Stuart O’Keefe, who passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law is intercepted by Josh Austerfield, who passes the ball forwards towards Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison gets the ball under control and lays the ball off to Matty Daly, And Matty Daly gets the ball under control and runs forward in possession of the ball before picking out Jaheim Headley with a threaded through pass, and Jaheim Headley gets the ball under control before firing a low effort towards the bottom right corner of the net and Glenn Morris does brilliantly to turn the ball around the post at the expense of conceding a corner, And Harrogate Town almost opened the scoring with that effort on goal, and from the resulting corner kick, Joe Mattock whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post which no-one in A Harrogate Town Shirt can get on the end of and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

Fourteen Minutes Into The Match, And Harrogate Town have been awarded a corner kick, and from the resulting corner, Harrogate Town almost took the lead, Joe Mattock passes the ball short to Stephen Dooley, and Stephen Dooley takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back to Joe Mattock, And Joe Mattock curls a dangerous cross / shot towards the far post, And Joe Mattock’s curling cross / shot towards goal goes just wide of the far left post with Glenn Morris diving at full stretch to prevent Harrogate Town from opening the scoring - I have to say that I thought that effort on goal from Joe Mattock was in, and that was a massive let off for The Gills.

Twenty Minutes Into The Match, And Elkan Baggott has possession of the ball for Gillingham in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Elkan Baggott tries to pick out Jordan Green with a diagonal cross-field cross and Jaheim Headley headers the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw, And From The Resulting Throw, Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring, Will Wright throws the ball square to Hakeeb Adelakun, and Hakeeb Adelakun gets the ball under control before passing the ball back to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law manages to pick out Hakeeb Adelakun with a threaded pass on the edge of Harrogate Town’s Penalty Area, And Hakeeb Adelakun whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross which Mikael Mandron cannot get on the end of and Jaheim Headley thinks he has more time on the ball to take a touch and clear, But Jordan Green nips in there to intercept the ball and Jordan Green’s first time effort towards goal is brilliantly saved by Mark Oxley and there is not much distance between Jordan Green and Mark Oxley, And The Harrogate Town Goalkeeper has made a fantastic save to keep the score-line goal-less.

And A Minute Later, Gillingham had another great chance to open the scoring, Gillingham had a free kick in there own half of the pitch and Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Mikael Mandron losses out on the aerial challenge and Olly Lee is on to the second ball and passes the ball out-wide to Will Wright, And Will Wright passes the ball down the line towards Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron passes the ball inside centrally towards Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe lays the ball off to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee passes the ball square to Elkan Baggott, Elkan Baggott then passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law takes a few touches in possession of the ball before laying the ball off to Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe passes the ball centrally towards Olly Lee, Olly Lee then passes the ball back towards Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer threads the ball down the line towards Will Wright, And Will Wright whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Kyle Ferguson wins the aerial challenge to header the ball away from Mikael Mandron, And Hakeeb Adelakun has to readjust his body to volley the ball across the face of goal and wide of the far post, And Mikael Mandron could not get on to the end of that volleyed effort from Hakeeb Adelakun to direct the ball goal-wards either - great technical ability from Hakeeb Adelakun to readjust so quickly as well.

But Twenty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Harrogate Town should have scored, Josh Austerfield kicks the ball long down-field and Alex Pattison evades the attempted challenged from Max Ehmer before working his way inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and although Will Wright times his sliding challenge to perfection, the ball loops up into the air and Ryan Law wins the initial aerial challenge on the edge of the penalty area and Stephen Dooley passes the ball through to Alex Pattison, and Alex Pattison takes one touch to control the ball and another touch to volley the ball over the crossbar from ten yards out, initially, I thought Alex Pattison was offside, but no offside flag was raised and Alex Pattison has missed a golden goal-scoring opportunity to give Harrogate Town the lead, And Glenn Morris also had to save a driven effort on goal from Josh Austerfield from the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area as Harrogate Town are causing Gillingham problems defensively.

So it wasn’t too much of a surprise to see Harrogate Town open the scoring after twenty four minutes, Mark Oxley kicks the ball long down-field and Will Wright wins the initial aerial challenge and Jaheim Headley is on to the second ball for Harrogate Town, And Jaheim Headley runs forwards in possession of the ball and plays a short pass forwards towards Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison runs down towards the byline in possession of the ball and pulls the ball across the face of goal and Matty Daly opens the scoring for Harrogate Town from close range, And Harrogate Town have taken the lead - GILLINGHAM 0-1 HARROGATE TOWN

Harrogate Town created a decent goal-scoring opportunity aerial attacking down our right side and Alex Pattison should have scored, but this time, Matty Daly has opened the scoring for Harrogate Town, Gillingham can also point to the chances we have created in the first twenty minutes of the match, but those chances have not been taken, where as Matty Daly has taken that opportunity for Harrogate Town, And Gillingham have all the work to do to try and find a equaliser at the very least.

Kyle Ferguson’s long ball down-field had to be headed out of play by Elkan Baggott for A Harrogate Town Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Joe Mattock whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Mikael Mandron and Hakeeb Adelakun win the first two aerial challenges to clear the ball away from goal, and moments later, Goal-Scorer Matty Daly was through down by the byline, And Matty Daly’s low cross was blocked by Elkan Baggott at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Joe Mattock whips in a dangerous cross towards the far post and Luke Armstrong headers the ball across the face of goal, and Alex Pattison has smashed the ball well high and wide of Gillingham’s Goal - but that was another opportunity for Harrogate Town, and the visitor’s could and perhaps should have extended there lead to 2-0.

Gillingham then have a throw on down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Will Wright throws the ball back to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee passes the balls square to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball down the line to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law passes the ball inside centrally to Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe passes the ball forwards towards Mikael Mandron, who plays a one / two with Stuart O’Keefe before passing the ball square to Will Wright, who takes a touch to control the ball, And Will Wright’s long ball down-field is headed clear and Harrogate Town are desperate to clear there lines, and Elkan Baggot is on to the loose ball, And Elkan Baggott plays a cross-field cross pass to Will Wright, who gets the ball under control and passes the ball down the line to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green passes the ball inside to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee passes the ball square to Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, Ryan Law then passes the ball forwards to Hakeeb Adelakun, and Hakeeb Adelakun passes the ball back to Elkan Baggott, Elkan Baggott then lays the ball off to Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe passes the ball forwards towards Hakeeb Adelakun, who is looking around for passing options before passing the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Mikael Mandron gets the ball under control before laying the ball off to Jordan Green on the edge of the penalty area, And Jordan Green passes the ball square to Will Wright, who cuts inside and his shot towards goal with his left foot comfortably clears Harrogate Town’s Crossbar.

Hakeeb Adelakun wins a corner kick for Gillingham In The Thirty Seventh Minute, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Ben Reeves cross towards the far post is punch wide and away from goal by Goalkeeper Mark Oxley and Harrogate Town clear there defensive lines, But In The Thirty Ninth Minute Of The Match, Gillingham were pressing for the equaliser and almost hit on the counter attack, Jordan Green’s pass out-wide to Will Wright is intercepted by Jaheim Headley, and Jaheim Headley runs forwards in possession of the ball for Harrogate Town, And Jaheim Headley manages to thread a pass through to Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison is one on one with Gillingham Goalkeeper Glenn Morris, And Alex Pattison’s shot towards goal is brilliantly saved by Glenn Morris, and that save from Glenn Morris keeps Gillingham in the match at 1-0 down.

Gillingham then win a corner kick as we come close to the end of the first half, Ben Reeves in-swinging cross is headed partially clear and away from goal and Jordan Green is on to the loose ball, And Jordan Green turns and lays the ball off to Hakeeb Adelakun, and Hakeeb Adelakun passes the ball out-wide to Ben Reeves, And Ben Reeves gets the ball under control before whipping in a dangerous cross towards the far post and Elkan Baggott headers the ball over the crossbar.

Forty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Ryan Law almost picks out Will Wright with a dangerous cross towards the far post, And Jaheim Headley clears the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner, Ben Reeves whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Harrogate Town clear there defensive lines, and the visitor’s look like they are going to hit Gillingham on the counter attack, But Stuart O’Keefe times his challenge to perfection and does too much in possession of the ball and losses possession, there is then a challenge on Olly Lee on the touchline and Stuart O’Keefe passes the ball back to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer passes the ball forwards towards Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron lays the ball off to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green runs right towards the edge of the penalty area, and Josh Austerfield is penalised for a foul, and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in a fantastic position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Will Wright’s effort on goal is blocked by the wall and Ben Reeves follow up effort is also blocked and Harrogate Town clear there defensive lines.

HALF TIME: GILLINGHAM 0-1 HARROGATE TOWN

SECOND HALF:

And In The Forty Seventh Minute Of The Match, Will Wright manages to win a corner kick for The Gills, and from the resulting corner kick, Gillingham had the chance to equalise, Will Wright whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Elkan Baggott’s header towards goal goes over the crossbar - that’s two headers on goal in this match that Elkan Baggott has been unable to direct on target, and that is something the young defender on loan from Ipswich Town is going to have to work on.

Forty Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Max Ehmer is penalised for a foul on Matty Daly, and from the resulting free kick, Harrogate Town had the chance to extend there lead to 2-0, Josh Austerfield switches the play to Kayne Ramsay who takes a touch to control the ball, and Kayne Ramsay passes the ball back to Miles Welch-Hayes, who gets the ball under control, and Miles Welch-Hayes boots the ball long down-field and Will Wright headers the ball away from goal and Ben Reeves and Olly Lee retain possession of the ball before passing the ball back to Will Wright, And Will Wright kicks the ball long down the line and Joe Mattock wins the aerial challenge and Jaheim Headley manages to retain possession of the ball and pass the ball back to Kyle Ferguson, And Kyle Ferguson passes the ball short forwards to Stephen Dooley, And Stephen Dooley passes the ball square to Miles Welch-Hayes, and Miles Welch-Hayes passes the ball forwards towards Stephen Dooley, who passes the ball square to Joe Mattock, And Joe Mattock passes the ball down the line towards Jaheim Headley, who knocks the ball inside first time to Matty Daly, And Matty Daly passes the ball through to Joe Mattock on the over-lap, And Joe Mattock passes the ball inside centrally to Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison passes the ball out-wide to Kayne Ramsay, who whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross first time which was comfortable for Glenn Morris to save.

And from here, Harrogate Town should have scored for 2-0, Glenn Morris rolled the ball short to Will Wright, And Will Wright takes too long in possession of the ball and passes the ball back to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer passes the ball back to Glenn Morris, and Glenn Morris passes the ball out-wide to Max Ehmer, who manages to keep the ball in play, and Max Ehmer’s clearance drops kindly to Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison lays the ball off to Stephen Dooley, And Stephen Dooley passes the ball short forwards to Matty Daly, And Matty Daly retain possession of the ball and lays the ball off to Stephen Dooley. And Stephen Dooley plays a one / two with Joe Mattock before passing the ball back to Josh Austerfield, who plays the ball out-wide to Jaheim Headley, and Jaheim Headley passes the ball down the line and a neat flick plays the ball through to Matty Daly, And Matty Daly takes a touch to control the ball and pass the ball down the line towards Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison is through by the byline, And Alex Pattison takes a few touches before passing the ball across the penalty area, and Kayne Ramsay has completely missed a sitter and sliced the ball wide right in-front of the goal, and the ball has gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick - That should be 2-0 to Harrogate Town, no question - the visitor’s have missed a golden opportunity to go 2-0 up and Gillingham have got to wake up, because that goal-scoring opportunity came from a defensive error.

Hakeeb Adelakun then whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Joe Mattock headers the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner, And a chance for Gillingham here to equalise from this set play, and from the resulting corner kick, Olly Lee whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross which is headed partially clear and away from goal and Will Wright is on to the second ball, And Will Wright kicks the ball against Miles Welch-Hayes to win Gillingham a throw on in Harrogate Town’s defensive final third, and from the resulting throw, Gillingham had the chance to equalise, Will Wright throws the ball quickly to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball back to Will Wright, And Will Wright whips in a dangerous high and hanging cross and Mikael Mandron chests the ball under control and Mikael Mandron lays the ball off to Stuart O’Keefe, and Stuart O’Keefe’s driven effort towards goal is blocked by Stephen Dooley, and the ball deflects out of play for another Gillingham Corner Kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Will Wright whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Elkan Baggott headers the ball across the face of goal and the ball is headed partially clear by the visitor’s, And as Jordan Green is about to get a shot off on goal, Jordan Green is penalised for a foul on Kyle Ferguson, And Harrogate Town have been awarded a defensive free kick.

In The Fifty Seventh Minute Of The Match, Harrogate Town really should have doubled there lead to 2-0, Kayne Ramsay throws the ball short to Stephen Dooley, And Stephen Dooley passes the ball back to Kayne Ramsay, And Kayne Ramsay’s cross-field cross pass finds Jaheim Headley, and Jaheim Headley’s first touch see’s him go through on goal one on one with Glenn Morris and Glenn Morris makes a fantastic one on one save to prevent Jaheim Headley from scoring, and Matty Daly is on to the re-bound, and Glenn Morris gets a crucial touch on to the second ball to divert the ball away from Matty Daly and Jordan Green eventually was able to clear the ball away from goal - out-standing save from Glenn Morris, and that double save keeps Gillingham in the match at 1-0 down.

Sixty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham Make A Double Substitution, Cheye Alexandra and Scott Kashket come on to replace Will Wright and Stuart O’Keefe, Gillingham now switch to a 4-4-2 formation with Olly Lee and Ben Reeves in central midfield, Jordan Green and Hakeeb Adelakun out-wide, and Mikael Mandron and Scott Kashket up-front, Neil Harris clearly wants Scott Kashket to play on the shoulder of the last defender, and maybe two strikers up-front can find the equaliser for The Gills.

Gillingham have a throw on down The Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch, In Harrogate Town’s Final Third, and from the resulting throw, Gills had the chance to equalise, Cheye Alexandra hurls in a long throw and Elkan Baggott flicks the ball on and Josh Austerfield wins the next aerial challenge and George Thomson gets the ball half clear, But Ben Reeves was able to get the ball under control, And Ben Reeves losses and regains possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee passes the ball back all the way to Glenn Morris, And Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Mikael Mandron does not win the aerial challenge and Olly Lee is on to the loose ball and passes the ball square to Cheye Alexandra, And Cheye Alexandra passes the ball inside centrally to Ben Reeves, and Ben Reeves switches the play to Ryan Law down the opposite flank, and Ryan Law takes a touch to control the ball, but his pass out-wide was easily intercepted and Elkan Baggott is on to the second ball, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball down the line towards Ryan Law, And Ryan Law takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in a fantastic in-swinging cross towards the far post and Hakeeb Adelakun’s snap-shot effort towards goal was saved by Mark Oxley.

And having almost conceded with that effort on goal from Hakeeb Adelakun, Harrogate Town had a great chance to double there lead to 2-0, Mark Oxley kicks the ball long down-field and Luke Armstrong gets the ball under control, and Luke Armstrong passes the ball inside centrally to Matty Daly, And Matty Daly goes past Max Ehmer very easily before passing the ball towards Alex Pattison inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Alex Pattison’s shot towards goal goes over the crossbar, but it is another chance for Harrogate Town to double there lead though.

Seventy One Minutes Into the Match, And Max Ehmer has to header behind Joe Mattock’s cross at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, George Thomson whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Gillingham clear the ball away from the near post, and the second in-swinging cross was cleared by Max Ehmer, And In The Seventy Fourth Minute Of The Match, Alex MacDonald comes on for Hakeeb Adelakun, And Gillingham have made there third substitution out of five with two stoppages completed, We saw some promising sign’s of what Hakeeb Adelakun can do for Gillingham in his first full start for The Gills, and there is defiantly more to come from Hakeeb Adelakun once he starts training with the squad over the next week or two.

Seventy Five Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had the chance to score the equaliser, Jordan Green intercepts a pass and Jordan Green passes the ball forwards towards Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron skips past a few challenges, runs forwards in possession of the ball and passes the ball forwards towards Jordan Green, And Jordan Green shows a great piece of skill to work his way into a shooting position, And Jordan Green drags his effort low and wide of the far right post - a half chance for Gillingham to try and find the equaliser.

Jordan Green manages to win Gillingham a corner kick as it got scrappy in the far corner, and from the resulting corner kick, Gillingham had the chance to equalise, Ben Reeves whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and the ball is half cleared by the visitor’s, and Olly Lee takes a touch to control the ball before firing a driven shot towards goal which is blocked by two Harrogate Town Players.

And a minute later, Luke Armstrong see’s his cross blocked by Ryan Law, and the ball goes out of play for A Harrogate Town Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Harrogate Town had the chance to score for 2-0, George Thomson whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Kyle Ferguson’s header towards goal goes over the crossbar, and that was a decent opportunity for Harrogate Town to double there advantage, Lewis Walker then comes on for Ryan Law as Gillingham make there fourth substitution of the game, but as we have stopped the game three times, this is the final substitution Gillingham can make, clearly, Neil Harris is throwing everyone forward to try and find a equaliser, and maybe, even kick on and try and find a late winner as well.

Eighty One Minutes Into The Match, And Scott Kashket whips in a cross towards Jordan Green, and although Jordan Green has gone to ground, this was never a penalty appeal and with Scott Kashket, Mikael Mandron, Lewis Walker and Jordan Green all in the final third, Gillingham have got to get the ball forwards towards those four players to try and find the equaliser at the very least.

Eighty Three Minutes Into The Match, And Alex MacDonald whips in a dangerous cross towards the far post and Mikael Mandron cannot get on to the end of that cross because Jaheim Headley headers the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Gillingham should really score the equaliser, Ben Reeves whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Mikael Mandron headers the ball over the crossbar, and Mikael Mandron and Elkan Baggott have both had chances to score for Gillingham from set plays and this is something that Gillingham have got to work on.

Eighty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Harrogate Town had a throw on down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, and from this throw, Harrogate Town double there lead to 2-0. Kayne Ramsay throws the ball down the line and although Elkan Baggott wins the aerial challenge, Elkan Baggott headers the ball centrally and Alex Pattison is on to the second ball and works his way inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, and Alex Pattison’s shot towards is parried by Glenn Morris into the inside of the post and the ball hits the back of the net for 2-0, nothing that Glenn Morris can do about that, terrible defending from Gillingham from a throw on again, and that second goal seals the win and all three points for Harrogate Town - GILLINGHAM 0-2 HARROGATE TOWN

Yes, It’s not a great header from Elkan Baggott, But really, one of Jordan Green, Max Ehmer and Cheye Alexandra have got to do better to prevent Alex Pattison from getting a shot off on target, and once that goal went in, most of the supporters left early because that was the game clinging goal, yes, team’s do battle back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 or win 3-2, but there is not long left now, and if it wasn’t for Glenn Morris, Harrogate Town would have scored this second goal much earlier on in the match as well.

Eighty Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham have a half chance for a consolation goal, Cheye Alexandra hurls in a long throw which is headed partially clear and away from goal and Jordan Green gets the ball under control before unleashing a fiercely driven effort towards goal which is blocked and cleared, and you have to say that’s the difference between both sides, Harrogate Town have players who throw themselves in-front of shots, close the angle, block shots, our defending, especially for the second goal is poor, and Gillingham just do not have the defenders of Gabriel Zakuani, Adam Barrett or Leon Legge quality in this side, Elkan Baggot and Ryan Law are both young and learning there way in the game, Will Wright is stepping up a level in The Football League and he will improve in time, But Gillingham need a experience commanding no nonsense centre back, because unfortunately, Max Ehmer just looks like he is struggling at the moment, and Gillingham need another centre back to not only strengthen that area of the pitch, but to also find someone who can come in and give Max Ehmer a breather.

Gillingham win a corner in The Ninety Fourth Minute As Scott Kashket’s cross was charged down, and from the resulting corner kick, Alex MacDonald’s cross is half cleared and Jordan Green passes the ball square to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball inside centrally to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green takes a touch to control the ball before looking to thread a through-ball through to Max Ehmer, But the ball goes out of play for A Harrogate Town Goal-Kick.

And the final noteworthy moment of the match see’s Luke Armstrong tee up Alex Pattison on the edge of the penalty area, And Alex Pattison works his way into a shooting position and firing a fiercely driven effort towards goal over Gillingham’s Crossbar, and after six additional minutes of added time, Harrogate Town win 2-0, and for Gillingham, It’s two league games in a row with two defeats, five conceded and no goals scored, and Gillingham just look weak in both boxes, and this defeat is concerning, losing away to Tranmere Rovers who have got a strong home record at Prenton Park is one thing - even though that defeat was disappointing - losing at home to Harrogate Town in a game that Gillingham needed to win is very concerning and this match was the first of three home matches in a row, and Gillingham needed to start this run with a win, Walsall and Exeter City will both be difficult opponents and Gillingham need to win both matches just to put the last two defeats behind us.

FULL TIME: GILLINGHAM 0-2 HARROGATE TOWN

Gillingham: Morris, Wright (Alexander 65), Ehmer, Baggott, Law (Walker 81), Lee, O’Keefe (Kashket 65), Green, Reeves, Adelakun (MacDonald 75), Mandron. Subs not used: Turner (GK), Tutonda, MacArthur.

#Gillingham #HarrogateTown #Football #LeagueTwo #Supporters

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: AFC WIMBLEDON 0-2 GILLINGHAM - LEAGUE CUP FIRST ROUND - 2022 / 2023 SEASON

My Thoughts On AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Gillingham - 2022 / 2023 Season - League Cup First Round.

The journey to AFC Wimbledon took just under three hours from where I was picked up in Rainham to arriving outside AFC Wimbledon’s Stadium at 6.20PM, The road being closed next to Strood Train Station and the busy traffic in London added additional travel time on to our journey, but we left early enough so that we arrived with plenty of time to spare, and looking ahead to AFC Wimbledon V Gillingham, of course, League Two is our highest priority, but the prize on offer for both clubs is progressing into the second round of The League Cup, potentially getting a money spinning second round tie against A Premier League Club, and the finances generated from a money spinning second round tie could well see Neil Harris get additional funds to strengthen the squad.

I had posted my predicted starting line up earlier on in the day, And I had predicted that Jake Turner, Cheye Alexandra, Bailey Akehurst, David Tutonda and Lewis Walker will all start for Gillingham, I wasn’t sure if Alex MacDonald was going to start, but Gillingham need to make as many changes as possible, whilst at the same-time, still name a strong enough starting line up that can win, because having won 1-0 against Rochdale On Saturday, Gillingham can build up confidence and momentum if we were to win against AFC Wimbledon In The First Round Of The League Cup.

Eventually, Gillingham’s Team News Appeared On Twitter, And Gillingham Lined Up As Follows….. Jake Turner, Will Wright, Max Ehmer, Elkan Baggott, Cheye Alexandra, Shaun Williams, Olly Lee, Alex MacDonald, David Tutonda, Scott Kashket, Lewis Walker Substitutes: Glenn Morris (GK), Ryan Law, Bailey Akehurst, Ben Reeves, Jordan Green, Joseph Gbode and Mikael Mandron - Neil Harris has decided to switch formation to a 5-3-2 / 3-5-2 formation with Will Wright, Max Ehmer and Elkan Baggott as our three centre back’s and Cheye Alexandra and David Tutonda at wing back, Alex MacDonald starting was a surprise, and Scott Kashket and Lewis Walker will lead the line for Gillingham.

Joseph Gbode is back on the substitutes bench having missed Saturday’s 1-0 win against Rochdale At Priestfield Stadium, But the rest of the youth team players are in Seville, So it is not like we can call upon Freddie Carter, Matt Macarthur, Ronald Sithole or Sam Gale to be amongst the substitutes bench tonight, the eighteen players in the match-day squad are the only eighteen players available, Because Stuart O’Keefe and Dominic Jefferies are both unavailable due to injury, and both O’Keefe and Jefferies not being in the squad just highlights the lack of midfielders Gillingham have got available for selection, and the small squad also reflects on the importance of this match, Because if Gillingham were to win against AFC Wimbledon, and get a home tie against Southampton or Crystal Palace for example, a sell out capacity crowd at Priestfield Stadium could raise additional funds for Neil Harris to sign a few more players.

The Attendance For AFC Wimbledon V Gillingham on the opening day of the season was 7752 (1172) Gillingham Supporters In The Away End, Looking around New Plough Lane For The League Cup Tie, the attendance might be 2,500 - 3,500, the interest in the early round’s of League Cup and FA Cup Ties usually see low attendances, and AFC Wimbledon V Gillingham is a local match, Gillingham could have been drawn away from home against Newport County or Plymouth Argyle In The First Round Of The League Cup, So we have at least avoided a long distance away journey, And if the scores are level after ninety minutes, there is no replay, no second leg and no extra time, we will go straight to a penalty shoot-out, And Gillingham won 10-9 on penalties against Crawley Town in the first round of The League Cup Last Season, before losing on penalties against Cheltenham Town in the second round - hopefully, Gillingham can build on the 1-0 win against Rochdale at the weekend by winning against AFC Wimbledon and reach the second round of The League Cup - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!

FIRST HALF:

Gillingham created the first goal-scoring opportunity in the sixth minute of the match, Paris Maghoma clips the ball down the line for Ayoub Assal to try and get on the end of, But Elkan Baggott manages to get to the loose ball first and Elkan Baggott passes the ball short back to Goalkeeper Jake Turner, And Jake Turner kicks the ball long down-field first time and Will Nightingale wins the aerial challenge up against Scott Kashket, And Shaun Williams gets the ball under control, takes another several touches in possession of the ball before threading a fantastic through-ball through to Lewis Walker to run on to, And Lewis Walker had beaten the offside trap and was through on goal one on one with Goalkeeper Nathan Broome, And Lewis Walker’s poked effort towards goal goes wide of the far right post, and that was a golden goal-scoring opportunity for Gillingham to open the scoring, and will Gillingham regret not taking that opportunity and going 1-0 up, because whoever scores first could well be the side who progresses into the second round of the league cup.

Lewis Walker had to hit the target at the very least with that effort on goal, If Goalkeeper Nathan Broome makes the save then fair enough, because Lewis Walker was making his full league debut and Me and Charlie both mentioned that it would be great to see Lewis Walker score his first goal for Gillingham against AFC Wimbledon, just so that Lewis Walker is up and running for the season and getting that first goal is so important for any striker, Scott Kashket scored on Saturday against Rochdale, it would have been great to see Lewis Walker score that opportunity to give Gillingham the lead, also, what a fantastic defence splitting pass that was from Shaun Williams.

Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Elkan Baggott is penalised for a foul on Kyle Hudlin and AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, George Marsh quickly plays the ball over the top through to Ayoub Assal inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Jake Turner was quick off his goal-line to prevent Ayoub Assal from getting on to the end of that quick free kick from George Marsh, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Will Wright’s long pass down-field towards Lewis Walker runs all the way through to Nathan Broome, and moments later, Gillingham had a half chance as David Tutonda wins possession of the ball down the left side of the pitch, And David Tutonda runs forwards in possession of the ball before continuing his run into AFC Wimbledon’s Final Third, And David Tutonda’s low cross almost manages to pick out Scott Kashket, But Nathan Broome gathers the loose ball inside AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area - Better from David Tutonda - who has got competition for the left back spot in Ryan Law and Bailey Akehurst, And against AFC Wimbledon, David Tutonda is lining up at Left Wing Back, which is perhaps David Tutonda’s more preferred position on the pitch.

One of Olly Lee or Alex MacDonald were penalised for a foul on the halfway line, and from the resulting free kick in the thirteenth minute of the match, AFC Wimbledon had the chance to open the scoring, Chris Gunter passes the ball short to George Marsh, And George Marsh takes a touch to control the ball before squaring the ball to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball down the line towards Isaac Ogundere, And Isaac Ogundere passes the ball back to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale passes the ball back towards Paul Kalambayi, And Paul Kalambayi passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Nathan Broome, And Nathan Broome takes a touch to control the ball before playing a short pass forwards towards Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball down the line towards Paris Maghoma down the main stand side of the pitch, And Paris Maghoma passes the ball back towards Paul Kalambayi, and Paul Kalambayi takes a touch before passing the ball square to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale passes the ball inside to Paul Kalambayi, and Paul Kalambayi passes the ball square to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball down the line towards Paris Maghoma, And Paris Maghoma passes the ball inside centrally to George Marsh, George Marsh then plays a first time pass back towards Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter plays a one / two with Ayoub Assal before passing the ball back towards Paul Kalambayi, and Paul Kalambayi passes the ball short out-wide to Chris Gunter, who has to pass the ball back towards Goalkeeper Nathan Broome, And Nathan Broome passes the ball short forwards towards Paul Kalambayi, and Paul Kalambayi passes the ball short out-wide towards Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale runs forwards in possession of the ball before playing a short pass out-wide to Isaac Ogundere, And Isaac Ogundere passes the ball back to Will Nightingale, who plays a short pass inside to George Marsh, And George Marsh switches the play towards Chris Gunter down the opposite side of the pitch, and Chris Gunter passes the ball forwards towards Ayoub Assal, and Ayoub Assal turns out-wide in possession of the ball before laying the ball off to Paris Maghoma, And Paris Maghoma plays a one / two with George Marsh before playing a short pass out-wide to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball down the line towards Jack Currie, who works his way into a central position on the pitch, And Jack Currie passes the ball centrally towards George Marsh twenty five yards from goal, And George Marsh see’s his low effort towards goal routinely saved by Jake Turner In Goal For Gillingham.

But this passage of play very much see’s Gillingham on the back-foot, looking to hold our shape, making sure that the back five cannot be broken down easily and very much a different style of play to the pressing front-foot possession based style of play against Rochdale in the opening league game of the season, and from here, AFC Wimbledon created a even better goal-scoring opportunity when Jake Turner throws the ball out-wide to Will Wright, And Will Wright takes a touch to control the ball before running forwards in possession of the ball and Jack Currie times his challenge to perfection and Nathan Young-Coombes is on to the loose ball, and Nathan Young-Coombes takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball short forwards towards Jack Currie, And Jack Currie takes a touch to control the ball before running forwards in possession of the ball and threading a pass down the line towards Ayoub Assal, and Ayoub Assal uses his pace and skill to take on Cheye Alexandra and run into a more central area on the pitch, And Ayoub Assal is twisting and turning inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Ayoub Assal eventually passes the ball back towards George Marsh, and although Scott Kashket puts in a challenge, the loose ball runs kindly towards Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale’s driven effort towards goal is saved and parried back into the danger zone by Jake Turner and Ayoub Assal is on to the loose ball inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Ayoub Assal works his way into a shooting position, before seeing his shot towards goal take a big deflection off Cheye Alexandra, and Goalkeeper Jake Turner prevents the ball from going out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Corner Kick.

Great save from Jake Turner to prevent Will Nightingale from opening the scoring for AFC Wimbledon, yes, the ricochet did not bounce fortuitously towards Ayoub Assal or Nathan Young-Coombes, but Jake Turner deserves that bit of luck after making a excellent save to prevent Will Nightingale from scoring for AFC Wimbledon, and the hosts are asking more questions of Gillingham defensively.

Twenty One Minutes Into The Match, And George Marsh tries to pick out Isaac Ogundere with a threaded pass down the line, and the last touch quite clearly came off David Tutonda, and the ball has gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, when quiet clearly, AFC Wimbledon should have been awarded a corner kick, And In The Twenty Fourth Minute Of The Match, Will Nightingale is penalised for a foul on Lewis Walker, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Shaun Williams whips in a high and hanging cross towards the edge of AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area and Elkan Baggott wins the aerial challenge up against Paul Kalambayi to header the ball on towards Scott Kashket, And Scott Kashket’s Volleyed Effort Towards Goal clears AFC Wimbledon’s Crossbar, but even if Scott Kashket had opened the scoring, Elkan Baggott was penalised for a foul on Paul Kalambayi, and I have to say that foul against Gillingham was a very soft decision.

Twenty Six Minutes Into The Match, And Jake Turner comfortably saves Chris Gunter’s long ball down-field, And Gillingham are awarded another free kick when Jack Currie is penalised for a foul on Scott Kashket Down The Main Stand Side Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Will Wright whips in a dangerous cross towards the far post, and although Elkan Baggot wins the aerial challenge, The Gillingham Defender was flagged for offside and the chance has gone - Will Wright was in a similar position on the pitch for his cross for Scott Kashket’s goal against Rochdale On Saturday.

Cheye Alexandra and David Tutonda are both penalised for two fouls in quick succession and David Tutonda’s Foul on Isaac Ogundere is in a promising position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Paris Maghoma floats the ball towards the far side of Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Kyle Hudlin's Knock Down is partially cleared by Will Wright and Isaac Ogundere’s first time driven effort towards goal goes well wide of the far post and the ball almost goes out of play for A Gillingham Throw On, Both Wing Backs in Cheye Alexandra and David Tutonda have been pushed back and both players need to get forward to provide Gillingham with more width in this 5-3-2 / 3-5-2 formation.

Elkan Baggott is then penalised for a foul on Nathan Young-Coombes, and understandably, Gillingham Supporters are starting to get frustrated with Referee Craig Hicks, Because every challenge see’s a free kick awarded in AFC Wimbledon’s Favour, and from the resulting free kick, a quick pass back to Paul Kalambayi allows Paul Kalambayi time and space to pass the ball square to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball down the line towards Paris Maghoma, And Paris Maghoma plays a one / two with Ayoub Assal before passing the ball out-wide to Ayoub Assal, And Ayoub Assal runs down the line and lays the ball off to Paris Maghoma, who is being double marked by Scott Kashket and Shaun Williams, So Pari Maghoma passes the ball back to Chris Gunter, who passes the ball out-wide to Ayoub Assal, and Ayoub Assal lays the ball off to Paris Maghoma, And Pari Maghoma has no choice but to pass the ball back to Paul Kalambayi, then Paul Kalambayi takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball square to Will Nightingale and Will Nightingale just about manages to get the ball under control before passing the ball centrally to Paul Kalambayi, And Paul Kalambayi passes the ball square to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter’s pass down the line is intercepted by Cheye Alexandra at the expense of conceding a throw on.

And from the resulting throw, AFC Wimbledon had the chance to open the scoring, Jack Currie throws the ball short to Paris Maghoma, who manages to retain possession of the ball before seeing his threaded pass cut out by David Tutonda, who turns back on himself and passes the ball back to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball forwards to Olly Lee, who plays a first time pass back to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball square to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams plays a one / two with Alex MacDonald before passing the ball forwards towards Scott Kashket, And Scott Kashket passes the ball back to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball forwards towards Olly Lee, And Olly Lee turns and passes the ball forwards towards Alex MacDonald on the halfway line, And Alex MacDonald is knocked to the ground by Ayoub Assal - and we thought it was a foul on Alex MacDonald at the time - and Ayoub Assal runs forwards in possession of the ball for AFC Wimbledon, And Ayoub Assal continue’s his run forwards towards the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Ayoub Assal threads a pass through to Kyle Hudlin, And Kyle Hudlin’s first time shot towards goal is brilliantly saved by Jake Turner with a out-stretched leg, and that save from Jake Turner keeps the score-line goal-less.

Thirty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring against the run of play, Will Wright had kicked the ball long down-field and AFC Wimbledon Goalkeeper Nathan Broome tried to kick the ball clear and Scott Kashket managed to nip in there to intercept the ball, but the ricochet went fortuitously towards Nathan Broome, who was able to save the ball at the second attempt, neither Scott Kashket or Lewis Walker have been able to get on to the ball in AFC Wimbledon’s Final Third with the hosts dominating the vast majority of the first half, and that’s why Me, Charlie and a few others wanted to see Cheye Alexandra and David Tutonda push higher up the pitch to provide Gillingham with additional width, Because Lewis Walker and Scott Kashket have had to run into the channels with Gillingham essentially lining up with a back five.

Thirty Five Minutes Into The Match, And Jack Currie whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross from the main stand side of the pitch towards Nathan Young-Coombes and Kyle Hudlin, And Jake Turner gathers that cross from Jack Currie with ease - Jake Turner Has Been Gillingham’s Best Player In The First Half, And Jake Turner has more then played his part in ensuring that the score-line is still 0-0 at New Plough Lane - And Moments Later, AFC Wimbledon have a throw on down the main stand side of the pitch in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Jack Currie hurls in a long dangerous throw and Will Wright headers the ball partially clear and away from goal and Paris Maghoma is on to the loose ball and passes the ball out-wide to Jack Currie, And Jack Currie takes a touch to control the ball, whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Will Nightingale’s header towards goal goes just wide of the far post, and yet, Referee Craig Hicks points towards the corner flag for A AFC Wimbledon Corner Kick - that was no way a corner kick for AFC Wimbledon - and from the resulting corner kick, Paris Maghoma whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Cheye Alexandra headers the ball away from goal at the near post and Scott Kashket is harshly penalised for a foul on George Marsh, And AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a free kick and Gillingham cannot even put in a fair challenge without a free kick being awarded against them.

And from the resulting free kick, Paris Maghoma whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Kyle Hudlin headers the ball across the face of goal and Max Ehmer headers the ball clear and Scott Kashket manages to retain possession of the ball on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area and lay the ball off to Lewis Walker, who is clipped by Kyle Hudlin and Gillingham have been awarded a defensive free kick - queue large cheers from Gillingham Supporters in the away end, as a refereeing decision went our way - But from the resulting free kick, AFC Wimbledon had another chance to open the scoring, Goalkeeper Jake Turner kicks the ball long down-field and Paul Kalambayi wins the aerial challenge up against Lewis Walker and Cheye Alexandra is on to the loose ball and passes the ball inside centrally towards Olly Lee and Olly Lee passes the ball square to Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald plays a short pass out-wide to David Tutonda, And David Tutonda losses possession of the ball and Alex MacDonald is on to the loose ball for Gillingham, And Alex MacDonald passes the ball back towards Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball square centrally towards Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer passes the ball out-wide to Will Wright, who plays a first time pass down the line and Jack Currie intercepts the ball from Scott Kashket, And Paris Maghoma passes the ball back to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter plays a first time pass forwards towards Jack Currie, And Jack Currie lays the ball off to Paris Maghoma, who passes the ball square to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale runs forwards in possession of the ball before laying the ball off to George Marsh, And George Marsh switches the play to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter lays the ball off to Paris Maghoma, And Paris Maghoma takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in a dangerous cross which Max Ehmer headed away from goal, and Will Nightingale keeps the ball in play and whips in a dangerous low in-swinging cross and Nathan Young-Coombes first time volleyed effort towards goal is saved and gathered at the second attempt by Jake Turner - who is doing everything he can to keep the score-line goal-less.

And Gillingham are just standing off AFC Wimbledon, there is little pressure on the opposition and the back five and three central midfielders are being compact and as organised as possible, but I can only see AFC Wimbledon winning based from what we have seen in the first half so far, and the only reason why AFC Wimbledon are not winning 2-0, Is because Jake Turner has put in a excellent performance in goal, Elkan Baggott’s performance has also been impressive, and we cannot judge Scott Kashket or Lewis Walker because Gillingham have had very little of the ball, although, Lewis Walker had to hit the target at the very least from Shaun Williams through-ball.

And Jake Turner is busy again, this time saving a clipped through-ball through to Nathan Young-Coombes and Ayoub Assal, and from here, Jake Turner kicks the ball long down-field and Chris Gunter wins the aerial challenge and Will Wright is caught underneath the ball trying to header the ball forwards and Kyle Hudlin was able to pass the ball down the line towards Ayoub Assal, and Ayoub Assal has to turn wide and away from goal, before turning out-wide towards the byline, and Ayoub Assal flicks the ball past Will Wright, but a heavy touch from Ayoub Assal allowed Jake Turner to save the ball comfortably - but it is just one way traffic from the home side, and Gillingham need to go in at the break still preserving this 0-0 score-line.

Max Ehmer was then penalised and booked for his challenge on Nathan Young-Coombes, And Max Ehmer has been booked three times in the opening three matches of The 2022 / 2023 Season, Two more bookings and Max Ehmer gets a one match suspension, Gillingham desperately need to sign one, or even two more centre back’s, But if Max Ehmer is suspended, then Will Wright has to play alongside Elkan Baggott in the heart of Gillingham’s Defence, and from the resulting free kick, Chris Gunter’s cross-field cross from the free kick see’s Will Nightingale header the ball down the line and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

Forty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Jack Currie has whipped in a fantastic cross and Elkan Baggott makes a crucial headed clearance and Shaun Williams wins the next aerial challenge, But Paris Maghoma is on to the loose ball for AFC Wimbledon, And Paris Maghoma passes the ball out-wide to Isaac Ogundere, And Isaac Ogundere retains possession of the ball despite the attempted challenge from David Tutonda, And Isaac Ogundere passes the ball back to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale runs down the right flank in possession of the ball and whips in a dangerous cross which Will Wright is able to block and Shaun Williams and Alex MacDonald between the two of them manage to pass the ball back to Elkan Baggott, who boots the ball clear.

And just as we reach added time at the end of the first half, both teams had the chance to open the scoring, Ayoub Assal has possession of the ball for AFC Wimbledon down the main stand side of the pitch, And Ayoub Assal threads the ball through to Jack Currie on the over-lap, And Jack Currie passes the ball back to Ayoub Assal, and Ayoub Assal takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back to Paris Maghoma, And Paris Maghoma passes the ball back to Chris Gunter, who passes the ball centrally towards Paul Kalambayi, and Paul Kalambayi passes the ball square out-wide to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale passes the ball back inside to Paul Kalambayi, and Paul Kalambayi passes the ball sideways to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter kicks the ball long down-field and Kyle Hudlin wins the aerial battle up against Elkan Baggott to flick the ball on, But Jake Turner was able to gather the ball with ease.

And the final noteworthy moment of the first half see’s Nathan Young-Coombes penalised for a foul on Shaun Williams, And Gillingham have got themselves a great chance to open the scoring with the final chance of the first half, and from the resulting free kick, Will Wright’s floated cross was comfortable for Nathan Broome to save in goal for AFC Wimbledon, and after two additional minutes of added time, the half time score-line at New Plough Lane Is AFC Wimbledon 0-0 Gillingham.

HALF TIME: AFC WIMBLEDON 0-0 GILLINGHAM

I uploaded the following on to Social Media At Half Time: Turner has kept the score-line at 0-0, And Baggott has put in a excellent performance, but other than Turner and Baggott performing well and Gillingham are not losing, not many positives to take from the first half. Gillingham need to make changes for the second half. - And Me and Charlie were talking about those changes that Gillingham need to make at half time, Alex MacDonald looks way off the pace through no fault of his own, and does Ben Reeves come on for the second half, Do Gillingham look to switch to a back four and bring on Jordan Green for Cheye Alexandra, Because Gillingham have got options on the bench in Ryan Law, Jordan Green, Ben Reeves and Mikael Mandron.

But if that first half performance continue’s in the second half, there is only one outcome and there is only one team who is going to win, and the only reason why AFC Wimbledon are not winning already is because Jake Turner has put in a fantastic performance in goal for Gillingham, and without that performance in goal, AFC Wimbledon would be winning 2-0 and there be no way back for The Gills, but with the score-line goal-less, Neil Harris can speak to the players at half time and Neil Harris will surely be thinking of making some substitutions, or make a change tactically.

Both teams will know that there is a massive prize on offer and Premier League Teams not participating in European Football enter The League Cup Second Round Draw, and Gillingham or AFC Wimbledon can be drawn against one of those sides if they can find a winner in the second half, hopefully, It is Gillingham who come out on top and can find the winner against AFC Wimbledon - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!

SECOND HALF:

One thing we did notice prior to the start of the second half was how late Gillingham were getting back on to the pitch compared to AFC Wimbledon, Neil Harris was clearly not happy at all with Gillingham’s First Half Performance and neither were we as supporters, Because If Gillingham want to win against AFC Wimbledon and progress into The Second Round Of The League Cup, Then Gillingham have got to put in a much better performance and start causing AFC Wimbledon more problems defensively.

Forty Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham Have A Throw On, And From The Resulting Throw, Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring, Will Wright throws the ball short to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams passes the ball back out-wide to Will Wright, And Will Wright takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball forwards towards Olly Lee, And Olly Lee manages to retain possession of the ball and passes the ball out-wide to Cheye Alexandra, And Cheye Alexandra passes the ball inside centrally towards Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams takes a touch to control the ball before firing a low driven effort towards goal which goes just wide of the far right post - Now Goalkeeper Nathan Broome Probably had that effort on goal covered - But Shaun Williams was willing to try a speculative effort from distance to try and open the scoring, and perhaps that was one thing Neil Harris told the players at half time, just try and get some shots off on goal and give Goalkeeper Nathan Broome something to think about, Because other then that one on one chance with Lewis Walker, we have not seen much from Gillingham as a attacking threat.

Fifty Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had a half chance to try and open the scoring, Will Wright kicks the ball long down-field, And Scott Kashket has the pace to get on to Will Wright’s Long Pass ahead of Paul Kalambayi and Paul Kalambayi shoulder charges Scott Kashket off the ball as Goalkeeper Nathan Broome gathers the ball inside his penalty area - no penalty for Gillingham and there were appeals for a penalty - but AFC Wimbledon had done enough to ensure that Scott Kashket did not get in through on goal from Will Wright’s Long Ball Down-Field.

And From Here, Goalkeeper Nathan Broome rolls the ball short to Will Nightingale, and Will Nightingale takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Paris Maghoma, And Paris Maghoma takes a touch to control the ball before pinning the ball out-wide to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball inside centrally towards George Marsh, And George Marsh passes the ball out-wide to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale passes the ball inside towards Paris Maghoma, who skips past two challenges from Scott Kashket and Lewis Walker before running forwards in possession of the ball, And Paris Maghoma continue’s his run forwards down the left side of the pitch, And Paris Maghoma cuts inside and whips in a dangerous cross towards the back-stick, And David Tutonda clears the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Corner Kick - And David Tutonda had to make that clearance because Isaac Ogundere was ghosting in at the back-stick to try and get on to the end of that cross.

And From The Resulting Corner Kick, AFC Wimbledon had the chance to open the scoring, Paris Maghoma whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Will Nightingale has headed the ball back across the face of goal and narrowly wide of the far post, and that was the chance for AFC Wimbledon to open the scoring, and I thought that header from Will Nightingale was in and AFC Wimbledon had taken the lead!!!!!!!

Fifty Four Minutes Into The Match, And David Tutonda’s Low Cross In AFC Wimbledon’s Final Third is blocked by George Marsh at the expense of a throw on for Gillingham, and the atmosphere raises in volume from The Gillingham Supporters in the away end, and from the resulting throw, David Tutonda throws the ball short to Alex MacDoanld, who gets disposed and David Tutonda times his challenge to perfection and Scott Kashket is on to the loose ball for Gillingham, And Scott Kashket is very harshly penalised for a fifty / fifty challenge up against Ayoub Assal and AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a defensive free kick - much to the irritation and frustration from The Gillingham Supporters in the away end, because that was not a foul.

And after that stoppage in play, Gillingham make there first substitution in the match with Alex MacDonald being substituted and Jordan Green coming on in his place, Alex MacDonald has played fifty five minutes in his first starting appearance for Gillingham in almost a year, and you can tell that Alex MacDonald is going to be way off the pace until he builds up his match fitness and match sharpness levels, but playing for fifty five minutes against AFC Wimbledon is really going to help Alex MacDonald, and Jordan Green can hopefully come on and make an impact for Gillingham, Because Gillingham need to do something to start causing AFC Wimbledon more problems defensively.

Fifty Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham Have A Throw On In AFC Wimbledon’s Half Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Throw, Cheye Alexandra throws the ball short to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee takes a touch to control the ball before taking a few more touches and passing the ball square to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams passes the ball out-wide to Cheye Alexandra, And Cheye Alexandra takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back towards Will Wright, And Will Wright passes the ball back towards Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer passes the ball back towards Goalkeeper Jake Turner, And Jake Turner passes the ball out-wide to Elkan Baggott, Elkan Baggott then takes a touch to control the ball before kicking the ball long down the line, and even though Isaac Ogundere gets to the ball first, David Tutonda reacts to the second ball quicker, And David Tutonda retains possession of the ball before back-healing the ball towards Shaun Williams on the touch-line, And Shaun Williams passes the ball back towards Jordan Green, And Jordan Green runs forwards in possession of the ball towards the edge of AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area, And Jordan Green see’s his attempted pass charged down and Ayoub Assal passes the ball centrally towards Paris Maghoma, And Paris Maghoma kicks the ball long down-field and Max Ehmer takes one touch to control the ball and another touch to pass the ball out-wide to Will Wright, And Will Wright turns and runs forwards in possession of the ball before threading a pass through to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green lays the ball off to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee passes the ball forwards towards Shaun Williams roughly twenty five yards from goal, And Shaun Williams passes the ball out-wide to David Tutonda down the left side of the pitch in AFC Wimbledon’s Final Third, And David Tutonda runs inside AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area in possession of the ball and David Tutonda is clipped inside the penalty area by Isaac Ogundere, And Gillingham are not awarded a penalty kick.

That was a penalty all day long, Every Gillingham Supporter was appealing the penalty decision, David Tutonda was clearly tripped inside the penalty area and there is a real sense of anger and frustration towards Referee Craig Hicks because even fifty / fifty challenges have been awarded against Gillingham in this match so far, and with the score-line goal-less, the opening goal in this game is so important and if that exact same incident happened down the other end of the pitch, we know that AFC Wimbledon would have been awarded a penalty, and it would have been the correct decision if AFC Wimbledon got a penalty, so why didn’t The Referee point to the penalty spot when David Tutonda was clearly fouled ???

Play continued when Chris Gunter passes the ball forwards towards Ayoub Assal, who takes too long in possession of the ball and this allows Jordan Green to intercept the ball and runs into a more central position on the pitch, And Jordan Green is fouled by George Marsh, and this time, Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in a promising position on the pitch, but still our anger and frustration is aimed towards Referee Craig Hicks, who hasn’t awarded Gillingham a penalty kick for the foul on David Tutonda, which is going to be “the” controversial talking point at the end of this match, and from the resulting free kick, Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring, Will Wright’s curling effort towards goal from twenty five yards out had to be turned around the post by Goalkeeper Nathan Broome, And Nathan Broome had to make the save because Will Wright’s effort on goal was heading into the far left corner of the net, and from the resulting corner kick, Gillingham had another chance to open the scoring, Will Wright whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the near post which AFC Wimbledon were able to clear away from goal and out of play for A Gillingham Throw, And From The Resulting Throw, Cheye Alexandra hurls in a long throw and Kyle Hudlin headers the ball partially clear and away from goal and Paris Maghoma lays the ball off to Nathan Young-Coombes, And Nathan Young-Coombes is challenged by Olly Lee and Jordan Green is on to the second ball, And Jordan Green passes the ball back to Shaun Williams, And Shaun Williams pass forwards is intercepted by George Marsh, and Paris Maghoma’s threaded through-ball see’s Will Wright get a crucial touch to divert the ball back towards Goalkeeper Jake Turner.

Sixty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Will Wright tries to pick out Scott Kashket with a long pass down the line which is over-hit and the ball goes out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Goal-Kick, Scott Kashket had the pace to beat Chris Gunter, But Will Wright’s pass was just too long for Scott Kashket to get on to the end of, And In The Sixty Third Minute Of The Match, Shaun Williams is penalised for a foul on Ayoub Assal, And AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a free kick in a promising position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Paris Maghoma whips in a high and hanging cross and Jake Turner was able to save and gather the ball at the second attempt, and from here, AFC Wimbledon were able to create another goal-scoring opportunity, Jake Turner rolls the ball short to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball down the line towards David Tutonda, And David Tutonda on the stretch passes the ball forwards towards Scott Kashket, who is fouled by Paris Maghoma, but play continue’s as Paris Maghoma runs forwards in possession of the ball before kicking the ball long down-field and Kyle Hudlin knocks the ball down towards Nathan Young-Coombes, and Nathan Young-Coombes see’s his driven effort towards goal brilliantly saved by Jake Turner, But had Nathan Young-Coombes opened the scoring for AFC Wimbledon, the goal would not have counted because Nathan Young-Coombes was flagged for offside.

And after the flag was raised for offside, both teams made a double substitution to freshen up there attacking options, For AFC Wimbledon, Ethan Chislett and Josh Davison both come on to replace Nathan Young-Coombes and Kyle Hudlin, And Mikael Mandron and Ben Reeves come on to replace Scott Kashket and Shaun Williams - Shaun Williams getting substituted suggests that Neil Harris is looking to protect the experienced midfielder for the away trip to Tranmere Rovers.

And having just come on to the football pitch, Ben Reeves is penalised for a foul on Ayoub Assal, and that foul saw a huge melee amongst players of both sides and AFC Wimbledon Supporters were calling for a sending off and Ben Reeves was booked for that challenge on Ayoub Assal, and there was a long stoppage because Referee Craig Hicks wanted to speak with his Assistant Down The Main Stand Side of The Pitch - And having re-watched the highlights, I think Ben Reeves is fortunate that only a booking was shown for the second challenge on Ayoub Assal, and from the resulting free kick, AFC Wimbledon had the chance to open the scoring, Paris Maghoma whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Mikael Mandron headers the ball partially clear and away from goal towards the edge of the penalty area and Isaac Ogundere’s first time effort towards goal clears Gillingham’s Crossbar by some considerable distance.

Lewis Walker was penalised for a foul on Paris Maghoma, And AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a free kick in a decent position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Josh Davison whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the back-stick and Will Nightingale and Mikael Mandron both challenge for the ball at the back-stick and Paul Kalambayi’s first time effort towards goal inside the six yard box went over the crossbar, and the ball has somehow gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick - Elkan Baggott may have done just about enough to put Paul Kalambayi off from opening the scoring for AFC Wimbledon - But had Paul Kalambayi’s effort on goal hit the target then AFC Wimbledon would have scored.

Seventy Three Minutes Into The Match, And Ethan Chislett threads a pass through to Jack Currie, And Cheye Alexandra not only manages to get a faint touch on the ball to divert the ball away from Jack Currie, But Cheye Alexandra kicks the ball against The AFC Wimbledon Player to win Gillingham A Goal-Kick, But In The Seventy Fourth Minute Of The Match, And AFC Wimbledon had the chance to open the scoring, Chris Gunter throws the ball down the line towards Josh Davison, who retains possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Ethan Chislett and Ethan Chislett passes the ball back to Jack Currie who turns back on himself and runs into a more central position on the pitch, before switching the play to Will Nightingale down the main stand side of the pitch, And Will Nightingale runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball forwards towards Ayoub Assal, and Ayoub Assal gets the ball under control before passing the ball back to George Marsh, And George Marsh takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale takes a touch to control the ball before threading a pass through to Ayoub Assal inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Ayoub Assal takes a touch to control the ball before eventually firing a low cross across Gillingham’s Six Yard Box, And Cheye Alexandra makes the vital clearance to clear the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Corner Kick when it looked likely that Jack Currie was going to score for AFC Wimbledon - Great defending from Cheye Alexandra.

And from the resulting corner kick, Paris Maghoma whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Elkan Baggott wins the initial aerial challenge and Ayoub Assal gets the ball under control inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and did Cheye Alexandra foul Ayoub Assal when The AFC Wimbledon Player was bundled down inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area ??? AFC Wimbledon Supporters believed that they had a case for a penalty, but AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Appeals were waved away.

Ayoub Assal is then penalised for a foul on Jordan Green In AFC Wimbledon’s Final Third, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Will Wright has fired in a driven free kick across the face of goal towards the near post and Goalkeeper Nathan Broome makes the initial excellent save and Olly Lee and Mikael Mandron react to the loose ball and Mikael Mandron sticks the ball into the back of the net to give Gillingham the lead, and it was a free kick from Will Wright which saw Scott Kashket score the winning goal on Saturday against Rochdale, and it was a free kick from Will Wright which see’s Mikael Mandron open the scoring for Gillingham against AFC Wimbledon In This League Cup First Round Tie.

But Referee Craig Hicks went over to speak to the linesman and there is much discussion regarding if the goal is a goal or not, this is a massive call in deciding how this League Cup Tie is going to go, and after a minute of discussion, the offside flag goes up, much to the frustration from The Gillingham Supporters who were moments earlier celebrating Gillingham taking the lead against AFC Wimbledon, and even looking back at the replay of the goal, it is not clear cut if the goal is offside or not, but with Mikael Mandron’s goal being ruled out for offside, and the no penalty decision for David Tutonda, it does appear to be one of those day’s where decision’s are not going to be going in Gillingham’s Way, and depending on the result, will depend on the discussions about this offside decision, If AFC Wimbledon Win, Mandron’s Goal be disallowed will be a huge talking point, If Gillingham were to win, we still be talking about this decision, but we will be delighted that Gillingham have progressed into the second round of The League Cup.

AFC Wimbledon then make another change as David Fisher replaces Isaac Ogundere, and Gillingham still have Ryan Law, Bailey Akehurst and Joseph Gbode on the bench if Gillingham need to use up there two remaining substitutions, We spoke about Gillingham having six subs on the bench for Gillingham V Rochdale, and the strength of the substitutes bench has greater importance with the implementation of five substitutes In The Football League This Season.

And Jordan Green is penalised and booked for a late challenge on David Fisher, and from the resulting free kick, Will Nightingale’s long ball down-field is partially cleared by Max Ehmer and George Marsh’s long ball down-field is headed clear by Will Wright, and Elkan Baggott boots the ball clear and away from danger and Will Nightingale headers the ball down towards Ethan Chislett, who flicks the ball around the corner and Elkan Baggott and David Tutonda between the two of them clear the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Throw On - It’s just getting a bit nervy and scrappy in Gillingham’s Defensive Final Third At The Moment.

Eighty Two Minutes Into The Match, And David Tutonda is penalised for a foul on Ayoub Assal right on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And From The Resulting Free Kick, AFC Wimbledon had the chance to open the scoring, Paris Maghoma whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Jordan Green headers the ball partially clear and away from goal and George Marsh’s driven effort towards goal clears Gillingham’s Crossbar and AFC Wimbledon are pushing for the goal which will surely be the winning goal now, whoever scores will win this League Cup First Round Cup Tie.

Eighty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Ryan Law comes on to replace David Tutonda, And because Gillingham have stopped the game three times, Bailey Akehurst and Joseph Gbode cannot come on, even though Gillingham have used four of our available five substitutions in this match, And AFC Wimbledon now have a throw on in Gillingham’s Final Third, And From The Resulting Throw, Ethan Chislett throws the ball short to George Marsh, And George Marsh passes the ball back to Paul Kalambayi, and Paul Kalambayi passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Nathan Broome, And Nathan Broome lays the ball off to Paul Kalambayi, and Paul Kalambayi passes the ball square to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale switches the play to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball down the line towards Ethan Chislett, Ethan Chislett then runs inside into a more central position on the pitch before passing the ball through to George Marsh, And George Marsh passes the ball short to Ayoub Assal, and Ayoub Assal passes the ball through to David Fisher on the over-lap, And David Fisher stands the ball up towards the far post and Jack Currie’s Header towards goal is saved brilliantly and gathered by Jake Turner In Goal For Gillingham.

And from here, Jake Turner kicks the ball long down-field and Paul Kalambayi wins the aerial challenge up against Mikael Mandron and Ayoub Assal headers the ball on towards Josh Davison and Ben Reeves is on to the loose ball and Ben Reeves passes the ball back to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer passes the ball down the line towards Ben Reeves, And Ben Reeves back-heals the ball towards Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball inside to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer boots the ball long down-field and Will Nightingale headers the ball away and George Marsh kicks the ball into Gillingham’s Half Of The Pitch, And Elkan Baggott’s headed clearance drops to Ethan Chislett, and Ethan Chislett passes the ball square to Josh Davison, And Josh Davison is running forwards towards goal, And Josh Davison works his way into a shooting position before firing a driven effort towards goal which clears Gillingham’s Crossbar - And that was the chance for AFC Wimbledon to open the scoring!!!!!!!, And Gillingham need to hang on to penalties and hope we can take AFC Wimbledon to a penalty shoot-out and try and beat AFC Wimbledon on spot kicks, Because AFC Wimbledon look very likely to score the winning goal right at the end of this match.

Eighty Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Paris Maghoma is penalised for a poor challenge on Mikael Mandron, And Gillingham have a free kick here, and could Gills score a last gasp winner against AFC Wimbledon ??? - And from the resulting free kick, Cheye Alexandra passes the ball back to Will Wright, And Will Wright passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Jake Turner, And Jake Turner passes the ball short to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer passes the ball down the line towards Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott takes a touch and passes the ball forwards towards Ben Reeves, And Ben Reeves lays the ball off to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law passes the ball inside to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee takes a touch to control the ball, and another touch to try and pick out Mikael Mandron with a long pass down-field, which is over-hit, and the ball goes out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Goal-Kick.

And it is from the resulting goal-kick where Gillingham take the lead, Goalkeeper Nathan Broome kicks the ball long down-field and Will Wright headers the ball forwards towards Jordan Green, who spins past Paris Maghoma and runs forwards in possession of the ball and Jordan Green is fouled by Ethan Chislett and Paul Kalambayi gets the ball half cleared and away from goal and Cheye Alexandra is first to the loose ball and passes the ball forwards to Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron cuts inside into a more central position on the pitch, evades the attempted challenge from Paris Maghoma, And Mikael Mandron has culled the ball into the bottom left corner of the net and there is nothing that Goalkeeper Nathan Broome can do about that - AFC WIMBLEDON 0-1 GILLINGHAM.

Queue the incredible celebrations from The Gillingham Supporters in the away end at New Plough Lane and it is such a decent finish from Mikael Mandron, who had a goal ruled out for offside earlier on in the match, no offside flag this time, great strike, great goal, and maybe, just maybe, Gillingham have done enough to reach the second round of The League Cup without having to rely on the lottery of a penalty shoot-out.

And after that goal for Gillingham, AFC Wimbledon make there fourth substitution of the game as Quaine Bartley replaces George Marsh, Now it is all about seeing out the rest of this match for Gillingham and making sure that AFC Wimbledon do not score a equaliser, And just as we enter the ninety first minute and Gillingham have to defend for the remaining six additional minutes of stoppage time, Ben Reeves long ball down the line almost picked out Mikael Mandron, And Goalkeeper Nathan Broome comes rushing out of his penalty area to kick the ball clear and out of play for A Gillingham Throw On.

And From The Resulting Throw, Ryan Law throws the ball long down the line and Will Nightingale wins the initial aerial challenge, but the second ball drops kindly to Jordan Green on the edge of AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area, And Jordan Green out-muscles Paris Maghoma and Ethan Chislett and runs inside AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area in possession of the ball, And Jordan Green has cooly placed the ball into the back of the net with a very composed finish and there is nothing that Goalkeeper Nathan Broome can do about that - AFC WIMBLEDON 0-2 GILLINGHAM.

And that will do, that second goal from Jordan Green just gives Gillingham some much needed breathing space, and there is still plenty of time remaining, but with a two goal lead, Gillingham have put themselves in a very commanding position to progress into The Second Round Of The League Cup, However, even with that two goal advantage, AFC Wimbledon had the chance to half the deficit and set up a grand-stand finish, David Fisher has possession of the ball for AFC Wimbledon In Gillingham’s Final Third, And David Fisher runs into a more central position on the pitch and passes the ball square to Ethan Chislett, and Ethan Chislett takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Jack Currie, And Jack Currie works his way into a decent crossing position, And Jack Currie whips in a fantastic cross and Quaine Bartley’s glancing header goes just wide of Gillingham’s Right Hand Post, If AFC Wimbledon had scored, it would have set up a very nervous final few minutes of the match and AFC Wimbledon should have scored with that chance as well.

And the final noteworthy moment of the match see’s Goalkeeper Nathan Broome kick the ball long down-field and after six additional minutes of added time, and thanks to late goals from Mikael Mandron and Jordan Green, Gillingham have progressed into the second round of The League Cup, Me, Charlie, Ben and quite a few others have spoken about The League Cup perhaps giving Gillingham the option to strengthen the squad, and I have mentioned to Diane a few times about Gillingham’s dreadful performances in cup competitions in The 2021 / 2022 Season, So to win against AFC Wimbledon and progress into The Second Round Of The League Cup is great to see.

FULL TIME: AFC WIMBLEDON 0-2 GILLINGHAM.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS.

If you were to compare and contrast leaving New Plough Lane after Gillingham lost the opening league game of the season 2-0, compared to leaving New Plough Lane after Gillingham won 2-0 In The League Cup, it is night and day, granted, everyone knows that this squad needs several reinforcements, but maybe those reinforcements are more likely depending on who Gillingham get in The League Cup Second Round Draw, and who do we want in that draw ??? - Southampton, Crystal Palace, Fulham, or Brighton & Hove Albion at home, and most of the supporters I spoke to wanted a home tie in Round Two, Because it meant it would be easier to travel to, what we were all keen to avoid were long distance away trips to Newport County and Forest Green Rovers, but the one thing we were all in agreement was this, whoever Gillingham get, at least we are in The Second Round Draw, and we are not watching the draw thinking Gillingham would have got this team had we won against AFC Wimbledon.

The draw has happened since then, Gillingham V Exeter City, OK, It’s not the money spinning cup tie against Southampton or Crystal Palace we were hoping for, but it is a home tie, and credit to Paul Fisher for making tickets as cheap as possible because £10 for A Adult Ticket is a very good price, and it took almost the entirety of last season for Gillingham to do a ticket deal, so to do a ticket deal for The Exeter City Cup Tie should be applauded and congratulated, But Exeter City are favourites going into this tie, Exeter City are The League One Side, Exeter City have started this season strongly and they have got a decent record at Priestfield Stadium, this match will not be easy at all.

We got back on the coach, ready for the short trip back to Kent, and once everyone was back on the coach, we were on our way back home, celebrating Gillingham’s 2-0 win against AFC Wimbledon, and looking forward to who Gillingham get in The Second Round Of The League Cup, But the mid-week fixtures are coming thick and fast with Harrogate Town, Exeter City and Charlton Athletic all mid-week fixtures, and with a small first team squad, the quick turnaround in matches means that Gillingham need to add reinforcements to the squad.

STAT - Gillingham’s 1-0 and 2-0 wins against Rochdale and AFC Wimbledon were the first back to back wins and back to back clean sheets since 2020, that is a horrible stat.

Man Of The Match Is Jake Turner, kept the score-line goal-less for the first half, and in the second half, Jake Turner made a number of important saves to prevent AFC Wimbledon from opening the scoring and Jake Turner starts in goal for me when Gillingham play against Exeter City, and I am sure that Jake Turner will start in goal for Gillingham against Charlton Athletic In The Football League Trophy as well.

Mikael Mandron and Jordan Green scored there first goals of the season, just days after Scott Kashket scored the winner against Rochdale, It’s important that our attacking players get the first goal and get up and running as early as possible in the season, And maybe Scott Kashket, Jordan Green, Mikael Mandron, Olly Lee, Ben Reeves and Lewis Walker will share the goals, rather then one player scoring fifteen to twenty goals a season, although, Gillingham do need to sign another winger and striker to really strengthen Gillingham’s attacking options, because it was the lack of depth in the squad and lack of game changers on the bench which were one of many reasons why Gillingham were relegated on the final day of The 2021 / 2022 Season.

The Youth Team were in Spain, but still had time to watch AFC Wimbledon V Gillingham, Co-Chairman Paul Fisher was delighted with Gillingham’s result against AFC Wimbledon, And Paul Fisher has spoken about getting the player recruitment spot on and we may well have to wait a few more days to get our preferred transfer target and our support on Tuesday Night was appreciated, I think we have heard more comments and more communication from Paul Fisher  then we have heard from The Chairman, yes we had The Chairman Chats Video Clips, but those video clips kept talking about The Factory and The GFC School, and very early on in his tenure as Co-Chairman, Paul Fisher is talking about player recruitment, which is what supporters are thinking about first and foremost.

A Win, A Clean Sheet, Through To The Second Round Of The League Cup, players got game-time who needed a runout, It’s two wins in a row, and there is some positivity building at the football club, but the fixtures are coming thick and fast, and hopefully, Gillingham can build on this momentum with wins against Tranmere Rovers, Harrogate Town and Walsall - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!

#Gillingham #AFC Wimbledon #Football #LeagueCup