Stimson asks for one more roar

Last updated : 16 March 2008 By Simon Head

After a shocking first half performance, the Gills fans booed the team off the field at halftime. But the team reappeared for the second half to a tumultuous roar, and all four sides of the ground created a fantastic atmosphere for the first ten minutes of the second half, with constant clapping and singing.

The fans were clearly trying their best to inspire the Gills players, but sadly too few of them appeared to react positively enough to the crowd's support, a fact that was noted by the Gills manager in his post match comments.

"We came out for the second-half and I am standing there wanting to go out there and play. The atmosphere was absolutely phenomenal," Stimson told the official club website.

"It was fantastic to see literally everybody in the ground singing, clapping or banging on those boards behind them or seats next to them. It was absolutely first class and I had an adrenaline rush inside me. I was thinking that I wished I was out there and if the players don't get up now, they're never going to get up. Unfortunately, there were one or two players who couldn't get up on that and for me, that is a major concern."

Gillingham's next match, a home clash with fellow relegation battlers Bournemouth, now becomes even more important - and the Gills boss called on the fans to raise the roof at Priestfield again next weekend.

"The lads appreciate the great vocal backing they get from the fans. I don't know what happened at half-time but at the start of the second-half, I've never heard noise like it. I know the first ten or fifteen minutes will be difficult next week for the supporters because they hurt badly like us and won't feel like getting behind the lads. It is now the last throw of the dice, all or nothing, and the only way to get out of this will be together."