Grinding out the wins

Accrington turned up and set themselves up to keep a clean sheet and, thanks largely to a superb performance between the sticks by goalkeeper Kenny Arthur, they gave themselves a real chance.

But Gillingham showed a key attribute they have sadly lacked in recent years - persistence - and after a host of near-misses, goal-line clearances and great saves they got the goal their performance richly deserved. Winger Dennis Oli drifted inside from his usual position wide on the right to squeeze the ball under Arthur's dive with 15 minutes remaining and seal the points for the Gills.

This was exactly the sort of match that we'd have lost in seasons past. In years past the Gills would have run out of ideas, started dropping deep and conceding possession - then the inevitable goal would come and we'd lose the match.

This time, we upped the pace and, thanks to some notable performances from substitute striker Gary Mulligan, loanee Charlie Daniels and midfielder Curtis Weston, the Gills drove on in the final 25 minutes of the game and got that vital goal.

It's the first time we've seen that at home, but we've done that twice on the road already this season. Firstly, we drove on to grab a stoppage-time equaliser at Bournemouth, then we drove on to score a stoppage-time winner at Darlington. Now, with our winning goal scored in the last 15 minutes of the game, we're beginning to show the capability of playing all the way to the final whistle, and grabbing some very handy late goals, too.

Picking out the best performances, Curtis Weston celebrated his permanent contract with a man of the match performance, while Charlie Daniels produced some moments of genuine quality out wide on the left. Also, the substitution of the disappointing Mark McCammon for the lively and more direct Gary Mulligan made a massive difference. Mulligan must now surely have earned a starting spot with his recent appearances from the bench - and he seems to link up well with Simeon Jackson, who worked tirelessly up front once again.

So, a good result, and the first time we've had back-to-back victories since December last year. Hopefully today's result, as well as the general approach to today's game, will encourage more of our fans to get behind the side and perhaps even be a little more optimistic about the season ahead.

We're playing much better football than in previous seasons, we look fitter than in previous seasons and we seem to have a much stronger team spirit than in previous seasons.

Long may the improvements continue.