Stimson's changes make the difference

Last updated : 25 October 2008 By Simon Head

Just after kickoff in the second half, Gillingham looked likely to be on their way to a home draw, or possibly even a home defeat against struggling Chester City. The first half had been abysmal, with only Chester's inadequacies preventing the Gills from receiving a nasty surprise in the opening 45 minutes.

But just five minutes into the second half, Gills manager Mark Stimson made key changes to his side - and it ultimately helped turn the game in Gillingham's favour.

Stimson acted quickly after the break to haul off the ineffective Mark McCammon and replace him with winger Albert Jarrett. The arrival of the young winger allowed Spurs loanee Andy Barcham to swap his role wide on the left for his preferred position of centre forward - and it made a huge difference.

Barcham's bustling, pacy approach was in stark contrast to McCammon's cumbersome, half-paced performance, and immediately put Chester's back four under pressure.

And Jarrett helped provide some quality delivery from wide areas. Indeed, it was Jarrett's crossing from the left which led to the crucial opening goal, scored by Barcham. Clearly buoyed by their breakthrough, Gillingham continued to attack and doubled their lead just a minute later through Leigh Mills' thumping header from a corner.

Stimson has received some mixed treatment from the Gills fans so far, but he must take credit for today's result. His starting lineup should have done enough to win the game, but they looked lethargic and lacking in urgency throughout the first 45 minutes. But his changes in the second half upped the tempo, transformed our approach to the game and resulted in, eventually, a comfortable win.

As well as the introduction of Jarrett for McCammon, Stimson also withdrew the off-form Adam Miller for the far-more-lively Stuart Lewis, who took his chance with relish and made an instant impact on the midfield.

Even young right back Jack Payne was handed his professional debut in stoppage time, giving him just enough time to put in a crunching challenge and experience his first few touches of the ball as a first-team player.

As a gaffer, Stimson did what he needed to do to win the game, making changes despite having a relatively inexperienced bench. I can think of a few previous Gills managers who wouldn't have made those changes, preferring to let the team full of senior players play out a drab draw, or worse.

Stimson didn't do that - he took the initiative, threw on two hungry players, moved things around and we scored two goals. That's good management.