Headley: Turning the corner...

Shields: Man of the Match on his full debut, but the whole team deserves huge credit

The midweek Carling Cup match was one that many Gills regulars chose to miss. Ticket prices were set at the very reasonable price of £16 for all areas of the ground – but many fans, possibly disillusioned by the performances of late, opted not to come, resulting in a ground that was barely half-full. But what an atmosphere we had! Around five thousand fans made the noise of twice that number as the match reached boiling point midway through the first half.

The Gills shaded the opening exchanges and forced Pompey onto the back foot, but just as we saw against Barnsley, we are susceptible to a fast counter-attack. Matthew Taylor had already nearly snapped the crossbar with a cracker of a shot after one Pompey counter-attack before Pompey made the breakthrough.

Uruguayan international Dario Silva broke clear down the right hand side, looking more than a tad offside, but the linesman kept his flag down (favouring the Premiership side would be par for the course for the officials as the match progressed) and the nippy striker pulled the ball back for England under 21 midfielder and former Gills’ loan target Gary O’Neil, who swept the ball into the roof of the net for a routine breakaway goal. The crowd were incensed, the Gills defence were incensed and Neale Cooper wasn’t a happy bunny on the touchline. Despite being comfortably on top, Gills were a goal down. We’d seen this game before, the previous Tuesday night against Barnsley.

But we hadn’t. Rather than deteriorate into a shambles, the Gills simply carried on where they left off and battered their Premiership opponents. Pompey’s attacks were nipped in the bud almost before they’d started and with Michael Flynn outstanding in midfield, Gillingham took control once again. They were fighting the officials as well as the Pompey players mind you. Some might accuse referee Tony Bates of being inconsistent, but many present would go as far as suggesting he was biased towards the Premiership side. A sliding lunge from behind by Dejan Stefanovic sent Paul Shields into the air and was as clear a booking as you will ever wish to see. But referee Bates chose to simply talk to the Serbia & Montenegran international, but just five minutes later, when Leon Johnson committed an equally bookable, foul on Dario Silva, but without going to ground, the referee didn’t hesitate to book the Gills defender.

That pattern of leniency for the visitors continued through the whole match. Stefanovic must have reached double figures for fouls committed (many of which went unpunished), including tackles from behind, holding players back, pulling shirts and body checks, yet somehow he remained on the pitch for the full and somehow avoided a booking for 75 minutes before the referee eventually showed him a yellow card for his sixth or seventh bookable offence.

The fact that an international defender had to commit so many offences spoke volumes for how well the Gills were playing. Paul Shields, playing his first full match for the club, was immense, not giving the Pompey defence a second’s rest – and he was ably partnered by Darren Byfield, who had his best game in a Gills shirt this season by a distance. Byfield’s energy and commitment were called into question recently, causing a few sarcastic comments from the stand during the opening stages of play, but they quickly faded away as Byfield produced the sort of performance that we know he is capable of – and it was he who hit the equaliser, with a superb piece of opportunism.

After another bookable offence, this time by Gregory Vignal, was penalised only by a free kick by the referee, Byfield was treated on the pitch and taken off as per the rules. The free kick came to nothing as Jamie Ashdown claimed the ball, and the ref waved Byfield on. As he did this, Ashdown threw the ball out to Vignal, only for Byfield, coming in on the Frenchman’s blindside, to nip in and steal the ball, take three paces and smack a shot straight back from whence it came. The power and accuracy was too much for Ashdown, who couldn’t get down to it quickly enough and the Gills were deservedly level. Poetic justice for Byfield over Vignal, who had nigh-on assaulted the Gills striker to bring about the free kick in the first place.

Gills were palpably on top for the rest of the half – and could even have gone in 2-1 up with Jarvis and Shields both going close, but the Gills had come from behind for the first time since the season’s opening day. The crowd were up, fully behind the team and enraged by the referee in equal measure – and the man in the middle was seemingly intent on helping the Premiership side in any way he could, as we discovered early in the second period.

While Gillingham still dominated proceedings, Pompey’s speedy counter attacks were becoming more frequent and the Gills defence had to be on its mettle.

Brent Sancho must have felt he’d done something to upset the referee, as he whistled for a penalty after a textbook sliding tackle from the Trinidad & Tobago international cleanly took the ball. Gary O’Neil latched onto a rebound after a great save from Jason Brown. The ball was running behind for a corner, but with the speedy O’Neil ready to put the ball into an empty net Sancho needed to get the challenge in and television pictures clearly showed he beat the Pompey man to the ball and clearly slid the ball out of play.

To be honest it was equally as clear to us in the Medway Stand at the time, too. Not so the referee, however, who couldn’t give the penalty quickly enough. Matthew Taylor dispatched the penalty with power to Jason Brown’s right and celebrated with a Bebeto-style ‘rocking baby’ celebration, presumably to celebrate a new addition to the Taylor household. Sancho was distraught. He couldn’t believe the penalty was given and his reaction, showing no dissent whatsoever, simply translated as pure shock. He’d have another run-in with the ref later in the game, too.

The Gills were 1-2 down to an offside goal and a dodgy penalty, but were still the better side. It was only at this point that I realised Liverpool and Senegal midfielder Salif Diao was actually on the field. The tall midfielder has a reputation for being a physical presence, but his presence at Priestfield was virtually non-existent as he and the rest of the midfield were completely dominated by Michael Flynn and Andy Crofts.

Then came the stroke of luck that Neale Cooper said his side have been missing of late. Darren Byfield picked the ball up 30 yards out, skipped past two challenges and his fizzing shot came back off the base of the post. The ball hit the sprawling Ashdown and spun up into the air, dropped behind the hapless keeper, hit him on the back and rolled into the net, sending the crowd berserk. It was a lucky goal, but one that the Gills fully deserved. Pompey looked flattened after that – and the game was there for the taking.

Neale Cooper than had to shuffle his pack twice in the space of 12 minutes. A tiring Andy Hessenthaler was running on empty, and departed the field to a standing ovation, and new signing Tom Williams made his long-awaited debut, slotting into the left of midfield, with Matty Jarvis switching across to the right. Then shortly after, captain Chris Hope was forced off with an injury and was replaced by Danny Jackman. The entire defence was reshuffled, with Brent Sancho taking over as captain, moving inside to partner Leon Johnson in the centre, Richard Rose moving from left back to right back, Tom Williams dropping into his best position of left back and Danny Jackman slotting into his preferred role on the left of midfield.

It shored up the left hand side superbly, with Williams and Jackman looking solid defensively and excellent in possession. Williams showed his threat from set pieces too, stinging Ashdown’s palms with a well-hit free kick. As well as a new, quick, solid left back, we’ve gained a free-kick expert. We’ve not had one of those since Bob Taylor!

But yet again, the referee intervened and very nearly put us out of the competition with another diabolical decision. Sub Svetoslav Todorov broke into the box and tempted Sancho into a rash lunge. The dreadlocked Gills skipper didn’t get the ball, but he also stopped short of getting the player too. Todorov, saw his opportunity, dragged a trailing leg and went over – and the ref blew almost before he hit the floor. The Medway Stand erupted with fury at another shocking decision by Bates, and Todorov, placed the ball on the spot to take the penalty he ‘earned’ with just a minute plus stoppage time to go. With Priestfield shocked and gutted at events, the Bulgarian international struck his penalty firmly wide of Brown’s dive – and inches wide of the post. The roof came off Priestfield. It was another stroke of much-deserved luck. Gillingham immediately regained control in the final stages and Tommy Williams nearly sealed it in stoppage time with a brilliant free kick which was tipped away from the top corner by an acrobatic Ashdown. Shields and Flynn also hit shots inches wide as Gills looked to seal it without the need for extra time, but that third goal wouldn’t come and the final whistle blew. The referee had given the Premiership side an offside goal and TWO penalties, but they still couldn’t finish off the Gills – and Neale Cooper’s men got their just desserts in extra time.

After the disappointment of that late penalty miss, what little fight was in Pompey’s side seemed to disappear completely in extra time, as Gillingham stepped up their domination of the Premiership side. Pompey looked to be hanging on for penalties, but that tactic went out the window just four minutes into extra time. Danny Jackman swung a low cross over and the ball dropped at the feet of Andy Crofts. He calmly controlled the ball, set himself and slammed the ball into the net to send Priestfield into raptures. It was no more than Gillingham deserved in a match that saw them battle not just a Premiership side, but a referee who seemed intent on easing the bigger club through to the next round.

The entire performance was superb from start to finish – and those fans who were disillusioned after recent defeats in the League now know that we have a side capable of achieving good results. Paul Shields, Tom Williams and Leon Johnson all proved themselves worthy of starting roles against Tranmere on Saturday – and after a performance like that, the side that finished the game last night can’t be too far away from the team that will line up at Prenton Park this weekend. Let’s hope they can carry their new-found form into the League. If they can, there could be some fun times ahead for the Gills faithful.