Make no mistake, Derby were the better side - but Gillingham carved out the better chances. Lee Camp is a highly-rated goalkeeper, but he has a tendancy to punch and palm shots away, rather than holding them – but the Gills failed to take advantage by following in their shots.
We competed well enough, but on such a big pitch, they eventually passed the likes of Smith and Southall off their feet. Flynn didn't look fully fit (he didn't against Crewe either), but did OK - and Douglas was our best midfielder by a distance.
Contrary to my original opinion at the time, the ball didn't go out of play for the first goal. Paul Peschisolido (who impressed throughout) pulled the ball back from the by-line, only for the alarmingly-poor Chris Hope to make a complete horlicks of the clearance, setting up Morten Bisgaard, who scored on about the only occasion on the first half that he wasn't looking to hit the deck.
The Gills responded excellently to the goal, pushing Derby onto the back foot almost immediately. They could and should have levelled the score, only for Darren Byfield to completely waste a one-on-one, sending a shot way over the crossbar when clean through. Henderson also had chances in the opening half, but was denied on each occasion by Lee Camp.
The second half saw Gillingham push forward in search of an equaliser, but the long-ball game more often than not returned possession to Derby, who hit the Gills with swift counter attacks. Jason Brown made a handful of good stops to deny the Rams, but was helpless when the second goal eventually came. Gregrsz Rasiak, who was a thorn in Gillingham’s side all game, latched onto a poor backheader from Chris Hope and outmuscled both centre halves and shooting at goal. Brown made an excellent diving save to deny the big Pole, but Peschisolido was on hand to tap in the rebound and end Gillingham’s hopes of a point.
Despite the setback, Gillingham never stopped running. The hapless Hope was replaced by Matty Jarvis, but the pint-sized winger was given precious little in the way of service – and he wasn’t able to make the desired impact on the game. Gillingham continued to press, however – and both Mickey Flynn and Jonathan Douglas should have done better when excellently placed. Sadly, Gillingham’s best effort of the second half went begging as Douglas’ tame effort from six yards bobbled apologetically into Camp’s arms.
Derby laboured somewhat – and clearly missed the creative influence of Inigo Idiakez in midfield. However, they have plenty of quality in all areas of the field – and looked like strong contenders for the playoffs. From what I’ve seen, it’s between Derby and Preston for the third promotion place.
As for the Gills, Saturday’s defeat, combined with good results for teams around us, means the season looks set to go down the wire. We’re still out of the bottom three, however, which means a win against Cardiff should secure our safety should Crewe (away at Ipswich) or Brighton (away at Rotherham) lose on Saturday. Our final home game of the season promises to be a real nail-biter. The team has been excellent since Stan’s arrival – especially at home. Now we need one more big result. It’s make-or-break time. Roll on Saturday.