We'll always need three
Gillingham 2 Burnley 1, 19th September 1998
Firmo
At about half time, I allowed myself to
think that I would at last be able to remove the Priestfield from that long and gloomy
list of grounds where I have a less than perfect record of 0%. Hell, there was even a
chance we might nick this. As apocryphal tales circulated of having won here once in 1984,
Andy Cooke was put through wide, with two deep and square options, but failed to look up
and lamely passed the ball across the face of goal for some fictional centre forward, who,
what with not being there and everything, failed to make contact as the ball went into
touch.
It was after that that I started to get nervous.
I had a queasiness not caused by the splendid and smooth Tilbury to Gravesend crossing or
the numerous fine pints of Harvey’s sunk in the wonderful Prince of Guinea down by
the docks. It was the dull and half-hearted chant of "Stan Ternent’s Claret and
Blue Army" that got to me. Not because I object to its subject, but because of what
always happens next. It means they’re going to score, I thought, because then we can
demonstrate our loyalty by carrying on singing it regardless.
They duly did, five minutes from time, and much
disputed. The question was whether the ball had crossed the line. I don’t know. I
couldn’t see from the away end. I know that it was undeserved. Gillingham did not
deserve to win this game. Not because we were any better, but because no team ought to
take maximum points from a game like this. Gillingham were no good. We were no good. They
had the better of the first half, when we were pretty hopeless, but we improved after half
time and edged the second half.
Has anyone noticed that in all our away
performances to date we have played much better in the second half? Why is it that the
team only starts playing when they have had what I presume is a fearsome verbal lashing by
Stan at half time? Perhaps he should start doing it before the game kicks off.
Stan obviously didn’t have too many
problems with the pre-match team selection, as we selected the only fourteen available
players. Sadly, too many of them had off days. Glen Little continued the dip in form
he’s experienced since he picked up a small injury at Reading. It's a testament to
the high standards we now expect of him that, while disappointing, he was still one of our
better players, occasionally showing bursts of the magic of which we all know he is
capable. Cooke, too, had an off day. And that's the problem. We don't have the strength in
depth to carry a couple of players who aren't at their best, particularly when those are
the main creative players. Add to this the fact that Little is no longer a well-kept
secret, and opposition managers have no qualms about sticking a couple of players on him,
if that is what it takes. If you stop Little, you stop Burnley. Who else is going to
create? In the absence of any discernible midfield, the side is now unbalanced. Having
brought in defenders, Stan needs to sort out his midfield urgently.
Having said that, those new defenders did not
particularly impress. Reid disappointed after earlier performances, showing a tendency to
boot the ball aimlessly that would have got Winstanley pilloried and that one could
describe as "erratic" were it not that he kicked it to the same
middle-of-nowhere spot every single bloody time. Armstrong did pretty much the same; he is
looking increasingly uncomfortable at left back, but fared no better when we switched to a
back three after half time. By way of balance, Scott showed endearing kick ass
determination (but lots of positional uncertainty), Carl Smith offered up his brightest
game and Payton worked hard and was rewarded with a goal.
So what if it came against the run of play? We
took a corner, had a few touches, the ball arsed about, wasn't cleared and Payton pounced
on it from close range. At least I'd finally seen a goal here on this wretched ground,
even if we hadn't deserved it. Their early goal, from a short corner that we never got to
grips with, had set the pattern of the first half and made us feel that after ten minutes
the game might be over. The second half was different, however, and we should have got
more shots on target out of our early ten-minute flurry. After that, Gillingham gradually
re-asserted themselves. Interestingly enough, the winning goal came from a corner too. It
was one of the few times in the game when we didn't smash the ball down the pitch, and we
should have. Despite Smith’s attempted clearance, the linesman gave it, and the
referee readily concurred. This was not surprising, as he was the laziest ref I’ve
ever seen. He trotted around the centre circle, allowed seconds to pass before coming to
decisions and generally went with the flow, slowing the game down to his pace every time
it got too fast for him.
Our manager had slightly more energy, bouncing
up and down on the bench and berating his players when they failed to deliver. He was
consequently more entertaining than most of them. This was another in a sequence of games
we deserved something from but did not get. While this is an improvement on getting beat
and deserving to, it would be good to think we might progress from here. How about winning
one that we don’t deserve?
Team: Ward, Scott,
Armstrong, Reid, Swan, Brass, Little, C Smith, Cooke, Payton, Robertson. SNU: Carr-Lawton,
Heywood, Graham.
Eek! The home game and the previous away game
