Gillingham Town 6 v 2 Winterbourne Utd 01/04/14
This game came on the back of two good performances by the Gills against the two teams above them in the league, defeating Bristol Manor Farm 2-1 and drawing with Larkhall Athletic 2-2.
The Gills started the game at a high tempo, quickly closing down the opposition, looking full of confidence and the first chance of the game came in the very first minute. Steve Smith beat the offside trap and put a high ball into the area which was headed towards goal by Benjani Ben-Salem, but Bourne keeper Alex Lippiatt was well positioned and used his body to block the goalbound effort.
The Gills continued with their confident style of play, with Aaron Rodriguez looking particularly potent, and it was Aaron who scored the opening goal on the 10 minute mark. He received the ball from Will Agbo on the edge of the area and, without hesitation, drove a low shot just inside the post giving Lippiatt no chance to make the score 1-0.
9 minutes later a superb Aaron Rodriguez corner was headed towards goal by Nick Thomson, but it was from a difficult angle and flew just over the bar. With 24 minutes played Aaron nearly scored again when his free kick into a crowded area missed everybody and sailed inches wide of the post. Aaron was causing more problems 6 minutes later when he beat a couple of defenders with a mazy run and his shot drew a great save out of Lippiatt, who tipped the ball out for a corner. Will Agbo took the corner and this found Nick Hewlett, whose stooping header flashed past Lippiatt into the goal netting him his first goal for the club and making it 2-0.
The Gills scored a third goal on 36 minutes and it must be a candidate for goal of the season. Will Agbo received the ball some 30 yards from goal and then simply turned and unleashed a ferocious shot that screamed past Lippiatt into the top right corner of the goal to make it 3-0.
The three goal lead meant the Gills were playing with even more confidence, but it was Winterbourne who scored the next goal against the run of play. A corner was cleared to just outside the area and Bourne striker Nick Lawton drove a shot that beat Jamie Beale going into the goal off the inside of the post to make the score 3-1. The Gills still had time to restore their three goal advantage though when Daniel Thompson set up Benjani Ben-Salem. Benjani wasn’t in the mood to waste the opportunity and blasted the ball into the net from close range to score his second goal in as many games to make it 4-1, and this is how it stayed till half time.
In the opening period of the second half the Gills carried on where they had left off and Danny Thompson went very close with a shot from the edge of the area that went just over the bar. In the 51stminute Danny had better luck when he chased down a back pass to the Bourne keeper which Lippiatt got all wrong, allowing Danny to nick the ball off him and slot into an empty net to give the Gills a 5-1 lead.
Following this goal the Gills took their foot off the gas a little and the next good chance didn’t come till there was 6 minutes left to play. Benjani Ben-Salem latched onto a defensive error and found himself through on goal but as he rounded the keeper Lippiatt stuck out an arm and managed to push the ball clear of danger. Benjani got his second and the Gills’ sixth goal in the very next minute though when a cross by Dan Sansom found him completely unmarked at the back post and he headed the ball into the net to make it 6-1.
Immediately following this the Gills scored an own goal, their first of the season, when confusion between Jon Lynn and Jamie Beale led to Jon heading the ball into his own net making the score 6-2 and this was how it stayed till the final whistle moments later.
Overall this was a confident, professional win against a team that have proved to be tough opposition in the past. Especially pleasing was the work rate of the players in closing down the opposition giving them no time on the ball.
Man of the Match was Nick Hewlett.
Gills line-up: Beale, Murray, N Thomson, Hewlett, Agbo, Lynn, Cox (Sansom 63), Clarke, Smith (Thompson 41), Ben Salem, Rodriguez (Harris 77).
Terry Lucas
