Gillingham Town 1 v 2 Bridport 21/04/14
This was the Gills second Dorset derby of the Easter weekend and Manager Kev Davis fielded a very similar, developmental team that suffered a defeat at Sherborne Town on Friday. The only changes were that Dan Sansom started at right back with Ryan Murray moving to the midfield and Danny Thompson was a straight swap for Aaron Rodriguez on the left wing.
The opening stages of the game were a close affair with both teams struggling to create clear cut chances. Bridport came close early on but the shot from just outside the six yard box was blasted over the bar. The next chance also fell to Bridport but didn’t come till just past the quarter hour mark when a glancing header from inside the area went just wide of the post.
The Gills had a chance to open the scoring just before 20 minutes was up but although Steve Smith’s beat Bridport keeper Sam Filkins it was cleared off the line by a covering defender. Just 4 minutes later the Gills should have gone into the lead when they pieced together a great passage of play. Dan Sansom went on a determined run out of defence and then played the ball out to Ryan Murray on the right wing. Ryan’s cross found Steve Smith at the back of the area and he played the ball into the path of Danny Thompson running in on goal, but Danny’s effort was deflected just the wrong side of the post. When the resultant corner was taken Ryan Murray got his head to the ball but, as with Bridport’s earlier effort, the ball went just the wrong side of the post.
It was the Bees who took the lead though when, with 34 minutes played, another cross was glanced towards goal, this time by an unmarked Gary Bulman, and his effort was on target and went into the bottom left of the goal just past the outstretched arm of Jamie Beale to make it 0-1.
Once again the game settled back into a stalemate until just before the half time whistle when some determined play by Ryan Murray down the right wing ended with him laying the ball off to Danny Thompson who, with the goal gaping, put his shot just the wrong side of the post.
So at half time there was nothing to separate the teams in terms of play but the Bees were leading 0-1. Kev Davis decided to shake things up at half time with Danny Thompson and Jon Lynn being replaced by Aaron Rodriguez and Dave Harris.
The Gills got a dream start to the second half when they scored in the very first minute. A free kick from the centre circle was somehow missed by everybody in the crowded area except Ashley Clarke, who ran in behind the last defender to bundle the ball over the line and draw the Gills level at 1-1.
The Gills improved their game following the goal but it was Bridport who nearly scored next when, with 53 minutes played, a header bounced off the top of the bar. Once again the Gills dominated the game but disaster struck 2 minutes before the hour mark when Jamie Beale tripped a Bridport player inside the area and the Referee pointed to the spot. Dan Wise took the kick and buried the ball past the hapless Beale to restore the Bee’s lead 1-2.
Following this setback the Gills struggled to get back into the game and, with Bridport happy to see out the game, it turned into a rather dour affair with neither team creating any chances.
So the final score was a 1-2 victory for the visitors, which meant that the Gills’ suffered a second defeat at the hand of Dorset rivals in four days.
Man of the Match was Ashley Clarke.
Next up are Longwell Green away on Wednesday evening (23rd).
Gills line-up: Beale, Sansom, N Thomson, Agbo (Cox 76), Lynn (Harris 45), Hewlett, Murray, Clarke, Smith, Ben Salem, Thompson (Rodriguez 45).
Terry Lucas
