Sherborne Town 3 v 2 Gillingham Town 018/04/14
This was the first time the Gills had met their North Dorset neighbours in the Western League and this, together with the fact that it was a glorious sunny day on Good Friday, combined to mean there was a record breaking crowd for a league game at Sherborne of 244. The crowd were not disappointed as this was an exciting game with neither team giving any quarter but with both sets of players playing the game in a good spirit.
The Gills fielded the young developmental team that Manager Kev Davis has been putting together recently, featuring six players aged 21 or under. They were, however, without the experience of defensive stalwart Nick Compton who was forced to watch from the sidelines due to illness.
When the game got underway Sherborne looked the brighter of the two teams and it was they who had the first good chance when, with 10 minutes played, a Matt Day strike had Jamie Beale beaten but the ball rebounded off the foot of the post straight into his arms. After this the Gills started to get into the game more and had a spell where they were dominating the game. The quick feet of Will Agbo and Aaron Rodriguez in particular were causing Sherborne problems, but it was a Ryan Murray ball into Steve Smith which provided the Gills with their first chance after 12 minutes but Steve dragged his effort wide of the mark.
Just 2 minutes later Ryan was causing problems again, this time with a cross into the area that a Sherborne defender got all wrong, allowing the ball to go through to Ashley Clarke just outside the six yard box. The defensive error seemed to catch Ashley by surprise and the chance was wasted when the ball spun up off his standing leg.
With 18 minutes played it was Sherborne who wasted a good chance to open the scoring but the well struck shot from inside the area was straight at Jamie Beale who blocked the effort with his arms.
The finely balanced game continued when a Gills free kick sailed just over the bar and moments later the deadlock was broken when Sherborne’s Haydn Binding drove down the right wing and crossed the ball into the area where an unmarked Lewis Morgan headed the ball past Jamie Beale to make it 1-0. The lead only lasted 2 minutes though when another cross by Ryan Murray found Benjani Ben-Salem at the back post. He played the ball to Aaron Rodriguez on the edge of the area and Aaron volleyed the ball into the goal leaving Sherborne keeper James Smith motionless.
The end to end action continued with both teams creating chances but unable to convert them and just before the half hour mark Benjani Ben Salem was through on goal but Smith pulled off a great save to deflect his shot out for a corner. With 10 minutes of the half left Ryan Murray played a dangerous cross into the area and the ball deflected off the head of a defender and his blushes were saved when the ball went inches wide of the post. When the resultant corner came in there was a goalmouth scramble with some desperate defending but Sherborne final managed to clear the ball.
There were no more chances in this very even half which ended 1-1 and this was probably a fair scoreline.
The second half got off to an explosive start with Sherborne scoring so quickly that many fans who were slow in leaving their half time beers missed it. A well struck, accurate Lewis Morgan free kick was saved by Jamie Beale but he could only palm the ball away from goal and it fell to Marc Caines who made the most of the opportunity by blasting the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-1.
The second goal seemed to spur Sherborne on and they were playing some neat passing football carving holes through the Gills’ midfield and it was such play that led to their third goal which came just 5 minutes later when Lewis Morgan headed home a cross.
The Gills rallied and it was they who now dominated in this see-saw game and they scored a second goal on the 56 minute mark when a Will Agbo long ball found Steve Smith the goal side of his marker, although not getting a clean connection, his shot went just inside the post to make it 3-2 with just over half an hour to play.
Both sides continued to give 110% and chances were created ensuring the keepers were kept busy with Jamie Beale in particular having to pull off several great saves to keep his team in with a chance. However, despite the Gills’ best efforts Sherborne edged the rest of the game and ran out 3-2 victors at the final whistle.
Overall this was a game between two evenly matched sides that could quite easily have produced a different result on a different day, but well done to Sherborne who came away with the three points. Most of all it was an entertaining game that was played in good spirit and was a good advert for Western League football in front of a large crowd who, whatever their allegiance, must have gone home feeling they had had their monies worth.
Man of the Match was Jamie Beale.
Gills line-up: Beale, Murray, N Thomson, Agbo, Lynn, Hewlett, Cox, Clarke, Smith, Ben Salem, Rodriguez (Thompson. 82) Unused subs:, Smeeton, Harris
Terry Lucas
