Thetownend.com

The Opponent: Gillingham

Moving on from Crawley, we now arrive in the garden of England for the Gills big cup final.  Having grew up in Kent and living in the same street as one of their driveway tarmac experts I am told that they still sing “we hate Swindon” at most of their games, home and away. Odd bunch it must be said. If you happen to arrive early today can I recommend The Royal Engineers Museum which is the most important collection of records and information about military engineering history. Outside there is a collection of tank-mounted bridges. Chatham Historic Dockyard is also well worth a visit should you wish to see a few boats.

Gillingham is a sizeable enough town with some 112’000 residents (this does not allow for the travelling folk that have slipped through the system). Some of the more notable people that can proudly call Gillingham their home include footballer Ryan Bertrand, Stupid haired Chef Gary Rhodes, Pop Idol fat cunt Rik Waller and presenter Sir David Frost. Gillingham has been the scene of two notable disasters: on 11 July 1929 a public demonstration by Gillingham Fire Brigade went wrong, resulting in 15 fatalities, and in the 1951 Gillingham bus disaster, 24 Royal Marine cadets aged 10 to 13 were tragically killed in a road accident.

Last Time Out – The Pikies 2 Yeovil 0. 16th August 2014 –  Att: 5,173. After beating the same opposition just a few days before in The League Cup it looks as if the lucky heather was well and truly still hidden somewhere in Priestfield.  Joe Martin opened the scoring with a 20-yard free-kick and Danny Kedwell made it 2-0 with a rebounded shot from his parried penalty, initially awarded after Nathan Smith's foul. Yeovil were denied a first-half goal by debutant keeper Stephen Bywater, who saved Kieffer Moore's tame spot-kick.
Starting XI – Bywater, Hessenthaler, Martin (Pritchard 87’), Hause, Legge, Egan, Hare (Fish 11’), Loft, German (Dickenson 67’), Kedwell, Morris. Hare replaced by Fish? You couldn’t make it up.

They have served us both –  Bill Armstrong, Arthur Beadsworth, Aaron Brown, Paul Crichton, Moses Ashikodi, Trevor Benjamin, Deon Burton, Jonathan Douglas, Jimmy Bain, Austin Berkley, Freddie Cox, Stuart Elliot, Jock Wilson, Pat Terry, Sammy Simms, Luke Rooney, George Purcell, Iffy Onuara, George N’dah, Jay McEveley, Jimmy Kennedy, Junior Lewis, George Travers, Curtis Weston, Paul Smith, Alan Scott, Howard Pritchard, Callum Kennedy, Ken Lambert, Bob Innes, Leigh Mills, Frank Nouble, Giuliano Grazioli, Ty Gooden, Jimmy Glass, Jack Rutherford, Alan Reeeeves, David Peach, Martin Neyland, Mark McCammon, Darius Henderson, John Gorman, Dean Marney, Jo Kuffour, William Miller

One From The Past – Gillingham 0 Swindon Town 2 – Play Off Replay, Friday May 29th 1987 – Att: 18’491 - Two goals from Steve White at Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park secured Lou Macari’s Swindon Town a place in the Second Division. 
Swindon: Digby, Hockaday, King, Coyne, Parkin, Calderwood, Bamber, Berry, Henry, White, Barnard.

The Odds –   Gillingham 2/1  Draw 12/5  Swindon 6/4 

The Son Says –  Despite the unfortunate result in Gatwick at the weekend he is sticking with a positive 2-0 victory.

The Prediction –  The bookies seem more confident than me on this one, but I will stick my neck out and go for a 1-0 win, another Smith goal in front of 5’922 (312 from Swindon).

And Finally – Gillingham was a limb of the Cinque Ports and was of great importance as the Chatham Dockyard was within its boundaries. It was started by Elizabeth I and finally closed in 1984 causing massive local unemployment and abandoned caravans all over Medway.

COYR COYR COYR COYR

 Good work as always...interested to hear that Gillingham was a limb of the Cinque Ports (pronounced Sink Ports)....I've not heard much about these (Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover, Sandwich) since having a book as a kid, which told me that Winston Churchill was Warden of the Cinque Ports.

Apparently they held an ancient privilege, to do something at a Coronation but this was eschewed  in 1953, because they had started to fall into disrepair, mainly due to silting up. Hopefully, there'll be no chance of the Pikeys, getting to do owt for the Coronation of Charles III.

Cinque Ports were, to the best of my recollection, essentially Henry VIII's follies against a French invasion and mostly attempts to build medieval-style artillery forts at a time when the more modern star-shaped fort or trace Italliene was becoming prevalent, and rapidly proving that big stone walls are a terrible thing to hide cannons behind, primarily due to their ability to be a fucking massive target for enemy gunnery.

Hurst Castle is a fine example of such a place, many of which have later additions, particularly from the 19th century (both Napoleonic and Victorian) or the world wars added. The cafe in Hurst Castle does a brilliant selection of cake, and the walls of the castle itself offer fantastic views of the needles and solent.

I may be prattling on, but discussing cake at a castle is still much more interesting than anything that has ever happened or ever will in Gillingham.

2-0 town.

Not confident, don't remember us winning at Gills recently. 2-0 Gills with 312 away fans.

We'll turn over the Knackers, no problem.

2-0, Smudga and Byrne with 348 from the Shire.

BTW, had a childish chuckle when I noticed Leicester have signed a player named Fanni.

Excellent!

We are always shit at Priestfield, but the performances of the first 3 games have been encouraging so if we play like we have been I think we can get something. Peter Taylor seems to be following a similar policy of getting in young players and keeping the ball, if they play that way it will suit us no end. Hopefully Louis won't be missed too much!

I work with a Gills fan so a lot riding on this for me!

Good read SR, I've enjoyed the openings to the match day threads so far.

Unfortunately I think we'll lose tamely tonight 2-0 and the first murmerings of unrest may start.

Good start so far - unlucky against Crawley from what I have read and seen - far too early to get gloomy so at best we will get a 1-0 win but realistically I think a draw - it is only Gillingham after all..... :nod:

1-2

Didn't know you worked on the blackstuff

If 'Fanni' was in the same team as The Pikies 'Hare' my chuckles would be beyond childish.

Cheers BO  :)

We've started well and if we continue to play as such, I will always back us to win but until we get a few away wins under our belts I will be perfectly happy with a draw.

Think the Cinque Ports, goes back well before Henry VIII, I'd always had it down as a Plantagenet thing, when the ruling classes were still essentially French, hence the cinque for the 5 ports.

Hurst Castle is a fine spot mind....I lived in Southsea, for a few years, right opposite the Castle, which was also a Henrician Castle, part of the network designed to protect Soton and the Solent...which by then had largely usurped the Cinque Ports in strategic importance.

It's a little known fact that the upgrade of the guns and associated infrastructure at Hurst of 1609, was paid for by a levy on the good people of Wiltshire....which I suppose is fair enough if it kept the French and Spanish out.

After yesterdays story over who will play Left side i hope he doesn't switch Byrne there. He has been one of our best performers on the right side and making him play left to play Lelan right side would be a bad idea. Was Barthram that bad at Lb? I assume Gladwin will start in Midfield with Williams up top as opposed to them blooding young Marshall.

The bench will be devoid of all real options tonight for sure.

I see that Gillingham have a bit of an injury crisis as well.

Their first choice left back is injured and so hopefully the replacement is crap and Byrne can exploit it.

Ah, so that's why Napoleon was so keen to invade.

Gills 2-1 Town

They've signed Gavin Hoyte so presume he'll be the replacement Left Back.

You going Bob?

Here's one more reason why the French are a bunch of cunts....

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/19/manatee-barry-drown-death-paris-zoo

Dozy Danish immigrant manatee probably couldn't be arsed to learn to read French.

Vive la Republique!

What's the chances of getting a decent ref?if we do and we end up with eleven players on the pitch,I think we can come away with something. 2-0 win with Byrne and Smith on target

Negative 4D. Are you?

Franco-Danish relations are not to be trusted it took Nelson, to show them what for at the battle of Copenhagen, SY's lot were implicated in that as well.

Non. I thought you might have been doing the match update / report on here later.
Is anyone going?   ???

A night time game, at Gillingham, having to walk the alley of doom? Fuck that.

I'm going, it better not fucking rain.

I think we will really miss Louis in the middle, especially without an adequate substitute. Wouldn't be disappointed with a draw.

2-2 with 295 travelling fans.

I'm going, looking forward to it! 2-1 win :beers:

Please don't rain.

I will be there,live half an hour away unfortunately or I wouldn't bother as we are always shit

Always shit there.....I've done the 5:0 Millwall final season and the PDC going up match...we were shit both times.

Draw would be good....a win...Epic...

My only time was the play off first leg.

From the open away end you could see the pub with all the scaffolding outside - that ended up inside!

Happy days!

Brad Smith starts!

It's a miracle! They did say his injury wasn't as bad as first thought, but that's great news.

Happy days, what's the full line up?

Swindon Town FC @Official_STFC
Town starting XI: Foderingham, Thompson N (C), Branco, Turnbull, Byrne, Kasim, Luongo, Gladwin, Smith B, Williams, Smith M #STFC

Brad smith? Hope they havent rushed him back too soon

... but it's better than AIDS from the catering?

Yeah, but that was just a joke...

Jesus that fella tom smith who was HOPELESS in the youth game at Feltham is on the bench tonight!

Teeny weeny ginger guy.

Branco with a good chance just over. Good start.

Yea, Really good start.

bollocks

FFS.

Man alive! :(

Going to be a long season. ..

fucking hell

9 months. It's almost a year!

What was the goal like? No radio for me tonight.

Wes clearance off of Kedwell's arse.

Oh dear.

Get it forward

Could be even longer if we finish in the play off's. God help us if they ever do introduce a winter break. It'll never end!

Get rid of smith, he's not scored in ages! Useless lump!

You yanking my chain?

Surely we wont lose this?

No. It's sounding a bit 'Crawley Mk II'.

No, an error by Wes by the sounds of it. It rebounded in off of Kedwell's huge arse (or perhaps his back  ;) )

Oh dear.

Bywater seems busy!

Pritchard equaliser!!! For Brentford :-(

Sounds yet again like we're playing actual football against a team intent on parking the bus and hoofing it forwards, and we're losing. What fun being a season ticket holder there must be.

One of these days our luck will turn and we'll absolutely annihilate a team 7/8-0.

Yes!!!! First of many please Williams!

Now you watch Williams start banging them in more regularly....

Wooooo!

Fucking get in! Going to be a great season!

WILLLLOO!!!

Not any more!!! YEEESSSSS!!!!!

Goooaaaalllll

Gooooooooooaaaaaallllllllll!
I love you baby

Haha grim reaper's changed his tune

(http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/thumb/662812655.png?1348699015)

I should post mildly depressing posts more regularly.

Yes!!!!!

Look if no-one else is going to post "it's a great time to score" then I'll have to.

I'm just fickle ;-)

yey

Gills just chasing shadows here, some of the play has been a joy to behold, enjoyable.

Come on lads smash those pikey scumbags!

Sounds like we'll dish out a stuffing sooner or later. Can't think of many teams more deserving than the pikeys.

And Pox are getting beat...again !!!

Chuffed to bits it was Willo getting his first goal in over a year, so I will re-iterate. "ANDY WILLIAMS!"

Watching the half time scores come through on the BBC vidiprinter, and instinctively my mind clicks into James Alexander-Gordon mode. BBC must have the technology for his voice to read the scores out forever, on demand.

Better than a woman doing it..... Sexist I spose but wrong IMO...

Fuck sake.

Great. Branco fuck up this time, by the sounds of it.

FFS

Why is it we can dominate games and struggle to score yet the opposition seem to score from every mistake or half chance? So fucking frustrating.

The stats say they've scored 2 from 2 shots, including shots off target.

Arse

I should've stuck to my tax revision.

Oh well, there's still another 40+ games...

GYPSY CURSE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxrUjo1CO-U

Oh well, that's our season over. Glad I forgot to buy a season ticket now.

I'm going to wait for a £27 gold ticket match to attend my first game.

Oooh, so that's how the other half live

We are battering them, why can't we score for fucks sake?

Seems like they have hit the bar. Sounds like they are getting clearer cut chances.

I'm no expert, bit I think it's a lack of getting the spherical thing in the onion bag that's half the problem.

Attacking change. Luongo off, lelan on.

Is luongo injured? Odd sub if not

Don't think so.

Sounds like gills keeper having a good game. Could be a recurring theme this season.

AS-D thinks he is injured. Not good.

Yes!!!!

Oh yes!!!

Get in

BRANCO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah get in...

Haha, Branco!

Finally we get the rub of the green!

Du du du Raffa Rossi Branco!

Yeeeeerersssssssss.

As we all know last minute equalisers feel like winners. Mwhahahs

Justice!!!!

 :moon: :moon: :moon:

ROSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

OG on my goal alert....

Don't care.... Get in.

If we can hold on....that's a right result..

Another good away performance it sounds, Would of taken a point before the game.

Kicking off between staff apparently

Cooper in!

Feels like a win, well battled Town !!

Should gave won really but better than we usually manage in that dump.

Ours and theirs?
Pikey on pikey?

Frustrating not to win, but a point away is always a good point.

Definitely.

Paul Godfrey (town physio) chinned the pikeys assistant manager according to twitter.

Andrew Steele-Davis ‏@andrew_FLICW

Peter Taylor confronted Mark Cooper at the end but they have now just shaken hands #stfc

Excellent last minute point on a bogey ground against a team whose peg selling fans hate us. Marvellous.

And seemingly upsetting the pikey management too. Happy days.

Someone will get a hammering from us shortly, perhaps Crewe on Saturday who conceded 5 today.

Excellent!

Would have taken a point before the game, even more so a few minutes from the end.  Shame about the two defensive mistakes.

Really pleased for Williams, hopefully will do his confidence the world of good.

Shows yet again - sort the defence and we will do very well

 Important result, as at Luton, it would have been very easy to roll over in a difficult position, but keeping on battling and getting something is a good sign, shows team spirit.

What did Cooper say?

and in other news, Pox no points from a trip to Morecambe or from any games this season

Great....

Off field kicking off too.....like the old days...

True.... Win at home and draw away is promotion form...

Brings back the memories of 79-80 - nice to see our Gills-bashed Wilf Tranter avenged in the best possible way

We're gonna do well.

Rossi-Branco has god on his side. ;)

Hark now hear the Swindon sing the Pikeys ran away
And we will fight for evermore because of Ray McHale.

If anyone who went has the time for an opinion when they get home then please do share it.

Just got back. We played well and had a great deal of possession. I think the defence made 3 mistakes all game and gillingham scored twice and hit the bar with the third. We need to be more dangerous with ball though. Gladwin was ok first half but faded in the second. There seemed to be an unwillingness to give the ball to B Smith on the left, but we need to use him more to create more space, he has a great cross on him as well. We comfortably deserved the point and on balance should have won but we didnt really have the clear cut chances you would expect for the amount of possession we had. Williams took his goal really well but it was down the other end so difficult to see clearly.

fantastic display of passing football but worrying that we need 9 chances to score twice when gillingham created 2 chances and scored twice and o
their 1st goal was created by us. Kass and Mass totally dominated midfield from start to  finish, Byrne again dangerous.Smith M didnt have a great day but cleverly set up Williams for his goal.Thompson shaky at times but Turnbull impressive at the back.Gillingham played like an away team and Id be well pissed off if I had to watch that every week.5 men at the back at home against an away side with 3 at the back, a joke.

First game I've been to this season but sounded similar to Crawley and Luton. Dominated possession and created by far the best openings, but they scored from their first two shots. Playing our style always going to be harder when you're behind and teams can pack men behind the ball.

Was impressed by Smith(B) but he didn't get the ball enough.

Williams' goal seemed to make him a new player and while he didn't get many more clear chances he chased everything and had a much better work rate.

Back 3 are an asset when we have the ball but there'll be plenty of heart in mouth moments this season.

Saturday looking like it could be 7-6 with how Crewe have started so get your money on 0-0 now.

Cheers  :)

One thing that really frustrated me last night was the short corners. It's not like we don't have any height in the box and yet we insisted on passing it around the edge of the box before it eventually ended up back on the half way line.

Trouble is we get gladwin to take those corners thus removing some of the height.  Really louis Thompson (when playing) and or Byrne should take corners and swing them in under the cross bar.

Same applies to free kicks in similar territory why we prefer to make a threatening situation an opportunity to go back to the half way line is truly bizarre.

It started to get irritating when we still did it despite Gillingham having 2 players out there marking ours everytime. Played well and without those 2 mistakes would have been a comfortable win. Decent point though

If we keep that level of performance up we'll get our just desserts. Consistency is key but I do believe you make your own luck.

Also, Taylor is a bloody good manager. He'd done his homework on us and then some. He'll be happy with a point after the game definitely.

Personally think it's a good point away from home - and even better to stick in a 90th minute equaliser against the pikies!!!

A lot of that sounds like the Scunny game. Gladwin playing well first half but fading in the second, Brad Smith being ignored on the left when in good positions etc.

Not wishing to come over all Reg, I am pleased with a battling point but Gillingham had a lot of key players out injured which I guess forced them to play at home soaking up our possession and relying on mistakes and balls over the top to create chances.

I'd be a lot more worried if we weren't creating chances. Keep creating chances in the quantity we have and someone will get an absolute battering soon.

Can see Williams getting a few, sounded as if his confidence grew last night after the goal.

Took a quick look at the Pikey's OS, and Taylor (who knows his stuff) is quite complimentary about our performance. 

http://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/article/taylor-swindon-media-aug-20-1841697.aspx

We are not very far away from being realistic contenders for the top 6 - if not better.

If we only had a fraction of the money PdC wasted in his reign we'd get there.

As it is, I reckon we're in for a replica of last season - which is no bad thing - maybe even a bit better.

Byrne has been the stand out player for me - more than making up for Pritchard - just needs the odd goal here and there.

To balance out your view Audrey we need inept and crass input.

Totally agree with this,what gets me is only two weeks ago Power said he had made a bid for that striker,we don't really need that. Spend it on defence that is where we need it as that will be our undoing this season. It isnt worth trying to blend these youngsters if 12 months down the line we are back to square one

I'll do the balancing act.

As things stand I don't think we have the defence or the options up front to match  last year's effort.

The front two are probably good enough but lack of alternatives mean injury, suspension or lack of form will hurt.

The back three as a system is more exposed to wide play, and the personal aren't of last year's standard. It's too leaky at the moment.

The midfield is ace. The team spirit is good. I still predict upper mid table.

Nail on head for me Batch.

Stephens would be an ideal player for our system but unfortunately it doesn't look like we are going to get him. What surprised me at Luton was how far forward Branco got at times, adding an extra body into the attack. Clearly this is going to leave us exposed at the back but if we can turn our domination of possession into good chances we'll turn over a lot of sides this season.

Apparently the triallist guy Chianese is still here, no news on whether he is likely to join mind you. Could be worth a short term deal.

I still want to know what happened to Romeo

Romeo done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfNMlmtpXsI

Have you always been called Whits? Thats a blast from the past.

Their second was a great finish, how much space did we give them there?!

Williams' goal was decent. First of many this season, I hope.

Could have been a different story if Branco hadn't of slipped, bit unlucky really. Could argue Wes was unlucky with the first one as well, that could happen to every keeper in every game.

I was expecting the goals to be down to howlers but looks like bad luck was a factor.

Yeah, so many had it down as a Foderingham 'error'. How the fuck can you call that an error? He didn't deliberately smash the ball at Turnballs face and 9 times out of 10 that goes where it's supposed to.

anyone know attendance yesterday?

That's why it's an error isn't it? i.e. he didn't mean to do it, but did it by mistake

According to the Football League website, there was nobody there! I can't see the Inland Revenue falling for that one!   :)

http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/ResultsLast7Days/0,,10794,00.html


Edit: Now given as 5264

We might be close to a top 6 side but we're miles away from a top 6 squad.

The bench from last night was terrifying. Would only need 2 or 3 more injuries for us to be in big trouble.

And yet Miles Storey is at Portsmouth, getting rave reviews..I'm not on the moaning bandwagon, it's just surprising that's all. He's been sent out to get FL experience, yet he has more FL experience than some of the players in our match day squad..it's a strange one.

Rave Reviews? He's always on the bench for them, played a whole 13 minutes last night.

Well, Cooper hopes to have 2 in before Crewe game.

The famously secretive CB and striker

Yeah, well decent reviews..plus the fans all love him. He started against Peterborough & Cambridge. On the bench for Exeter & Northampton.

Miles never really grasped the opportunities and kicked on Imo. Loaning him down a league, will see If he can cut it. Then we might have a good player for next season. Sensible move I thought to loan him.

Where do you see that?

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/11419965.Cooper_frustrated_by__sloppy__goals/?ref=var_0

No he isn't

He's not going to improve our defence which is our main issue

Well he is to be fair

I've read good things from pompey fans.

Yeah, he is. Mainly from the fans, but the local press rate him very well too. A lot of my friends/neighbours/colleagues are Portsmouth fans and the general feeling about him is very good.

No absolutely, it was more of a 'strength in depth' comment, that's all.

I hope we're not going to spend the season discussing Miles Storey. He's not an option and there's nothing that can be done about this so what's the point of wasting our time about it?

He'll just be a lovely little excuse to break out when things aren't going too well.

yes! Been here since the start!

His contract runs out end of the season,  I'd be surprised if he came back here if he does well there

He'd relish the chance to stay there I think. Big club for even our level, amazing fanbase and Pompey is a decent city too.

Not sure why I thought you had suddenly changed your name! haha.

Insanity

I was going to post similar, but the thought occured that maybe we have an option or something, or are entitled to offer him new terms, so that they'll have to pay a fee, because he's u23 or whatever the age cut-off for a young player is.

I'd like to think Power has a bit more of instinct, to avoid what might be termed a Sean Morrison situation.

His contract is actually until 2016, Power said so on a phone-in. And Sam reported here - http://m.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/11332533.Cooper__Pompey_move_will_do_Storey__world_of_good_/ Look at that! Barely a word out of place.

Well Costanza, has got 2015 on the sticky squad thread, now who do you believe something in the Adver or something on the TEF?  :hmmm:

They're saying 2016 now. I've not know an era when Swindon were so loose/lying RE: contract lengths.

Storey, Williams and Agombar.

Good to hear Storey has found his level.