FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM 0-2 HARROGATE TOWN - LEAGUE TWO - 2022 / 2023 SEASON
Gillingham V Harrogate Town was a must win game for Gillingham for several reasons, Gillingham had just lost 3-0 against Tranmere Rovers in what was a dreadful performance and dire defending at Prenton Park, So Gillingham needed to get back to winning ways to put that defeat against Tranmere Rovers behind us, Gillingham V Harrogate Town was the first of three home games in a week and Gillingham needed to get off to the best possible start by picking up three points against Harrogate Town, and a win would mean six points out of a possible twelve from our first four league games of the season, not the best start to the season, but not the worst either, and the win would set things up nicely for Gillingham heading into the two home games against Walsall and Exeter City.
Gillingham losing 2-0 against Harrogate Town has highlighted several concerning stats, Gillingham have scored one and conceded seven in four league games, Gillingham have failed to score in three of the four league games Gillingham have played in League Two This Season, and it was a lack of goals which was one of many many reasons why Gillingham were relegated at the end of last season despite Neil Harris nearly achieving the impossible dream of keeping Gillingham In League One, And just like so many matches last season, Gillingham lose another home game at Priestfield Stadium without scoring, And Harrogate Town could have quite easily scored more then the two goals they did score against Gillingham as well, The 2022 / 2023 Season is the fourth consecutive season where Gillingham are having to completely re-build the first team squad from scratch, and this constant re-building the first team squad is not helping Gillingham at all, the small squad, transfer embargo, injuries and suspensions were dreadful to contend with last season, and even though Neil Harris has signed fourteen players so far, Gillingham can still do with signing A Centre Back, A Central Midfielder, A Striker, And you can quite easily make the case that Gillingham should be signing two centre back's, Because unfortunately, Max Ehmer just doesn't look up to it anymore, even with relegation into League Two, Max Ehmer is struggling and although Ehmer has served Gillingham well, I think Max Ehmer struggles to line up in a back four, in a back three, he is less exposed with Will Wright and Elkan Baggott alongside him, and with seven goals conceded already, Gillingham do not have the defence capable of challenging for promotion, or challenge for a playoff position, because all the while your conceding two or three goals, the attack need to score three or four to win a game of football.
And because Gillingham continue to have to sign, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen and eighteen players every off season, it means it takes time for the squad to gel, and by the time we get to the end of September, Gillingham have played eleven league games already, and that's twenty five percent of the league season done and dusted, Gillingham do not have time for the squad to gel, and with Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday Matches week in and week out, Gillingham and every other club in The Football League needs to be capable of carrying a much bigger first team squad this season, especially with the implementation of five substitutions in The Football League.
Our optimism, hope and enthusiasm is with Neil Harris, Gillingham have got A Championship Standard Manager managing Gillingham Football Club In League Two, Gillingham are still in The League Cup, and if Gillingham were to win against Exeter City and progress into The Third Round Of The League Cup, And Gillingham get a money spinning cup tie in Round Three, then maybe some of that money can be used for Neil Harris to sign additional reinforcements to strengthen the squad, But Exeter City are a really good side, Exeter City will be favourites, they have got a decent record at Priestfield Stadium, And if Gillingham are struggling against Harrogate Town, then what are we going to be like playing against Exeter City in a week's time, and that hope, optimism and enthusiasm I spoke about at the start of this paragraph, well, that changes completely if Neil Harris doesn't believe that he change the infrastructure at Gillingham Football Club and decides to resign and go somewhere else where Harris will be backed financially, Because Gillingham Need A U21 Team, Gillingham need Nicky Shorey to look at potential transfer targets and see who can Gillingham sign, we need to start tying players down to long term contracts, and the youth set up at Gillingham has been completely neglected for some-time now, I look at young players like Bailey Akehurst, Joseph Gbode and Matt Macarthur, And it is going to take the three of them eighteen months to develop from a youth team first year player, into a player who will regularly be named in the match-day squad or a first team player, like Jack Tucker and Bradley Dack, and those two players took a few years before they forced there way into the first team.
The talk about Neil Harris resigning is hyperbolic and over the top, But a lot of things do need to happen, like the implementation of A U21 Team, having a better scouting system to look at potential signings, start building up better links with Premier League and Championship Clubs to sign players on loan, and improve the youth set up at Gillingham Football Club - Look At AFC Wimbledon and there link with Brentford, AFC Wimbledon sign players on loan from Brentford every season because Brentford trust AFC Wimbledon to look after and develop there young players, why Gillingham cannot build a link like that with West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Brentford I have no idea.
And Walsall On Saturday could well see Neil Harris line up with Will Wright, Max Ehmer and Elkan Baggott in defence, Gillingham have been conceding goals, we may well need the extra security of a third centre back so Gillingham can start to keep clean sheets and maybe we need to nick a few games 1-0 before Gillingham start to open up and be more expansive, because the way Gillingham played for the first twenty five minutes against Harrogate Town, Gillingham could have scored three or four goals in those twenty minutes, But Harrogate Town had there chances to score as well, and defensively, Gillingham look so vulnerable, If Gillingham can sign Aaron Pierre, or sign A Adam Barrett or Gabriel Zakuani type of defender, a no nonsense experienced defender who would improve Gillingham's Defence, And Gillingham need to sign someone who will either start ahead of Max Ehmer, or, if Gillingham switch to a back three, start a new signing who can play alongside Max Ehmer and just make Gillingham stronger defensively.
Everyone I spoke to pre-match mentioned that Gillingham need to win against Harrogate Town, make Priestfield Stadium a fortress and get back to winning ways after losing to Tranmere Rovers, but post match, we are talking about another defeat, another game where Gillingham have not scored, another game where the opposition could have added to there goal tally, and there is still talk about the compensation fee's for Brandon Hanlan, Josh Chambers, Robbie McKenzie and Jack Tucker, and even if Gillingham got £2,000,000 for Jack Tucker from The Football League Tribunal for example, that fee can be paid slowly across five season's, and we don't get exact details on how much money Gillingham get per season, Players are often signed without disclosing the length of the contract, and there are concerns early on this season that Gillingham could be involved in another relegation battle, having just suffered relegation last season, Elkan Baggott and Ryan Law are both young players who will improve, but these two players are playing down the left side of Gillingham's Defence, they are going to make mistakes and they are going to be inconsistent, in-fact, three of the back five are loan signings, with Will Wright and Max Ehmer being the other two who are permanent signings, But I think the biggest concern is with Max Ehmer, who just doesn't look like the player he was back in 2019 / 2020, and we saw some sign's of that Max Ehmer in a few games last season, especially when Gillingham switched to a back three under Neil Harris, but in a back four, I think Max Ehmer's weaknesses get more exposed, I know we missed Shaun Williams badly last night, but both goals should have been defended much better, it's poor goals Gillingham are conceding at the moment.
And yet, Gillingham made a fantastic start to the match, Neil Harris demanded a response from his players, and we saw that right from the kick off - With Gillingham Kicking Towards The Rainham End In The First Half - And these were the chances created in that fast start for The Gills, ONE: Ben Reeves has possession of the ball in a central area of the pitch roughly twenty five yards from goal, And Ben Reeves passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law down the left side of the pitch in Harrogate Town’s Final Third, And Ryan Law takes a few touches in possession of the ball before working his way inside the penalty area, And Ryan Law’s low cross almost picks out Ben Reeves inside the penalty area before Harrogate desperately clear the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw TWO: Gillingham have a throw on down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Will Wright throws the ball short to Jordan Green, who passes the ball back out-wide to Will Wright, And Will Wright passes the ball down the line towards Jordan Green and looks to take on Jaheim Headley with his pace, And Jordan Green manages to win a corner kick for Gillingham in-front of The Rainham End, although, highlights do indicate that the final touch did come off Jordan Green, So Harrogate Town should have been awarded a goal-kick THREE: From The Resulting Corner Kick, Will Wright tries to pick out Mikael Mandron with a dangerous cross towards the far post which is headed clear and out of play for A Gillingham Throw On FOUR: And Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring from the resulting throw, Stuart O’Keefe throws the ball back to Ryan Law, who takes a touch to control the ball, and Ryan Law kicks the ball long down-field towards Mikael Mandron inside Harrogate Town’s Penalty Area, And Mikael Mandron wins the aerial challenge to header the ball down towards Ben Reeves, who chests the ball under control before firing a fiercely driven effort towards goal which clears Harrogate Town’s Crossbar - And Mark Oxley was well and truly beaten had Ben Reeves effort on goal hit the target - all these chances were created in the first three minutes of the match.
Joe Mattock is penalised and booked for pulling Jordan Green down to the deck, and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Will Wright whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross which is partially cleared away from goal and Olly Lee wins the second aerial challenge to header the ball square to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green over-runs the ball into central midfield and losses possession of the ball, But Stuart O’Keefe clips the ball through to Ben Reeves inside Harrogate Town’s Penalty Area, And Ben Reeves gets the ball under control before Joe Mattock gets to the loose ball, and pressure from Ben Reeves forces Joe Mattock to knock the ball out of play for a corner kick, and from the resulting corner, Ben Reeves whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and the ball has been flicked across the face of goal inside a crowded penalty area and Elkan Baggott wins the second aerial challenge and Kyle Ferguson headers the ball away from goal and Hakeeb Adelakun gets the ball under control, takes a few touches and passes the ball square towards Ben Reeves, who twist and turns and works his way inside Harrogate Town’s Penalty Area, And Ben Reeves has fired the ball low and across the face of goal, and all we needed was a touch from Mikael Mandron or Elkan Baggott and Gillingham would have taken the lead.
Ten Minutes Into The Match, And Stuart O’Keefe almost picks out Hakeeb Adelakun with a clipped pass forwards and Goalkeeper Mark Oxley was able to make the all important save, and a minute later, Harrogate Town, despite being under a lot of pressure in the opening ten minutes of the match almost take the lead, Gillingham have a throw on in Harrogate Town’s Final Third Of The Pitch, And From Here, Ryan Law throws the ball short to Stuart O’Keefe, who passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law is intercepted by Josh Austerfield, who passes the ball forwards towards Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison gets the ball under control and lays the ball off to Matty Daly, And Matty Daly gets the ball under control and runs forward in possession of the ball before picking out Jaheim Headley with a threaded through pass, and Jaheim Headley gets the ball under control before firing a low effort towards the bottom right corner of the net and Glenn Morris does brilliantly to turn the ball around the post at the expense of conceding a corner, And Harrogate Town almost opened the scoring with that effort on goal, and from the resulting corner kick, Joe Mattock whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post which no-one in A Harrogate Town Shirt can get on the end of and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.
Fourteen Minutes Into The Match, And Harrogate Town have been awarded a corner kick, and from the resulting corner, Harrogate Town almost took the lead, Joe Mattock passes the ball short to Stephen Dooley, and Stephen Dooley takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back to Joe Mattock, And Joe Mattock curls a dangerous cross / shot towards the far post, And Joe Mattock’s curling cross / shot towards goal goes just wide of the far left post with Glenn Morris diving at full stretch to prevent Harrogate Town from opening the scoring - I have to say that I thought that effort on goal from Joe Mattock was in, and that was a massive let off for The Gills.
Twenty Minutes Into The Match, And Elkan Baggott has possession of the ball for Gillingham in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Elkan Baggott tries to pick out Jordan Green with a diagonal cross-field cross and Jaheim Headley headers the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw, And From The Resulting Throw, Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring, Will Wright throws the ball square to Hakeeb Adelakun, and Hakeeb Adelakun gets the ball under control before passing the ball back to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law manages to pick out Hakeeb Adelakun with a threaded pass on the edge of Harrogate Town’s Penalty Area, And Hakeeb Adelakun whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross which Mikael Mandron cannot get on the end of and Jaheim Headley thinks he has more time on the ball to take a touch and clear, But Jordan Green nips in there to intercept the ball and Jordan Green’s first time effort towards goal is brilliantly saved by Mark Oxley and there is not much distance between Jordan Green and Mark Oxley, And The Harrogate Town Goalkeeper has made a fantastic save to keep the score-line goal-less.
And A Minute Later, Gillingham had another great chance to open the scoring, Gillingham had a free kick in there own half of the pitch and Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Mikael Mandron losses out on the aerial challenge and Olly Lee is on to the second ball and passes the ball out-wide to Will Wright, And Will Wright passes the ball down the line towards Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron passes the ball inside centrally towards Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe lays the ball off to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee passes the ball square to Elkan Baggott, Elkan Baggott then passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law takes a few touches in possession of the ball before laying the ball off to Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe passes the ball centrally towards Olly Lee, Olly Lee then passes the ball back towards Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer threads the ball down the line towards Will Wright, And Will Wright whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Kyle Ferguson wins the aerial challenge to header the ball away from Mikael Mandron, And Hakeeb Adelakun has to readjust his body to volley the ball across the face of goal and wide of the far post, And Mikael Mandron could not get on to the end of that volleyed effort from Hakeeb Adelakun to direct the ball goal-wards either - great technical ability from Hakeeb Adelakun to readjust so quickly as well.
But Twenty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Harrogate Town should have scored, Josh Austerfield kicks the ball long down-field and Alex Pattison evades the attempted challenged from Max Ehmer before working his way inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and although Will Wright times his sliding challenge to perfection, the ball loops up into the air and Ryan Law wins the initial aerial challenge on the edge of the penalty area and Stephen Dooley passes the ball through to Alex Pattison, and Alex Pattison takes one touch to control the ball and another touch to volley the ball over the crossbar from ten yards out, initially, I thought Alex Pattison was offside, but no offside flag was raised and Alex Pattison has missed a golden goal-scoring opportunity to give Harrogate Town the lead, And Glenn Morris also had to save a driven effort on goal from Josh Austerfield from the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area as Harrogate Town are causing Gillingham problems defensively.
So it wasn’t too much of a surprise to see Harrogate Town open the scoring after twenty four minutes, Mark Oxley kicks the ball long down-field and Will Wright wins the initial aerial challenge and Jaheim Headley is on to the second ball for Harrogate Town, And Jaheim Headley runs forwards in possession of the ball and plays a short pass forwards towards Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison runs down towards the byline in possession of the ball and pulls the ball across the face of goal and Matty Daly opens the scoring for Harrogate Town from close range, And Harrogate Town have taken the lead - GILLINGHAM 0-1 HARROGATE TOWN
Harrogate Town created a decent goal-scoring opportunity aerial attacking down our right side and Alex Pattison should have scored, but this time, Matty Daly has opened the scoring for Harrogate Town, Gillingham can also point to the chances we have created in the first twenty minutes of the match, but those chances have not been taken, where as Matty Daly has taken that opportunity for Harrogate Town, And Gillingham have all the work to do to try and find a equaliser at the very least.
Kyle Ferguson’s long ball down-field had to be headed out of play by Elkan Baggott for A Harrogate Town Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Joe Mattock whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Mikael Mandron and Hakeeb Adelakun win the first two aerial challenges to clear the ball away from goal, and moments later, Goal-Scorer Matty Daly was through down by the byline, And Matty Daly’s low cross was blocked by Elkan Baggott at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Joe Mattock whips in a dangerous cross towards the far post and Luke Armstrong headers the ball across the face of goal, and Alex Pattison has smashed the ball well high and wide of Gillingham’s Goal - but that was another opportunity for Harrogate Town, and the visitor’s could and perhaps should have extended there lead to 2-0.
Gillingham then have a throw on down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Will Wright throws the ball back to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee passes the balls square to Elkan Baggott, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball down the line to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law passes the ball inside centrally to Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe passes the ball forwards towards Mikael Mandron, who plays a one / two with Stuart O’Keefe before passing the ball square to Will Wright, who takes a touch to control the ball, And Will Wright’s long ball down-field is headed clear and Harrogate Town are desperate to clear there lines, and Elkan Baggot is on to the loose ball, And Elkan Baggott plays a cross-field cross pass to Will Wright, who gets the ball under control and passes the ball down the line to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green passes the ball inside to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee passes the ball square to Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, Ryan Law then passes the ball forwards to Hakeeb Adelakun, and Hakeeb Adelakun passes the ball back to Elkan Baggott, Elkan Baggott then lays the ball off to Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe passes the ball forwards towards Hakeeb Adelakun, who is looking around for passing options before passing the ball out-wide to Ryan Law, And Ryan Law whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Mikael Mandron gets the ball under control before laying the ball off to Jordan Green on the edge of the penalty area, And Jordan Green passes the ball square to Will Wright, who cuts inside and his shot towards goal with his left foot comfortably clears Harrogate Town’s Crossbar.
Hakeeb Adelakun wins a corner kick for Gillingham In The Thirty Seventh Minute, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Ben Reeves cross towards the far post is punch wide and away from goal by Goalkeeper Mark Oxley and Harrogate Town clear there defensive lines, But In The Thirty Ninth Minute Of The Match, Gillingham were pressing for the equaliser and almost hit on the counter attack, Jordan Green’s pass out-wide to Will Wright is intercepted by Jaheim Headley, and Jaheim Headley runs forwards in possession of the ball for Harrogate Town, And Jaheim Headley manages to thread a pass through to Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison is one on one with Gillingham Goalkeeper Glenn Morris, And Alex Pattison’s shot towards goal is brilliantly saved by Glenn Morris, and that save from Glenn Morris keeps Gillingham in the match at 1-0 down.
Gillingham then win a corner kick as we come close to the end of the first half, Ben Reeves in-swinging cross is headed partially clear and away from goal and Jordan Green is on to the loose ball, And Jordan Green turns and lays the ball off to Hakeeb Adelakun, and Hakeeb Adelakun passes the ball out-wide to Ben Reeves, And Ben Reeves gets the ball under control before whipping in a dangerous cross towards the far post and Elkan Baggott headers the ball over the crossbar.
Forty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Ryan Law almost picks out Will Wright with a dangerous cross towards the far post, And Jaheim Headley clears the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner, Ben Reeves whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Harrogate Town clear there defensive lines, and the visitor’s look like they are going to hit Gillingham on the counter attack, But Stuart O’Keefe times his challenge to perfection and does too much in possession of the ball and losses possession, there is then a challenge on Olly Lee on the touchline and Stuart O’Keefe passes the ball back to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer passes the ball forwards towards Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron lays the ball off to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green runs right towards the edge of the penalty area, and Josh Austerfield is penalised for a foul, and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in a fantastic position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Will Wright’s effort on goal is blocked by the wall and Ben Reeves follow up effort is also blocked and Harrogate Town clear there defensive lines.
HALF TIME: GILLINGHAM 0-1 HARROGATE TOWN
And In The Forty Seventh Minute Of The Match, Will Wright manages to win a corner kick for The Gills, and from the resulting corner kick, Gillingham had the chance to equalise, Will Wright whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Elkan Baggott’s header towards goal goes over the crossbar - that’s two headers on goal in this match that Elkan Baggott has been unable to direct on target, and that is something the young defender on loan from Ipswich Town is going to have to work on.
Forty Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Max Ehmer is penalised for a foul on Matty Daly, and from the resulting free kick, Harrogate Town had the chance to extend there lead to 2-0, Josh Austerfield switches the play to Kayne Ramsay who takes a touch to control the ball, and Kayne Ramsay passes the ball back to Miles Welch-Hayes, who gets the ball under control, and Miles Welch-Hayes boots the ball long down-field and Will Wright headers the ball away from goal and Ben Reeves and Olly Lee retain possession of the ball before passing the ball back to Will Wright, And Will Wright kicks the ball long down the line and Joe Mattock wins the aerial challenge and Jaheim Headley manages to retain possession of the ball and pass the ball back to Kyle Ferguson, And Kyle Ferguson passes the ball short forwards to Stephen Dooley, And Stephen Dooley passes the ball square to Miles Welch-Hayes, and Miles Welch-Hayes passes the ball forwards towards Stephen Dooley, who passes the ball square to Joe Mattock, And Joe Mattock passes the ball down the line towards Jaheim Headley, who knocks the ball inside first time to Matty Daly, And Matty Daly passes the ball through to Joe Mattock on the over-lap, And Joe Mattock passes the ball inside centrally to Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison passes the ball out-wide to Kayne Ramsay, who whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross first time which was comfortable for Glenn Morris to save.
And from here, Harrogate Town should have scored for 2-0, Glenn Morris rolled the ball short to Will Wright, And Will Wright takes too long in possession of the ball and passes the ball back to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer passes the ball back to Glenn Morris, and Glenn Morris passes the ball out-wide to Max Ehmer, who manages to keep the ball in play, and Max Ehmer’s clearance drops kindly to Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison lays the ball off to Stephen Dooley, And Stephen Dooley passes the ball short forwards to Matty Daly, And Matty Daly retain possession of the ball and lays the ball off to Stephen Dooley. And Stephen Dooley plays a one / two with Joe Mattock before passing the ball back to Josh Austerfield, who plays the ball out-wide to Jaheim Headley, and Jaheim Headley passes the ball down the line and a neat flick plays the ball through to Matty Daly, And Matty Daly takes a touch to control the ball and pass the ball down the line towards Alex Pattison, And Alex Pattison is through by the byline, And Alex Pattison takes a few touches before passing the ball across the penalty area, and Kayne Ramsay has completely missed a sitter and sliced the ball wide right in-front of the goal, and the ball has gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick - That should be 2-0 to Harrogate Town, no question - the visitor’s have missed a golden opportunity to go 2-0 up and Gillingham have got to wake up, because that goal-scoring opportunity came from a defensive error.
Hakeeb Adelakun then whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Joe Mattock headers the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner, And a chance for Gillingham here to equalise from this set play, and from the resulting corner kick, Olly Lee whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross which is headed partially clear and away from goal and Will Wright is on to the second ball, And Will Wright kicks the ball against Miles Welch-Hayes to win Gillingham a throw on in Harrogate Town’s defensive final third, and from the resulting throw, Gillingham had the chance to equalise, Will Wright throws the ball quickly to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball back to Will Wright, And Will Wright whips in a dangerous high and hanging cross and Mikael Mandron chests the ball under control and Mikael Mandron lays the ball off to Stuart O’Keefe, and Stuart O’Keefe’s driven effort towards goal is blocked by Stephen Dooley, and the ball deflects out of play for another Gillingham Corner Kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Will Wright whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Elkan Baggott headers the ball across the face of goal and the ball is headed partially clear by the visitor’s, And as Jordan Green is about to get a shot off on goal, Jordan Green is penalised for a foul on Kyle Ferguson, And Harrogate Town have been awarded a defensive free kick.
In The Fifty Seventh Minute Of The Match, Harrogate Town really should have doubled there lead to 2-0, Kayne Ramsay throws the ball short to Stephen Dooley, And Stephen Dooley passes the ball back to Kayne Ramsay, And Kayne Ramsay’s cross-field cross pass finds Jaheim Headley, and Jaheim Headley’s first touch see’s him go through on goal one on one with Glenn Morris and Glenn Morris makes a fantastic one on one save to prevent Jaheim Headley from scoring, and Matty Daly is on to the re-bound, and Glenn Morris gets a crucial touch on to the second ball to divert the ball away from Matty Daly and Jordan Green eventually was able to clear the ball away from goal - out-standing save from Glenn Morris, and that double save keeps Gillingham in the match at 1-0 down.
Sixty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham Make A Double Substitution, Cheye Alexandra and Scott Kashket come on to replace Will Wright and Stuart O’Keefe, Gillingham now switch to a 4-4-2 formation with Olly Lee and Ben Reeves in central midfield, Jordan Green and Hakeeb Adelakun out-wide, and Mikael Mandron and Scott Kashket up-front, Neil Harris clearly wants Scott Kashket to play on the shoulder of the last defender, and maybe two strikers up-front can find the equaliser for The Gills.
Gillingham have a throw on down The Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch, In Harrogate Town’s Final Third, and from the resulting throw, Gills had the chance to equalise, Cheye Alexandra hurls in a long throw and Elkan Baggott flicks the ball on and Josh Austerfield wins the next aerial challenge and George Thomson gets the ball half clear, But Ben Reeves was able to get the ball under control, And Ben Reeves losses and regains possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee passes the ball back all the way to Glenn Morris, And Glenn Morris kicks the ball long down-field and Mikael Mandron does not win the aerial challenge and Olly Lee is on to the loose ball and passes the ball square to Cheye Alexandra, And Cheye Alexandra passes the ball inside centrally to Ben Reeves, and Ben Reeves switches the play to Ryan Law down the opposite flank, and Ryan Law takes a touch to control the ball, but his pass out-wide was easily intercepted and Elkan Baggott is on to the second ball, And Elkan Baggott passes the ball down the line towards Ryan Law, And Ryan Law takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in a fantastic in-swinging cross towards the far post and Hakeeb Adelakun’s snap-shot effort towards goal was saved by Mark Oxley.
And having almost conceded with that effort on goal from Hakeeb Adelakun, Harrogate Town had a great chance to double there lead to 2-0, Mark Oxley kicks the ball long down-field and Luke Armstrong gets the ball under control, and Luke Armstrong passes the ball inside centrally to Matty Daly, And Matty Daly goes past Max Ehmer very easily before passing the ball towards Alex Pattison inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Alex Pattison’s shot towards goal goes over the crossbar, but it is another chance for Harrogate Town to double there lead though.
Seventy One Minutes Into the Match, And Max Ehmer has to header behind Joe Mattock’s cross at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, George Thomson whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Gillingham clear the ball away from the near post, and the second in-swinging cross was cleared by Max Ehmer, And In The Seventy Fourth Minute Of The Match, Alex MacDonald comes on for Hakeeb Adelakun, And Gillingham have made there third substitution out of five with two stoppages completed, We saw some promising sign’s of what Hakeeb Adelakun can do for Gillingham in his first full start for The Gills, and there is defiantly more to come from Hakeeb Adelakun once he starts training with the squad over the next week or two.
Seventy Five Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had the chance to score the equaliser, Jordan Green intercepts a pass and Jordan Green passes the ball forwards towards Mikael Mandron, And Mikael Mandron skips past a few challenges, runs forwards in possession of the ball and passes the ball forwards towards Jordan Green, And Jordan Green shows a great piece of skill to work his way into a shooting position, And Jordan Green drags his effort low and wide of the far right post - a half chance for Gillingham to try and find the equaliser.
Jordan Green manages to win Gillingham a corner kick as it got scrappy in the far corner, and from the resulting corner kick, Gillingham had the chance to equalise, Ben Reeves whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and the ball is half cleared by the visitor’s, and Olly Lee takes a touch to control the ball before firing a driven shot towards goal which is blocked by two Harrogate Town Players.
And a minute later, Luke Armstrong see’s his cross blocked by Ryan Law, and the ball goes out of play for A Harrogate Town Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Harrogate Town had the chance to score for 2-0, George Thomson whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Kyle Ferguson’s header towards goal goes over the crossbar, and that was a decent opportunity for Harrogate Town to double there advantage, Lewis Walker then comes on for Ryan Law as Gillingham make there fourth substitution of the game, but as we have stopped the game three times, this is the final substitution Gillingham can make, clearly, Neil Harris is throwing everyone forward to try and find a equaliser, and maybe, even kick on and try and find a late winner as well.
Eighty One Minutes Into The Match, And Scott Kashket whips in a cross towards Jordan Green, and although Jordan Green has gone to ground, this was never a penalty appeal and with Scott Kashket, Mikael Mandron, Lewis Walker and Jordan Green all in the final third, Gillingham have got to get the ball forwards towards those four players to try and find the equaliser at the very least.
Eighty Three Minutes Into The Match, And Alex MacDonald whips in a dangerous cross towards the far post and Mikael Mandron cannot get on to the end of that cross because Jaheim Headley headers the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Gillingham should really score the equaliser, Ben Reeves whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Mikael Mandron headers the ball over the crossbar, and Mikael Mandron and Elkan Baggott have both had chances to score for Gillingham from set plays and this is something that Gillingham have got to work on.
Eighty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Harrogate Town had a throw on down The Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, and from this throw, Harrogate Town double there lead to 2-0. Kayne Ramsay throws the ball down the line and although Elkan Baggott wins the aerial challenge, Elkan Baggott headers the ball centrally and Alex Pattison is on to the second ball and works his way inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, and Alex Pattison’s shot towards is parried by Glenn Morris into the inside of the post and the ball hits the back of the net for 2-0, nothing that Glenn Morris can do about that, terrible defending from Gillingham from a throw on again, and that second goal seals the win and all three points for Harrogate Town - GILLINGHAM 0-2 HARROGATE TOWN
Yes, It’s not a great header from Elkan Baggott, But really, one of Jordan Green, Max Ehmer and Cheye Alexandra have got to do better to prevent Alex Pattison from getting a shot off on target, and once that goal went in, most of the supporters left early because that was the game clinging goal, yes, team’s do battle back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 or win 3-2, but there is not long left now, and if it wasn’t for Glenn Morris, Harrogate Town would have scored this second goal much earlier on in the match as well.
Eighty Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham have a half chance for a consolation goal, Cheye Alexandra hurls in a long throw which is headed partially clear and away from goal and Jordan Green gets the ball under control before unleashing a fiercely driven effort towards goal which is blocked and cleared, and you have to say that’s the difference between both sides, Harrogate Town have players who throw themselves in-front of shots, close the angle, block shots, our defending, especially for the second goal is poor, and Gillingham just do not have the defenders of Gabriel Zakuani, Adam Barrett or Leon Legge quality in this side, Elkan Baggot and Ryan Law are both young and learning there way in the game, Will Wright is stepping up a level in The Football League and he will improve in time, But Gillingham need a experience commanding no nonsense centre back, because unfortunately, Max Ehmer just looks like he is struggling at the moment, and Gillingham need another centre back to not only strengthen that area of the pitch, but to also find someone who can come in and give Max Ehmer a breather.
Gillingham win a corner in The Ninety Fourth Minute As Scott Kashket’s cross was charged down, and from the resulting corner kick, Alex MacDonald’s cross is half cleared and Jordan Green passes the ball square to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball inside centrally to Jordan Green, And Jordan Green takes a touch to control the ball before looking to thread a through-ball through to Max Ehmer, But the ball goes out of play for A Harrogate Town Goal-Kick.
And the final noteworthy moment of the match see’s Luke Armstrong tee up Alex Pattison on the edge of the penalty area, And Alex Pattison works his way into a shooting position and firing a fiercely driven effort towards goal over Gillingham’s Crossbar, and after six additional minutes of added time, Harrogate Town win 2-0, and for Gillingham, It’s two league games in a row with two defeats, five conceded and no goals scored, and Gillingham just look weak in both boxes, and this defeat is concerning, losing away to Tranmere Rovers who have got a strong home record at Prenton Park is one thing - even though that defeat was disappointing - losing at home to Harrogate Town in a game that Gillingham needed to win is very concerning and this match was the first of three home matches in a row, and Gillingham needed to start this run with a win, Walsall and Exeter City will both be difficult opponents and Gillingham need to win both matches just to put the last two defeats behind us.
FULL TIME: GILLINGHAM 0-2 HARROGATE TOWN
Gillingham: Morris, Wright (Alexander 65), Ehmer, Baggott, Law (Walker 81), Lee, O’Keefe (Kashket 65), Green, Reeves, Adelakun (MacDonald 75), Mandron. Subs not used: Turner (GK), Tutonda, MacArthur.
