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fan-of-mulligan · 4 years ago

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FOM BLOG: AFC WIMBLEDON 1-1 GILLINGHAM - 2021 / 2022 SEASON

I Left My House At 3.10PM On Tuesday Afternoon, And I made sure that I had the following things on me,,,,,, Money, Keys, My AFC Wimbledon Ticket, My Sony Xperia XA1, My Four Pocket Jacket, 500ML Bottle Of Coca Cola, Portable Charger, Lids, Bag, Polo’s And Pad and Pens, And I double checked that I had everything on me before leaving the house and making the ten minute walk to get to the bus stop opposite The White Horse Pub which was the pick up point for The Kings Ferry Coach.

Gillingham had mentioned earlier in the day that tickets for AFC Wimbledon were “match ticket only” and pay on the day wasn’t an option, and that’s why I made my way down to Priestfield Stadium On Monday Afternoon so that I made absolutely certain that the match ticket was in my hand and I wasn’t faced with the prospect of having to get into a queue to get my ticket at AFC Wimbledon’s Ground, and then queuing up again to get inside the away end, after all, look at the problems we had at Plymouth Argyle On Saturday where we arrived just ten minutes before kick off at Home Park, and we had to sprint from the coach to get to the turnstiles for the away end before making our way pitch side just as the players walked out on to the pitch at Home Park, Had we queued twice on Saturday, then we would have missed kick off for sure.

I don’t think anyone is surprised that The Kings Ferry Coach has completely sold out for the short trip to AFC Wimbledon, It’s not far to go to AFC Wimbledon, and this is a new ground to tick off, and I think Gillingham have sold over 900 tickets for what is essentially a local League One Fixture being played on A Tuesday Night under the floodlights, Everyone has been looking forward to this match as soon as this fixture was announced, New Plough Lane is a new stadium to tick off my football stadium list and looking at the rest of the clubs in League One, Cambridge United and Sheffield Wednesday will also be new stadiums for me to tick off my stadium list this season as well.

I saw Gary and Paul standing by the bus stop and spoke to them, And Paul and Myself mentioned to Gary that he did not miss much on Saturday, and we spoke about the horrendous traffic problems we had at the weekend, And The A303 Is A Terrible Road to travel down at the best of times, But traveling down The A303 in the first week of August is a complete nightmare, and considering that we left from Rainham at 7AM in the morning and we arrived at Home Park at 2.50PM, Your talking a good eight hours on the coach traveling one way as well, Plymouth Argyle fully deserved the win on Saturday, But we were hoping that Gillingham could hang on for a bit longer to earn ourselves a 0-0 draw, Because considering how poor Gillingham were in the second half, a point would have been a decent point, But Luke Jephcott’s late winner for Plymouth Argyle sealed the win for the hosts, and the result was fully deserved for Plymouth Argyle as well.

Because of traffic problems around Sittingbourne Train Station, The Kings Ferry Coach was half an hour late and arrived at 4PM and not at the announced 3.30PM Time, And once the coach arrived, we got on the coach and I sat two rows from the very back, and once I sat down in my seat, I uploaded the following status update on to Social Media,,,, On my way to Plough Lane as Gillingham take on AFC Wimbledon In League One This Evening, Hopefully, Gillingham can get our season up and running with Gillingham picking up all three points tonight - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!

I had also predicted My Starting Line Up, And My Predicted Gillingham Match-Day Squad Was As Follows,,,, Jamie Cumming (GK), Rhys Bennett, Max Ehmer, Jack Tucker, David Tutonda, Daniel Phillips, Stuart O’Keefe, Kyle Dempsey, Olly Lee, Mustapha Carayol, Vadaine Oliver SUBS: Aaron Chapman (GK), Harvey Lintott, Christian Maghoma, Bailey Akehurst, Danny Lloyd, Gerald Sithole and John Akinde - I am hoping Ryan Jackson recovers in time to start for Gillingham against AFC Wimbledon, Rhys Bennett is A Centre Back playing out of position at Right Back, And Gillingham switched to a back three when Bennett came on as a sub against Plymouth Argyle at the weekend.

We made our way towards Priestfield Stadium to pick up the majority of supporters who had booked themselves on the coach, Peter Lloyd did say that the coach was completely packed for the short trip to AFC Wimbledon, And The Kings Ferry Coach we were on had plenty of legroom, but no portable chargers, and I always bring my portable chargers with me for every away game now, That way, regardless if there are chargers on the coach or not, you are safe in the knowledge that you have got spare battery power to be used to charge up your Mobile Phone and other electrical devices.

Charlie sat in the seat next to me, And Diane and Ethan sat in the seats in-front of me, And we spoke about the up and coming League One Fixture against AFC Wimbledon and how Gillingham can do with a win just to get our season up and running, Because if you look at Gillingham’s Next Three League One Fixtures, Gillingham are playing against AFC Wimbledon, Morecambe and Shrewsbury Town, three teams that you think will be looking to avoid relegation this season and these are the matches that Gillingham need to pick up points from quickly, otherwise, you are dragged into A League One Relegation Battle just a few weeks into the season.

And in-between The Morecambe and Shrewsbury Town Matches, Gillingham host Cheltenham Town In The League Cup Second Round, And Gillingham’s entire season could well be decided on winning against Cheltenham Town, and Gillingham getting a money spinning tie in the third round of The League Cup, Because if Gillingham were to win against Cheltenham Town, and were drawn away to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City or Tottenham, then the gate revenue from that match could well provide Steve Evans with some funds to strengthen the squad before the transfer window closes - Yes, Gillingham can still sign free agents after the transfer window has closed, But your probably looking at players like A Ollie Muldoon or Jesse Starkey type of player, someone who can come in and provide you with a bit more squad depth, rather then sign three or four players who can come in and walk straight into the starting line up.

And it is very concerning that Gillingham’s entire season is dependant on Gillingham winning against Cheltenham Town and getting a money spinning tie in the third round of The League Cup, But that appears to be the precarious position that Gillingham Football Club are in at this moment in time, I also mentioned to Diane and Charlie that AFC Wimbledon have the same bag policy as Wembley Stadium where you cannot take a bag with you of any kind inside the ground, which is ridiculous, I can understand the bag policy at Wembley Stadium, But for AFC Wimbledon V Gillingham On A Tuesday Night, No, I think the bag policy is a foolish policy, and when you combine The AFC Wimbledon Bag Policy, With Match Tickets Only, and there is hardly any parking spots around the ground as there is residential parking only, then AFC Wimbledon haven’t really put a lot of thought into building there new stadium, Because surely you would have had parking spaces for supporters as part of your consideration when building a new stadium.

For supporters who were traveling to New Plough Lane Via Car, I did wonder if supporters were going to park at a train / tube station, pay for parking in the car park and get the train / tube to New Plough Lane ??? Especially if parking around the ground was going to be residential parking only, and had this match been played on A Saturday Afternoon, I would have been more tempted to travel to AFC Wimbledon via train / tube, But because I am not sure where the closest train or tube station is and there isn’t a descriptive guide about New Plough Lane on Football Ground Guide, I booked myself on the coach for the trip to AFC Wimbledon.

Once we had picked everyone up from Priestfield Stadium And The Coach And Horses, We were on our way to AFC Wimbledon and once everyone was on the coach, Peter went through all the formalities of the rules and regulations, and The Coach Prices for Adults and Children and no alcohol on the coach - not that anyone would carry alcohol on the coach - and the travel costs were £17 for Adults, and £14 for Juniors, Peter spoke about how the tickets went on sale for AFC Wimbledon V Gillingham On Friday Afternoon and how this fixture is very much a all ticket fixture and pay on the day isn’t an option for supporters, we also had a problem regarding where to park the coach and there could be a bit of a walk from The Kings Ferry Coach to New Plough Lane, and we will find out how far we have to walk to the ground when we get there.

Peter came round to collect the coach fare, And I had seven pounds worth in change which I used to pay the £17 coach fare, It meant that Peter got the exact amount of money from me and some change for anyone who had paid with A £20 Note, I mentioned to Diane that there is still no news regarding The Five Free Tickets, The Bronze Supporters Club or The Free Shirt, Because I had asked in The Ticket Office On Monday, And Tickets For Gillingham V Cheltenham Town In The League Cup had not gone on sale either, Diane wanted to make sure that the shirt fits, and I would like to try on the football shirt before getting my free shirt, Because we know that football shirt sizes sometimes get mixed up, and sometimes you need to buy one or two shirt sizes bigger to ensure that the shirt fits properly, And with The Club Shop Closed, The Ticket Office not running at full capacity, and The Factory being refurbished, the club is not in a great position on or off the pitch at this moment in time either.

Gabriel asked for score predictions for anyone going to A Football League Game On A Tuesday Night, And I mentioned the following,,,,,, AFC Wimbledon 2-2 Gillingham - Hopefully, Vadaine Oliver can get himself up and running with a goal or two tonight, If, Gillingham are to get a draw or win this evening, Then Gillingham need Vadaine Oliver to be on goal-scoring form - And that’s something that does concern me at the moment, Vadaine Oliver hasn’t scored and other then the one on one effort against Lincoln City on the opening day of the season, Vadaine Oliver hasn’t even looked close to scoring either, and without Jordan Graham on the right wing whipping in crosses, the supply to Vadaine Oliver has been almost non existent.

Charlie and Myself spoke about the four teams relegated from League One Last Season, and after two games this season, Northampton Town are fourth, Swindon Town are ninth, Rochdale are fifteenth, And Bristol Rovers are twenty third, and although it is early on in the season and far too early to talk about who is getting promoted, who is reaching the playoffs, and who is getting relegated, the idea of anyone suggesting that maybe Gillingham should get relegated into League Two, So that Gillingham can win games and bounce back into League One is one I completely disagree with, although ending 20th in League One three years in a row is a less then ideal hypothetical scenario, You only have to look at Southend United who have suffered back to back relegations from League One into The Conference National, And there are also clubs like Chesterfield and Stockport County who have played in League One who are currently playing in The Conference National.

The idea that you can bounce back from relegation at the first time of asking is something that does not happen often, Gillingham did bounce back at the first attempt when Gillingham won The League Two Playoff Final In The 2008 / 2009 Season against Shrewsbury Town, But when Gillingham were relegated back into League Two after suffering relegation at the end of The 2009 / 2010 Season, It took three years before Gillingham bounced back into League One, And if this season is starting to look like A League One Relegation Battle, Then I do believe it is important that Steve Evans remains as Gillingham Manager for the full season, Because Steve Evans Experience could be vital in ensuring that Gillingham pull themselves away from the relegation zone.

We eventually arrived outside AFC Wimbledon’s Ground at 18.15PM And The Kings Ferry Coach parked on St Martin’s Way, And Peter Lloyd mentioned that we had quite a long walk to get to the away end from the coach and to make sure we know exactly where we are going, and before getting off the coach, I made sure I had everything on me that I needed to take with me inside the ground, especially The AFC Wimbledon Ticket, And I thought it be a good idea to take a photo of one of the road sign’s, so we knew exactly which road we were on so that we can get back to the coach without any problems after the game.

Fortunately, there were plenty of sign’s guiding away supporters to the entrance towards the away end and the walk towards New Stadium Lane wasn’t as long as anticipated, But the queue for the turnstiles was already a long queue, and there were plenty of stewards outside the ground, and I do wonder how reserved seating was going to be implemented ??? Charlie and Myself saw Alan Pardew making his way inside New Plough Lane and Alan Pardew never played or managed either Wimbledon or AFC Wimbledon, But I do wonder if Alan Pardew has been brought in as Director Of Football because AFC Wimbledon Manager Mark Robinson has had a lot of different roles at the football club, But he is now in the managerial hot seat and might need some assistance ???

The Turnstiles were then opened for away supporters and it took a while to get into the ground, But we finally were in the back of the away end, And I brought My Match-Day Programme For £3, And Diane brought her programme before mentioning to me to buy her any match-day programmes for any up and coming away games if there are programmes printed for supporters to buy, I then headed towards the refreshments Stand To Buy A 500ML Bottle Of Coca Cola And A Dairy Milk Bar For £4, Charlie paid £4 for A Cheese-Burger and said that the burger was OK, But not worth £4, and that’s the problem I have with buying food inside the ground, Your paying expensive prices for food that is not always worth the price, Yes, Burger King and KFC Are expensive at the service stations, But you know what you are getting for your money, And I tend to try and avoid paying for food inside a football stadium unless it is 100% unavoidable.

Now comes the most important part, Are the tickets reserved seating, or can you sit or stand anywhere ??? I caught up with Diane and where Diane and Ethan were sitting, And Diane and Ethan had decent seats, better then my seat in the far corner of Block 111 that is for sure, But I am going to try and go somewhere more central behind the goal, And regardless where we are standing or sitting tonight, at least we’re no longer standing on that terrace at Kingsmeadow anymore, sometimes teams move from old stadiums to new stadiums and the move is a real shame, and Brentford’s Griffin Park and Barnet’s Underhill come to mind straight away, But I don’t think anyone is going to miss Kingsmeadow, Because New Plough Lane looks a lot better, and you can tell that the three smaller stands can be replaced and AFC Wimbledon can expand there stadium capacity if and when required to do so.

I stood directly behind the goal and right on the back row as well, and we have to wait and see on who has reserved the seats and what will happen when we get closer to the kick off time, It appears that reserved seating isn’t being implemented, even though reserved seating was mentioned when you paid for your ticket, But we have to wait and see on what happens when more supporters arrive in time before the match starts, I do prefer unreserved seating, Because those who wish to stand will stand towards the back, and those who wish to sit down, will sit down towards the front and supporters can sort out the standing and sitting arrangements themselves, I think the one match where reserved seating was completely unavoidable was Tottenham Away In The League Cup In The 2016 / 2017 Season.

Eventually, Gillingham’s Team News Was Announced On Twitter, And Gillingham Lined Up As Follows,,,,,, Jamie Cumming, Robbie McKenzie, Max Ehmer, Jack Tucker, David Tutonda, Stuart O’Keefe, Danny Lloyd, Kyle Dempsey, Ben Reeves, Olly Lee, Vadaine Oliver SUBS: Aaron Chapman (GK), Rhys Bennett, Harvey Lintott, Christian Maghoma, Bailey Akehurst, Gerald Sithole, And Mustapha Carayol - Great to see Robbie McKenzie starting at Right Back, I think Rhys Bennett is a decent player at Centre Back and Defensive Midfield, But he isn’t a right back, But Ryan Jackson, Daniel Phillips and John Akinde are all not in the squad for this match, At the time, I did not realise that Daniel Phillips wasn’t in the squad until I looked at the team-sheet again.

I spoke with Nicholas pre-match, And Nicholas was able to finding a parking space close to New Plough Lane, and with all the information on AFC Wimbledon’s Website about there being residential parking around the new stadium and how difficult it is to find a parking space, I did wonder if supporters who were traveling via car would have to park at a train or tube station and make there way to New Plough Lane via train and tube, and then travel back to where there car was parked after the game, Had AFC Wimbledon V Gillingham been played on A Saturday Afternoon and there was a guide on Football Ground Guide, I would have been more tempted to travel via train / tube.

Nicholas went back to his seat, and I spoke with James, who did manage to get his back-pack inside the ground, and I thought supporters could not bring bags of any kind with them into the ground, hence why I was wearing a four pocked jacket, James mentioned that he could only go to Mid-Week matches for now, And Cambridge United V Gillingham is being played on A Tuesday Night, and if Gillingham were to win against Cheltenham Town and get drawn away to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United, then those matches will also be played in mid-week, Gillingham can do with a cup run, and getting a money spinning third round tie in The League Cup would do nicely, the last cup match which captured the enthusiasm amongst supporters was Gillingham V West Ham United In The FA Cup Third Round In The 2019 / 2020 Season.

But The League Cup Tie Is The Following Tuesday on Tuesday The 24th Of August, Our attentions turn to this important League One Fixture between AFC Wimbledon and Gillingham at New Plough Lane, and congratulations must go to AFC Wimbledon for moving back to there spiritual home, the new stadium is a huge improvement on the old Kingsmeadow Stadium, and it looks like AFC Wimbledon are close to selling out the entire ground for the first home game under the floodlights.

And both teams are out on to the pitch and line up in-front of the main stand, And AFC Wimbledon are kicking towards The Cherry Reds Stand, And Gillingham are kicking towards The Movers Stand, Meaning that both teams will be kicking towards there own supporters in the second half, hopefully, Gillingham can put that disappointing result against Plymouth Argyle behind them and Gillingham can pick up our first league win of the season against AFC Wimbledon - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FIRST HALF:

And from the kick off, Kyle Dempsey takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer takes a touch to control the ball before kicking a diagonal cross-field cross towards Vadaine Oliver, And Vadaine Oliver Henry Lawrence and Paul Kalambayi all cannot win the aerial challenge and the ball goes out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Throw On, And as we approach the first minute of the match, Ayoub Assai is late jumping into the back of Max Ehmer and Gillingham have been awarded a defensive free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Kyle Dempsey wins the aerial challenge to flick the ball on and Olly Lee tries to get the ball under control, But Daniel Csoka and George Marsh both manage to dispossess the ball from Olly Lee and Paul Kalambayi manages to kick the ball long towards the halfway line and Aaron Pressley manages to win the aerial challenge to header the ball down towards Paul Osew, And Paul Osew passes the ball down the line towards Dapo Mebude, And Dapo Mebude over-runs the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw On Down The Main Stand Side Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Throw On, Robbie McKenzie throws the ball long down the line and Daniel Csoka wins the initial aerial challenge and Kyle Dempsey wins the second fifty / fifty challenge and Alex Woodyard takes no chances and kicks the ball into touch and Gillingham have a throw on right in-front of the dugouts, and from the resulting throw on, Robbie McKenzie throws the ball long down the line and Vadaine Oliver wins the initial aerial challenge to flick the ball on towards Danny Lloyd, And Will Nightingale has come across to shield the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Goal-Kick.

Three Minutes Into The Match, David Tutonda times his challenge to perfection on Henry Lawrence, and the final touch must have come off The AFC Wimbledon Right Wing Back, Because Gillingham were awarded a throw on, on the halfway line - Hopefully, we can see more of a promising performance from David Tutonda, Because he has not put in the best of performances for Gillingham in the previous three matches, I know David Tutonda has missed a large part of pre-season because of the enforced break, But we do need to see more out of Tutonda, especially as Gillingham do like there full backs to provide plenty of width.

And From The Resulting Throw On, Gillingham had a half chance to open the scoring, David Tutonda throws the ball long down the line and Vadaine Oliver flicks the ball on towards Danny Lloyd, And Danny Lloyd turns past Will Nightingale and runs down towards the byline, And Danny Lloyd whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross which was comfortably saved by Nik Tzanev - Unfortunately, Vadaine Oliver and no other Gillingham Player was inside the penalty area to get on to the end of that cross from Danny Lloyd.

And From Here, Nik Tzanev throws the ball short to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka runs forwards in possession of the ball up towards the halfway line, And Daniel Csoka’s threaded through-ball is intercepted by Kyle Dempsey and the ball ricochets towards Vadaine Oliver, And Vadaine Oliver runs through towards goal, even though he is being quickly charged down, And Vadaine Oliver’s shot towards goal from twenty five yards out is saved and gathered by Nik Tzanev at the second attempt, And that was the chance for Gillingham to open the scoring, And if Gillingham are to pick up all three points against AFC Wimbledon, Then Gillingham have got to create clear cut goal-scoring opportunities for Vadaine Oliver.

Four Minutes Into The Match, And Robbie McKenzie times his sliding challenge to perfection on Aaron Pressley, and the ball goes back towards Will Nightingale on the halfway line, And Will Nightingale’s long pass down the line towards Paul Osew was over-hit and goes out of play for A Gillingham Throw On, But Paul Osew was flagged for offside by The Linesman and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, And From Here, AFC Wimbledon somehow have a free kick on the halfway line when Paul Osew was flagged for offside, and from the resulting free kick, Will Nightingale passes the ball short to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard runs forwards in possession of the ball and his pass forwards towards Aaron Pressley see’s Stuart O’Keefe win the initial aerial challenge and Max Ehmer wins the second aerial challenge, and we thought that Stuart O’Keefe had timed his challenge to perfection on Dapo Mebude, But Referee Carl Brook has awarded AFC Wimbledon a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch.

And From The Resulting Free Kick, AFC Wimbledon had the chance to take the lead, Henry Lawrence’s driven effort towards goal from the free kick hits Gillingham’s Defensive Wall and Stuart O’Keefe gets the ball partially clear and away from goal, however, Henry Lawrence takes one touch to get the ball under control and another touch to smash a fiercely driven effort towards goal which Jamie Cumming was able to save and gather at the second attempt before Ayoub Assai can get to the loose ball, a very good save by Jamie Cumming, who must have saw the ball very late from Henry Lawrence’s shot towards goal, And although Vadaine Oliver had the chance to open the scoring earlier, Henry Lawrence has had the best goal-scoring opportunity of the match so far.

Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Paul Osew has thrown the ball back towards Nik Tzanev, And The AFC Wimbledon Goalkeeper has prevented the ball from going out for A Gillingham Corner Kick by kicking the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw On, I have to say that the throw from Paul Osew has put Nik Tzanev in trouble, And The AFC Wimbledon Keeper had no choice but to kick the ball out of play, and from the resulting throw on, Gillingham had the chance to take the lead, Robbie McKenzie throws the ball short to Danny Lloyd, And Danny Lloyd passes the ball out-wide to Robbie McKenzie, And Robbie McKenzie takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back to Danny Lloyd, And Danny Lloyd whips in a low curling cross towards the near post which was comfortable for Nik Tzanev to save in goal for AFC Wimbledon - Had Ryan Jackson been named In Gillingham’s Starting Line Up, Gillingham would have launched a long throw inside AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area.

Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham win themselves a free kick on the halfway line right in-front of the dugouts, Robbie McKenzie has hurled a long throw down the line and Daniel Csoka is penalised for fouling Vadaine Oliver, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Ben Reeves whips in a high and hanging cross and Will Nightingale wins the aerial challenge to header the ball clear down the main stand side of the pitch and Ben Reeves gets to the loose ball and looks to play the ball down the line towards Kyle Dempsey and Alex Woodyard gets to the ball first and passes the ball forwards towards Dapo Mebude, And Dapo Mebude keeps the ball in play and passes the ball back towards Alex Woodyard, who skilfully goes past Ben Reeves and passes the ball down the line towards Ayoub Assai, And Robbie McKenzie has clipped Ayoub Assai and AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a free kick, And Robbie McKenzie has been booked for that foul on The AFC Wimbledon Number Ten - Very concerning that Robbie McKenzie has been booked inside the first eleven minutes of the match, and now Robbie McKenzie has to be careful for the rest of the game - and from the resulting free kick, George Marsh whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Will Nightingale flicks the ball on towards Paul Kalambayi, And The AFC Wimbledon Defender cannot keep the ball in play and the ball goes out for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

Twelve Minutes Into The Match, And AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a throw on down the smaller stand side of the pitch, and from the resulting throw on, Henry Lawrence throws the ball short to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard passes the ball out-wide to Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence cuts inside into a more central position on the pitch, And Henry Lawrence plays a one / two with George Marsh, And Henry Lawrence passes the ball back to George Marsh, George Marsh then plays a square ball to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka passes the ball out-wide to Paul Osew, And Paul Osew gets the ball under control and takes on Danny Lloyd, And Paul Osew has mis-kicked his cross inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Jamie Cumming gathers the ball with ease.

Thirteen Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham have been awarded a throw on down the smaller stand side of the pitch, and from this throw, AFC Wimbledon cause Gillingham problems, David Tutonda throws the ball short to Kyle Dempsey, And Kyle Dempsey passes the ball back out-wide to David Tutonda, And David Tutonda manages to pick out Robbie McKenzie with a squared pass on the halfway line, And Robbie McKenzie gets the ball under control, runs forwards in possession of the ball, And Robbie McKenzie’s pass out-wide to Danny Lloyd is intercepted by Paul Osew, And Paul Osew runs forwards into Gillingham’s Half Of The Pitch, And thankfully, Paul Osew’s squared pass was not the best, And Stuart O’Keefe manages to intercept the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Danny Lloyd, And Danny Lloyd losses possession of the ball to Aaron Pressley and Aaron Pressley passes the ball out-wide to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard passes the ball inside to George Marsh, And George Marsh passes the ball back towards Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka passes the ball back to Will Nightingale, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball forwards towards George Marsh, And George Marsh passes the ball back to Will Nightingale, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard passes the ball out-wide to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka passes the ball back to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale passes the ball back out-wide to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka takes a touch to control the ball before kicking the ball long down-field, and although Max Ehmer wins the initial aerial challenge, the second ball drops kindly to Ayoub Assai, And Ayoub Assai gets the ball under control before passing the ball out-wide to Paul Osew, And Paul Osew is through down the left side of the pitch in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Paul Osew looks to pass the ball back to Dapo Mebude, and Danny Lloyd manages to intercept the ball, And Danny Lloyd is being double marked by Dapo Mebude and Ayoub Assai, And Danny Lloyd tries to pass the ball back to Robbie McKenzie, but Paul Osew is on to the loose ball and threads the ball down the line towards Ayoub Assai, and Ayoub Assai is through on goal by the byline, And Ayoub Assai manages to cut the ball back towards Dapo Mebude inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Dapo Mebude does a double spin inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Dapo Mebude is penalised for fouling Stuart O’Keefe, And Gillingham have been awarded a defensive free kick.

But that was so easy for AFC Wimbledon to get through down the left side of the pitch - Gillingham’s Right - And we can consider ourselves fortunate that Ayoub Assai’s pass towards Dapo Mebude wasn’t the best and that Dapo Mebude chose to double spin inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area which just allowed Stuart O’Keefe to nip in there to intercept the ball and win Gillingham a defensive free kick, there was plenty of frustration from Gillingham Supporters aimed to the players on the pitch, because that was disappointing defending from The Gills.

And from the resulting free kick, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver wins the aerial challenge to header the ball down the line towards Olly Lee, But Will Nightingale had come across to shield the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Goal-Kick, And From The Resulting Goal-Kick, Nik Tzanev kicks the ball long down-field and Robbie McKenzie wins the aerial challenge to header the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Throw On, And In The Eighteenth Minute Of The Match, Olly Lee is penalised for a foul on George Marsh inside AFC Wimbledon’s Half Of The Pitch, and the hosts have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Alex Woodyard played a one / two with Daniel Csoka before passing the ball back towards Goalkeeper Nik Tzanev, And Nik Tzanev plays a short pass out-wide to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball forwards towards Dapo Mebude on the halfway line, And Dapo Mebude is challenged by Stuart O’Keefe, who won the ball first, But Referee Carl Brook has awarded AFC Wimbledon a free kick, much to the frustrations of every Gillingham Supporter in the away end, And Stuart O’Keefe was also very frustrated with that refereeing decision as well, and from the resulting free kick, George Marsh and Daniel Csoka kept possession of the ball between the two of them and Daniel Csoka passes the ball back towards Goalkeeper Nik Tzanev, And Nik Tzanev kicks the ball long down-field and Jack Tucker wins the fifty / fifty challenge, and Henry Lawrence is on to the second ball and passes the ball square to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard plays a one / two with Ayoub Assai, And Alex Woodyard passes the ball out-wide to Paul Kalambayi, And Paul Kalambayi’s pass down the line towards Henry Lawrence is slightly over-hit, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Throw On.

Twenty Minutes Into The Match, And Alex Woodyard is penalised for a foul on Ben Reeves just in AFC Wimbledon’s Half Of The Pitch, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Ben Reeves plays a short pass towards Kyle Dempsey, And Kyle Dempsey passes the ball square to Robbie McKenzie, And Robbie McKenzie takes a heavy touch to control the ball and passes the ball back to Jamie Cumming, And Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Will Nightingale wins the initial aerial challenge and Danny Lloyd wins the second aerial challenge, And Danny Lloyd’s header has gone out for play for A AFC Wimbledon Throw On, in-front of the main stand, I can see what Danny Lloyd was trying to do with that header with Danny Lloyd looking to header the ball down the line towards Olly Lee.

But Gillingham have completed the first objective, which is get to the twenty minute mark with the score-line at 0-0, Gillingham have been on the back-foot and Jamie Cumming has saved Henry Lawrence’s driven effort towards goal and we just need to see a bit more from Gillingham as an attacking threat, our best chance came from intercepting the ball and Vadaine Oliver’s shot towards goal was saved by Nik Tzanev, Gillingham need to get Vadaine Oliver more involved in the match if The Gills are to get a result away against AFC Wimbledon.

Twenty One Minutes Into The Match, And Paul Osew has played a long ball over the top which was comfortable for Jamie Cumming to gather with ease, And In The Twenty Second Minute Of The Match, AFC Wimbledon were awarded a free kick when Jack Tucker was penalised for a late sliding challenge on Aaron Pressley, And AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, and the passage of play prior to the free kick being awarded saw AFC Wimbledon dominate possession of the ball as well, and from the resulting free kick, George Marsh tries to pick out Will Nightingale on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Ben Reeves clears the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Throw On - Gillingham have conceded a few free kick’s in and around our penalty area, and that’s something that The Gills need to be concerned about.

Twenty Five Minutes Into The Match, And David Tutonda is penalised for handball and AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Alex Woodyard passes the ball back to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale passes the ball square to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka takes a touch to control the ball before running forwards in possession of the ball, And Daniel Csoka passes the ball square to George Marsh, And George Marsh takes a touch to control the ball before trying to thread a through-ball down the line which is blocked by Olly Lee, And Stuart O’Keefe gets on to the loose ball first and George Marsh is penalised for a foul on Stuart O’Keefe, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick on the halfway line, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring, Jack Tucker kicks a high and hanging diagonal cross-field cross and the ball bounces inside AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area and Henry Lawrence has booted the ball clear and away from danger and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Throw On Down The Left Side Of The Pitch.

And From The Resulting Throw On, David Tutonda throws the ball back to Jack Tucker who takes a touch to control the ball and Jack Tucker skilfully evades Aaron Pressley closing him down and Jack Tucker kicks the ball long down the left side of AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area, And Vadaine Oliver chests the ball under control and looks to get a shot off on goal and Paul Kalambayi times his sliding challenge to perfection, and the ball deflects out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick - COME ON GILLS!!!! Roared From The Away End - And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Olly Lee whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Paul Kalambayi wins the initial aerial challenge to header the ball clear towards the edge of AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area, And Stuart O’Keefe headers the ball back inside the penalty area and Aaron Pressley headers the ball clear and Robbie McKenzie gets to the loose ball ahead of Ayoub Assai, And I thought that Ayoub Assai had fouled Robbie McKenzie and Gillingham should have been awarded a free kick, however a throw on to AFC Wimbledon was awarded instead.

In The Twenty Eighth Minute Of The Match, And AFC Wimbledon should have opened the scoring, AFC Wimbledon have a throw on in-front of the dugouts and Paul Osew throws the ball back towards Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka passes the ball back towards Nik Tzanev, And Nik Tzanev passes the ball back out-wide to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka runs forwards in possession of the ball and Daniel Csoka manages to pick out Paul Osew with a long pass down the line, and Paul Osew has the pace to get to the ball first and Robbie McKenzie cannot get stuck in and Paul Osew is now through down the left side of Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Paul Osew turns back away from goal and passes the ball back towards Dapo Mebude, And Dapo Mebude plays a first time pass square to Ayoub Assai, and although Ben Reeves slides in to nick the ball, the loose ball falls kindly to Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence see’s his shot towards goal brilliantly blocked by David Tutonda, and the loose ball ricochets back towards Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard’s first time shot towards goal clears Gillingham’s Crossbar by some considerable distance - But that was another chance for AFC Wimbledon to open the scoring though.

In The Twenty Ninth Minute Of The Match, Dapo Mebude is penalised for a foul on Robbie McKenzie and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Gillingham had the chance to take the lead, Ben Reeves whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Nik Tzanev is quick off his line to gather the ball, all be it with some difficulty.

Thirty Five Minutes Into The Match, And Dapo Mebude pushes Robbie McKenzie down to the deck and Gillingham have been awarded a defensive free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and although Daniel Csoka wins the initial aerial challenge, the loose ball drops towards Vadaine Oliver, And Vadaine Oliver is double marked by George Marsh and Paul Kalambayi, and the ball ricochets through to Nik Tzanev In The AFC Wimbledon Goal, And From Here, Nik Tzanev kicks the ball long down-field and Robbie McKenzie wins the initial aerial challenge and Robbie McKenzie wins the second aerial challenge to header the ball forwards and Daniel Csoka’s pass forwards ricochets into Dapo Mebude’s path down by the byline, and I have to say that Dapo Mebude has gone down to the deck very easily there and Robbie McKenzie has been very harshly penalised from Referee Carl Brook.

And From The Resulting Free Kick, George Marsh quickly passes the ball down the line towards Ayoub Assai, And Ayoub Assai works his way down the line and passes the ball back towards Paul Osew, And Paul Osew is twisting and turning before passing the ball back to George Marsh, And George Marsh passes the ball square to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard takes a touch to control the ball before clipping a high and hanging ball inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Will Nightingale wins the aerial challenge to knock the ball down towards Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka see’s his shot towards goal cleared by Max Ehmer and George Marsh wins the aerial challenge to header the ball forwards towards Dapo Mebude, And Dapo Mebude gets the ball under control, turns facing towards goal, And Dapo Mebude unleashes a fiercely driven effort towards goal which flashes just wide of the far right post and Jamie Cumming had dived at full stretch as well - AND THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR AFC WIMBLEDON TO TAKE THE LEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And from the resulting goal-kick, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field George Marsh wins the aerial challenge up against Vadaine Oliver and Dapo Mebude headers the ball on towards Ayoub Assai, But Jack Tucker was in the right place at the right time to header the ball back towards Jamie Cumming, and from here, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver wins the aerial challenge to header the ball inside to Ben Reeves, And Ben Reeves gets the ball under control before twisting and turning, and Ben Reeves manages to pass the ball out-wide to David Tutonda down the left side of the pitch in AFC Wimbledon’s Final Third, And David Tutonda plays a one / touch layoff to Kyle Dempsey, And Kyle Dempsey works his way inside into a more central position on the edge of the penalty area, And Kyle Dempsey threads a through pass through to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee turns past Daniel Csoka and Olly Lee manages to get a shot off on goal and Nik Tzanev makes a very important save to keep the score-line goal-less and Will Nightingale and George Marsh manage to get the loose ball clear.

But that clearance is only a temporary reprieve because Max Ehmer headers the ball forwards towards Ben Reeves, And Ben Reeves passes the ball out-wide to Robbie McKenzie, And Robbie McKenzie whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the back-stick, And Henry Lawrence’s clearance almost picks out Ayoub Assai, But Kyle Dempsey on the stretch manages to intercept the ball and David Tutonda passes the ball back towards Stuart O’Keefe, And Stuart O’Keefe takes a touch to control the ball and Stuart O’Keefe plays a short pass square to Kyle Dempsey, And Kyle Dempsey takes a few touches in possession of the ball before managing to pick out Robbie McKenzie with a diagonal cross-field cross pass, And Robbie McKenzie is completely taken out by Dapo Mebude and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick and Dapo Mebude was quite rightfully booked for that challenge - I was screaming REF!!! At the time as well.

And from the resulting free kick, Ben Reeves cross / shot goes completely wide of the far post and that free kick from Ben Reeves was a complete waste, But this has been better and slightly more encouraging from Gillingham, Olly Lee’s shot towards goal is saved and Gillingham are just asking more questions from AFC Wimbledon Defensively.

But the next passage of play see’s AFC Wimbledon in the ascendancy as Max Ehmer has to clear Alex Woodyard’s dangerous in-swinging cross towards the edge of the penalty area and George Marsh is on to the loose ball, and George Marsh manages to pass the ball out-wide to Ayoub Assai, And Ayoub Assai takes on Robbie McKenzie, cuts inside into a more central position on the pitch, And Ayoub Assai has clipped a high and hanging cross toward the far side of Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Henry Lawrence wins the aerial challenge to header the ball across the face of goal and Aaron Pressley’s first time effort towards the bottom left corner of the net bounces up off the turf and Jamie Cumming dives low quickly to make a very solid save in goal for The Gills - AGAIN, THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR AFC WIMBLEDON TO OPEN THE SCORING!!!!!!!!!!

But Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring in The Forty Second Minute as Alex Woodyard is penalised for a foul on Kyle Dempsey on the far side, and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Olly Lee whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Daniel Csoka wins the initial aerial challenge to header the ball clear towards the edge of AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area, And Ben Reeves first time effort towards goal on the volley goes through everyone inside a crowded penalty area and Goalkeeper Nik Tzanev saves and gathers the ball at the second attempt, either side of The AFC Wimbledon Goalkeeper and Ben Reeves would have opened the scoring for Gillingham - HUGE CHANCE FOR THE GILLS THOUGH!!!!!!!!

And In The Forty Fourth Minute Of The Match, Stuart O’Keefe’s long ball down-field almost manages to pick out Vadaine Oliver and Stuart O’Keefe’s long ball down-field was too long for Vadaine Oliver to get on the end of and the ball runs through to Nik Tzanev, And just as we are entering first half stoppage time, Dapo Mebude almost manages to thread a through-ball through to Ayoub Assai inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, But Jack Tucker has comes across to slide in and tackle the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Throw On.

And the final noteworthy moment of the first half see’s George Marsh time his challenge to perfection on Olly Lee, and after two additional minutes of added time, Referee Carl Brook blows his whistle for half time, and the half time score-line at New Plough Lane Is AFC Wimbledon 0-0 Gillingham, With quite a few supporters around me opting to go to the refreshments stand to get something to eat and drink at half time.

HALF TIME: AFC WIMBLEDON 0-0 GILLINGHAM

I uploaded the following status update on to social media at half time, and I had posted the following,,,,,,,, HALF TIME: AFC WIMBLEDON 0-0 GILLINGHAM - AFC Wimbledon have dominated possession and created plenty of chances to open the scoring, Cummings saved a low shot towards goal as Gills had blocked the initial shot from the free kick, And Oliver's shot towards goal was saved by Tnazev, After Tutonda made the block, AFC Wimbledon had a fiercely driven effort go just wide of the far left post, Lee's Shot towards goal was also saved. But it is only a matter of time before AFC Wimbledon open the scoring, Gillingham are very much on the back foot in the first half.

And the stats from the first half do bare out that Gillingham have been on the back foot, AFC Wimbledon have had 67% possession, Seven shots on goal but two of those seven shots have been on target, Gillingham have had three shots on goal which have all been on target, AFC Wimbledon’s passing accuracy is 74% and passing into Gillingham’s final third is 61 passes, Gillingham have had 48 passes into AFC Wimbledon’s final third, but that possession stat is the stat that really stands out, OK, Gillingham don’t tend to have much possession of the ball, But only 33% is just inviting more and more pressure from the opposition.

One thing I mentioned with Reece at half time was the fact that Steve Evans has to stay as Gillingham Manager This Season, I think when we look at the performance and the results against Plymouth Argyle and what we have currently seen from AFC Wimbledon V Gillingham so far, Gillingham are in for a long challenging season this season, And if Gillingham are going to be involved in a relegation battle, then the experience Steve Evans has got could be “oh so important” in helping Gillingham to avoid relegation into League Two.

After AFC Wimbledon, Gillingham play Morecambe at home and Shrewsbury Town Away In League One, and I looked at these four fixtures against Plymouth Argyle, AFC Wimbledon, Morecambe and Shrewsbury Town as an opportunity for Gillingham to pick up points quickly, Because if Gillingham don’t get at least six points from these three games, then Gillingham are going to be in the relegation zone after just five league games, and your then spending the rest of the season battling to avoid relegation, Just look at the poor start Gillingham had in The 2017 / 2018 Season, And Steve Lovell got the job and did a magnificent job in ensuring that Gillingham avoided relegation into League Two.

And regarding the argument that if Gillingham go down to League Two, then Gillingham might experience a successful promotion season, Well, Southend United have suffered back to back relegations into The Conference National, Port Vale, who went down when Gillingham stayed up in 2016 / 2017 are still in League Two, Scunthorpe United just about retained there Football League Status and Walsall have been battling towards the bottom of League Two, rather then challenging towards the top, I rather end 20th in League One then get relegated, Because with relegation comes the certainty that Jack Tucker and Kyle Dempsey will be sold, Now both players might leave Gillingham anyway, But we’re in a better position to find replacements for both players if Gillingham are in League One compared to finding for replacements for both players when we are in League Two.

Both teams were then out on to the pitch ready for the second half, and there were no substitutions from either Steve Evans or Mark Robinson, One change I can see happening is Robbie McKenzie being substituted either for Rhys Bennett or Harvey Lintott, Robbie McKenzie is making his first appearance of the season and with that booking in the first half, it would be sensible to take off Robbie McKenzie at some point in the second half, I also forgot that John Akinde wasn’t named on the substitutes bench, a real shame because John Akinde coming on at some point in the second half would have been a useful option to have for Gillingham, If we need to find a winning goal late on in the match.

SECOND HALF:

And right at the start of the second half, Henry Lawrence is penalised for a foul on Ben Reeves down the main stand side of the pitch, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in there own defensive final third, and from the resulting free kick, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver wins the initial aerial challenge and the ball ricochets off Paul Kalambayi, and the ball falls fortuitously into Nik Tzanev’s Path, and that ricochet could have gone anywhere as well, And from here, Nik Tzanev kicks the ball long down-field and although Jack Tucker has won the initial aerial challenge, Aaron Pressley has been penalised for a foul on Jack Tucker and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Will Nightingale wins the initial aerial challenge and Stuart O’Keefe is on to the second ball and runs down the left side of the pitch in possession of the ball, And Stuart O’Keefe is double marked by Alex Woodyard and Ayoub Assai, And Alex Woodyard now has possession of the ball for AFC Wimbledon, And Alex Woodyard kicks the ball long down-field and Jack Tucker wins the aerial challenge to header the ball forwards and George Marsh wins the second aerial challenge and Ben Reeves headers the ball inside to Kyle Dempsey on the halfway line, And Kyle Dempsey manages to retain possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Robbie McKenzie, And Robbie McKenzie passes the ball down the line towards Olly Lee, And Daniel Csoka times his sliding challenge to perfection to knock the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw On.

And From The Resulting Throw On, Robbie McKenzie throws the ball short to Danny Lloyd, And Danny Lloyd passes the ball back out-wide to Robbie McKenzie, And Robbie McKenzie takes a touch to control the ball before playing a short pass forwards towards Danny Lloyd, And Danny Lloyd cuts inside before passing the ball inside to Ben Reeves in a more central position on the pitch, And Ben Reeves has possession of the ball roughly twenty five yards from goal and Ben Reeves takes a touch to control the ball before threading a pass out-wide to Olly Lee down the smaller stand side of the pitch in AFC Wimbledon’s Final Third, And Olly Lee tries to take on Daniel Csoka towards the byline, But Daniel Csoka times his challenge to perfection and the ball ricocheted off Olly Lee out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Goal-Kick - But this is much better and more of an encouraging display from The Gills.

And From The Resulting Goal-Kick, Nik Tzanev kicks the ball long down-field, and Jack Tucker wins the initial aerial challenge and Henry Lawrence kicks the ball up into the air, and Aaron Pressley was penalised for jumping into the back of Kyle Dempsey, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver wins the aerial challenge to flick the ball on towards Max Ehmer and Will Nightingale wins the aerial challenge to header the ball partially away from goal and Ben Reeves kicks the ball against Paul Osew, And Gillingham’s Penalty Appeal was waved away, But Ben Reeves gets on to the loose ball and kicks the ball against Paul Osew, and the ball deflects out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And The Atmosphere raises in volume from The Gillingham Supporters In The Cherry Reds Stand.

And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Olly Lee whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the near post and Paul Osew manages to header the ball clear towards the edge of AFC Wimbledon’s Penalty Area, And the ball bounces through towards Ayoub Assai and although Stuart O’Keefe had momentarily intercepted the ball, George Marsh is on to the loose ball and passes the ball forwards towards Ayoub Assai, And Ayoub Assai goes past Stuart O’Keefe’s attempted challenge before continuing his run down the left side of the pitch, And Ayoub Assai continue’s his run towards the edge of the penalty area before passing the ball square to George Marsh, And George Marsh is forced to turn away from goal and Stuart O’Keefe is penalised for fouling George Marsh, And AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch - although it is frustrating that Gillingham have gone from an attacking corner to now conceding a free kick in a matter of seconds though.

And from the resulting free kick, AFC Wimbledon had the chance to take the lead, Ayoub Assai’s low shot towards goal from twenty five yards out is routinely saved by Jamie Cumming, And I have to say that given how central that free kick was, I was expecting a more clinical effort towards goal from the home side, And for now, Gillingham Supporters can breath a sigh of relief, And from here, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Daniel Csoka wins the initial aerial challenge and Kyle Dempsey and Ben Reeves win the next two aerial challenges and Will Nightingale wins the next aerial challenge up against Olly Lee, and Stuart O’Keefe tries to header the ball square to Ben Reeves, But Paul Osew headers the ball inside to George Marsh, And George Marsh’s header out-wide is intercepted by David Tutonda, And David Tutonda runs forwards in possession of the ball and David Tutonda’s pass back to Ben Reeves is intercepted by Ayoub Assai, who manages to retain possession of the ball by turning back on himself and passing the ball back to Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence plays a one / two with George Marsh before passing the ball back to Paul Kalambayi, And Paul Kalambayi passes the ball back towards goalkeeper Nik Tzanev, And Nik Tzanev passes the ball out-wide to Alex Woodyard down the main stand side of the pitch, And Alex Woodyard runs forwards in possession of the ball before playing a one / two with Ayoub Assai, And Alex Woodyard passes the ball down the line towards Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence manages to pass the ball inside towards Ayoub Assai, And Ayoub Assai runs forwards towards the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area before passing the ball out-wide to Paul Osew, And Paul Osew passes the ball back towards George Marsh roughly twenty five yards from goal, and being urged to shoot from The AFC Wimbledon Supporters, George Marsh’s shot towards goal is blocked by Jack Tucker and the ball ricochets out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Throw On.

And From The Resulting Throw On, Daniel Csoka throws the ball short to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard passes the ball back out-wide to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka’s pass down the line is charged down by Danny Lloyd, and the ball ricochets out of play for another AFC Wimbledon Throw, And From The Resulting Throw On, AFC Wimbledon have the chance to score the opening goal of the game, Daniel Csoka’s long throw is headed clear by Kyle Dempsey and George Marsh wins the fifty / fifty challenge to knock the ball back to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard plays a short pass square to Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence passes the ball out-wide to Paul Osew, And Paul Osew takes a heavy touch before playing the ball back to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard plays a short pass forwards towards Ayoub Assai, And Ayoub Assai plays the ball back to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard passes the ball square to George Marsh, and George Marsh passes the ball out-wide to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka takes a touch to control the ball before taking on Danny Lloyd and firing in a dangerous low cross which Max Ehmer was able to clear away from goal and Alex Woodyard is on to the loose ball and passes the ball out-wide to Ayoub Assai, And Ayoub Assai takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Paul Osew, And Paul Osew wins the fifty / fifty challenge up against David Tutonda, And Paul Osew passes the ball back towards the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area and George Marsh and Danny Lloyd go in for the loose ball, and maybe George Marsh should have been penalised for a foul on Danny Lloyd, But Daniel Csoka is on to the loose ball, And Daniel Csoka takes a touch to control the ball before firing a long range effort clear of Gillingham’s Crossbar by some considerable distance, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

But all Gillingham are doing in that passage of play is just inviting the pressure from AFC Wimbledon, and the hosts are having a lot of the ball in the wide area’s, and Gillingham have got to find a way to ensure that Vadaine Oliver, Danny Lloyd, Olly Lee and Kyle Dempsey can have more of the ball in AFC Wimbledon’s Half Of The Pitch.

But In The Fifty Fourth Minute Of The Match, David Tutonda is penalised for pulling Ayoub Assai back and AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a free kick roughly twenty five or thirty yards from goal, And David Tutonda has been booked for pulling Ayoub Assai back as well, and from the resulting free kick, Henry Lawrence whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Max Ehmer has done just about enough to header the ball clear and away from goal at the expense of conceding a corner kick, And The AFC Wimbledon Supporters are getting right behind there team as the home fans are anticipating a goal for AFC Wimbledon from this set play, and from the resulting corner kick, Henry Lawrence whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Henry Lawrence’s cross somehow goes all the way through to Ayoub Assai at the far post and Ayoub Assai is challenged by Jack Tucker down the main stand side of the pitch, And Jack Tucker’s interception knocks the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Throw On In Gillingham’s Defensive Final Third.

And From The Resulting Throw On, Paul Osew hurls in a long dangerous throw and Aaron Pressley headers the ball across the face of goal towards the back post and Jack Tucker headers the ball clear and away from goal and Dapo Mebude has possession of the ball for AFC Wimbledon on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Dapo Mebude see’s his shot towards goal blocked by Vadaine Oliver and Kyle Dempsey boots the ball clear and away from goal and the ball runs through to Goalkeeper Nik Tzanev, And Nik Tzanev plays a short pass to Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence passes the ball out-wide to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard has to turn back on himself and retain possession of the ball despite being closely marked by Olly Lee, And Alex Woodyard passes the ball inside to Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence passes the ball down the line towards Paul Osew, And Paul Osew hooks the ball over his shoulder to Aaron Pressley, And Aaron Pressley passes the ball back to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard’s forward pass deflects off Jack Tucker straight to Aaron Pressley, And Aaron Pressley passes the ball out-wide to Paul Osew, And Paul Osew passes the ball back to Alex Woodyard, who is out-wide down the main stand side of the pitch, And Alex Woodyard whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the back-stick, And Robbie McKenzie takes no chances and chests the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Corner Kick - I am not sure if Robbie McKenzie was trying to chest the ball back to Jamie Cumming, Or, Robbie McKenzie took no chances and cleared the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Corner Kick There - but either way, the hosts have another chance to cause Gillingham more problems from this corner kick.

And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Ayoub Assail quickly passes the ball short to Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence tries to work his way inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Kyle Dempsey times his challenge to perfection and Danny Lloyd almost manages to intercept George Marsh’s pass as well, but Ayoub Assai manages to get on to the loose ball and pass the ball square to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard takes a touch to control the ball before clipping a high and hanging cross towards Henry Lawrence and Jack Tucker was clattered into and Gillingham are not awarded a defensive free kick as Aaron Pressley has possession of the ball for AFC Wimbledon, And Aaron Pressley back-heals there ball back to Dapo Mebude, And Dapo Mebude tries to play a one / two with Henry Lawrence, And Vadaine Oliver times his interception to perfection and Danny Lloyd runs down the right flank in possession of the ball, cuts inside centrally and squares the ball to Olly Lee, And Olly Lee takes a touch to control the ball before playing a short pass square to Ben Reeves, And Ben Reeves passes the ball back to Jack Tucker, And Jack Tucker plays a one / two with Max Ehmer before passing the ball out-wide to David Tutonda, And David Tutonda passes the ball back to Jamie Cumming, And Jamie Cumming takes a few touches in possession of the ball before kicking the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver wins the initial aerial challenge and Will Nightingale wins the second aerial challenge, and David Tutonda is on to the loose ball, And David Tutonda’s first time pass forwards was comfortably saved by Nik Tzanev in goal for AFC Wimbledon.

Fifty Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Paul Kalambayi almost manages to pick out Paul Osew with a long pass down-field down the main stand side of the pitch, But Jamie Cumming was quick off his goal-line to kick the ball into touch at the expense of conceding a throw on, and from the resulting throw, AFC Wimbledon had the chance to open the scoring, Paul Osew throws the ball back towards Ayoub Assai, and Ayoub Assai takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Paul Osew, And Paul Osew takes on David Tutonda and whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Jack Tucker headers the ball partially clear and away from goal and George Marsh plays a lofted up and under pass towards Dapo Mebude down the left side of the pitch, And Dapo Mebude is twisting and turning and taking on Robbie McKenzie, And Dapo Mebude manages to pass the ball back towards George Marsh, And George Marsh takes one touch to control the ball and another touch to curl a dangerous curling effort towards goal which was comfortable for Jamie Cumming to save in goal for Gillingham.

But with both Robbie McKenzie and David Tutonda booked, both of Gillingham’s Full Backs cannot dive into challenges, and you just wonder if Steve Evans will look to bring on either young players Harvey Lintott and Bailey Akehurst, or, maybe consider bringing on Rhys Bennett at Right Back and Mustapha Carayol at Left Back, granted both Bennett and Carayol would be playing out of position, but they would provide Gillingham with a bit more experience and fresh legs for the remaining minutes left in this match.

And once the ball does go out of play, Steve Evans makes a double substitution In The Sixty First Minute Of The Match, As Harvey Lintott and Mustapha Carayol come on for Robbie McKenzie and Danny Lloyd, Robbie McKenzie was making his first starting appearance for Gillingham and with that yellow card earlier on in the match, it made sense for McKenzie to be substituted, Mustapha Carayol on for Danny Lloyd will hopefully see Gillingham provide something different in the final third, Because AFC Wimbledon have dominated this match in large spells.

Sixty Three Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham have been awarded a defensive free kick as Ayoub Assai was penalised for fouling Jack Tucker, and from the resulting free kick, Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver wins the aerial challenge to flick the ball on towards Olly Lee, And Olly Lee’s ambitious volleyed effort towards goal hits the back of The Cherry Reds Stand and the ball has gone out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Goal-Kick, Had Olly Lee struck that volley over his shoulder and into the back of the net from an acute angle, your talking technical skill that would not look out of place in The Premier League.

And once the ball had gone out of play, AFC Wimbledon make a triple substitution As Luke McCormick, Ollie Palmer and Ethan Chislett all come on to replace Dapo Mebude, Aaron Pressley and Paul Osew, AFC Wimbledon making a triple substitution is clear intentions from manager Mark Robinson, that he is trying to win this home league game for AFC Wimbledon, And it perhaps also shows that AFC Wimbledon have got more depth and quality on there bench compared to Gillingham as well.

Sixty Five Minutes Into The Match, And Jack Tucker is penalised fo fouling Ollie Palmer right by the byline, And AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, And Jack Tucker was shown a yellow card by Referee Carl Brook, And From The Resulting Free Kick, AFC Wimbledon had the chance to open the scoring, Luke McCormick whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the back post, and Paul Kalambayi wins the aerial challenge up against Max Ehmer to header the ball towards goal and Jamie Cumming makes a routine save in goal for Gillingham - AFC Wimbledon Supporters were appealing for a penalty kick, But Referee Carl Brook waved away any penalty appeals.

Sixty Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Daniel Csoka can consider himself fortunate that he was not penalised for a late challenge on Vadaine Oliver, the ball has at least deflected out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And Gillingham have the chance to open the scoring from this set piece, and from the resulting corner kick, Olly Lee whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Paul Kalambayi wins the initial aerial challenge and Ollie Palmer flicks the ball through to Luke McCormick, And Luke McCormick plays a give and go with Ethan Chislett and Harvey Lintott is in the right place at the right time to partially clear the ball away from danger and Ollie Palmer looks to thread a first time through-ball through to Ayoub Assai, And Jack Tucker comes across to kick the ball clear into touch at the expense of conceding a throw on, and from the resulting throw on, Henry Lawrence throws the ball back to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball forwards towards Ethan Chislett, And Ethan Chislett turns back on himself and passes a short pass out-wide to Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence passes the ball back towards Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard is forced to pass the ball back towards Paul Kalambayi, and Paul Kalambayi kicks the ball long down-field and Ethan Chislett just about manages to keep the ball in play by hooking a dangerous cross across the face of goal and Max Ehmer was in the right place at the right time to clear the ball out of play for another AFC Wimbledon Throw On.

And from the resulting throw, Daniel Csoka throws the ball back towards Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back out-wide to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka takes a touch to control the ball before clipping the ball long down the line towards Luke McCormick, who see’s his initial cross charged down by Harvey Lintott, And Ollie Palmer is first to the loose ball, and Ollie Palmer takes on Max Ehmer and whips in a low dangerous cross and Jack Tucker clears the ball out-wide and away from goal and Will Nightingale wins the aerial challenge up against Olly Lee, And George Marsh manages to keep the ball in play, And George Marsh passes the ball out-wide to Ethan Chislett, And Ethan Chislett cuts inside and whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Jamie Cumming gathers the ball with ease from that cross - But AFC Wimbledon are really pilling on the pressure on to Gillingham’s Goal.

But In The Seventy First Minute Of The Match, David Tutonda is penalised for a mis-timed challenge on Henry Lawrence right on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, and that mis-timed challenge from David Tutonda had dire consequences for The Gillingham Left Back, As David Tutonda was sent off for two bookable offences, and that sending off is a triple whammy for Gillingham, ONE: Gillingham are now down to ten men TWO: AFC Wimbledon are in a great position to pick up all three points from this match AND THREE: Gerald Sithole was about to come on for Gillingham and give us a pacey alternative up-front, and that substitution is now not going to happen for The Gills, and all three scenario’s combined is very very irritating, Because Gillingham’s chances of drawing, let alone winning this match are slim to nothing now - Will Nightingale was also shown a yellow card, but given that Gillingham are down to ten men, AFC Wimbledon can tally up yellow cards for there out-field players whilst they have got a numerical advantage

And from the resulting free kick, Luke McCormick’s curling effort towards goal fails to hit the target by some considerable distance, and the ball has gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, and once the ball had gone out of play, Rhys Bennett has come on to replace Ben Reeves as Gillingham make there third and final substitution and Rhys Bennett will line up at left back for Gillingham, The rest of this match is now damage limitation and can Gillingham hold on for a 0-0 draw.

Seventy Five Minutes Into The Match, And Stuart O’Keefe is penalised for a foul on Luke McCormick, And AFC Wimbledon have been awarded a free kick, and Gillingham are just losing there way a bit here, and from the resulting free kick, Luke McCormick passes the ball short to George Marsh, And George Marsh passes the ball out-wide to Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence had Ayoub Assai as an option for a over-lapping pass, But Henry Lawrence whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Jamie Cumming has gathered that cross with ease.

Seventy Six Minutes Into The Match, And Alex Woodyard’s cross is blocked by Rhys Bennett at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and the atmosphere from The AFC Wimbledon Supporters raises in volume, and from the resulting corner kick, Luke McCormick whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Ethan Chislett keeps the ball in play and Ethan Chislett passes the ball back towards Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in a high and hanging cross and Daniel Csoka headers the ball down inside the six yard box and Jack Tucker has sliced his clearance up into the air and Jamie Cumming does really well to punch the ball wide and away from goal and Mustapha Carayol manages to win a defensive throw on for The Gills.

And From The Resulting Throw, AFC Wimbledon really should have scored, Rhys Bennett throws the ball long down the line and Alex Woodyard passes the ball back towards Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale passes the ball forwards towards George Marsh, And George Marsh clips the ball long down the line and Rhys Bennett and Mustapha Carayol do enough between the two of them to pass the ball back to Jack Tucker, who clears the ball away from goal and George Marsh passes the ball forwards towards Luke McCormick, And Luke McCormick passes the ball out-wide to Ethan Chislett, And Ethan Chislett takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Ollie Palmer’s Header towards goal was routinely saved by Jamie Cumming - But it is only a matter of time before AFC Wimbledon do score because the hosts are knocking on the door constantly.

Seventy Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Ollie Palmer is penalised for fouling Jack Tucker, and the defensive free kick just gives Gillingham some much needed breathing space, and from the resulting free kick, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Will Nightingale wins the initial aerial challenge and Olly Lee wins the second aerial challenge and Mustapha Carayol does brilliantly to get the ball under control before turning out-wide and Mustapha Carayol tries to run wide in possession of the ball down towards the byline, But Paul Kalambayi had come across to shield the ball out of play for A AFC Wimbledon Goal-Kick.

Eighty One Minutes Into The Match, And AFC Wimbledon really should have scored, Ethan Chislett has possession of the ball down the left side of the pitch for AFC Wimbledon, And Ethan Chislett passes the ball inside centrally towards Ayoub Assai, And Ayoub Assai takes a touch to control the ball, and Ayoub Assai passes the ball square to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard takes a few touches in possession of the ball before taking on Olly Lee and Alex Woodyard threads a through-pass through to Ethan Chislett, And Ethan Chislett’s first time shot towards goal was brilliantly saved by Jamie Cumming - AND THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR AFC WIMBLEDON TO OPEN THE SCORING!!!!!! - Stuart O’Keefe was unable to intercept the pass with a sliding challenge, But that save from Jamie Cumming keeps the score-line goal-less, We take a 0-0 draw, no-one is thinking Gillingham will win, and if the match ends goal-less then this a point gained.

And a minute later, AFC Wimbledon had the chance to score again, George Marsh has possession of the ball in central midfield, And George Marsh passes the ball square to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard’s forward pass is intercepted by Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer passes the ball forwards towards Vadaine Oliver, and Vadaine Oliver cannot retain possession of the ball and Ethan Chislett passes the ball out-wide towards Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka runs forwards right inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Daniel Csoka whips in a cross / shot which neither hits the target, or, picks out a team-mate at the far post, and the ball has gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

But In The Eighty Fifth Minute Of The Match, AFC Wimbledon finally scored, and the goal had been coming for some-time as well, Alex Woodyard has possession of the ball down the main stand side of the pitch, And Alex Woodyard plays a one / two with George Marsh before passing the ball back to George Marsh, And George Marsh passes the ball square to Will Nightingale, And Will Nightingale passes the ball out-wide to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka passes the ball down the line towards Ethan Chislett, And Ethan Chislett passes the ball centrally to George Marsh, And George Marsh tries to clip a diagonal cross-field cross and Mustapha Carayol headers the ball clear and Olly Lee boots the ball further away from goal and Paul Kalambayi passes the ball back towards Goalkeeper Nik Tzanev, And Nik Tzanev passes the ball back towards Paul Kalambayi, and Paul Kalambayi passes the ball centrally towards George Marsh, And George Marsh passes the ball towards Daniel Csoka by switching the play to the opposite flank, And Daniel Csoka passes the ball down the line towards Ethan Chislett, And Ethan Chislett looks to take on Harvey Lintott before passing the ball back to George Marsh, And George Marsh passes the ball out-wide to Daniel Csoka, who passes the ball forwards to Ollie Palmer, And Ollie Palmer manages to retain possession of the ball before passing the ball back to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard passes the ball down the line towards Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence keeps possession of the ball and passes the ball back to Alex Woodyard, And Alex Woodyard passes the ball out-wide to Ayoub Assai, And Ayoub Assai passes the ball back to Henry Lawrence, And Henry Lawrence passes the ball square to George Marsh, And George Marsh passes the ball out-wide to Daniel Csoka, And Daniel Csoka whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Ollie Palmer’s glancing header manages to pick out the far right corner of the net, and there is nothing that Jamie Cumming can do about that and AFC Wimbledon have taken the lead - AFC WIMBLEDON 1-0 GILLINGHAM.

The goal has been coming for some-time now, and just like Plymouth Argyle Away On Saturday, the hosts have scored late on to win the match, And Gillingham are facing up to the reality of back to back away defeats to Plymouth Argyle and AFC Wimbledon, two sides who struggled to retain there League One Status Last Season, and when you looked at Gillingham’s four fixtures against Plymouth Argyle, AFC Wimbledon, Morecambe and Shrewsbury Town, these were four fixtures that Gillingham needed to pick up points from if we are to make a solid start to the season, and not be in the relegation zone so early on into the campaign.

AFC Wimbledon understandably celebrated that late goal, Because 1-0 up against A Gillingham Side who were on the back-foot prior to David Tutonda’s Sending Off, But after the sending off, it has been all AFC Wimbledon and the hosts are in a great position to pick up all three points, Plymouth Argyle Away saw Gillingham put in a terrible second half performance, But AFC Wimbledon Away has been even more of a disappointing performance from The Gills, and Morecambe at home is looking like a must win game just for Gillingham to try and get themselves out of the relegation zone, and then we got Shrewsbury Town, which becomes another must win game for the exact same reason.

Eighty Six Minutes Into The Match, And Mustapha Carayol is penalised for a soft foul on Alex Woodyard, and moments later, Jack Tucker is penalised for fouling Ayoub Assai and AFC Wimbledon Supporters think Jack Tucker will be sent off, But Jack Tucker was only given a warning, and from the resulting free kick, AFC Wimbledon try to waste a bit of time, and Ollie Palmer is penalised for fouling Rhys Bennett, and Gillingham have been awarded a defensive free kick, which is unfortunately wasted because Jamie Cumming has kicked the ball into touch for A AFC Wimbledon Throw On, And Steve Evans was shown A Yellow Card From Referee Carl Brook, As Steve Evans was not happy with the free kick decision awarded against Jack Tucker.

Ayoub Assai is penalised for a foul on Jack Tucker, And Mustapha Carayol is penalised for a foul on Alex Woodyard, and the fouls are just starting to break up the flow of the game, AND WITH SIX ADDITIONAL MINUTES OF ADDED TIME - There is maybe a chance that Gillingham can still get something out of this match, although, it is looking more likely that AFC Wimbledon will score a second goal, rather then Gillingham scoring a equaliser.

Jamie Cumming saves a long ball as AFC Wimbledon are trying to see out the rest of this match in added time, and In The Ninety Four Minute Of The Match, Luke McCormick is penalised for a foul on Stuart O’Keefe, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, and it is at the stage of the match where it is now or never for The Gills, and from the resulting free kick, Olly Lee’s high and hanging cross is headed clear by Will Nightingale and Mustapha Carayol headers the ball back to Stuart O’Keefe’s high ball forward is intercepted, But Stuart O’Keefe regains possession of the ball and Kyle Dempsey should have passed the ball out-wide to Mustapha Carayol, But Kyle Dempsey cuts inside, is challenged and AFC Wimbledon win themselves a throw on.

And right at the end of the match, Ayoub Assai is flagged for offside from Ollie Palmer’s threaded through-ball, And Ayoub Assai is booked for kicking the ball into the back of the stand to time waste, and that just adds some additional time on for the rest of this match, and that additional time proves to be oh so costly for AFC Wimbledon, Because Gillingham manage to equalise with the last kick of the match, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver wins the initial aerial challenge to flick the ball on and Daniel Csoka cannot get any distance on his defensive header, And Harvey Lintott has volleyed the ball down into the deck and the ball has taken a massive deflection off Paul Kalambayi, and the ball loops over Goalkeeper Nik Tzanev and Gillingham have scored a last gasp equaliser against AFC Wimbledon thanks to Harvey Lintott’s deflected strike. AFC WIMBLEDON 1-1 GILLINGHAM.

Queue the massive celebrations from The Gillingham Supporters in the away end, Harvey Lintott, and the rest of the players had celebrated right in-front of The Gillingham Supporters - COME ON GILLLS!!!!! - I turned away caught up in the celebratory moment of Gillingham’s Equaliser, turned back quickly and Jamie Cumming had sprinted the entire length of the pitch to join in with the celebrations, and those goal celebrations were something to savour as well.

And the final noteworthy moment of the match see’s Daniel Csoka’s cross towards Ayoub Assai at the back-stick go out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, And The Full Time Score At New Plough Lane Is AFC Wimbledon 1-1 Gillingham, Queue huge celebrations in the away end, and the players came over to celebrate with the supporters, and the supporters celebrated with the players, Well done Harvey Lintott, The goal won’t be given to you, but what a moment that was, and Gillingham have earned themselves a completely undeserved point, and this was 100% a point gained for The Gills As Well.

FULL TIME: AFC WIMBLEDON 1-1 GILLINGHAM

I mentioned to James after the full time whistle that this late equaliser against AFC Wimbledon reminded us of Brandon Hanlan’s late winning goal against Blackpool, When Gillingham won 3-2 with the last kick off the match at Bloomfield Road, And Gillingham scored and conceded in added time against Crawley Town, before winning 10-9 on penalties, and now Harvey Lintott, with the aid of a massive deflection has scored in The 97th minute for The Gills - Mid-week fixtures are certainly action packed as far as Gillingham are concerned.

I made sure that I had everything on me before heading for the exit, and the sign’s were posted for where away supporters needed to go, and for the supporters who traveled via coach, we needed the slip road on St Martin’s Way, and the coaches were parked round the back, and that is where The Kings Ferry And Gillingham Supporters Coaches were parked, And I got back on to the coach, sat down in my seat, and I started to put my post match thoughts on to Social Media, And I had uploaded the follow��. FULL TIME: AFC WIMBLEDON 1-1 GILLINGHAM - Lintott's shot off target deflects into the back of the net as Gills score a stoppage time equaliser, A equaliser Gills do not deserve, But we will gladly take a point when you take into consideration Gillingham were losing with ten men. Tutonda's sending off did not help at all, Not only did Gillingham go down to ten men, But Sithole was about to come on when Tutonda was sent off for two bookings. AFC Wimbledon completely dominated the match 11 V 11, The sending off only put AFC Wimbledon more into the ascendancy, The midfield five of Dempsey, Lee, O'Keefe, Lloyd and Reeves just lack the injection of pace we need to cause opposition problems, Gillingham are lacking players like Graham, Jarvis, List, McGlashan or Weston, someone who has the pace in the wide areas to take on the full back. Jack Tucker and Jamie Cumming were both outstanding for Gillingham Today, And although Gillingham have only played four competitive matches, It looks very likely that Jack Tucker and Jamie Cumming are the main contenders for The Gillingham Player Of The Season Award This Season.

The lack of pace in our midfield with Dempsey, Lee, Lloyd, O’Keefe and Reeves was there for all to see, Gillingham are crying out for players like Jordan Graham, Jermaine McGlashan, Elliott List, Matty Jarvis and Myles Weston, and one or two of those players might be on the bench, and they can come on and cause defenders problems with there pace, the last thing a tiring defender wants to be up against is someone who can get in behind a oppositions defence in there own final third.

AFC Wimbledon fully deserved to win the match, and that is even when the match was eleven verses eleven, And Gillingham have earned themselves a undeserved point, and this match goes into the category of a point gained for The Gills, But this point will look like a good point if Gillingham can win against Morecambe at the weekend, And Gillingham V Morecambe is a must win game for The Gills, I would also add that Gillingham V Cheltenham Town is a must win game, Because if Gillingham can win against Cheltenham Town In The League Cup Second Round, Get Drawn against one of the big six Premier League Sides Home Or Away, Then that cup tie could release some funds for Steve Evans to strengthen the squad, Because it is clear for all to see that Gillingham need reinforcements, and not just one or two players, I would say, three, four and five new signings to add depth and quality to the squad.

As for the players I would sign to strengthen the squad, I think Gillingham can do with another striker, one right sided and one left sided player, and both players who play out-wide must have pace, A Left Back, Because there are question marks over David Tutonda and I don’t want to throw Bailey Akehurst in at the deep end just yet, and A Centre Back who can play in defensive midfield, just to add some depth to the squad, The lack of depth in the squad is there for all to see, and if all five players signed I have mentioned above were players who have played in League One and Gillingham have signed five proven established League One Players, then our squad will be much stronger to deal with the demands of a forty six game League One Season, and there will be some rotation for the cup games as well - even though Gillingham desperately need to go on cup runs in The FA Cup and League Cup.

Once everyone was back on the coach, we were on our way, though the coach did hit something as we exited a four way crossing, so we had a bit of a delay before we were on our way back to Kent, AFC Wimbledon fully deserved to win against Gillingham and I am not going to pretend that Gillingham didn’t deserve to get beaten by a more one sided score-line, but credit to the players for digging out a hard fought 1-1 away draw against AFC Wimbledon, especially when Gillingham were not at our best, David Tutonda got sent off, And AFC Wimbledon were on the front-foot, the players efforts and commitment to the cause cannot be disputed, but the lack of quality, the lack of pace and the lack of depth in the squad is there for all to see.

And we shouldn’t have to rely on Gillingham winning against Cheltenham Town and get a money spinning tie In The Third Round Of The League Cup For Steve Evans to strengthen the squad, but that is the situation Gillingham find themselves in, and we have to hope that Gillingham can win against Cheltenham Town and get a glamour cup tie, Because without winning against Cheltenham Town and without a decent cup tie, Steve Evans may have to go with what he has got in the squad from now until January, and even then, we’re probably relying on a decent cup run in The FA Cup, So it is essential that Gillingham do win against Cheltenham Town.

There are question marks against David Tutonda already and if David Tutonda’s performances do not improve and improve quickly, then Steve Evans isn’t afraid to sign someone else and ship out David Tutonda, Lee Hodson and Mark Marshall are two players Steve Evans signed and moved on very quickly in the past, and although it is harsh to judge David Tutonda on so few appearances, if players don’t improve, they will be moved on very quickly and a replacement will signed, Steve Evans won’t give players too many chances if performances are not good enough, and with David Tutonda suspended, Robbie McKenzie might play at Left Back with Rhys Bennett starting at Right Back, and we’re just making do with the players we have got available for selection.

Jack Tucker and Jamie Cumming were both outstanding for Gillingham Today, And although Gillingham have only played four competitive matches, It looks very likely that Jack Tucker and Jamie Cumming are the main contenders for The Gillingham Player Of The Season Award This Season, And where did Jamie Cumming appear for the goal celebration I have no idea ??? But these two players were out-standing against AFC Wimbledon, Jamie Cumming kept Gillingham in the match with several saves and Jack Tucker made some last ditch clearances as well, I know it’s too early to talk about Player Of The Season, But If Tucker and Cumming keep performing like that all season, then these two will be the contenders for the main award.

Both performances for Gillingham against Plymouth Argyle and AFC Wimbledon are concerning and one point out of six from these two matches has put pressure on Gillingham to pick up six points out of six against Morecambe and Shrewsbury Town, If Gillingham can build on this point with back to back league wins against Morecambe and Shrewsbury Town and win against Cheltenham Town In The League Cup, then reaching The Third Round Of The League Cup and eight points from five matches with a depleted squad is a very respectable start to the season, although I do think The Cheltenham Town Game is probably more important then The Shrewsbury Town Game, simply because of the prize on offer.

Also, thank you to Ayoub Assai for kicking the ball into the back of the stand to add additional time on to added time so that Gillingham can score the equaliser with the last kick of the match, without that incident, AFC Wimbledon would have won the game 1-0, and had AFC Wimbledon won, I would have predicted three correct predictions out of three for The NoirCat Prediction League - I predicted Gillingham to start the season slowly, and get stronger with reinforcements signed in the transfer market.

I sent this tweet to Gabriel,,,, AFC Wimbledon 1-1 Gillingham - Harvey Lintott's shot deflected into the back of the net as Gills score a stoppage time equaliser, AFC Wimbledon completely deserved to win tonight and they were the better side even before Tutonda was sent off. Gillingham need reinforcements. - And a few AFC Wimbledon Supporters praised my honest assessment of the match.

We were on our way back towards Kent, And Charlie mentioned that he wished there was a drop off point in Dartford, which was closer to where he lived, and there used to be a drop off point by The Harvester’s close to Prince Park, But The Kings Ferry Coach no longer stops there anymore, and had the coach stopped off there, then it would have been a better pick up point for Charlie, The drop off point outside The Cricketers is roughly a ten minute walk to my house, So it’s not too bad for me, I just find it surprising that there are not later trains that run past mid-night, because that surely would make a lot of sense for football supporters and passengers who need to travel via train so late on in the evening.

We started to drop supporters off at Strood before making our way towards Priestfield Stadium, where the majority of supporters got off the coach, I said c ya to Charlie, before mentioning to Diane that tickets for The Cheltenham Town and Shrewsbury Town Matches should be on sale by the time Gillingham play against Morecambe at the weekend, And I said c ya Saturday to Diane and Ethan, as they both got off the coach.

And once almost everyone got off the coach at Priestfield Stadium, I was double checking that I had got everything on me before it was my turn to get off the coach, and once the coach had arrived outside The Cricketers, I made sure I had everything on me, thanked the drivers before getting off the coach, and Myself and Gary mentioned that Gillingham had got out of jail with a point against AFC Wimbledon, and I made my way towards The Kebab House, and it was just gone mid-night by the time we got back in Rainham, And I went to get something to eat and drink, And I brought Myself A Cheese-Burger And Can Of Coca Cola For £5, and after sitting down and eating what had essentially turned into a mid-night feast, I made my way back home and was back indoors around 12.40PM.

All in all, Gillingham will gladly take the point against AFC Wimbledon, and Gillingham have started this season with two points out of a possible nine from three league games against Lincoln City, Plymouth Argyle and AFC Wimbledon, and the early indications are that Gillingham are involved in A League One Relegation Battle and we’re desperate for reinforcements, Hopefully, Gillingham can win back to back home matches against Morecambe and Cheltenham Town, And Gillingham can get there first league win of the season, and progress into The Third Round Of The League Cup - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!

PS: We won’t be forgetting those goal celebrations from Harvey Lintott’s deflected equaliser, isn’t football a thousand times better with supporters celebrating goals rather then watching football being played inside empty football grounds on I Follow Last Season.

#AFCWimbledon #gillingham #league one #NewStadiums

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fan-of-mulligan · 3 years ago

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FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS BLOG SEASON PREVIEW FOR THE 2022 / 2023 SEASON

Looking ahead to the start of The 2022 / 2023 Season, And With Gillingham kicking off the league campaign with a away game against AFC Wimbledon On Saturday July 30th, I have asked several Gillingham Supporters for there thoughts and opinions on a number of different subjects, Gillingham’s Transfer Business So Far This Summer, Where Do Gillingham Need To Strengthen The Squad, Gillingham Playing Against AFC Wimbledon In The First Round Of The League Cup, And The Implementation Of Five Substitutions In The Football League.

Answering these questions are the following Gillingham Supporters,,,,, Loonpotter, Dazza, Colin, Gillingham Legends, Harry, Luke, David, and Shane - I want to thank everyone who has participated in the latest Gillingham Supporters Blog, as well as thank those who participated in The Gillingham Supporters Blogs throughout The 2021 / 2022 Season, It is because of the involvement of everyone who has participated in the previous blogs which have made these blogs so successful, so once again, thank you, Now on to the questions and answers……..

1. GILLINGHAM HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN THE TRANSFER MARKET THIS SUMMER - (SIGNING ELEVEN PLAYERS SO FAR,,, GOALKEEPERS ASHLEY MAYNARD-BREWER AND JAKE TURNER, DEFENDERS WILL WRIGHT, CHEYE ALEXANDRA, ELKAN BAGGOTT, AND RYAN LAW, MIDFIELDERS SHAUN WILLIAMS AND DOMINIC JEFFERIES, WINGER JORDAN GREEN, AND STRIKERS MIKAEL MANDRON AND SCOTT KASHKET) - WHAT HAVE YOU MADE OF GILLINGHAM’S TRANSFER BUSINESS SO FAR ???

Loonpotter - They had no choice but to sign the amount of players that they have.. a couple look decent, time will tell for the others..

Dazza - Think we’ve done pretty well in the transfer market. I particularly like the sound of Green and Williams. Glad Mandron is back to replace Oliver and I think he will go a lot better than some Gills fans reckon.

Colin - As we only had a handful of players still under contract, we were always going to need to do a lot recruitment. Having see a number of pre season friendlies it looks like we are going to try and play football on the floor and Harris has tried to bring in players to fit the bill.

Gillingham Legends - I think there’s some good signings there but feel we’re lacking a standout marquee signing. Not too familiar with most but am keen to see how they do. However, I have faith that Neil Harris knows what he’s doing.

Harry - I think the calibre of players we have signed has been good, I just think we haven’t got enough depth yet in key areas (CB and ST especially).

Luke - Relatively happy, still feel we need some more squad depth at the time of writing, we still only have 1 senior keeper and 1 senior striker which is a tad concerning.

David - We still need a few more players.

Shane - I think the incoming activity has been as expected. The business has been conducted slowly and shows the Gills are not one of the stand out sides in the division.

2. NEIL HARRIS HAS SPOKEN ABOUT WANTING TO BRING IN ADDITIONAL SIGNINGS EITHER BEFORE THE START OF THE SEASON, OR BEFORE THE TRANSFER WINDOW CLOSES, HOW MANY PLAYERS SHOULD GILLINGHAM SIGN ??? - AND WHICH AREA’S OF THE SQUAD WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE STRENGTHENED ???

Loonpotter - Forward position is still vital for me.. we probably need another 4 or so in total though.

Dazza - Still plenty to do tho. We need to replace AMB, plus another experienced CB and at least 1 (hopefully 2) more attacking options. Midfield seems pretty well covered.

Colin - We need at least another experienced and skilful CB and a couple of forward players as currently we only have Mandron and the youth team players.

Gillingham Legends - Another 4 or 5 is probably required before the window. Obviously need another keeper temporarily but a decent striker is a must for me. More central defensive cover is needed and possibly bit more in the wide areas.

Harry - We need a GK, an experienced CB, a small striker and maybe another winger in my opinion.

Luke - I personally would like 5 more to make a squad of 23 but we'll see. 1 more GK, 1 more CB, 1 more CM/Wide player and 2 more strikers ideally.

David - We need another goal keeper, a centre half, a winger and a striker.

Shane - Additional signings are definitely needed. Gillingham face being left completely depleted again if a couple of players pick up injuries. Another Goalkeeper and Striker are a must.

3. NEIL HARRIS HAS SIGNED CHEYE ALEXANDRA, WILL WRIGHT AND RYAN LAW, BAILEY AKEHURST HAS SIGNED HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT, AND DAVID TUTONDA HAS PLAYED IN EVERY FIRST TEAM MATCH IN PRE-SEASON, DO YOU THINK THE FULL BACKS ARE GOING TO BE PIVOTAL TO HOW GILLINGHAM PLAY DURING THE 2022 / 2023 SEASON ???

Loonpotter - Not necessarily although I think full backs have become more important overall in the last few years.

Dazza - Neil has said that 4-4-2 is the way he plays. So having decent full backs that can defend is vital. I hope these lads fit the bill. I still get the impression from reports of the pre-season games, that when attacking we do revert to 3-5-2 when the full backs go forward and Williams drops into a back 3.

Colin - We were weak at FB last season. Law and Alexander look to be decent League Two acquisitions. I’m not convinced by Tutonda as a defender. As ever we will need a couple of youth players to step up in the event of injuries.

Gillingham Legends - Yes of course. These are areas that let us down a bit last year so needed to be improved. It’s good to have options and think they could adapt to a wing-back role as well if needed.

Harry - I hope so, our biggest problem last season was we was far too narrow, given the signings though I believe Harris could look at loaning out Akehurst which I wouldn’t be opposed against.

Luke - I suspect Akehurst will be sent out on loan but full backs can be game changers at this level. Only have to look at the impacts Matt Fish & Joe Martin had in our league winning side to see that good full backs can give you something extra.

David - I don’t think that the full backs will be pivotal.

Shane - I believe they will play an important role in how the team set up this season. They will provide vital support in all areas this upcoming season.

4. GILLINGHAM ARE PREPARING FOR THE 2022 / 2023 SEASON IN LEAGUE TWO, HAVING SPENT THE LAST NINE SEASON’S IN LEAGUE ONE, HOW DIFFERENT WILL LEAGUE TWO BE THIS SEASON FOR THE GILLS, BECAUSE A LOT HAS CHANGED IN LEAGUE TWO SINCE GILLINGHAM WON THE LEAGUE TWO TITLE IN THE 2012 / 2013 SEASON ???

Loonpotter - It's so difficult to predict.. I have no idea how this season will pan out.

Dazza - A lot different. All 4 divisions have changed enormously in the last 10 years.

Colin - The standard in League Two is obviously a bit lower than in League One with fewer big budget opponents. Our own budget is probably a bottom half budget even at this level and consequently the squad is made up of mix of journeymen and unproven potential.

Gillingham Legends - It won’t be easy and is probably a lot stronger than last time with teams more experienced at the upper League Two levels (Northampton, Tranmere, Swindon etc) and the big spenders like Bradford, Salford and Stockport. We shouldn’t be expecting to walk it and may take a few games to adapt.

Harry - I think league 2 gets stronger every year, looking at some of the teams next season it could be one of the most competitive seasons ever at the top end of the table with so many teams expected to do well.

Luke - League Two is much stronger than from when we were here last time. We definitely shouldn't underestimate the quality of some of these sides that are down here including some big hitters when it comes to cash stocks.

David - League 2 won’t be any different.

Shane - It isn't going to be as easy as some fans believe. There are some big teams in League Two who have struggled to get out of it.

5. HAVE YOU RENEWED YOUR SEASON TICKET FOR THE 2022 / 2023 SEASON, OR, IF YOUR A NON SEASON TICKET HOLDER, ARE YOU LOOKING TO GO TO MORE HOME MATCHES AT PRIESTFIELD STADIUM ???

Loonpotter - I've always paid as I go... usually I buy my tickets monthly home and away..

Dazza - N/A (exile).

Colin - I have renewed my ST. I can’t complain about the early bird price.

Gillingham Legends - I’m not currently a season ticket holder but as ever will try and get to most games when I can. Due to work and family I can’t make every game so is not worth me getting a season ticket.

Harry - I attended every home game last season and very likely to do the same this season, I will add though I hope that we can make home games more entertaining because last season was very unenjoyable on a regular basis.

Luke - I'm a non STH but I hope that I will be able to get to a few more this year. A team that is doing well makes it easier to justify paying the cost to head to Priestfield for sure.

David - I’m not a season ticket holder.

Shane - Yes, I have renewed.

6. GILLINGHAM’S TWO HOME PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES AGAINST PORTSMOUTH AND CRYSTAL PALACE HAVE SEEN GILLINGHAM PLAY MORE OF A POSSESSION BASED STYLE OF PLAY AND TAKING SHORTER THROW ON’S, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GILLINGHAM CHANGING OUR STYLE OF PLAY ???

Loonpotter - It will be a nice change as long as its effective.. if we are losing more than we are winning then we may as well just start hoofing it forward or in the stands.

Dazza - It will be great to see a more “footballing” side and a passing game. We haven’t had that for a number of years. However, it has to be a winning style as well. No one likes tippy-tappy football if it doesn’t lead to goals and wins.

Colin - The route one high press football used by Steve Evans wasn’t great on the eye. We have looked like a footballing side in the games I have seen pre season. We do look a bit lightweight physically in some key positions so it will be interesting to see if we will keep trying to play the ball out from the defence.

Gillingham Legends - Very refreshing. The direct long ball game worked for a while under Evans but we were found out last year with no plan B. Will be good to get the ball on the deck, if we have the players to do it and hopefully be successful.

Harry - Changing our style of play? I’d argue we didn’t have one at all last season, it was hit and hope for a lucky break. I am really hoping Neil Harris can bring us an identity and the early signs are good.

Luke - I'm all for it frankly. Fast free-flowing football is difficult for teams regardless of what level and if that's what we're going to play then it should make it more entertaining to watch.

David - I welcome the new style of play.

Shane - I didn't attend the games but a different style of play will be satisfying to watch. Watching long throw after long throw with no end result did get a little tiring at times.

7. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GILLINGHAM MATCH YOU WENT TO, WHAT WAS THE SCORE, AND WHAT ELSE DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THE FIRST GILLINGHAM GAME YOU WENT TO ???

Loonpotter - I believe it was against Wrexham (I could be wrong) it was late 80s and Steve Lovell scored.

Dazza - First game was very early 70’s. My big sister took me. I always thought I knew the game, but when I recently checked records the team and score I remember doesn’t actually exist!!

Colin - The first game I can remember attending was a 4-0 home win over Plymouth Argyle in 1969. I just remember the crowd erupting every time we scored and the rivers of urine in the open air gents facility on the RE terrace.

Gillingham Legends - Chesterfield at home in October 1989, the Gills won 3-0 courtesy of a Lee Palmer goal and two Steve Lovell penalties. It was also the game where the legendary Ron Hillyard broke the record for most appearances for the club. I was only 8 and my dad took me in the old Main Stand but sadly I remember very little. I think I enjoyed, I mean I came back for more!

Harry - My overall first match was a 0-0 draw against Oxford in February 2011 as an 8 year old with my grandad, all I remember is being freezing after the game, god knows why I ever went back. I’ve been a home game regular since 14/15 and away game regular since 16/17.

Luke - 25th January 2003, Gillingham Vs Leeds United in the FA Cup 4th Round. Match finished 1-1 with Alan Smith scoring a free kick for Leeds and Mamady Sidibe grabbing an equaliser in the second half shooting towards the Rainham End. As an 8 year old, I don't remember much apart from the pure joy and jubilation I felt when Big Mama scored. I had never heard a roar of a crowd so loud before and that got me hooked.

David - April 1965. I remember Bill Brown scoring.

Shane - I went to some games as a kid but the game that started it all was on Saturday 29 November 2008. FA Cup 2nd Round. Gillingham 0 Stockport 0. It wasn't the best of games but I ended up at every home game for the remainder of the season and purchased a season ticket soon after.

8. OLLY LEE HAS SCORED FOUR GOALS FOR GILLINGHAM IN PRE-SEASON, DO YOU THINK OLLY LEE CAN BE ONE OF GILLINGHAM’S MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS IN THE 2022 / 2023 SEASON, ESPECIALLY IF OLLY LEE IS PLAYING IN HIS PREFERRED POSITION ???

Loonpotter - Olly showed us what he could do whilst on loan, then signed a permanent and performances dropped off.. He could be very good for us.

Dazza - Yes.

Colin - Olly Lee was played out of position by the previous manager and always looked unhappy and out of sorts. With limited forward options and others to cover holding midfield he can hopefully be allowed to play his own game pushing up behind the centre forward.

Gillingham Legends - Was very disappointed with him last year and he seems to be one of those players that can just disappear from games. We all know he has ability and should be a very good player at this level. We need to have more creativity and the pre-season form is encouraging. He could be very key to any success (or failure).

Harry - I really do think he could be our key player, been great to see him back to his best in pre-season long may it continue!

Luke - An Olly Lee that plays at number 10 could rip apart teams at this level. An Olly Lee playing at defensive midfield is a waste of a player.

David - I think that Olly Lee will be very important.

Shane - I have always been a fan of Olly Lee and I am happy he is still with us. He has had a good preseason from what I hear and hope he can build on it.

9. GILLINGHAM NOT ONLY TRAVEL TO AFC WIMBLEDON AWAY ON THE OPENING DAY OF THE SEASON, BUT GILLINGHAM ALSO PLAY AGAINST AFC WIMBLEDON AWAY IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE LEAGUE CUP, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR GILLINGHAM TO HAVE A CUP RUN IN THE LEAGUE CUP THIS SEASON ???

Loonpotter - A good cup run is essential for fan morale, income and PR, play confidence... I feel it also keeps the knots knitted between the Premier league, championship and lower levels.. They are almost forced to remember we are still there.

Dazza - I always think cup runs are vital for Gills. Fans need big games to look forward to. It can bring in much needed revenue. And winning is a good habit and breeds confidence.

Colin - A good cup run builds confidence and is helpful financially but it’s hard with a small squad when we often rest our better players and go out early on.

Gillingham Legends - A cup run is always nice and the chance of playing a big boy and getting a big pay day is always exciting. I do miss cup replays though, think that has ruined cup competitions slightly. The league is obviously the most important focus.

Harry - I am never bothered when we are knocked out of the cup if I am honest, but always look forward to the draw in the hope we could get a big team out again, because the giant killing vs Cardiff a few years ago is still one of my best memories to date!

Luke - Cup runs are always nice to generate additional income for the team. With a small squad though, I'm not sure how beneficial the additional games will be for injuries though.

David - A cup run will bring in more revenue.

Shane - Very important. A cup run can be very lucrative and can help Gillingham to strengthen the team.

10. TAITE HOLTAM, FREDDIE CARTER, SAM GALE, JOSEPH GBODE, ELLIOTT MOORE, WILL DEMPSEY, ALEX GILES AND MATT MACARTHUR WERE THE EIGHT YOUTH TEAM PLAYERS PLAYING FOR GILLINGHAM AGAINST FOLKESTONE INVICTA IN GILLINGHAM’S OPENING PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY - WHICH GILLINGHAM WON 2-0 - CAN YOU SEE ANY OF THE YOUNG PLAYERS MENTIONED HERE FORCING THERE WAY INTO GILLINGHAM’S FIRST TEAM THIS SEASON ???

Loonpotter - Matt Macarthur looks an interesting one for me.

Dazza - I hope Gbode is given a good chance. He seems big and physical enough to make it. And if he gets goals he will become a valuable asset at such a young age. I haven’t seen Matty MacArthur, but all the reports say he could make it. But maybe a bit too young at the moment. Again, I hope he is given a chance.

Colin - I don’t see any of the youth players as being immediately League Two ready. There is certainly some raw potential there. I like the look of Gbode and MacArthur.

Gillingham Legends - Hopefully they will not be needed or rushed in as much as last season. From pre-season reports it sounds as if Gbode and MacArthur are in with a shout. Especially Gbode with our current lack of forwards. It would be nice to introduce them as Harris please instead of having to play them as a last resort.

Harry - In a word - No, I think it’s easy to get hyped about players after 1 good performance, I don’t believe any are up to the standards yet but hope that MacArthur gets a chance in cup games as he is the one I have been most impressed by.

Luke - Gbode I can definitely see being involved in the match-day squad throughout the season, especially if he continues on the trajectory he's on with growth and development. MacArthur also has a chance having been involved in the Crystal Palace game and also scoring some goals against Chatham Town.

David - I doubt if any will make the first team.

Shane - The squad is very small so I think it is inevitable these players will get an opportunity at some point. I hope they take the opportunity and we find a gem.

11. THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE HAVE ANNOUNCED FROM THIS SEASON ONWARDS THAT THE NUMBER OF SUBSTITUTIONS HAVE INCREASED FROM THREE TO FIVE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NUMBER OF SUBSTITUTIONS INCREASING FROM THREE TO FIVE ??? AND WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO BE THE BIG DIFFERENCE TACTICALLY FOR MANAGER’S THIS SEASON, KNOWING THAT THEY CAN MAKE FIVE SUBSTITUTIONS IN A MATCH ???

Loonpotter - Not something I've thought about other than I'd have preferred it to have stayed at 3.

Dazza - Not a fan of bigger bench. It only further helps the bigger richer clubs with larger squads. Tactics wise, I can only see it assisting teams to help with holding a slim lead. Put on fresh legs and more defensive players. Any want for more attacking intent by a team losing will just be offset by the above. I’m sure that genius coaches will work out ways to make the system work better for them.

Colin - We don’t have the size of squad to properly populate a bench. More allowed substitutions will favour those with bigger budgets.

Gillingham Legends - I’m dead against this! I don’t see why there is a constant need to change things in football. I feel three subs each is more than enough and using five will not only disrupt the flow of the game but also benefit the bigger teams with bigger and stronger squads. Yes I think managers will have to change the way they manage the game as a result and take into account the strength of the opponents bench.

Harry - I don’t like it, I think it favours bigger clubs with bigger squads. If it isn’t broke don’t fix it!

Luke - Personally I don't agree that they should have been introduced considering these are professional athletes. Whilst injuries do happen, if more than 3 occur in a match then as a team you have problems elsewhere. Introducing 5 subs just gives more ammunition for the club's with larger budgets to bulldoze those with smaller or more modest budgets which I think is an additional unneeded disadvantage for the smaller sides.

David - I think that it’s a good thing.

Shane - I think it is a good idea to increase the number of substitutions allowed. Important that these changes can only be made at 3 points during the game to prevent obvious time wasting. I think it will definitely be beneficial tactically.

12. WHAT WOULD YOUR STARTING LINE UP AND SUBSTITUTES BENCH BE FOR AFC WIMBLEDON V GILLINGHAM THIS WEEKEND ???

Loonpotter - I'm leaving selection to the experts for the first month and then I'll become Pep Guardiola overnight if we lose a couple.

Dazza - Turner - Law Ehmer Baggott Wright - Williams Jeffries - Kashket Green Lee - Mandron - Bench - the rest - Playing 4-4-1-1 (or 4-5-1) - (Not sure if I’ve got the fb’s correct. Maybe Alexandra in for one of them). - I also hope/expect us to have a CB and striker in before Saturday that might start or at least be on the bench first game.

Colin - The squad largely picks itself. Turner, Alexander, Baggott, Ehmer, Law, Jeffries, Williams or O’Keefe, Kashket, Green, Lee, Mandron.

Gillingham Legends - Turner, Wright, Law, Ehmer, Baggott, Williams, Jefferies, Lee, Green, Kashket, Mandron. Subs - Holtam, Tutonda, MacDonald, Reeves, O’Keefe, Alexander, Gbode.

Harry - Turner, Alexander, Wright, Ehmer, Tutonda, Williams, O’Keefe (Jefferies if not fit), Green, Lee, Kashket, Mandron - 4231 . Bench: Holtam, Law, Baggott, Jefferies, Reeves, MacDonald, Gbode.

Luke - Lineup: Turner Wright, Ehmer, Baggott, Law Williams, Reeves, Lee Green, Mandron, Kashket Subs: The rest

David - Nothing To Add.

Shane - Morris, Wright, Ehmer, Baggott, Tutonda, Williams, Jefferies, Kashket, Reeves, Green, Mandron.

13. WHAT IS YOUR SCORE PREDICTION FOR AFC WIMBLEDON V GILLINGHAM ???

Loonpotter - 2-1 to Gillingham.

Dazza - 1-1.

Colin - AFC Wimbledon 1 Gillingham 1.

Gillingham Legends - Gills to win 1-0.

Harry - 1-1.

Luke - Go on let's be optimistic, 2-1 to Gills. Mandron & Lee with the goals.

David - AFC Wimbledon 1 Gillingham 0

Shane - 2-2.

14. AND WHAT POSITION IN THE TABLE IN LEAGUE TWO DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM WILL END UP IN ???

Loonpotter - 12th.

Dazza - At the moment I see us vying for a play off spot. But maybe finishing between 7-10. I hope that we have 2 or 3 good additions that will see me amend that prediction to 4-7. We would need a couple of “wow!” signings for me to think we could challenge the top.

Colin - Fifteenth.

Gillingham Legends - I think we can get top 7, I’ll say 4th!

Harry - I believe we will finish in around the 7th-12th mark, I am hoping we could sneak into the play offs but I think that’s more heart over head.

Luke - Definitely in the top 24.

David - Mid table.

Shane - 7th. It will be a long hard season but I think sneaking into the playoffs is achievable.

15. AND FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH TO ADD (EXAMPLE: IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE NOT COVERED IN THE FOURTEEN QUESTIONS ASKED ABOVE YOU WANT TO EXPAND UPON) ???

Loonpotter - Let's go !!! Up the Gills !!

Dazza - Our wildcard is our manager. I think we have one of the best managers in this division. And he so nearly pulled off the great escape last season. I hope and believe he will keep moulding this team to be playing better and better as the season progresses. Our Achilles heel might be a small squad again. If we have the injuries we had last season then we are stuffed. I hope we get in another 3 or 4 players. I also hope that we have some better players coming through the youth to help out if we do get some injuries. Thanks Lee. Although I don’t get to see games live, I’m always willing to help out with these Q&A’s. Enjoy the game on Saturday and give ‘em a cheer from me.

Colin - If we can get a couple of forwards on loan we might make a run at the play offs.

Gillingham Legends - Can’t think of anything. Let’s get behind Neil Harris and the team and hopefully have a great season!

Harry - Just that I hope we have a good season, with some enjoyable days out and results! UP THE GILLS!

Luke - Would be nice if the club gave some clarity on when the kits will be available for sale. I appreciate I've read there's about 40 clubs up and down the country with supply issues but we've not even been given a ball park as to when they will be available which is a shame. Thanks for the questions Lee.

David - Nothing To Add.

Shane - Nothing To Add.

Once again, thank you to everyone for participating in this blog, and if anyone who is reading this wishes to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, then feel free to send me a message, and your more than welcome to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, The Strength Of The Gillingham Supporters Blog comes from everyone who has contributed, so once again, thank you to everyone who has participated in every single Gillingham Supporters Blog, Now, Hopefully, Everyone has got there match tickets and have travel arrangements made for AFC Wimbledon V Gillingham, And let’s hope that Gillingham kick off The 2022 / 2023 Season with a win against AFC Wimbledon - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!

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