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fan-of-mulligan · 3 years ago

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FOM BLOG: OXFORD UNITED 1-1 GILLINGHAM - 2021 / 2022 SEASON

My Thoughts On Oxford United V Gillingham - 2021 / 2022 Season - Mini Blog Match Report

Because of the fuel crises and the queues at every service station for our journey from Gillingham to Oxford United, The Kings Ferry Coach arrived outside The Kassam Stadium at 2PM and you also take into consideration that we didn’t stop off at the services either on our way to Oxford United, or, on the journey back home again, Not stopping at the service station was a good idea, otherwise we would have arrived around 2.30PM and we would be close to missing kick off.

Eventually, Gillingham’s Team News Appeared On Twitter, And Gillingham Lined Up As Follows…… Jamie Cumming, Rhys Bennett, Max Ehmer, Jack Tucker, Robbie McKenzie, Olly Lee, Kyle Dempsey, Alex MacDonald, Danny Lloyd, Gerald Sithole, Vadaine Oliver Substitutes: Aaron Chapman (GK), David Tutonda, Bailey Akehurst, Daniel Adshead, Ben Reeves, John Akinde and Charlie Kelman - I had predicted Gillingham lining up with a 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 formation, But I thought Charlie Kelman would start on the right, Daniel Adshead starting in central midfield instead of Olly Lee, And I thought Rhys Bennett was unavailable for Oxford United V Gillingham, Because I thought Rhys Bennett was substituted against Charlton Athletic because of concussion.

Gerald Sithole making his first starting appearance for Gillingham In League One is certainly a surprise, But I can see why Steve Evans has opted to name both Gerald Sithole and Danny Lloyd in the starting line up because both players made an impact when coming on as half time substitutes for Gillingham against Charlton Athletic in mid-week, and both players have been rewarded with an impressive sub appearance against Charlton Athletic, by starting for Gillingham against Oxford United, And Charlie mentioned to me that the midfield three of Kyle Dempsey, Olly Lee and Alex MacDonald will hopefully retain possession of the ball for The Gills.

I had brought three match-day programmes for £9 (Diane wanted two match-day programmes), And I brought A Cheese-Burger And Two 500ML Bottle’s Of Coca Cola for £7.50, The Cheese-Burger was better then some of the cheese-burgers I have paid for inside football grounds, genuinely speaking, I don’t tend to buy food inside a football stadium unless there is no other alternative, And given that we had arrived at 2PM, There wasn’t enough time to go across to the chip shop in The Cinema Complex, Because that chip shop is always packed on match-days, and you need to arrive much earlier then 2PM.

I stood towards the back of the away end, and looking at who is in the starting line up for Oxford United, Matty Taylor, James Henry, Herbie Kane and Sam Long are four player names who stood out, But on the bench was Billy Bodin, Dan Agyei and Ryan Williams, and that could be the difference maker for Oxford United Today, Because Karl Robinson has three players listed there who can come on and make an impact, Where as Gillingham have got John Akinde and Charlie Kelman, But we are seriously lacking A Elliott List, Jermaine McGlashan or Myles Weston Player on the bench, someone who can come on for fifteen to twenty minutes and make a huge impact on the game, the one player who managed to do that against Charlton Athletic is Danny Lloyd, and he is starting for Gillingham This Afternoon, Ideally, Gillingham can do with another two players like Danny Lloyd so that Gillingham have got more options on the bench.

The teams lined up in-front of the dugouts prior to kick off, as the atmosphere raised in volume inside The Kassam Stadium, Hopefully, Gillingham can build on that 1-1 draw against Charlton Athletic and get our first away win against Oxford United since 2010 when Cody McDonald scored the winning goal, it has to be mentioned that Gillingham’s record away at Oxford United is really poor, But we are hoping that Gillingham can end that poor winless run at The Kassam Stadium, And that Gillingham can pick up all three points - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!

FIRST HALF:

Three Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham have a throw on down The Main Stand Side Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Throw On, Oxford United take the lead, Rhys Bennett throws the ball long down the line and Vadaine Oliver wins the initial aerial challenge and Gavin Whyte kicks the ball high and across field towards the centre circle, and although Robbie McKenzie wins the initial aerial challenge, the second ball drops kindly to Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane plays a first time pass over the top for Matty Taylor to get on to the end of, And Matty Taylor is through on goal one on one with Jamie Cumming, And Matty Taylor cooly slots the ball into the bottom right corner of the net, and there was not much that Jamie Cumming could have done there to prevent Oxford United from taking the lead, and after just five minutes, Oxford United have taken the lead - OXFORD UNITED 1-0 GILLINGHAM.

But I have to say that the defensive error comes from Jack Tucker here as Jack Tucker was caught underneath Herbie Kane’s first time pass through to Matty Taylor, and you cannot give a player of Matty Taylor’s ability that much time and space, Because if you give Matty Taylor those type of chances, then he is inevitably going to stick the ball into the back of the net, and prior to kick off, Gillingham’s appalling record at The Kassam Stadium had been mentioned, well, five minutes into this match and Gillingham are 1-0 down, and we are sensing that this is going to be a very long afternoon for The Gills.

And From The Resulting Kick Off, Things didn’t get much better for Gillingham, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Alex Gorrin kicks the ball long down the main stand side of the pitch, And Rhys Bennett has got to the ball first, And Rhys Bennett has been closed down quickly by Gavin Whyte, And Rhys Bennett had the opportunity to pass the ball back to Jamie Cumming, But Rhys Bennett tries to turn wide towards the byline, And Rhys Bennett has kicked the ball against Gavin Whyte, but the ball has ricocheted off Rhys Bennett and out of play for A Oxford United Throw On In Gillingham’s Final Third, This is very poor from Rhys Bennett, But I also do not understand why Steve Evans continue’s to play Rhys Bennett at Right Back when Rhys Bennett is clearly a centre back being played out of position, especially when Gillingham have got two left back’s on the bench in David Tutonda and Bailey Akehurst.

And From The Resulting Throw On, Steve Seddon throws the ball short to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan takes a touch to pass control the ball before passing the ball back out-wide to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan digs out a dangerous in-swinging cross inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Matty Taylor’s flick towards goal almost turns into a decent pass towards James Henry, and the ball thankfully goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, But Matty Taylor reacted quicker then Jack Tucker to get to Cameron Brannagan’s dangerous in-swinging cross, And Gillingham have got to be concentrating all the time to prevent Matty Taylor from doubling Oxford United’s lead, 1-0 down still gives Gillingham the chance to try and get something out of the game, 2-0 down, and Oxford United are in a very commanding position to pick up all three points.

And the chances just keep being created by Oxford United, Because Oxford United should have doubled there lead to 2-0 In The Eighth Minute Of The Match, Oxford United have a throw on down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch On The Halfway Line, And From The Resulting Throw On, Sam Long throws the ball back to Elliott Moore, who passes the ball back to Jack Stevens, And Jack Stevens passes the ball short to Jordan Thorniley, And Jordan Thorniley runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball forwards towards Gavin Whyte on the halfway line, And Gavin Whyte takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball back to Elliott Moore, And Elliott Moore plays a one / two with Alex Gorrin before kicking the ball long down-field, and Rhys Bennett wins the initial aerial challenge and Sam Winnall is on to the loose ball, And Sam Winnall plays a short pass square to Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane manages to retain possession of the ball before passing the ball back to Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin plays a one / two with Herbie Kane before playing a short pass square to Herbie Kane, Herbie Kane then played a short pass forwards towards James Henry, And James Henry passes the ball short back to Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane plays a short pass square to Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin passes the ball back to Elliott Moore, And Elliott Moore takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball forwards towards Gavin Whyte on the halfway line, And Gavin Whyte takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball back to Jordan Thorniley, And Jordan Thorniley runs forwards in possession of the ball into Gillingham’s Half Of The Pitch, And Jordan Thorniley passes the ball back out-wide to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan passes the ball square to Elliott Moore on the halfway line, And Elliott Moore plays a short pass out-wide to Herbie Kane down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Herbie Kane plays a short pass inside to Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin takes a touch to control the ball before playing a short pass square to Jordan Thorniley on the halfway line, And Jordan Thorniley runs forwards in possession of the ball before threading a pass down the line towards Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the near post, And Matty Taylor runs across Max Ehmer and headers the ball against the post, And Gavin Whyte gets to the loose ball down The Main Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Gavin Whyte passes the ball back to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon evades the attempted challenge from Gerald Sithole, And Steve Seddon runs inside into a more central position on the pitch, And Steve Seddon’s attempted through-pass through to Matty Taylor is intercepted by Olly Lee, But at the expense of conceding a corner kick for Oxford United.

BUT THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR 2-0 FOR OXFORD UNITED!!!!! - And How Matty Taylor beat Max Ehmer to that aerial battle to header the ball against the post, I have no idea, I don’t think either Max Ehmer or Jack Tucker have started this match particularly well against Matty Taylor, But Gillingham are allowing Herbie Kane, Gavin Whyte, Sam Winnall and Alex Gorrin to get on the ball and dominate possession, and that’s a problem if Oxford United continue to play like this throughout the rest of the match.

And From The Resulting Corner Kick, James Henry whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Rhys Bennett takes no chances and kicks the ball out of play for another Oxford United Corner Kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Steve Seddon whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Sam Long’s header is too high and wide of the goal, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, But it is very concerning that despite the fact that Gillingham have named three centre back’s in our back four, Oxford United are winning most of the aerial battles with Sam Long’s Header going wide here, and Matty Taylor’s header hitting the post, and it’s not like Matty Taylor is a 6’5’ towering centre forward, Matty Taylor is 5’10’, But he won that aerial battle with Max Ehmer far too easily.

Eleven Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham Have A Throw On Down The Main Stand Side Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Throw On, Gillingham had the chance to equalise, Rhys Bennett throws the ball long down the line and Gavin Whyte wins the aerial challenge up against Vadaine Oliver and Steve Seddon wins the second aerial challenge and Alex Gorrin wins the third aerial challenge, but the loose ball drops to Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald passes the ball forwards towards Danny Lloyd, And Danny Lloyd turns and takes on Elliott Moore, And Danny Lloyd’s shot towards goal from the edge of the penalty area is saved very unconvincingly by Jack Stevens, But Jack Stevens has parried the ball wide and away from goal and Steve Seddon’s long clearance down the line almost turns into a excellent pass towards Matty Taylor, But Max Ehmer had done just about enough to pass the ball back to Jamie Cumming - But that was a great effort on goal from Danny Lloyd to try and find the equaliser for The Gills.

Thirteen Minutes Into The Match, And Oxford United had the chance to go 2-0 up, Elliott Moore has possession of the ball for Oxford United In Oxford United’s Half Of The Pitch, And Elliott Moore passes the ball forwards towards Sam Winnall on the halfway line, And Sam Winnall losses possession of the ball to Alex MacDonald, But Alex Gorrin manages to intercept the ball and Herbie Kane plays the ball over the top towards Matty Taylor and Jamie Cumming has to be quick off his line outside his penalty area to header the ball partially clear and away from goal and Olly Lee wins the aerial challenge to header the ball on towards Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald passes the ball back to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer plays a short pass square to Jack Tucker, And Jack Tucker plays a horrendous pass out-wide to Rhys Bennett, And Gavin Whyte has possession of the ball for Oxford United down the main stand side of the pitch, And Gavin Whyte runs forwards all the way down towards the byline before playing a short pass out-wide to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan passes the ball down the line towards Gavin Whyte, And Gavin Whyte’s first time cross is blocked by Olly Lee, but the ball ricochets through to Steve Seddon, But Kyle Dempsey and Olly Lee between the two of them get the ball clear and away from goal, But Elliott Moore wins the aerial challenge up against Vadaine Oliver and Herbie Kane’s first touch almost see’s Danny Lloyd intercept the ball, But Herbie Kane on the slide passes the ball out-wide to Sam Long, And Sam Long runs down the north stand side of the pitch in possession of the ball, And Sam Long whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross, And Matty Taylor’s looping header fails to hit the target by some considerable distance, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

But Matty Taylor has won the ball in the air again, And Oxford United also almost made it 2-0 with that long pass from Herbie Kane to Matty Taylor, But this time, Jamie Cumming was off his line to header the ball partially clear and away from goal, But Gillingham are really struggling defensively, and those long passes towards Matty Taylor are causing Gillingham a lot of problems, But also, Matty Taylor is winning the ball in the air against Max Ehmer and Jack Tucker, and that is very concerning, Gillingham are only fifteen minutes into this match, But Oxford United should already be winning 2-0, and if Oxford United were to double there lead, then I just do not see how Gillingham can get themselves back on to level terms.

Eighteen Minutes Into The Match, Oxford United have won themselves a throw on down the main stand side of the pitch, and from the resulting throw on, Steve Seddon throws the ball short to Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball back to Goalkeeper Jack Stevens, And Jack Stevens plays a short pass out towards Jordan Thorniley, And Jordan Thorniley passes the ball forwards towards Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Jack Stevens, And Jack Stevens passes the ball out-wide to Elliott Moore, And Elliott Moore passes the ball inside centrally to Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin passes the ball square to Jordan Thorniley, And Jordan Thorniley plays a one / two with Gavin Whyte before passing the ball square to Elliott Moore, And Elliott Moore tries to pass a threaded through-ball through to Herbie Kane, And Jack Tucker manages to intercept the ball and Danny Lloyd is on to the loose ball, And Danny Lloyd takes a touch to control the ball before kicking the ball long down-field, and Jordan Thorniley’s back header almost sets up Vadaine Oliver and Jack Stevens manages to dive on to the loose ball inside his own penalty area - But that is what Gillingham are going to have to do, we are going to have wait patiently because Oxford United are going to dominate possession, and we are going to have to force Oxford United to make an error and hope that Gillingham can capitalise on that error and score an unlikely equaliser.

Twenty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Oxford United start another spell in the match where they continue to dominate, James Henry passes the ball out-wide to Sam Long down the north stand side of the pitch, And Sam Long takes a touch to control the ball, And Sam Long whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Max Ehmer kicks the ball against Matty Taylor with his clearance, and the ball ricochets out of play for A Gillingham Throw On, And good thing Max Ehmer did clear the ball, Because Matty Taylor, Gavin Whyte and Cameron Brannagan were all there to try and get on the end of that cross from Sam Long, And From The Resulting Throw On, Robbie McKenzie hurls the ball long down the line and Vadaine Oliver wins the first aerial challenge and Sam Long and Elliott Moore win the next two aerial challenges and Vadaine Oliver headers the ball out of play for A Oxford United Throw On, And From This Throw, Sam Long throws the ball back to Elliott Moore, And Elliott Moore passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Jack Stevens, And Jack Stevens passes the ball short towards Jordan Thorniley, And Jordan Thorniley manages to pick out James Henry with a diagonal cross-field cross towards the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And James Henry manages to retain possession of the ball before taking on Robbie McKenzie and digging out a cross towards the opposite side of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Gavin Whyte plays a short pass back to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Jack Tucker headers the ball clear and out of play for A Oxford United Throw On, And From The Resulting Throw On, Sam Long throws the ball square to James Henry inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And James Henry somehow gets to the ball first by going around the outside of Jack Tucker, And James Henry’s shot towards goal is brilliantly blocked by Max Ehmer and Herbie Kane cannot quite get the second ball under control because Jack Tucker manages to intercept the ball, and Robbie McKenzie manages to clear the ball away from danger and Gillingham survive.

But that truly was disappointing defending from Jack Tucker to allow James Henry to get to the loose ball and we have to thank Max Ehmer for blocking what surely would have been Oxford United’s second goal of the game as Max Ehmer makes a goal saving block, But Gillingham are just all over the place defensively, The midfield three of Kyle Dempsey, Alex MacDonald and Olly Lee isn’t a defensive three man midfield, Rhys Bennett and Robbie McKenzie are not natural full backs, And Oxford United are just creating several goal-scoring opportunities and Gillingham have very much been second best throughout the entire match so far.

And still Gillingham cannot get out of our own half, Because Alex MacDonald is penalised for handball, And Oxford United have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Steve Seddon whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross which is cleared by Alex MacDonald, And Cameron Brannagan has the time and space to get the ball under control on the halfway line, And Cameron Brannagan passes the ball short to Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane passes the ball short down the line towards Sam Long, And Sam Long passes the ball back to Cameron Brannagan, and Cameron Brannagan passes the ball down the line towards Sam Long In Gillingham’s Defensive Final Third, And Sam Long see’s his dangerous in-swinging cross charged down by Danny Lloyd at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, James Henry whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the near post, And Matty Taylor wins the aerial challenge to header the ball over the crossbar and the ball has gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick - But how many times is Matty Taylor going to win the ball in the air for Oxford United ???

Twenty Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Herbie Kane is penalised for clipping Kyle Dempsey, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in Oxford United’s Half Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Gillingham had the chance to equalise, Jack Tucker passes the ball short to Olly Lee, who takes a touch to control the ball, And Olly Lee passes the ball down the line towards Danny Lloyd, And Danny Lloyd uses his pace to take on James Henry, And Danny Lloyd whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross which is headed clear and away from goal by Elliott Moore, And Olly Lee takes two touches to get the ball under control, And Olly Lee whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross right into the heart of Oxford United’s Penalty Area, And Vadaine Oliver headers the ball back across the face of goal and just wide of the far left post and Jack Stevens was well and truly beaten - AND THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR GILLINGHAM TO EQUALISE FOR 1-1!!!!!!!!

And because Rhys Bennett and Vadaine Oliver were both well positioned to get on the end of that cross from Olly Lee, I actually thought that Rhys Bennett had headed the ball just wide of the far post at the time, But that goal-scoring opportunity just gives Gillingham something to build on, and it’s something positive for The Gillingham Supporters In The Away End At the Kassam Stadium to get behind, Because this match has seen an almost one sided performance from Oxford United, who really should be winning 2-0 at the very least.

Twenty Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham are awarded a free kick because Elliott Moore is penalised for a foul on Vadaine Oliver, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Gillingham managed to equalise, Olly Lee quickly passes the ball out-wide to Kyle Dempsey down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Kyle Dempsey takes a few touches in possession of the ball before playing a short pass inside to Robbie McKenzie, And Robbie McKenzie takes a touch to control the ball before quickly passing the ball centrally to Alex MacDonald roughly thirty yards from goal, And Alex MacDonald takes a touch to control the ball before firing a low shot into the bottom left corner of the net and there is absolutely nothing that Goalkeeper Jack Stevens can do to prevent Alex MacDonald from scoring a sensational equaliser for The Gills, Great strike, great goal, and a very unlikely equaliser for Gillingham - OXFORD UNITED 1-1 GILLINGHAM.

Queue the massive celebrations from The Gillingham Supporters in the away end at The Kassam Stadium, Because Gillingham have not only scored a very unlikely equaliser, But Gillingham have actually scored a goal away at Oxford United with supporters in the away end, Because the last goal Gillingham scored away against Oxford United with supporters inside the ground was Cody McDonald’s Winning Goal In The 2010 / 2011 Season, Also, at the time we didn’t realise that Alex MacDonald chose not to celebrate against his former club, But every out-field player for Gillingham went over to congratulate Alex MacDonald for what was a great strike for Gillingham’s Equaliser.

Thirty One Minutes Into The Match, And Oxford United had the chance to re-take the lead, Gavin Whyte has possession of the ball for Oxford United down The Main Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Gavin Whyte runs into a more central position on the pitch and Gavin Whyte’s pass through to Matty Taylor is intercepted by Olly Lee, But Gavin Whyte is on to the loose ball in central midfield and Gavin Whyte continue’s his run forwards towards the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Gavin Whyte passes the ball out-wide to Sam Winnall down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Sam Winnall takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back to Sam Long, And Sam Long whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross first time and Matty Taylor wins the aerial challenge to header the ball high and off target for Oxford United - But Matty Taylor has won the ball in the air again for Oxford United, And having just equalised, it is important that Gillingham keep the score-line level as long as possible, Because conceding for 2-1 just moments after equalising for 1-1 would see Oxford United gain a huge advantage over The Gills.

Thirty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Oxford United had a half chance to try and re-take the lead, Gavin Whyte goes on a driving run forwards in possession of the ball, And Gavin Whyte passes the ball out-wide to Steve Seddon down the main stand side of the pitch in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Steve Seddon whips in a dangerous cross first time and Matty Taylor has headed the ball into the back of the net, But The Linesman Down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch had his flag raised before Steve Seddon had whipped in the cross for offside, Gillingham just have to be wary of the chances that Oxford United are creating at this moment in time though.

Thirty Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Oxford United have been awarded a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, James Henry whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post, And Robbie McKenzie had to header the ball out of play for A Oxford United Corner Kick, Because Sam Long was there waiting and anticipating at the far post, and from the resulting corner kick, Steve Seddon whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Robbie McKenzie headers the ball partially clear and away from goal and James Henry is on to the second ball, And James Henry see’s his dangerous in-swinging cross blocked by Danny Lloyd at the expense of conceding a throw on.

Thirty Nine Minutes Into The Match, Ans Gillingham Have A Throw On Down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch In Our Own Final Third, And From The Resulting Throw On, Gillingham had the chance to take the lead, Robbie McKenzie throws the ball long down the line and Vadaine Oliver flicks the ball on towards Kyle Dempsey, who cannot get the ball under control and Elliott Moore kicks the ball long down-field and Matty Taylor wins the first aerial challenge up against Jack Tucker, And Max Ehmer headers the ball forwards and Alex Gorrin and Herbie Kane win the next two aerial challenges, and Max Ehmer headers the ball forwards into Oxford United’s Half Of The Pitch, And Sam Long gets to the ball first ahead of Vadaine Oliver to header the ball forwards into Gillingham’s Half, But Alex MacDonald gets the ball under control, And Alex MacDonald passes the ball through to Danny Lloyd down the left side of the pitch, And Danny Lloyd runs forwards in possession of the ball, And Danny Lloyd continue’s his run forwards towards the edge of Oxford United’s Penalty Area down the far side of the pitch, And Danny Lloyd’s tries to chip the ball over Jack Stevens with a very ambitious effort which clipped the roof of the net, And Danny Lloyd almost gave Gillingham the lead, at the time, I thought it was more of a cross / shot which almost saw Danny Lloyd put Gillingham 2-1 up, but the highlights show that Danny Lloyd went for goal with that ambitious effort.

Forty Three Minutes Into The Match, And Jack Tucker is penalised for pulling Herbie Kane back, And what on earth was Jack Tucker doing there ??? - Because Gillingham had a free kick and Jack Tucker has tried to be too clever in possession of the ball, and that booking turned out to have dire consequences for Jack Tucker, Because that booking was Jack Tucker’s fifth booking of the season, and that booking means that Jack Tucker will be suspended for Cambridge United V Gillingham On Tuesday Night, It also has to be noted that Jack Tucker has put in his poorest performance of the season and he is really struggling at The Kassam Stadium this afternoon, You do wonder if maybe Jack Tucker will be substituted at half time, And Steve Evans will bring on David Tutonda to play at Left Back, switch Robbie McKenzie to Right Back, And play Rhys Bennett and Max Ehmer as our central defensive partnership ???

And just as we are coming up to the end of the first half, Gillingham have a throw on in-front of the main stand, and from the resulting throw on, Gillingham had the chance to take the lead, Rhys Bennett hurls the ball long down the line and the ball bounces through to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon kicks the ball long down-field and Matty Taylor manages to retain possession of the ball and pass the ball back to James Henry, And there was a bit of a mix up between James Henry and Alex Gorrin, and this mix up allowed Kyle Dempsey to get on to the ball, And Kyle Dempsey runs forwards in possession of the ball before sliding a pass square to Danny Lloyd on the edge of Oxford United’s Penalty Area, And Danny Lloyd takes a touch to control the ball before firing a fiercely driven shot towards goal which is parried down inside his own penalty area by Goalkeeper Jack Stevens and Gerald Sithole cannot get to the re-bound, there were penalty appeals from Gillingham Supporters Because Gerald Sithole had gone down inside Oxford United’s Penalty Area, But play continued as Oxford United have possession of the ball - BUT THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR GILLINGHAM TO TAKE THE LEAD THOUGH!!!!!!!!

And the final noteworthy moment of the first half see’s Alex MacDonald penalised for a very soft foul against Herbie Kane, And Oxford United were awarded a free kick in there own half of the pitch, and the resulting free kick saw Alex Gorrin pass the ball forwards towards Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane carries on running in possession of the ball into Gillingham’s Half of The Pitch, And Herbie Kane’s threaded pass through to Sam Long is over-hit, and the ball runs out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, And after three additional minutes of added time, Referee Darren Drysdale blows the whistle for half time.

HALF TIME: OXFORD UNITED 1-1 GILLINGHAM

I think Gillingham can consider themselves very fortunate to be going in at half time with the score-line level at 1-1, Because Matty Taylor’s header from Steve Seddon’s cross hits the post, Herbie Kane played the ball over the top towards Matty Taylor and Jamie Cumming has to be quick off his line outside his penalty area to header the ball partially clear and Gillingham have been caught out on a few occasions with that long pass over the top, Because that was how Matty Taylor opened the scoring for Oxford United, And Matty Taylor has won far too many headers in the first half, and that is very concerning, Because Gillingham have got three centre back’s in our back four with Rhys Bennett, Max Ehmer and Jack Tucker all named in the starting line up.

And speaking about the back four, Jack Tucker has just put in one of worst performances in A Gillingham Shirt and what we saw in the first half isn’t the performance we have been accustomed to from Jack Tucker, Poor defending to allow Matty Taylor in one on one for the opening goal of the game, and that foolish yellow card (which will see Jack Tucker suspended for Cambridge United V Gillingham On Tuesday Night) Just summed up a terrible first half performance from Jack Tucker, Now, David Tutonda could come on for Jack Tucker and play at Left Back, Robbie McKenzie moves across to Right Back, And Rhys Bennett plays alongside Max Ehmer in the heart of our defence, Or, does Steve Evans just give the entire first team squad a good talking to at half time and tell the players that our performance in the first half is not good enough and Gillingham need to show real sign’s of improvement in the second half.

But one of the things I mentioned earlier on in this blog, which could be the difference maker in deciding this result in Oxford United’s Favour is the strength of options they have got on the substitutes bench with Billy Bodin, Dan Agyei and Ryan Williams all players that Karl Robinson can look to bring on to turn this match from a 1-1 draw into a 2-1 win, Where as Gillingham have got Charlie Kelman and John Akinde on the bench, And one of those two will obviously come on for Gerald Sithole at some point in the second half, But we clearly lacking someone like A Elliott List who can come on for fifteen or twenty minutes, and make a serious impact from the bench.

Both teams then came out on to the pitch for the start of the second half, And Steve Evans and Karl Robinson have decided to stick with the starting eleven’s they named at kick off, With Karl Robinson probably overall very pleased with Oxford United’s first half performance and hoping if that performance continue’s in the second half that Oxford United will pick up all three points, where as, Steve Evans will be hoping that Alex MacDonald’s equaliser, Danny Lloyd almost scoring before half time and some motivating words in the dressing room can inspire the players to put in a much better performance in the second half, and hopefully, we will see a more inspired Gillingham Side in the second half as well - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!

SECOND HALF:

But right at the start of the second half, It’s Oxford United who are on the front-foot, Jordan Thorniley has possession of the ball for Oxford United In Oxford United’s Half Of The Pitch, And Jordan Thorniley threads a through-ball through to Sam Winnall, And Sam Winnall dummies the ball through to James Henry, And James Henry takes a touch to control the ball before turning back on himself, And James Henry manages to pick out Sam Long with a threaded pass down the main stand side of the pitch, And Sam Long whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Jamie Cumming parries the ball down inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Rhys Bennett was there to clear the ball out of play for A Oxford United Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Oxford United had the chance to open the scoring, James Henry whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Rhys Bennett does brilliantly to header the ball away from goal with Sam Long lurking at the far post, and Danny Lloyd kicks the ball partially clear and away from goal, But Steve Seddon gets the ball under control for Oxford United, And Steve Seddon takes another touch to set himself, And Steve Seddon curls a curling effort towards goal from thirty yards out that goes wide of Jamie Cumming’s far right post and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick - The early indications of the second half suggests that Gillingham are going to be in for a very difficult second forty five minutes at The Kassam Stadium.

Forty Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Gerald Sithole times his challenge to perfection on Steve Seddon, But Steve Seddon has possession of the ball by the byline, And Steve Seddon passes the ball back to Cameron Brannagan, who takes a touch to control the ball, and Cameron Brannagan passes the ball inside to Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane steps over the ball and allows the ball to run through to Matty Taylor, And Matty Taylor runs outside of Gillingham’s Penalty Area to retain possession of the ball, And Matty Taylor plays a short layoff pass to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan takes a touch to control the ball before hitting a fiercely driven effort towards goal from twenty yards out and Jamie Cumming takes no chances and tips the ball over the crossbar, And Oxford United have a corner kick where they can pile more pressure on to Gillingham’s Goal.

And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Steve Seddon passes the ball short to James Henry, who runs down The Main Stand Side Of The Pitch in possession of the ball, And James Henry continue’s his run right down towards the byline, And James Henry’s cross was charged down by Danny Lloyd at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Oxford United should have re-taken the lead, Steve Seddon whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and all Jack Tucker can do is header the ball on towards the far post and Sam Winnall headers the ball back across the face of goal and Alex Gorrin somehow fails to hit the target with a header towards goal inside the six yard box, and the ball goes wide of goal when Oxford United should have re-taken the lead - MASSIVE LET OFF FOR THE GILLS THERE!!!!!!!!!

Fifty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Oxford United are putting Gillingham under a lot of pressure, Steve Seddon has possession of the ball for Oxford United Down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Steve Seddon passes the ball inside centrally to Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin runs down the flank in possession of the ball, And Alex Gorrin takes a touch to control the ball before threading a ball down the line towards Gavin Whyte, And Gavin Whyte has the pace to get to the ball first ahead of Rhys Bennett, And Gavin Whyte is through on goal inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Gavin Whyte tries to pull the ball back across the face of goal to where Matty Taylor is positioned in a better goal-scoring opportunity, But Max Ehmer manages to intercept the ball, And Max Ehmer manages to clear the ball out of play for A Oxford United Throw On.

And From The Resulting Throw On, Gavin Whyte throws the ball back to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back to Elliott Moore on the halfway line, And Elliott Moore plays a short pass square to Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin takes a touch to control the ball before threading a through-pass through to Gavin Whyte, And Gavin Whyte takes a touch to control the ball before passing there ball square to James Henry, Who passes the ball back to Elliott Moore, And Elliott Moore plays a short pass square to Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin takes a touch to control the ball before managing to thread a pass down the line towards Steve Seddon by the byline, And Steve Seddon clips a high and hanging cross towards the far post and Danny Lloyd takes no chances and kicks the ball clear and away from danger at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Steve Seddon whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Vadaine Oliver manages to header the ball partially clear and away from danger, and Sam Long gets to the loose ball down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Sam Long takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back to James Henry on the halfway line, And James Henry takes a few touches in possession of the ball before threading a pass down the line towards Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in a dangerous in-swinging cross which Vadaine Oliver manages to clear away from danger, and Sam Long’s heavy touch allows Kyle Dempsey to nip in there to intercept the ball and pass the ball forwards towards Gerald Sithole, And Gerald Sithole runs forwards in possession of the ball, And Gerald Sithole’s pass through to Kyle Dempsey is cut out by Elliott Moore, And Elliott Moore’s pass ricochets fortuitously to Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane plays the ball back inside to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan passes the ball back to Jordan Thorniley, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball, And Jordan Thorniley plays a short pass out-wide to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon manages to thread the ball down the line towards Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane manages to pass the ball through to Matty Taylor inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Matty Taylor tries to lay the ball off to Gavin Whyte, And Max Ehmer was in the right place at the right time to kick the ball clear and away from danger at the expense of conceding a throw on.

And Oxford United just continued to pile on the pressure on to Gillingham’s Goal, Sam Long throws the ball short to Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane passes the ball back out-wide to Sam Long, who manages to retain possession of the ball before playing a short pass forwards towards James Henry, And James Henry whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and although Matty Taylor retains possession of the ball ahead of Max Ehmer, Alex MacDonald takes too long in possession of the ball and Matty Taylor charges down Rhys Bennett’s clearance and Max Ehmer kicks the ball forwards towards the halfway line, And Elliott Moore headers the ball out-wide to Cameron Brannagan down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Cameron Brannagan takes a few touches to tee himself up for a ambitious shot towards goal from distance which Jamie Cumming was able to save with ease, But we’re Fifty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Oxford United have dominated the majority of the second half so far.

And that domination just continue’s because Cameron Brannagan tries to pick out Herbie Kane with a clipped lobbed pass inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Jamie Cumming gathers the ball with ease, And From Here, Jamie Cumming rolls the ball short to Jack Tucker, And Jack Tucker takes a few touches in possession of the ball before kicking the ball long down the line and Danny Lloyd gets the ball under control and manages to keep the ball in play, And Danny Lloyd almost manages to pick out Gerald Sithole with a cross towards the near post, But Elliott Moore on the stretch manages to clear the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick - And the atmosphere raises in volume from the back of the away end - But before the corner kick could be taken, John Akinde comes on to replace Gerald Sithole, and from the resulting corner kick, Kyle Dempsey passes the ball short to Danny Lloyd, And Danny Lloyd takes a touch to control the ball before passing the back into Kyle Dempsey’s Path, And Kyle Dempsey’s shot towards goal is saved by Jack Stevens at the near post, and that shot towards goal is something to build on for The Gills, and that same combination worked for Gillingham’s Equaliser Against Charlton Athletic as well.

And regarding the change, Gerald Sithole was always going to be the player taken off, there will be better matches for the young attacking player to be involved in, And I think this tactical change will hopefully see John Akinde and Vadaine Oliver win the competitive battle in Oxford United’s Final Third, And Steve Evans will be hoping that John Akinde and Vadaine Oliver can retain possession of the ball, And that Gillingham can just start to ask more questions from Oxford United defensively.

Fifty Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Oxford United create another decent goal-scoring opportunity, Jack Stevens has possession of the ball for Oxford United, And Jack Stevens rolled the ball short to Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane passed the ball short square to Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin plays a one / two with Sam Long before passing the ball out-wide to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon passes the ball forwards towards Gavin Whyte, And Gavin Whyte passes the ball back to Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin passes the ball forwards towards Sam Winnall, And Sam Winnall passes the ball back to Alex Gorrin, And Alex Gorrin passes the ball out-wide to Gavin Whyte down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Gavin Whyte takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball down the line towards Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan is trying to take on Max Ehmer, but opts to pass the ball back towards Alex Gorrin on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Alex Gorrin takes a touch to control the ball before laying the ball off to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan passes the ball back towards Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane plays a short pass square to Cameron Brannagan, who quickly shifts the ball on to his favoured foot, And Cameron Brannagan’s curling effort towards goal is parried by Jamie Cumming and Jack Tucker headers the ball clear and Danny Lloyd gets the ball further clear and away from goal, however, Sam Long is quick to pass the ball forwards towards Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball down the line towards Gavin Whyte, And Gavin Whyte takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball back to James Henry, And James Henry’s first time cross is comfortably saved by Jamie Cumming - But the pressure building from Oxford United is relentless, and it is only a matter of time before Oxford United do eventually take the lead.

Fifty Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Herbie Kane tries to pick out Steve Seddon with a in-swinging cross towards the far post, And Rhys Bennett was in the right place at the right time to header the ball clear and out of play for A Oxford United Corner Kick, And From the Resulting Corner Kick, Oxford United should have scored, James Henry passes the ball back towards Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball down the line towards James Henry, And James Henry fires in a driven effort towards goal which Jamie Cumming was able to gather with some difficulty, and from here, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Elliott Moore wins the aerial challenge up against Vadaine Oliver and Cameron Brannagan takes a touch to control the ball before threading a pass down the line and Rhys Bennett takes no chances and kicks the ball long down-field and although John Akinde wins the initial aerial challenge, Alex Gorrin lays the ball off to Sam Winnall, And Sam Winnall passes the ball forwards towards Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane takes a touch to control the ball before seeing his threaded through-ball cleared away from danger by Max Ehmer, and Jordan Thorniley passes the ball forwards towards Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon passes the ball back to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan passes the ball back to Jordan Thorniley In Oxford United’s Half Of The Pitch, And Jordan Thorniley passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Jack Stevens, And Jack Stevens passes the ball short forwards to Elliott Moore, And Elliott Moore passes the ball square to Jordan Thorniley, And Jordan Thorniley manages to thread a through-ball through to Matty Taylor on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Matty Taylor plays a short pass back to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon passed the ball centrally to Gavin Whyte, And Gavin Whyte passes the ball out-wide to Sam Long, And Sam Long whips in a high and hanging cross towards the back-stick, And Steve Seddon’s header back across the face of goal is saved and gathered at the second attempt by Jamie Cumming.

There is just no pressing from the front, Oxford United are very intricate in the way they pass and move the ball around the pitch, Sam Long and Steve Seddon are high and wide because Robbie McKenzie and Rhys Bennett are not natural full backs, and the midfield three of Kyle Dempsey, Alex MacDonald and Olly Lee is not exactly a defensive midfield trio, even though all three players work very hard, But perhaps what is more concerning is the fact that John Akinde just looks completely exhausted just a few minutes after coming on as a substitute, and a few of us in the away end were looking at John Akinde and some were questioning his performance, others were questioning if John Akinde is fully fit and maybe Charlie Kelman should have come on as a substitute instead ???

And Oxford United are starting to use the strength of there substitutes bench after Sixty Two Minutes, Because Mark Sykes comes on to replace James Henry, And The Oxford United Midfielder will have been brought on to try and help Oxford United turn this 1-1 draw into a 2-1 win for Oxford United, But that pressure just continue’s for Oxford United, Because Jamie Cumming has to save a dangerous in-swinging cross from Alex Gorrin, and from here, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field, and although John Akinde wins the initial aerial challenge, Elliott Moore headers the ball forwards towards Cameron Brannagan, who runs forwards in possession of the ball, evades the attempted challenge from Max Ehmer, And Cameron Brannagan fires a fiercely driven effort towards goal and the ball flew over the top of Gillingham’s Crossbar, and the ball has gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick - But that goal for Oxford United is going to be scored eventually, and it is only a matter of time before Oxford United do score and go 2-1 in-front.

And the next passage of play see’s Oxford United almost take the lead again, Steve Seddon has possession of the ball for Oxford United, And Steve Seddon passes the ball forwards towards Cameron Brannagan down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Cameron Brannagan passes the ball forwards towards Mark Sykes, And Mark Sykes runs into a more central position on the pitch before firing a ambitious and audacious effort from distance that fails to hit the target by some considerable distance, and we’re Sixty Five Minutes into this match, and there is still a very long way to go before the full time whistle is blown at The Kassam Stadium.

Oxford United then make there second substitution of the match as Billy Bodin comes on to replace Alex Gorrin, A Substitution From Karl Robinson that clearly states that Oxford United are trying to win the game, And that is almost precisely what happens in the next passage of play, Jack Tucker kicks the ball long down-field and Herbie Kane headers the ball down the line towards Gavin Whyte down The Main Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Gavin Whyte gets the ball under control before running forwards in possession of the ball, And Gavin Whyte fires in a low dangerous cross and Mark Sykes shot towards goal inside the six yard box is brilliantly saved by Jamie Cumming, and what a save that was from Jamie Cumming as well, and Alex MacDonald and Danny Lloyd between the two of them manage to get the ball clear and away from danger and Gillingham survive - but only just.

Sixty Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Daniel Adshead comes on to replace Olly Lee, And Daniel Adshead comes on just to provide Gillingham with some fresh legs in midfield, and also give our midfield some much needed defensive nous, I think Steve Evans was hoping that a midfield trio of Alex MacDonald, Kyle Dempsey and Olly Lee can get on the ball, create goal-scoring opportunities for Gerald Sithole, Danny Lloyd and Vadaine Oliver, and all three players can get on the ball and have that bit of quality to cause Oxford United problems, But such is the dominating performance from Oxford United in this match, all three midfielders have not got on the ball as much as they would have liked, And Gillingham have just over twenty minutes to see if they can hang on for a 1-1 draw, or maybe, even snatch all three points with a sucker punch effort on goal ???

Seventy One Minutes Into The Match, And Alex MacDonald is penalised for a foul on Steve Seddon, And Oxford United have been awarded a free kick in there own half of the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Jordan Thorniley passes the ball short to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon passes the ball down the line towards Mark Sykes, And Mark Sykes cuts inside centrally and see’s his pass intercepted by Kyle Dempsey, And Kyle Dempsey tries to run forwards in possession of the ball but Mark Sykes tracks back and passes the ball back to Goalkeeper Jack Stevens, And Jack Stevens passes the ball forwards towards Elliott Moore, And Elliott Moore plays a one / two with Herbie Kane before passing the ball back to Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane passes the ball square to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan threads a pass down the line towards Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Max Ehmer slices the ball up into the air and Jack Tucker wins the next aerial challenge to prevent Matty Taylor from getting to the second ball, And Jack Tucker headers the ball out of play for A Oxford United Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Oxford United should have taken the lead, Steve Seddon plays the ball short to Gavin Whyte, And Gavin Whyte takes a few touches in possession of the ball before playing a short pass back to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon plays the ball back to Gavin Whyte, And Gavin Whyte lays the ball off to Mark Sykes, And Mark Sykes passes the ball through to Herbie Kane inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Herbie Kane see’s his cross across the face of goal cleared by John Akinde and Steve Seddon is on to the loose ball, And Steve Seddon passes the ball down the line towards Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Matty Taylor almost got on the end of that cross, And Jamie Cumming was able to gather that ball with some difficulty, before diving low on the deck to relieve some of the pressure building on to Gillingham’s Goal.

Seventy Four Minutes Into The Match, And Sam Long is penalised for fouling John Akinde, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Kyle Dempsey whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Goalkeeper Jack Stevens punches the ball partially clear and away from goal and Alex MacDonald is on to the loose ball, And Alex MacDonald looks to take on Cameron Brannagan, And Alex MacDonald whips in a fantastic in-swinging cross and Jordan Thorniley headers the ball partially clear and away from danger and Sam Winnall is on to the loose ball, And Sam Winnall passes the ball back inside centrally to Jordan Thorniley, And Jordan Thorniley boots the ball clear and away from danger for Oxford United - But that was the chance for Gillingham to take a very unlikely lead away against Oxford United at The Kassam Stadium.

But In The Seventy Seventh Minute Of The Match, Oxford United really should have taken the lead, Jordan Thorniley passes the ball down the line towards Steve Seddon in the final third down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Steve Seddon takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Max Ehmer headers the ball partially clear and away from danger and John Akinde is on to the second ball, And John Akinde takes far too long in possession of the ball and Gavin Whyte wins possession of the ball for Oxford United on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Gavin Whyte threads a pass through to Matty Taylor inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Matty Taylor’s first time effort towards goal is brilliantly saved by Jamie Cumming, And Jamie Cumming is quick to get back on to his feat to punch the re-bound over his own crossbar at the expense of conceding a corner kick for Oxford United - THAT WAS AN INCREDIBLE DOUBLE SAVE BY JAMIE CUMMING!!!!!! BU WHAT ON EARTH WAS JONH AKINDE DOING THERE, LOSING POSSESSION OF THE BALL TO GAVIN WHYTE!!!!

And from the resulting corner kick, Steve Seddon whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Jack Tucker headers the ball partially clear and away from danger, and Mark Sykes gets the ball under control and passes the ball down the line to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Elliott Moore’s looping header is tipped over the crossbar by Jamie Cumming for another Oxford United Corner Kick - Jamie Cumming is preventing Oxford United from winning 5-1 here - and from the resulting corner kick, Steve Seddon whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Jamie Cumming saves the ball with ease, and finally, Gillingham can breath a sigh of relief, for now at least.

Eighty Minutes Into The Match, And Oxford United had the chance to take the lead, Jack Stevens has possession of the ball for a goal-kick, And Jack Stevens passes the ball short to Jordan Thorniley, And Jordan Thorniley takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball down the line to Steve Seddon down The North Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Steve Seddon takes a few touches in possession of the ball before playing a short pass square inside to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan passes the ball back out-wide to Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon passes the ball back towards Jordan Thorniley, And Jordan Thorniley plays a give and go with Cameron Brannagan before passing the ball forwards towards Gavin Whyte in a central area of the pitch in Gillingham’s Half, And Gavin Whyte turns and plays a cross-field cross pass towards Sam Long, And Sam Long passes the ball back to Herbie Kane, who takes a touch to control the ball, And Herbie Kane passes the ball square to Cameron Brannagan, And Cameron Brannagan passes the ball square to Jordan Thorniley, And Jordan Thorniley threads the ball down the line to Steve Seddon in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Steve Seddon fires in a dangerous low cross, And Mark Sykes shot on the turn is blocked by Jack Tucker, And Robbie McKenzie kicks the ball long down-field and Elliott Moore wins the aerial challenge up against Vadaine Oliver, And Herbie Kane is on to the loose ball, And Herbie Kane runs forwards in possession of the ball before seeing his threaded through-ball intercepted by Jack Tucker, And Kyle Dempsey is on to the loose ball, And Kyle Dempsey turns away from Matty Taylor, and tries to get Gillingham going on the counter attack, But Herbie Kane slides in and times his challenge to perfection, and Steve Seddon is on to the loose ball for Oxford United, And Steve Seddon runs forwards in possession of the ball before firing a fiercely driven effort which flashes just wide of the far right post and Jamie Cumming was relieved to see the ball flash just wide of the post - BUT THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR OXFORD UNITED TO TAKE THE LEAD!!!!!!!!!!

Eighty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Gavin Whyte goes past Robbie McKenzie far too easily and works his way to the byline, thankfully, Gavin Whyte’s cross was over-hit and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, But it’s another opportunity for Oxford United who have constantly caused Gillingham problems in the wide area’s, And Referee Darren Drysdale books Jamie Cumming for time wasting, and that decision got a loud cheer from The Oxford United Supporters Inside The Kassam Stadium.

But from the resulting goal-kick, Gillingham had the chance to take the lead, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and John Akinde wins the aerial challenge to flick the ball on towards Vadaine Oliver and Sam Long is in the right place at the right time to header the ball away from Vadaine Oliver and Cameron Brannagan is on to the second ball, And Cameron Brannagan takes several touches in possession of the ball before playing a short pass out-wide to Sam Long, And Sam Long kicks the ball long down the line and Robbie McKenzie wins the aerial battle to header the ball inside centrally to Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald takes a touch to control the ball before striking a ambitious effort towards goal from forty yards, And Alex MacDonald’s ambitious effort towards goal failed to hit the target by some considerable distance, and the ball goes out of play for A Oxford United Goal-Kick.

And from the resulting goal-kick, Oxford United should have taken the lead, Jack Stevens passes the ball short to Jordan Thorniley, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Elliott Moore, And Elliott Moore runs forwards in possession of the ball before playing a short pass square to Herbie Kane, And Herbie Kane runs forwards in possession of the ball and plays the ball forwards towards Matty Taylor, who takes one touch to control the ball and another touch to pass the ball out-wide to Sam Long, And Sam Long takes a touch to control the ball, And Sam Long passes the ball forwards towards Herbie Kane, who had made the run forwards inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Herbie Kane manages to retain possession of the ball, play a short pass out-wide to Sam Long, And Sam Long whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Jamie Cumming has dropped the ball straight into the path of Billy Bodin, And Billy Bodin has somehow managed to clear Gillingham’s Crossbar with an effort on goal inside the six yard box - AND THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR OXFORD UNITED TO TAKE THE LEAD!!!!!!!!

And had that goal gone in because of an goalkeeping error from Jamie Cumming, I would have been disappointed with the error, and disappointed that Oxford United have taken the lead, but had it not been for Jamie Cumming’s performance in goal for Gillingham at The Kassam Stadium, then Oxford United would have been winning 5-1 by now, and looking back at the highlights, maybe, just maybe, Jack Tucker had done enough to put Billy Bodin off - But Oxford United should have scored though.

And Oxford United had the chance to score from the resulting goal-goal-kick In The Eighty Fourth Minute Of The Match, Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver wins the aerial challenge to flick the ball on towards John Akinde, And Steve Seddon is in the right place at the right time to kick the ball long down-field, and Max Ehmer wins the initial aerial challenge and Jordan Thorniley wins the aerial challenge up against John Akinde to header the ball back towards Steve Seddon, And Steve Seddon takes a touch to control the ball before playing a one / two with Cameron Brannagan, And Steve Seddon passes the ball down the line towards Mark Sykes, And Mark Sykes runs into a more central area on the pitch before playing a one / two with Cameron Brannagan, And Mark Sykes manages to pick out Sam Long with a pass out-wide in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Sam Long whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Jack Tucker headers the ball partially clear and away from goal, and Mark Sykes gets the ball under control inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area before turning back on himself and passing the ball back to Cameron Brannagan, who takes a touch to control the ball, And Cameron Brannagan’s shot towards goal from the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, thankfully fails to hit the target, and Gillingham survive again - for now.

Eighty Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Oxford United had a huge penalty appeal turned down, Jack Stevens had passed the ball short to Sam Long, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball, And Sam Long kicks the ball long down-field, and Matty Taylor beats Max Ehmer to the aerial challenge, And Matty Taylor knocks the ball down towards Mark Sykes inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, and there was a coming together between Jack Tucker and Mark Sykes, And Oxford United had a huge penalty appeal waved away from Referee Darren Drysdale, And looking at the penalty incident again, Jack Tucker was always going to be first to the knock-down, but with the way Mark Sykes had gone down, and with that penalty incident being in-front of The Oxford United Supporters At The Kassam Stadium, I did wonder if a penalty kick was going to be awarded to Oxford United though ???

Oxford United then make there third and final substitution as Dan Agyei comes on to replace Herbie Kane, and we’re looking at Gillingham’s Options on the bench, And Charlie Kelman on for Danny Lloyd is an option, or, Ben Reeves can come on to provide fresh legs into Gillingham’s Midfield, But seeing as this match is there for the taking, then Charlie Kelman should come on, and I am surprised that he has not been substituted on earlier for The Gills.

Ninety Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham win themselves a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Kyle Dempsey whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross, And Jack Stevens drops the ball before gathering the ball at the second attempt, However, the final noteworthy moment of the match could have seen Gillingham somehow pick up three massive points at The Kassam Stadium, Gillingham had a goal-kick, And Jamie Cumming kicks the ball long down-field and Sam Long wins the aerial challenge up against John Akinde, And Jordan Thorniley headers the ball forwards towards Mark Sykes, And Mark Sykes is challenged by Danny Lloyd, and the loose ball ricochets into John Akinde’s Path, And John Akinde gets the ball under control before running forwards in possession of the ball, And John Akinde’s pass through to Kyle Dempsey was horrendous and Kyle Dempsey is penalised for a foul on Sam Long and Oxford United have been awarded a defensive free kick - John Akinde either needed to take the shot on towards goal, or, play a better pass through to Kyle Dempsey.

FULL TIME: OXFORD UNITED 1-1 GILLINGHAM

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Oxford United completely dominated this match against Gillingham at The Kassam Stadium, And Oxford United Supporters will be wondering how or why Oxford United failed to pick up all three points, and one of the reasons why Oxford United failed to win was a remarkable goalkeeping performance from Jamie Cumming, Who prevented Matty Taylor, Cameron Brannagan, and Mark Sykes from getting themselves on to the score-sheet, Yes, Jamie Cumming made an error dropping Sam Long’s Cross to the feat of Billy Bodin, And Billy Bodin should have scored, but had it not been for Jamie Cumming’s performance in goal for Gillingham, Then Gillingham would have lost 5-1 against Oxford United.

The players just looked completely exhausted at full time, and Gillingham had to put in a shift against Oxford United, But with Cambridge United Away On Tuesday Night, And Wigan Athletic at home on The Saturday, The League fixtures are coming thick and fast, and with a small squad, and with several players looking knackered at full time, Gillingham have to prepare themselves for a lot of matches coming up in a short period of time, and unfortunately, With Jackson, Phillips and Carayol all unavailable, Gillingham do not have much room in the squad to make wholesale changes.

But one change that should have happened is Charlie Kelman coming on for Gillingham, And because John Akinde looked knackered after five minutes, I think Charlie Kelman should have come on for Gerald Sithole instead of John Akinde, and then John Akinde could have come on for the final ten minutes of the match, Gillingham Supporters quite rightfully were criticising a dreadful performance from John Akinde away against Oxford United, But had John Akinde scored with that chance at the end of the match, or, John Akinde assisted Kyle Dempsey for a late winner, then John Akinde could have been the hero, But what was John Akinde trying to do when he was intercepted that lead to the chance where Jamie Cumming had to make the double save though ???

There was also a altercation between John Akinde and some Gillingham Supporters in the away end at The Kassam Stadium, And I had missed this because I was in the concourse at the time, Criticising John Akinde’s poor performance is one thing, if something was said that crossed the line, then that is something entirely different altogether, But because I missed what had happened at full time, I am only guessing on what had happened with that incident at full time.

I have to disagree with Steve Evans Comments In His Gaffer At The Weekend Article, To say that Gillingham limited Oxford United to a few chances is over-looking the number of opportunities that Oxford United created and how severely tested Jamie Cumming was put under pressure throughout the majority of the second half, Oxford United also attempted forty two crosses, Because Robbie McKenzie and Rhys Bennett are not natural full backs, and this showed with the amount of crosses Sam Long and Steve Seddon were whipping into our penalty area, And John Akinde coming on to provide Gillingham with pace and power in attack is hopefully a comment in public to support Akinde, but behind closed doors, we as supporters will be hoping the Steve Evans gives John Akinde a word to put in better performances for Gillingham then what we saw from that substitute appearance against Oxford United.

I also thought that the atmosphere inside The Kassam Stadium from Oxford United Supporters was very quiet, and that’s not like our previous trips to Oxford United where the atmosphere has generally been very decent, the atmosphere in this 1-1 draw was pretty much flat compared to my previous trips to Oxford United to watch Gillingham Play, And I am not exactly sure why this was the case ???

All in all, This is a decent point and a point gained for Gillingham, And back to back 1-1 draws against Charlton Athletic and Oxford United when Gillingham were losing 1-0 in both matches are small steps in the right direction, Hopefully, Gillingham can build on these back to back 1-1 draws and Gillingham can pick up back to back wins against Cambridge United and Wigan Athletic, And Gillingham can slowly start to move up The League One Table - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!

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