#i would opt to make my own callum ask blog but | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

fan-of-mulligan · 6 years ago

Text

FOM BLOG: SHEPPEY UNITED 1 - 7 GILLINGHAM

My Thoughts On Sheppey United V Gillingham………………….

With Gillingham Moving The Folkestone Invicta V Gillingham Friendly from Friday Night to Saturday, and Sheppey United moving the kick off time from 3PM back to 12.30PM - Both Matches kicked off at 12.30PM on Saturday so that we avoided clashing with The England Game - It meant that we as supporters had to make a decision on which games we were willing to travel to, and which match we would have to unfortunately have miss out on.

With Sheppey United being closer to travel to and we could tick off a new stadium, We decided to go to The Havill Stadium, Diane picked me up at 10.45AM and it took us an hour before we arrived at The Havill Stadium, That is because The Sat Nav kept mis-directing us when we arrived on The Isle Of Sheppey and we were directed to Sheppey East Football Club, which is five hundred yards away from Sheppey United’s Ground, before we eventually found the car park for Sheppey United and Diane parked the car, while Diane, Ann, Shane and Myself double checked that we had everything on us before we headed towards the turnstiles.

Despite the sign saying £7 for the admission price, I only had to pay £2 for admission while I brought One Match-Day Programme for £1 and we all decided to queue up to get something to eat and drink, I intentionally skipped breakfast because I knew we were going to arrive at Sheppey United very early to get something to eat and drink, And I brought A Cheese-Burger and A Can Of Coca Cola, While Diane, Ann and Shane all brought themselves chips, Diane, Ann and Shane had to wait a long time for the chips to be cooked, as there were was a large queue for food and drink, and quite a few portions of chips had been ordered already.

I had finished my burger by the time Ann, Shane and Diane had got there portion of chips, and Diane, Ann and Shane sat down in the seated stand, which was packed already, and Gillingham had confirmed there starting line up for the first half against Sheppey United, And Gillingham Lined Up As Follows,,,,, Louie Catherall, Danny Divine, Ryan Huckle, Jack Tucker, Ben Chapman, Billy Bingham, Franck Moussa (On Trial), Second Trialist, Darren Oldaker, Leroy Hlabi, and Bradley Stevenson - So this match gives us the opportunity to have a look at several of Gillingham’s Promising Youngsters who have been given the opportunity to showcase there abilities and maybe try and force there way into the first team at the start of The 2018 / 2019 Season, Billy Bingham has returned from a long term injury, so it was great to see him back out on the pitch and playing for Gillingham Football Club Again, While Ben Chapman, Darren Oldaker and Bradley Stevenson all had loan spells at different levels of Non League Football Last Season, So I am sure that these three will come back into Gillingham’s First Team stronger for that experience.

I had sent out a tweet while we were on our journey to Sheppey United, If anyone who was going to The Folkestone Invicta V Gillingham Match, If anyone can send us any feedback on how Gillingham are doing then that would be greatly appreciated, Steve Lovell will be taking charge of the first team for the match against Folkestone Invicta and it will be interesting to see how our new signings Dean Parrett, Barry Fuller, Callum Reilly, Regan Charles-Cook, Brandon Hanlan and Josh Rees perform this afternoon, I know Barry Fuller and Callum Reilly have played for Gillingham Football Club previously, But any feedback on there performances for Gillingham against Folkestone Invicta would be appreciated.

I got speaking with Luke, who was doing the write up for The Sheppey United V Gillingham Game, and Luke Confirmed to me that the other trialist in the starting line up was Former Leyton Orient Midfielder Dean Cox, and you can never tell with trialists if we’re looking to sign them, or there making up the numbers, Because Gillingham are playing two matches at the same-time and we need plenty of squad depth to cover both matches, But Dean Cox on trial at Gillingham is very interesting news to say the least.

I also asked about Scott Chalmers-Stevens, who has been brought in as Gillingham’s Goalkeeper Coach, And I asked Luke if Scott Chalmers-Stevens was appointed as Player / Goalkeeper Coach - A Role that Scott Chalmers-Stevens has had at Margate and Tonbridge Angels - But as far as Luke was aware, Scott Chalmers-Stevens has only been brought in as Goalkeeper Coach, Luke confirmed to me that Monday Night’s Match against Deal Town will be a match for Gillingham’s Youngsters to participate in, and as much as I really would like to tick off Deal Town’s Ground and go to a ground I have never been to before, Deal Town is very difficult to get to via train and I will most likely give this match a miss - which is unfortunate - But I will be going to Faversham Town On Tuesday Night instead.

Because the seated section was quite packed, I decided to let others who need to sit down take up the seated section, while Diane, Ann and Shane sat down, and I decided to stand towards the left side of the seated section, closer to the goal that was an open terrace, and not the covered terrace down the opposite side of the pitch, standing in this area proved to be difficult because of the yellow marker which needed to be kept clear, Hardly anyone was standing down the dugout side of the pitch, which meant that everyone was essentially standing / sitting down the same side, But with plenty of time until kick off, there was already a good turnout for Sheppey United V Gillingham.

I have got to say that the playing surface at The Havill Stadium is in remarkable condition for Sheppey United’s first pre-season friendly, Sheppey United look to get themselves prepared for the up and coming season in The Southern Counties East Football League, this is the same division that Chatham Town, Hollands & Blair, Whistable Town, Rochester United, Lordswood and Tunbridge Wells compete in, so there are plenty of local derbies in this division.

Both teams lined up in-front of the main stand with Gillingham kicking towards the covered terrace in the first half, and Sheppey United kicking towards the open terrace, and both teams will of course switch half's at half time, and I have got to say that the turnout inside The Havill Stadium is a decent turnout for Gillingham’s opening pre-season friendly, Hopefully Gillingham can come through this match without picking up any injuries and get a good win for Gillingham to get off to a good start, and then we can turn our attentions to The England Game at full time.

FIRST HALF:

Ryan Huckle is penalised for his challenge down the right side of the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Sheppey United have a great opportunity to whip in an dangerous in-swinging cross, But Sheppey United opt to go short instead with Number Eight passing there ball out-wide to Number Three And Number Three passes the ball inside to Number Eleven, and Ben Chapman intercepts the ball before kicking the ball long towards Bradley Stevenson and Sheppey United Goalkeeper Dan Ellis gets to the ball first, but Dan Ellis has completely mis-kicked the ball and Bradley Stevenson is first to the loose ball to take a touch to control the ball before scoring a simple tap in for Gillingham and Gillingham have taken the lead inside the opening two minutes of the match, But Dan Ellis will be very disappointed to make a terrible goalkeeping error which gifts Gillingham the opening goal of the game.

Sheppey United are then penalised for a foul on Ryan Huckle right by the byline down the left side of the pitch just as Ryan Huckle has cleared the ball away from danger - the opposite side of the where I was standing - and Sheppey United then look to try and get the ball quickly from back to front with a long ball down the left side of the pitch, and the long ball from Sheppey United is too long and runs out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

Sheppey United then charge down a clearance from Jack Tucker which does run out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, While Darren Oldaker tries to pick out Leroy Hlabi with a long ball over the top which runs out of play for A Sheppey United Goal-Kick, Gillingham have taken the lead in fortuitous circumstances, and both Gillingham and Sheppey United are perhaps just getting used to playing competitive football in what you have to say are very hot and humid conditions.

Bradley Stevenson is then flagged for offside, However, Gillingham create two decent goal-scoring opportunities in quick succession, Leroy Hlabi intercepts a terrible pass from Sheppey United in there own final third and Dan Ellis just about gets to the loose ball and makes a very important save, while Ben Chapman has whipped in an dangerous in-swinging cross towards the near post from the right side of the pitch, and Dan Ellis is in the right place at the right time to make the save.

Ben Chapman is putting in a very decent performance down the right wing for Gillingham, intercepting the ball in Sheppey United’s Final Third, And Ben Chapman has whipped in an dangerous in-swinging cross and Bradley Stevenson see’s his header on target saved by Dan Ellis, in-terms of formation and how Gillingham are lining up, Gillingham are lining up with a 3.1.4.2 formation with Louie Catherall in goal, Danny Divine, Ryan Huckle and Jack Tucker in defence, Billy Bingham playing as Gillingham’s Defensive Holding Midfielder, Ben Chapman, Franck Moussa, Darren Oldaker and Dean Cox are Gillingham’s Four Man Midfield, while Bradley Stevenson and Leroy Hlabi line up alongside each other in attack.

I don’t think this is how Gillingham are going to line up against Accrington Stanley on the opening day of the season, I think this comes down to the players that Gillingham have got available for selection, Bradley Stevenson is An Central Attacking Midfielder, Ben Chapman is A Defensive Midfielder playing on the right wing and this match is more about giving as many players the opportunity to get forty five minutes of competitive football under there belts, rather then looking at how Gillingham are going to line up when the competitive league fixtures start on The Fourth Of August.

Jack Tucker then has to time his challenge on The Sheppey United Centre Forward to perfection and Jack Tucker’s interception see’s the ball run out of play for A Sheppey United Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Louie Catherall has done brilliantly to read the flight of the ball and gather the ball with ease, Last Season, Gillingham had Tomas Holy, Tom Hadler, Stuart Nelson and Steve Arnold as our four senior goalkeepers, Louie Catherall was fifth choice goalkeeper last season, He is now Gillingham’s Third Choice Goalkeeper behind Tomas Holy and Tom Hadler.

Gillingham then win a corner kick down the opposite end of the pitch, which is taken quickly by Franck Moussa to Leroy Hlabi, But Sheppey United manage to intercept the ball and clear there lines, But this is only a temporary reprieve for Sheppey United, Because Gillingham are constantly causing Sheppey United problems, and once again, Ben Chapman has managed to whip in an dangerous in-swinging cross from the right side of the pitch in Sheppey United’s Final Third and Dan Ellis was able to gather the ball with ease, And in a separate attack, Gillingham are looking to double there lead, Because Darren Oldaker controls the ball on the half turn before threading through a fantastic through-ball for Leory Hlabi to run on to, But Leroy Hlabi was flagged for offside by The Linesman down the opposite side of the pitch.

Ryan Huckle, who is playing in the centre of Gillingham’s Three Man Central Defence is in the right place at the right time to clear the ball away from danger, But Gillingham finally make there early dominance count by doubling there lead by scoring the second goal, Danny Divine has played a long ball down the line towards Leroy Hlabi, who not only manages to keep the ball in play, Leroy Hlabi squares the ball to Bradley Stevenson on the edge of Sheppey United’s Penalty Area, and Bradley Stevenson has managed to retain possession of the ball down the right side of Sheppey United’s Penalty Area and Bradley Stevenson then turns back on himself so that he is facing towards The Sheppey United Goal and Bradley Stevenson plays the ball through to Franck Moussa, and Franck Moussa shows great composure to accurately place the ball into the bottom left corner of the net with a decent first time finish, and Gillingham have doubled there lead and it is a really good goal from Franck Moussa, who is looking to try and earn himself a contract for next season, and maybe there is a contract offer on the table for Franck Moussa from Steve Lovell.

Bradley Stevenson is then fouled on the edge of Sheppey United’s Penalty Area because the hosts are over-playing the ball out from the back and Bradley Stevenson has nipped in there to intercept the ball before being dragged back by Sheppey United’s Number Four and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, and if this was a competitive league game, at the very least your talking about A Yellow Card for The Sheppey United Defender, But From The Resulting Free Kick, Darren Oldaker scores a sensational free kick by curling the ball over the wall and picking out the top right side of the net with a magnificent goal and these goals are starting to become more routine for Darren Oldaker, and routine is doing Darren Oldaker a huge dis-service, because there is no way Dan Ellis or any goalkeeper for that matter is preventing the ball from hitting the back of the net, and Gillingham have now got the score-line that our early dominance deserves, Dan Ellis has made a dreadful goalkeeping error for Bradley Stevenson’s goal, But the goals that Franck Moussa and Darren Oldaker have scored are both quality goals, A Decent passage of play for Franck Moussa’s Goal, and Darren Oldaker has scored an out-standing free kick.

Ryan Huckle then has to header the ball clear and away from danger and Sheppey United’s Left Back then manages to keep the ball in play before whipping in an fantastic in-swinging cross and Danny Divine has managed to header the ball partially clear and away from danger to the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, and Sheppey United react to the second ball first, But The Sheppey United Player on to the loose ball has fired a driven effort which has cleared Louie Catherall’s Crossbar by some considerable distance.

Darren Oldaker tries to pick out Ben Chapman with a cross-field pass, But Darren Oldaker’s pass is intercepted, and then Darren Oldaker losses possession of the ball because he spends too much time second guessing what to do, while in a different attacking opportunity, Gillingham are still causing Sheppey United all sorts of problems, and once again, Ben Chapman has whipped in an dangerous in-swinging cross and Sheppey United managed to get the ball partially clear towards the edge of the penalty area, and Billy Bingham is on to the loose ball, and Billy Bingham takes one touch to control the ball and another to hit a low driven effort which flashes wide of Dan Ellis’s Left Hand Post.

Sheppey United are then penalised for a challenge on Danny Divine, and Danny Divine is down injured requiring treatment, Unfortunately, Danny Divine is unable to continue and Gillingham make there first substitution of the match as Miquel Scarlett comes on to replace Danny Divine, and I really do hope that Danny Divine’s injury isn’t serious and he has been substituted for precautionary measures.

Darren Oldaker keeps picking out Ben Chapman with these intricate cross-field passes, Ben Chapman and Dean Cox are both pushed high and wide, Sheppey United cannot cause Gillingham problems defensively because they are out-numbered in the middle of midfield with Franck Moussa, Darren Oldaker and Billy Bingham as Gillingham’s Central Midfield Trio, and Ben Chapman and Dean Cox are both out-wide, while Bradley Stevenson and Leroy Hlabi are both giving Sheppey United’s Centre Back’s plenty to think about defensively.

Gillingham are awarded a defensive free kick Because Sheppey United’s Centre Forward is penalised for his challenge on Jack Tucker, Darren Oldaker then tries to pick out Franck Moussa with a threaded through-ball which is cut out by Sheppey United, and the ball deflects out-wide where Bradley Stevenson puts in a very strong and combative challenge on Sheppey United’s Right Back, A Challenge that looked liked it was timed to perfection, However, The Referee perhaps didn’t like the forcefulness of the challenge and Sheppey United were awarded a free kick in there own half of the pitch.

But Sheppey United just cannot retain possession just to give themselves a chance of causing Gillingham problems defensively, and Billy Bingham manages to intercept the ball and pass the ball forwards to Franck Moussa, who drops the ball back to Darren Oldaker, and Darren Oldaker takes a touch to control the ball before picking out Ben Chapman again with a cross-field pass, And Ben Chapman takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in an dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Ben Chapman’s Cross is just too high for Bradley Stevenson to header on target or back across the face of goal, and Ben Chapman’s cross had gone out of play for A Sheppey United Throw On.

Sheppey United are then penalised for there challenge on Jack Tucker, and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in a very good position on the pitch down the left side, and from the resulting free kick, Dean Cox has managed to curl the ball over the wall and Dan Ellis has managed to make a routine save, we have not seen too much from Dean Cox in the first half so far, But Dean Cox is high and wide on the left flank, Ben Chapman has been getting more of the ball down the right side of the pitch.

Sheppey United are trying long balls over the top to try and catch Gillingham out at the back, But Ryan Huckle has read the situation well and shielded the ball out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, Gillingham have not been tested defensively and Ryan Huckle, Jack Tucker and Miquel Scarlett have had very little to do while Louie Catherall has only had to deal with one in-swinging corner kick, but other then that, Gillingham have been on top, and we are wondering if Gillingham can score a fourth goal before half time ???

And that is almost precisely what Gillingham managed to do in the next attack, Miquel Scarlett has possession of the ball for Gillingham down the right side of the pitch, And Miquel Scarelett passes the ball to Leroy Hlabi in right / central position on the pitch, and Leroy Hlabi takes a touch to control the ball before turning back on himself, and Leroy Hlabi passes the ball through to Dean Cox on the edge of Sheppey United’s Penalty Area, And Dean Cox manages to chip the ball over the top of Sheppey United’s Defence and Bradley Stevenson manages to touch the ball past Sheppey United Goalkeeper Dan Ellis, But Bradley Stevenson could not manage to divert the ball on target, and had Bradley Stevenson managed to get the ball on target then Gillingham would have surely extended the score-line to 4-0 - I think Bradley Stevenson was looking to take the ball past Dan Ellis and hope to get round the dive of Dan Ellis and stick the ball into the back of the net, rather then look to shoot first time, But Bradley Stevenson prodded the ball wide of the left hand post.

Louie Catherall managed to catch an dangerous in-swinging cross before throwing the ball out-wide to Miquel Scarlett, who takes a touch to control the ball before playing a long ball over the top towards Ben Chapman who was flagged for receiving the ball in an offside position, and had Ben Chapman been onside, Then Bradley Stevenson had made a fantastic run forward and Ben Chapman could look to pick Bradley Stevenson out with a low cross across the face of goal.

Leroy Hlabi then saw his driven effort towards goal blocked and the ball looked liked it was going to deflect out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, But Dan Ellis manages to keep the ball in play with a decent save, And Leroy Hlabi is causing Sheppey United plenty of problems with his pace, and Leroy Hlabi manages to skilfully evade two challenges before over-running the ball out of play for A Sheppey United Goal-Kick, And moments later, Leroy Hlabi almost manages to get on the end of Franck Moussa’s pass, But Leroy Hlabi just cannot quite manage to get the ball under control.

And Gillingham continue to ask questions of Sheppey United defensively, Dean Cox has possession of the ball for Gillingham Football Club down the left side of the pitch in Sheppey United’s Final Third, And Dean Cox picks out Ben Chapman with a cross-field pass on the opposite side of the pitch, and Ben Chapman takes one touch to control the ball, manages to evade a challenge from A Sheppey United Defender before cutting inside and firing a driven effort towards goal which only just about clears Dan Ellis’s Crossbar - A Very Good Driven effort on goal from Ben Chapman, who really is causing Sheppey United problems as A Right Sided Winger.

Ben Chapman also saw his cross right by the byline charged down by A Sheppey United Defender at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and that is because Leroy Hlabi just about managed to keep the ball in play before threading the ball through to Ben Chapman right by the byline, But any potential goal-scoring opportunity was wasted because Darren Oldaker was offside from the resulting corner kick.

And we’re coming up to just before the half time whistle, and Bradley Stevenson was through one on one with Dan Ellis, and The Sheppey United Goalkeeper makes a fantastic save to prevent Gillingham from scoring a fourth goal just before half time, Dan Ellis has atoned for his error for Bradley Stevenson’s opening goal inside the first two minutes with that save to deny Bradley Stevenson from scoring Gillingham’s Fourth Goal in what has been a dominate first half performance from The Gills - Excellent Pass From Dean Cox to play the ball through to Bradley Stevenson Though.

But Sheppey United are looking to cause Gillingham problems in the closing stages of the first half, as Miquel Scarlett manages to header a dangerous in-swinging cross away from danger, but the ball was going to go out of play for A Sheppey United Corner Kick, But Louie Catherall is alert to read the situation and prevents the ball from going out of play and stops Sheppey United from gaining a corner kick.

Gillingham are on the front-foot again, and Dean Cox has possession of the ball for Gillingham down the left side of the pitch in Sheppey United’s Final Third, And Dean Cox picks out Ben Chapman with a cross-field pass, and Ben Chapman takes a touch to control the ball before trying an ambitious effort on goal which fails to hit the target and Ben Chapman wasn’t a million miles away with that curling effort, But Dan Ellis perhaps had that effort on goal covered, Franck Moussa is then penalised for a mis-timed challenge on the halfway line, and the final noteworthy moment was Darren Oldaker blocking a cross from Sheppey United as the hosts were looking to score a consolation goal just before the break, but the score-line at half time at The Havill Stadium is Sheppey United 0 - 3 Gillingham

HALF TIME: SHEPPEY UNITED 0 - 3 GILLINGHAM

At Half Time, I sent the following tweet, HALF TIME: SHEPPEY UNITED 0 - 3 GILLINGHAM - Oldaker, Moussa and Stevenson on the score-sheet, Oldaker scoring another incredible free kick., But I also got to read all the responses and feedback regarding Dean Cox’s Trial At Gillingham Football Club, and the first three comments were very positive with one supporter saying sign him up, It is harsh to judge Dean Cox on that performance in the first half, But if we’re looking to play Dean Cox against Bromley, Margate and Dartford so we can take more of a look at him for the next three games, then I would be more then happy for Steve Lovell to give Dean Cox an extended trial at Gillingham Football Club.

I then got speaking with Ben at half time, and we spoke about the signings as a whole, and the signings of Barry Fuller, Callum Reilly, Dean Parrett and Josh Rees are all decent signings, while I mentioned to Ben that Steve Lovell has used his connections at Charlton Athletic to sign Brandon Hanlan and Regan Charles-Cook, But I think Gillingham’s best two signings are not who Steve Lovell has signed this summer, But tying Gabriel Zakuani and Mark Byrne down to two year contract extensions, Losing Lee Martin is a devastating blow, but his loss has been less of a loss because Steve Lovell has managed to keep Gabriel Zakuani and Mark Byrne at the football club, losing all three would be a disaster, keeping one of the three would be been below average, keeping two of the three is very good, but if we kept hold of Lee Martin, Mark Byrne and Gabriel Zakuani, then that would have been out-standing.

This is how Gillingham are going to line up for the Second Half: Catherall, Scarlett, Bramble, Sheminant, Morrell, Noyelle, Arthurs, Woods, Trialist, Campbell, Allen - With the exception of Louie Catherall and Miquel Scarlett, Gillingham have made nine changes and Me and Ben agreed that Billy Bingham has just returned from injury so there is no real need for him to play more then forty five minutes, Ryan Huckle, Jack Tucker, Ben Chapman, Darren Oldaker, Leroy Hlabi and Bradley Stevenson have all put in decent performances, and those six players have all got professional contracts for The 2018 / 2019 season, While Franck Moussa getting himself on the score-sheet while on trial will only boost his chances of getting a professional contract, and maybe I will see Dean Cox play for Gillingham against Faversham Town On Tuesday Night.

SECOND HALF:

Both teams were out on to the pitch for The Second Half, And I will now be struggling to realise who is who, Louie Catherall, Miquel Scarlett and Henry Woods aside, I am not sure who is who regarding The Second Year Scholars, and one of these players is on trial, so we need to find out who the trialist is as well, But with Gillingham 3-0 up from the first half, our second year scholars get the opportunity to test themselves against a very good Southern Counties East Football League Side In Sheppey United, and get to gain the experience of playing in-front of a 500+ crowd, which might be a different experience compared to Development Squad Football / Under 16 Football.

The first noteworthy moment of The Second Half was an dangerous in-swinging cross from one of Gillingham’s Second Year Scholar’s who was wearing The Number Eleven Shirt, and his cross goes out of play for A Sheppey United Goal-Kick, Things start to get complicated now because I have no idea who eight of the players are for Gillingham In The Starting Line Up, there was no team-sheet, and the line up’s provided by Luke on Twitter do not give us squad numbers for any of the players playing for Gillingham In The Second Half.

Gillingham’s Left Back then puts himself about in Sheppey United’s Own Final Third and it was getting a bit scrappy, and Sheppey United just about managed to win themselves a goal-kick, But the hosts then play themselves into a bit of trouble from the resulting goal-kick, as Sheppey United over-play the ball in there own final third which proved to be very costly, Because Charles Noyelle intercepts the ball and the ball ricochets into Number Seven’s Path, And Number Seven For Gillingham is through on goal, And Number Seven see’s his fiercely struck effort towards the near post saved by Dan Ellis who turns the ball around the post with a strong two palmed save at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Charles Noyelle For Gillingham whips in an dangerous in-swinging cross towards the back-stick and although the initial aerial challenge was won by A Gillingham Player, Gillingham are penalised for a foul on Sheppey United, and this free kick relieves the pressure building on to the home side.

I then thought that the challenge from Gillingham’s Number Eleven On The Sheppey United Defender was harshly penalised for a foul, and I don’t think that Sheppey United should have been awarded a free kick, But Sheppey United are just starting to get more involved in the game, a pass down the right side of the pitch is blocked by Gillingham’s Number Six at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, An dangerous in-swinging cross manages to pick out Jono Richardson for Sheppey United who cannot direct his header on target and that was a golden opportunity for Sheppey United to score a consolation goal, With Gillingham bringing on the second year scholar’s in the second half, there going to be tested when it comes to defending corner kicks and free kicks.

After surviving that scare, Gillingham had the chance to go down the other end of the pitch and cause Sheppey United more problems defensively, Number Eleven For Gillingham had used his pace to get towards the byline and fire in a low dangerous cross which was blocked, and Sheppey United show great composure to pass there way out of trouble before eventually kicking the ball long down the line, While Charles Noyelle for Gillingham see’s his driven effort towards goal blocked by A Sheppey United Player and the chance had gone.

But Gillingham’s Second Year Scholar’s are playing with plenty of energy and commitment, Sheppey United still had many players who started the match and they are perhaps feeling the affects of fatigue in what are very hot and humid conditions, conditions which are difficult to play in where Sheppey United have had very little possession of the ball.

Sheppey United are then awarded a corner kick which will give the hosts the chance to test this young Gillingham Defence from set plays, however, any potential advantage was wasted, as Sheppey United were penalised for a foul on Gillingham’s Number Ten, And Gillingham create a decent goal-scoring opportunity after that free kick with Gillingham’s Second Year Scholar’s moving the ball about very nicely before the ball is passed out-wide to Henry Woods, who manages to shrug off one challenge out-wide down the right side of the pitch before whipping in an dangerous in-swinging cross which is just too high for Gillingham’s Number Ten to get on the end of, I found out while watching the match that Number Ten for Gillingham was a trialist, There was a trialist on the team-sheet who was named in the second half, neither were Dean Cox or Franck Moussa, because those two were substituted at the break.

Sheppey United are then awarded a free kick down the right side of the pitch in Gillingham’s Final Third - Gillingham’s Left - And Sheppey United catch Gillingham out with a quickly taken free kick towards the byline, and it takes two challenges from two Gillingham Defenders to concede a corner kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Sheppey United whip in an dangerous in-swinging cross towards the back-stick which is slightly over-hit, And Henry Woods does brilliantly to win Gillingham A Throw On in our own final third.

The next noteworthy moment of the match was Gillingham extending the score-line further in there favour, as Henry Woods manages to get himself on the score-sheet, And Gillingham create a very good passing move with plenty of skill before Henry Woods and Roman Campbell play a neat one / two on the edge of Sheppey United’s Penalty Area, And Henry Woods was pulled to the ground initially when he passed the ball through to Roman Campbell, And Roman Campbell plays the ball through to Henry Woods who places the ball into the bottom right corner of the net and Gillingham are now 4 - 0 up against Sheppey United - A Brilliant well taken goal by Henry Woods.

And Henry Woods shows great defending from the front straight from the kick off, charging down an attempted long ball down-field and the ball ricochets out of play for A Sheppey United Goal-Kick, But the hosts are still pushing for the consolation goal, With Dan Ellis kicking the ball long down the right side of the pitch - Gillingham’s Left - And I personally thought that the foul awarded against Gillingham’s Number Seven was soft, Thankfully, any potential advantage from the resulting free kick is not taken, Because Sheppey United take the free kick very quickly, And Number Five For Gillingham comes across and shields the ball out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

Henry Woods - Who had just got himself on the score-sheet a few minutes earlier - Had fired a driven effort well clear of Dan Ellis’s Crossbar, But Number Four For Gillingham managed to pick Henry Woods out with a fantastic threaded through-ball, While at the other end of the pitch, Miquel Scarlett puts in a strong competitive challenge on Sheppey United’s Left Winger, There was now a stoppage in play while The Sheppey United Winger requires treatment and the players have a drinks break.

Soon afterwards, there is another stoppage in play because Henry Woods picks up a knock just as Henry Woods see’s his shot on target saved by Dan Ellis, Thankfully, Henry Woods and The Sheppey United Defender are both OK to continue, while Gillingham’s Substitute Goalkeeper is warming up and waiting to come on for Louie Catherall.

But Gillingham managed to extended there score-line further into there favour, Because Henry Woods has just scored an absolute screamer and there is nothing that Dan Ellis can do about that because Henry Woods has picked out the top right corner of the net with an sensational strike from twenty five yards out, Despite Gillingham Naming Second Year Scholars In The Second Half, A Very Young Gillingham Side have put in a very encouraging performance against A Sheppey United Side who have got players in there side who are playing competitive first team football on a week in, week out basis.

Sheppey United are trying to cause Gillingham Problems at the back, However, Sheppey United’s Striker is penalised for a foul and this free kick decision relieves the pressure building on to Gillingham’s Goal, and in the aftermath of that free kick decision being awarded in Gillingham’s Favour, Louie Catherall is substituted, and I think the substitute goalkeeper is Loveridge, who gets an opportunity to play for Gillingham Football Club in a pre-season friendly.

Dan Ellis is forced into action by diving low towards his near post to gather an dangerous low in-swinging cross, and in a different attack, Sheppey United are penalised for a hefty challenge on Gillingham’s Number Ten, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Charles Noyelle has curled the ball over the wall and accurately placed the ball into the far left corner of the net and there is nothing Dan Ellis can do about that, and we really have seen some sensational goals scored in this match by Gillingham, and the score-line now is, Sheppey United 0 - 6 Gillingham.

And six nil to Gillingham was now 7-0 and Henry Woods has completed a second half hat-trick for The Gills, There was a foul in the build up to this move, but Henry Woods shows great composure to attempt to run around Dan Ellis with the ball, drag the ball back before placing the ball into the back of the unguarded net for 7-0, and for us supporters who thought that The Second Half would have lowered in quality with several substitutions, I have got to say that the second year scholars, and Henry Woods in-particular have really been superb, I mentioned to The Gillingham Supporter standing next to me that there are a few young players here who could force there way into the first team, Charles Noyelle, Number Six and Number Three have all put in stand-out performances during the second half.

And straight from the kick off, Sheppey United have the chance to score a consolation goal from the penalty spot, I am not sure if that was a penalty in my opinion, But up stepped Dan Bradshaw to stick the ball into the back of the net from twelve yards and Loveridge had no chance preventing that penalty from being accurately placed into the back of the net, a well taken goal from Dan Bradshaw to give The Sheppey United Supporters something to celebrate, on the field, Gillingham are going to win and Gillingham will win comfortably, but off the field, an attendance of 529 can only help Sheppey United out financially, I think the score-line from the other friendly is still Folkestone Invicta 1 - 0 Gillingham, I will need to double check what the score is after the full time whistle is blown here at The Havill Stadium.

And Gillingham have the chance to restore there seven goal lead as Ten whips in a great cross and Seven cannot header the ball on target as that header clears Sheppey United’s crossbar, and a great chance for Gillingham to score there eighth goal of the match there and then, Number Six For Gillingham then concedes a foul when it looked liked the ball had gone out of play and it should have been A Throw On For Gillingham, And Sheppey United are then awarded a free kick, But the hosts cannot create a clear cut goal-scoring opportunity from this latest set play, and I thought this would be one aspect in there play where Sheppey United would be able to cause our youngsters plenty of problems.

Seven for Gillingham showed that he and the confidence to try plenty of trickery in possession of the ball, But there was a great opportunity to thread the ball through to create a very good goal-scoring opportunity, But Seven took too long with his fancy foot-work to play the ball through on the over-lap, and at the other end of the pitch, Sheppey United created a decent goal-scoring opportunity with a decent passing move which should have been a shot on target, However, Nineteen has completely air-shoted the ball and that golden goal-scoring opportunity has now gone and Gillingham survive.

And Gillingham are pressing for there eighth goal of the match as we reach the closing stages, Both Ten and Three see there attempted efforts on goal saved, Three tried his luck from distance and Dan Ellis has saved both efforts on goal, and the final noteworthy moment of the match came in added time, Because Eleven whips in an dangerous in-swinging cross which crashes into the side netting, and that was the final noteworthy moment of the match.

FULL TIME: SHEPPEY UNITED 1 - 7 GILLINGHAM

It’s difficult to write up a good match report for this match when I do not know most of The Second Year Scholar’s For Gillingham or the players who are playing for Sheppey United, I am aware of the likes of Miquel Scarlett, Henry Woods and Louie Catherall, But the other eight, even though there names appear on Twitter, there are no squad numbers so it is difficult to tell which player is which, When I go to Faversham Town On Tuesday Night, I am going to have to check to see if they have a team sheet printed, or the line up’s up on a board somewhere which I can copy and paste.

I made sure I had everything on me before looking to catch up with Diane, Ann and Shane after the game, and we were wondering where The England Game was going to be on, We eventually found the entrance for The Social Club, and I think The Sheppey United Chairman, or at the very least, the owner of The Social Club made it very clear that if anyone threw beer into the air then they would be kicked out, I also got speaking with A Sheppey United Supporter who is very pleased with the set up at Sheppey United, the pitch was in such prestine condition that I thought it was AstroTurf, But the groundsman confirmed it is a grass playing surface, If Sheppey United can keep the pitch in that condition during the winter then they would have done an remarkable job.

I don’t think Sheppey United should judge how well they are going to do next season on this result against Gillingham, Gillingham are A Professional Football Club In League One and our Second Year Scholar’s also train every day, where as Sheppey United are semi professional and the players might train once or twice a week, Hopefully, off the field, An attendance of 529 can help Sheppey United out financially, and they were going to make plenty of money in the bar during The England Game.

But The Sheppey United Supporter I was speaking to mentioned that Whistable Town are probably the biggest club In The Southern Counties East Football League, Chatham Town will also be looking to get themselves back into The Ryman Division One South as well, While Hollands & Blair just about managed to avoid relegation into The Southern Counties East First Division with a remarkable run of form towards the back end of last season, I watched Hollands & Blair win 2-1 against Glebe in what was a must win game for Hollands & Blair, and they held out for the win in the end.

Just before The England Game started, I sent the following few tweets,,,, For those Gillingham Supporters who went to Folkestone Invicta V Gillingham Today, How well did Gillingham perform today??? - Any Standout player performances that really caught your eye???, I then responded to Gills Debate’s Question asking me who the other trailist was and I replied with the following response,,, There was A Young Striker who wore Number Ten In The Second Half. No idea on the identity of the player in question though.

All in all, A Very Good Day, Gillingham winning 7 - 1 against Sheppey United, Gillingham also managed to find the equaliser against Folkestone Invicta, But England winning against Sweden was the result of the day, because that win for England see’s England progress through to The Semi Finals Of The World Cup, Harry Maguire and Dele Alli both were on the score-sheet for England, And it is amazing to think that Harry Maguire and Dele Alli were playing in League One for Sheffield United and MK Dons, now, both players will be playing in The Semi Finals Of The World Cup For England.

After The England Game, Diane, Shane, Ann and myself went to Leysdown to get something to eat and drink, and I brought A Cheese-Burger, A Small Portion Of Chips, And A Can Of Coca Cola for £6.50, and we sat on the bench to eat our dinners, Ann, Shane and Diane all brought A Portion Of Chips for themselves as well, And with Gillingham winning 7-1 against Sheppey United and England winning against Sweden, and going to Laysdown to get something to eat and drink, It had been a very good day, I was also asking for anyone who had traveled to Folkestone Invicta to let me know who played well in that match, and how did the players perform against Folkestone Invicta in our first pre-season friendly, and there will be plenty of friendlies to travel to over the next four weeks.

And after walking around Laysdown for a bit, we got in the car and made our way back home, And while I was checking my notifications, I got asked a question regarding Gillingham’s Three Trialists, and I replied back with the following,,,, I would like to see all three given an opportunity to play for Gillingham over the next three or four sets of double friendlies we have got available for we make a decision on offering a contract / rejecting a player, Many of the young scholars also impressed today as well., I didn’t get asked many questions because everyone was understandably celebrating England’s 2-0 win against Sweden and “It’s Coming Home” was played on the surround sound system inside Sheppey United’s Social Bar, and Jordan Pickford made the result much more comfortable with quite a few important saves.

I got back home at 8.45PM, And Diane and Ann both confirmed they were unable to go to Faversham Town On Tuesday Night and they won’t be going to Margate the following Saturday either, and because of this, I thought it would be best to pay my share of the travel costs now, because Diane could miss all the friendlies and I won’t see Diane until the season starts, So I paid My £2 share of the travel costs, and I said c ya to Diane and Ann, before getting back indoors, a great win for The Gills and England winning against Sweden meant a fantastic day, and now, I will be looking ahead to The Faversham Town Match On Tuesday Night, Hopefully, Gillingham can build on this result with a win against Faversham Town, and Gillingham get a win against Bromley in the other pre-season friendly on Tuesday Night - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#Gillingham #SheppeyUnited #PreSeason #Football

0 notes