#well a train station will be drawn regardless of whether it is the town's station

[plein-air-on-gorkhon]

some time ago, a russian speaker mentioned that patho2 daniil's lines about wearing through multiple pairs of shoes while traveling to the town was an idiom rather than a literal event. so how do you interpret it? does the bachelor indeed arive in town on foot or by train as in patho1?

[callmefitz]

fine. fine I did it. luca fic where massimo is trying to be a good parent for his teenage fish son. yes its the painfully awkward i know you’re gay talk. i wrote this at 2 am while projecting so this isn’t shakespeare, just a vibe. set sometime 3-4 years after the film but i think it’s implied enough.

—————————————————-

Alberto ran up the stairs, threw open the door, dropped his hat on the table and hastily washed his hands at the sink.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said breathlessly, wiping his hands on the front of his shirt, “I got caught up in, uh, well-“

“Showing off?�� Massimo offered, turning from his workstation in the kitchen. Alberto laughed nervously and nodded- then paused- and shook his head while looking away.

“Well, I prefer the term ‘sharing with the community’” Alberto offered, before pulling out a large pot and placing it on the stove.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Massimo returned to the cutting the fish, “It’s a nice bike.”

It was a nice bike. Nice enough that the kids in Portorossa frequently begged Alberto to let them sit on it or ride it around the plaza. And who was he to say no? It was the coolest thing he had ever set his eyes on, let alone owned. Of course he let them use it. Alberto had been saving up his tip money from fish delivery all winter to buy it: a shiny, brand-new, red-hot Vesta. Just like the one Erocle used to parade around town on. Giulia and Luca were going to be so excited.

Alberto began pouring cups of water into the pot as he raised the heat, waiting for it to hit a soft boil. “So how much time do we have?”

Massimo glanced out the window facing the countryside, where the distance etchings of train tracks were visible, “About an hour. Luca’s parents will meet us at the station. Then, dinner.”

“An hour. Right. We can work with that,” Alberto said, mainly to himself, as Massimo continued with his fish. They both fell into a steady rhythm, as they stirred and simmered an outrageous amount of food.

While his hands were lost in repetition, Alberto’s mind wandered to Luca. Massimo liked to joke about how Luca never truly left, with all the letters and phone calls sent, but Alberto couldn’t disagree more. Words couldn’t capture the way Luca would say things, like how he yelled when he was excited and talk quickly when he was nervous. And sure, Alberto could read between the lines, and infer things, like how scrunched up words meant Luca was happy or excited and messy letters and wonky lines meant he was tired, but it wasn’t the real thing. And phone calls, while better, were fewer and far inbetween, and couldn’t capture the way Luca would move when talking, whether it was the way he walked or gestured, or the faces he would make and the way he would touch your shoulder or grab your arm to make a point. So no- Luca had truly left, and while Alberto had seen glimpses and pieces throughout the months, he preferred the whole Luca he got during the summer.

One hour. One hour and Alberto wouldn’t have to rely just on letters and voices. It would be just them again, like it was every summer, whether it be sleeping under the stars in Giulia’s hideout, or swimming out to the island to watch the sunsets, or spending afternoons filling up on gelato and playing futbol on the hot pavement. Giulia would be there too, and the trio would finally be complete. Just like how it was that first summer, and just how it was now.

Had Alberto mentioned he was excited?

“The pasta is boiling over,” Massimo provided helpfully, and Alberto was thrust back into reality.

He swore under his breath, moving the pot to another eye and turning the stove off. He sighed and grabbed for a towel to wipe the sides of the pot. Turning his back to Massimo, he began searching for a strainer, but was interrupted.

“Alberto.” Massimo put his knife down and turned slightly. His face was drawn so that his eyes peeked out from under his eyebrows and bore down to Alberto (no matter how tall Alberto got, Massimo was always, well, massive).

“There is something we need to talk about before the train comes in.”

And there it was. Or, rather, there it wasn’t, because those words never came out of Massimo’s mouth. Maybe it was because, despite everything between them, Massimo just wasn’t a big feelings guy. He was a man of few words who would rather hand-paint signs, mend hats, and hand-make pasta than say “I love you.” Not that Alberto cared much, about that, he couldn’t complain honestly, but the point was that Massimo never “had talks”. If something was serious to discuss in private, it was always “Alberto, a word”. Because Massimo was a man of few words. So it was understandable, then, that that string of words elicited panic in Alberto. Because never in a million years, not even when Massimo first asked Alberto to stay with him, did they ever have something they needed to talk about.

Good thing Alberto was good at handling panic. He was basically an expert.

“Yeah, like what?”

He held his elbow out to lean against the counter in a calm manner, but missed and instead landed on the red hot stove eye. All while maintaining a smirk-turned-grimace. Yep. Expert.

That was going to hurt later. A lot.

Massimo looked at Alberto, searching for something in his face, and, upon finding it, sighed, and turned to the window where the train-tracks were. Absentmindedly, he turned the faucet of the sink on, and letting it cool for a moment, held a rag under it. Once it was wet enough, he handed it to Alberto.

“Luca is a... good kid, no?” Massimo led after a moment of contemplation. Alberto took the rag, but his face scrunched up in confusion as he held it to his elbow. Faintly, he felt the familiar tingle of flesh-turning scale as the coolness took the edge from the burn. But the beginnings of a frown was settling on Alberto as he followed Massimo’s gaze to the train tracks.

“Yeah?”

Massimo nodded. “He is very smart. He writes often. He knows fish... but not as well as you do.”

Alberto inched closer to Massimo, “Yeah, he’s pretty cool. One of my best friends but... I think you know that.”

“He is a very good friend,” Massimo said, but something felt strange about the way he said it, “Handsome, too.”

Alberto’s body froze and his face heated up. Before he could say anything contradictory, however, Massimo continued.

“I know the way you two look at each other. Young love. It’s a good thing, especially when it’s between friends who have known each other for so long.” Massimo said slowly, “And if you ever want to take Luca out for some gelato on your Vespa... then I will be very happy for you, Beto. He’s a good kid. Good for you.”

Alberto wasn’t going to lie. He had thought about it, once or twice. In his head it always played out so incredibly natural, that a part of him assumed it would eventually happen. Giulia would be busy, either delivering fish or volunteering for the cup, and he and Luca would be on their own for the day. Maybe they bike to the top of Portorosso, or maybe they went out to the island or climbed a roof to watch the stars. Sometimes it would be just them having dinner together, and something would give- one of them would brush hands with the other, lean in just a little too close and stay there... then... well, it would be just like it to was. But more. And selfishly, maybe if they were more, Luca wouldn’t leave at the end of the season.

But Alberto couldn’t think like that. Luca loved school more than anything. Well, almost anything. He would never want to take that from him.

But Massimo was right. Luca was handsome. Summers in Portorosso had been kind to him, and they’ve both put on some healthy weight and muscle over the years. Even if they hadn’t been friends, Alberto had no doubt he would have been fond of Luca regardless.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon,” Albert said candidly. “But... Thanks. For that. I guess.”

Massimo shrugged. “You’d be surprised. Giulia tells me a lot.”

Impossible scenarios ran through Alberto’s head. The wheels were spinning so fast that smoke was practically spewing from his ears.

“Like what?”

Massimo glanced out the window again, “I guess he’ll just have to tell you when he gets here.”

[kmlaney]

14 Days of Storybible: Day 3

Methods of travel:

How do your characters move across the setting where your story takes place? What preparations do they have to make? Do they have a favorite way of getting around?

Bonus: Sketch out a moment where something went wrong during travel.

@the-wip-project 

In Mistlands, most travel is on foot, on horseback, or in animal-drawn carts and carriages. In the less hospitable places outside of the lake valley, these are pretty much the only means of travel. In the north, animal-drawn may include dogs or large, semi-domesticated deer. In the south, horses, mules, and oxen are typical. 

Most people in rural areas know how to ride horses, though whether they own or have access to one is less universal. Driving a team is a rarer, though not uncommon skill. The larger the team, the fewer people are likely to know how to manage them. A teamster familiar with horses may not know how to drive oxen, and vice versa. 

Southern areas have limited train travel. They connect large towns only. Smaller towns connect via coach services on regular routes, and the roads they travel range in quality from ‘smooth, graded, and well-metalled’ to ‘move the biggest rocks and maybe pull out the brush and call it good.’ Station managers dispatch crews to repair damaged road, but how well they do so and how quickly depends on the whims of the stage company and the personality of the station manager.

The lake valley contains the largest towns and cities. Train travel here is more reliable and common and supplemented with airships. Good roads are common and in good repair. Passengers and freight move by boat on the rivers and around the shore of the lake. All the vessels have trained pilots, usually drawn from the ranks of smaller, similar vessel pilots and taught on the job. The vast majority started out as apprentices, either formal (a contracted arrangement) or informal (it’s the family business). Coaches fill in for the distances between towns not served by rail.

In the largest cities, one will find technological marvels such as personal steam-powered vehicles, mechanical horses, autonomous carts, velocipedes, and the like. For trips within town people employ carriages, rickshaws, or palanquins, all of which are available to hail from the street or engage at stands and carry varying numbers of passengers. Depending on the city the proportions skew toward animal, human, or mechanically powered, though all are present. City-dwellers are unlikely to know how to ride, and unless they operate a for-hire conveyance they won’t know how to drive at all. 

Phil’s seen trains but never ridden one. They know about rowboats, rafts, and canoes from personal experience, but larger boats and ships only from descriptions and drawings in newspapers and novels. Travelers told them about the lake and the sea, but bodies of water that large are inconceivable. They’ve heard of airships and other modern marvels but never seen any of them. 

In life, Phil was quite fond of animals in general and horses and mules in particular. They enjoyed caring for them, riding, and driving, though they didn't routinely drive more than two-in-hand. Death complicated matters. Humans might be easily fooled but animals turn snappish and irritable toward Phil regardless of how well they’re treated. They’ve lost two mounts already. Phil won’t bother wasting any more money than they have to on an animal they’re not likely to have long. Their current mule is deaf and mostly blind, named Lucky, as in “it’ll be Lucky if it don't run off.” He hates everyone but Phil, and he doesn’t like Phil all that much. 

The Dragon and Agnes Gister

Agnes Gister was a ferry pilot on Little Lake, east of Starlight up the Mistborn, near the big Blue Spur river. She learned the trade from her father and inherited the ferry when he passed. It was a pretty thing, bright green with its name, Opalina, painted proudly on its bow in gold. She ran the ferry with her wife Meridith and their passel of children, each assigned tasks according to their age and abilities. They were a well-known fixture on Little Lake.

Everyone knows the stories about the creatures in the lake. Everyone believes them, even if they won't admit to believing the more outlandish ones. The creatures were supposed to stay in the lake, though, the big lake. Starlight Lake. Strange shapes in Little Lake? That’s an eel, or a log, or weed. School of fish, maybe. Definitely not a lost lake creature. Most assuredly not.

It was their last trip of the day, heading back home to their little house on the Blue Spur side of Little Lake. Meridith and most of the children were already there. Agnes had a skeleton crew of the four oldest with her and only a single passenger, a location scout for Walter Green’s Traveling Warehouse. 

The sky was purple and the stars began to poke bright holes in the canopy when they felt the thump. The water was deep and cold with mountain runoff; lantern fishers had yet to put out; nothing had gone down recently. There was nothing to hit. One of the crew--a boy big enough to start out on his own if he wanted--ordered the rest to check for loose line hanging over the side or a buoy gone adrift, while he went to tell Agnes.

The thump came again, from the other side this time. Agnes had the boy dial the engine to minimum and turned the Opalina into the Little Lake’s slow current to hold station. She assigned another to hold the wheel and keep the ferry steady in place while she investigated. 

The children reported there was nothing amiss. All gear was secure and they saw no debris in the water. Agnes peered over the side herself into the indigo depths of Little Lake. She saw a shadow. A shadow that moved. Sinuous but too large for an eel. Too solid to be a school of fish. And dark, so dark it stood out against the background to her experienced eye as wrong, but nothing else. She asked for a lantern to put out over the water in order to see better. 

The light illuminated a pale violet circle beside Opalina’s green side. The water was clearer than it usually was during the melt, when upstream wash brought down all kinds of sediment. As Agnes puzzled over the mystery, the boat rocked with another thump, this time quite clearly from the keel, and the creature swam into the light. 

Its face was a combination of dog and horse, with a long snout and nostrils clamped shut. Weed or hair drifted from its chin and jowls and flowed around its head like a mane. The body stretched out behind, thick and round, legs folded up tight, with a stiff fin along its spine and black irregular stripes on either side. The skin surrounding them shimmered green, blue, and violet, changeable as the water it swam in. It turned that hideous head up toward the light and its eyes, faceted like jewels with neither pupil nor white, shone red and fixed on Agnes. Lips pulled back revealing a maw full of translucent teeth crammed together with no space between them.

Agnes jerked back, bringing the light with her but it was too late. The teeth came over the rail first, snout and nostrils following after. Then the eyes, the great faceted eyes, seeking the light and the person who held it. A six-fingered hand with talons like knives seized the wooden rail. The Opalina dipped to the side with the added weight. A second hand appeared beside the first. Its finned neck rose up behind its head. Its mane hung wet and dripping, flooding the deck with cold lake water. It opened its jaws and flicked a forked tongue the color of unripe apples toward Agnes and the lantern. She ordered the crew--her children, all of them--to collect their passenger and make for the stern and fire the rescue flare. Then she tossed the lantern toward the bow to distract the creature while she joined them. 

The horrible head with its unnatural eyes followed the light. The glass broke and phosphor oil flooded out, coating the deck in foxfire. Then a third hand came over the side. Opalina lurched as the creature heaved its bulk over the rail and onto the deck.

As lake creatures go, it was small. Maybe twenty feet long from its now-gaping-wide nostrils to the tip of its tail still hanging off the side. But Opalina itself was only sixty feet long and fifteen in beam. Almost too small to stay afloat if the thing hauled all the way out, which was what it seemed intent on doing. Three pairs of legs and their taloned feet scrabbled and clawed the little ferry’s polished deck. A fourth set shoved against the abused rail, levering the body out of the water. It opened its mouth and its tongue lapped out to sample the glowing phosphor. It hissed in distaste and sought out new prey more to its liking. 

That was the moment the rescue flare went up. Blue-white against the darkening sky, followed by a red one, together the signal for a vessel capsizing. Little Lake had no signal for creature attack. There had never been one. The light was ill-timed. The beast fixated on the glow. It spotted the six people gathered on the stern and slithered toward them.

“Where’s your lake gun?” the passenger asked.

Agnes stared at him. “We don’t have one.” They didn’t. Why would they? No monsters lived in Little Lake. The biggest fish were no longer than her arm.

They heard a sharp splintering sound as the rail gave way beneath the creature’s weight.

The passenger sucked in a breath. “I’ll check in the back,” he said, and darted off through the door into the pilot house. He reappeared a moment later with a massive, double-barreled lake gun. “Here!” he yelled, pushing the weapon into Agnes’s hands.

The awful head with its dripping head and gemstone eyes passed the corner of the pilot house. One forepaw gripped the rail. The other pushed off the corner. Its forked tongue darted out toward the people clustered at the stern.

Agnes had never fired a gun in her life aside from the signal flares. She had seen it done, of course, but she was a ferry pilot, not a hunter. Still, she shouldered the weapon as best she knew how, heaved it to bear on the creature threatening her family, and pulled both triggers.

The gun flashed brighter than the flare and the report was deafening. The stock slammed into her collarbone, shattering it. Smoke clouded her view of anything beyond the end of the barrels. 

There was a wet gurgle and the monstrous head fell to the deck with a loud thump. The creature inched its way toward the group, teeth gnashing. But it didn't make it. It slowed to a stop with only a few feet to spare. The apple-green tongue lolled out and came to rest on Agnes’s shoe.

She stood stock-still for a moment. The passenger plucked the still-smoking gun from her hands. “I’ll just put this away, shall I?” He disappeared into the pilot house, and returned without it.

By the time the harbor patrol aid ship pulled alongside, the children already had Agnes’s arm in a sling. The doctor wrapped it further to prevent movement but it took half a year to heal. She never recovered full use of her arm. 

Opalina did not capsize. Hauled back into port, the community contributed funds for its repair. By fall, about the time Agnes was on the mend, it put back out on its familiar route with their eldest son at the helm. 

The creature attracted curious visitors from miles around until it rotted and the stench forced a hasty disposal. All attempts at preservation--salt, alcohol, alchemical preparations--failed to halt its decay. 

With the attraction gone, the mayor commissioned a sculpture of the beast. It graces the green in the village square with a bronze plaque commemorating Agnes’s heroism. The two lead balls Agnes fired at it serve as its eyes. It is an impressive feature, if not exactly accurate.

The passenger vanished into the crowd, presumably continuing his work for Walter Green’s Traveling Warehouse. The lake gun, which all agreed was of Old Testament Arms manufacture and given the size of the shot recovered from the carcass most likely their 2-bore Moses model (guaranteed to part the seas), was not found anywhere on the Opalina. No one recalled seeing the passenger take it with him. It seemed to have vanished completely. 

The harbor patrol established two red flares as the signal for a lake creature attack. It’s never been used in the years since. 

It’s said that Agnes rose Anathema later, but that’s a different tale.

[sleekervae]

Suck It And See [0.1]

Masterlist

"Attention all passengers, next stop is:"

"Sheffied Station,"

There was a notable shiver that ran through the air as the soft, feminine introduction was cut short by the blunt, robotic voice that muffled out the train's next destination. The pit of jitterbugging nerves in Jade's stomach reached a new boiling point as she felt the mobile car gradually begin to slow. She pulled her earbuds out and grabbed her luggage case, yanking it through the tight aisle with all the might she had in her tiny body. The conductor was kind enough to hold the sliding door open for her as she came into the pass and hopped out of the side door. The smell of burning coal and engine oil wafted into her nose and made her shiver in disgust.

The station was teaming with people, all of them buzzing back and forth in order to catch their departing train or eager to head home for the day. Jade reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper; it was a portrait of the family that was supposed to be taking care of her. Her mum's sister, Aunt Joy, as well as her Uncle Cosmo, and her cousins, Oliver, Noah, Charlie, Alfie, and Flora; relatives whom she hardly knew growing up as they lived roughly three hours away by train.

They're faces in the photo were off to her, perhaps it was the fact that nobody was smiling? Perhaps it was that the photo was about five years old and the faces were younger? Regardless, Jade's eyes scanned the crowd until she was able to just make out the familiar face of an older, but gorgeous, well-dressed woman standing by the turnstiles; looking absolutely appalled to be standing so close to the mechanisms. Meanwhile, her teenage daughter was sitting on a bench as she flipped through some random fashion magazine.

Pulling her luggage behind her, Jade tentatively approached the older woman. Once her eyes landed on the teenage brunette, her face lit up.

"Oh, my stars! Jade!?" she exclaimed, seemingly enthusiastic to see her. Jade nodded slowly and cracked a shy smile.

"A-Aunty Joy?" she stammered back.

The older woman wrapped Jade into a tight hug, engulfing her in her pungent, suffocating rose-scented perfume. The teenager -- Flora, she presumed -- was reluctant to put away her magazine and stand up, but she did anyhow and forced a smile onto her face. Flora was wearing tight, ripped jeans and velvet sweater with a black tank top underneath. Her long, honey blonde hair was tied into a tight ponytail atop her head with pom-pom elastics keeping it in place. She had shimmery, silver eyeshadow dusting her eyelids and shiny pink lipgloss smeared over her lips. To Jade, she looked like a washed up circus performer.

Aunt Joy meanwhile held herself with pride. She was dressed in a fine black pantsuit and three-inch pumps. Her voluminous, mousy brown hair was loose and curly, brushing over her shoulders, and every inch of her face was covered in fine, sophisticated makeup. Needless to say, this woman stood out like an onion in a bean dip within the station.

Aunt Joy released Jade from her bone-crushing hug and held her face in her hands, seemingly studying her. Her semi-wrinkled hands were surprisingly soft against Jade's skin, "Aw, you look just like your mother," she gushed, but the soft, kind expression in her eyes suddenly shifted to something more... indifferent, "We'll have that fixed before you leave, dear,"

Jade wasn't sure how to respond to that, besides an awkward "okay,". She turned and looked at Flora, who still had her nose buried in the magazine. Aunt Joy snapped at her.

"Flora!" her posh accent boomed at her, "Put that trashy thing away and say hi to your cousin," she requested -- no, demanded.

Flora rolled her eyes and stood, then she wrapped her weak little bird arms around Jade. Flora wasn't much younger than Jade, only by a few months. Regardless, she was short enough to be confused for a twelve-year-old.

"You've grown up," Jade forced herself to say, hoping that Flora might take her as genuine. Instead, she quickly dropped her arms from the hug and stood back. She glared down at Jade's chunky, dirt stained, white converse sneakers and snared at her.

"Why are your eyebrows so big?" she asked.

Jade, once again, wasn't sure how to respond. She subconsciously ran her fingers over her right eyebrow, feeling at the little hairs that brushed against her skin. They were only a bit longer than  Flora's smaller, nearly bleached blonde eyebrows.

"Whatcha' mean?" she could only reply.

Aunt Joy glared at her daughter before she turned on her heels, "Flora, there is nothing wrong with Jade's eyebrows. If wants bushy eyebrows, that's her prerogative,"

Jade wasn't sure whether she should thank her Aunt for standing up for her, or shudder at the sly insult.

Nevertheless, Aunt Joy lead the two girls out of the station and into the parkade. There they all walked towards a silver, classy Mercedes Benz. Aunt Joy popped the trunk and rounded to the driver's side door, while Flora went for the shotgun. Neither of them helped Jade as she struggled to pick up her luggage and put it into the car's small trunk. Once she slammed the door shut, she jumped into the backseat just as the engine roared to life.

The car ride was mostly silent, the only exception being when Joy would asked Jade about her mother. Ruth Carswell was sick, too sick for a few doctor's visits here and there and drug store prescriptions for a quick-fix. Jade didn't like to talk about it much; hence why she chose to come to Sheffield to continue her school. With the medical bills piling up, as well as some bills left over from her parents' divorce, Aunt Joy and Uncle Cosmo were kind enough to take Jade into their home and pay for her school, right up until she would graduate.

"She needs a stable home environment!" Uncle Cosmo would say over the phone. Ruth Carswell was gracious to her sister for taking in her only daughter, while Jade's father, Peter, wasn't as ecstatic to have his fifteen-year-old daughter living three hours away from home.

Jade continued to stare out the window, glaring at the passing dull brick buildings and wet streets. Few people were out; cycling, smoking, sitting on benches and not doing much of anything for entertainment. At least in Newcastle, there was some life that was always breathing its way into the city; this town seemed half-dead.

As they passed a large sign that read Rotherham in white, cursive lettering, the dark, boring brick buildings soon emerged into flatter plains and larger townhouses. They were regal, conservative, and clean, as though just built and painted in a fresh coat. But just as before, nobody was on the streets. It was eery to Jade.

Aunt Joy turned into a cul-de-sac and pulled into a driveway just as the end of the ring. Before them was a beautiful, victorian-style dark green and red house. Its colours matched in tandem with the bushy coniferous trees and bustling flower gardens. The curtains were all drawn open and the grass was a gorgeous, rich green, still damp. On the porch was a darling little bench swing built in rustic, varnished wood. It appeared as a happy home, to Jade and the rest of the world, at least.

Aunt Joy marched up the small staircase while Flora hopped behind her; again, neither of them bothering to help Jade. Luckily for her, Uncle Cosmo opened the door, puffing on his pipe with a big, joyous smile on his face.

"There she is!" he awed. He swept passed his wife and daughter and went right up to Jade, wrapping her in a bear hug. Unlike Aunt Joy, Uncle Cosmo's hug was comfortable, familiar to Jade. His expensive, subtle cologne mixed with his pipe smoke, delicious and bubbly as the scent wafted up Jade's nose. Despite how little she did get to see Uncle Cosmo, she enjoyed spending time with him. He was a kind man with a heart of gold and a hand that was constantly open.

It made Jade wonder why on Earth he would've married Aunt Joy.

"Yeh're growing faster than a weed, darlin'!" he exclaimed, "Last I saw yeh, yeh was just knee-'igh to a grass'opper,"

Jade finally felt herself relax in Uncle Cosmo's embrace, "It's been a while, hasn't it?" she replied.

Uncle Cosmo took the luggage from her and hauled it up the stairs with ease with Jade following. Flora had long disappeared inside her home with Aunt Joy stood off to the side of the door, watching her husband with a derivative of adoration. Her gaze followed them inside before she slammed the door shut, making Jade wince at the sudden cacophonous calamity. Aunty Joy and Uncle Cosmo gave Jade a brief tour of the large house, the sitting room, the kitchen, the basement, rooms she could and could not enter due to 'privacy reasons'.

Her uncle excused himself to his office soon after, his pager had gone off. That left Jade alone with her Aunt. She struggled to pull her luggage up the two flights of stairs Aunt Joy was leading her. They descended down a brightly lit hallway with gorgeous, crisp white panelled doors. One of them was covered in Hot Wheel and Transformers stickers, no doubt that room belonged to her youngest cousin, Alfie.

"The boys are just out at their lacrosse practice, dear. They should be back by dinner time and you can all get reacquainted," Aunt Joy said to her. The older woman turned the corner in the hallway and came to another white door, seemingly decayed and left abandoned by the the passing of time. She wrenched the knob and turned it with a loud creak and pushed it open.

"And here we are. Home, sweet home," Aunt Joy seemingly sang. Jade followed her in, and she found herself standing in a small bedroom. It was perched in the back roost of the house, with dull, beige walls, stained and scratched floorboards, and a single window that overlooked the backyard. The bed was turned down with plump, freshly cleaned sheets and linens, and in the corner was a small desk, chair, and lamp. In the opposing corner was a four-foot long clothing rack. To put bluntly, the room lacked any personality whatsoever.

Jade looked around the room, finding disturbing patterns on the floor. They were boxy in shape and a few shades lighter than the rest of the floorboards. The room smelled of mothballs and lemon pledge, as well as something stuffy. Perhaps it would have been better once she had opened a window?

Jade didn't dare ask her aunt, but she had a creeping suspicion that she had placed her in what was once the attic.

"Now then," Aunt Joy stood by the door as Jade looked around, "House rules: no running down the halls, no loud noises, and if you're going to have friends over, you must approve with myself first. Oh, and no smoking in the house,"

Jade felt her nerves fizzle as she turned around, seemingly dumbfounded, "I'm sorry?" she quipped.

The older woman simply giggled as though she had told a silly joke, "Oh please, dear. I know nicotine when I smell it. You get that awful habit from your mum," she said, "Nevertheless, I'll let you get yourself settled. Dinner's at seven-thirty, I expect you to be downstairs by seven-fifteen. You need to use the bathroom, it's just down the hall. Just be sure you knock first; Flora likes to experiment with her makeup in there," she said.

"Alright," Jade replied tentatively, "Erm -- is there somewhere for me to plug in me phone?" she asked, noting that there were no outlets in the walls. Perhaps, since this was really the attic, the family figured they wouldn't need any electrical outlets.

"Oh," Aunt Joy brought a hand to her face as she looked around in thought, "Well -- I'm sure Cosmo has one in the office you can use. He shouldn't mind too much," she said.

Jade only nodded in reply. Aunt Joy left the shut the door behind her, giving her time to get herself settled. Jade looked tirelessly around the joyless room, figuring out ways in which she could liven it up. Perhaps with some old movie posters or art pieces? Jade placed her luggage at the foot of the rickety-looking clothing rack, pulled off her jacket and let it fall to the floor, and she took a seat on the bed. Despite the plush linens, the bed was hard, creaky, and uncomfortable. Cold and uncomfortable -- just like the rest of the house.

She let out a heavy sigh and laid back on the bed, immediately her eyes landed on a crack in the angled ceiling. Maybe by luck, a poisonous spider would come down from said crack, bite her, and take her out of this wretched situation? Because the Lord only knew how badly she wanted to be at home, with her own loving, but broken family.

[sweetasssuga]

Taegi Fic Recs

personal favorites = ♡

new additions = ϟ

Little Lion Man by mucha [3k] [teen]

Deep down, Yoongi always knew that making rash decisions would one day send him early to his grave.

(Or; Yoongi confesses to Taehyung via text and immediately regrets it)

in all dishonesty by fruitily [3k] [teen] ♡

while taehyung is trying to figure out whether or not min yoongi wants to stab him with a fountain pen, they find out they make an excellent team when it comes to board games.

feelings you provide by sugarlizard [3k] [teen] 

Feeling a little daring, Taehyung slips the ring on his finger. He’s not expecting it to fit, he knows that part of the victorious appeal of this jewelry is it was designed to fit only Yoongi, but instead it slips over the knuckle of his ring finger like a glove.

*

taehyung borrows one of the SUGA diamond rings when he needs a comfort object

help me out by clumsy_taegi [4.6k] [teen] ϟ

Taehyung talks Yoongi into helping him rehearse for a play.

Of Handlebars and Heartbreak by bananamilks [5.5k] [teen] 

Totally unprepared are you, to face a world of men.

[or, the mutual pining fic in which: one of them is in denial, one is oblivious, and both of them are idiots]

caught in a lie by booksinaballroom [5.6k] [teen] 

Ten years, one acting degree, and a frankly embarrassing amount of student debt later, his plans have...changed, a bit. Turns out waiting for callbacks from Colgate toothpaste commercials and roles as extras in dramas isn’t exactly lucrative. Certainly not lucrative enough to pay off his mountainous student debt.

Which is why he has turned to a spinoff of the acting industry. The underground of the acting industry, if you will. A place to hone his skills while raking in plenty of cash. A high-stakes challenge, something that tests and proves his ability to perform under pressure.

In other words, Taehyung is what might be better known as a con artist.

(soulmate au: you can't lie to your soulmate)

A Different Kind of Magic by tryst [5.8k] [teen] ♡ 

Wherein, Taehyung doesn't really need extra Potions help, but could definitely use a hug and Yoongi is pretty indifferent about being a tutor, but is down to hold hands.

my heart flutters from the sugar high by hoars [5.9k] [mature]

Yoongi and Taehyung sneak around together, cheating on their diets. The group? They’ve drawn different conclusions.

Birds in Your Heart by m_aur_a [6k] [not rated] 

Origami cranes with cute, if kitschy, words of advice are popping up on campus. Yoongi is struggling with a lot right now, but they help. So does the pretty boy that leaves them.

Ring the Hogwarts Bell by mucha [6k] [general audiences] 

“No, it’s fine,” Taehyung interrupted him, circling his fingers around Jimin’s wrist and squeezing reassuringly. “It’s just a few days, I’ll be okay.”

It was the furthest thing from truth, though. Christmas was always his favorite holiday and in his mind, it was irreversibly connected to home and family and watching silly Christmas movies with a mug of hot chocolate in his hand and his puppy, Yeontan, in his lap. He was hoping that maybe at least one of his friends would be staying in school too, but that hope quickly vanished when he checked the list in the common room and saw no familiar names. Well, he saw one familiar name but it belonged to someone Taehyung had never spoken to, so it didn’t matter anyway.

As if he could read Taehyung’s mind, Jimin spoke up again:

“I noticed that Yoongi is staying at Hogwarts too.”

(Taehyung spends his Christmas at Hogwarts and makes a new friend)

human by awsuga [7.7k] [mature]

Taehyung almost kills the most beautiful mortal he has ever seen.

yesterday’s tomorrow by locks [8k] [mature] ♡

Yoongi just wants to get through the night with his pride intact.

Enter Kim Taehyung.

Or, the one where they used to date and meet again at their ten year high school reunion.

but not for me by raviolijouster [8k] [teen] ♡ 

Taehyung’s straightforward, he thinks. A 2 + 2 = 4 kind of guy. He’s just not always sure that his 2’s are other people’s 2’s. Sometimes it seems like they might be 3’s. Or 7’s. But Yoongi’s 2’s are the same 2’s, they’re just in italics, size 8 font, while Taehyung’s are in bold and size 72.

or,

People think Yoongi and Taehyung are dating. Taehyung wishes they were.

ring ding dong by chlexcer [8k] [explicit]

the one where taehyung loses his precious gucci ring the very first time he meets yoongi, but he doesn't lose it just anywhere, oh no— he loses it inside of yoongi.

By Tomorrow by Oh_Hey_Tae [10.6k] [teen]

“Why are you freaking out now?” Seokjin asks, and the seconds tick by and suddenly the atmosphere shifts. “Ahh, I get it.”

Yoongi perks up, swivels, spots Taehyung stepping from the hall into the room and he’s in fitted slacks and the baby blue button-up from earlier and he looks divine.

Yoongi’s heart just stopped and he’s not sure how to get it beating again. Namjoon’s a doctor. A doctor in training, but some form of medical professional regardless. Namjoon knows CPR and cardiac arrest symptoms and all that shit. He’ll know Yoongi’s dying.

“Perfect timing. Let’s eat.”

Or he’s going to wink at Yoongi and send suggestive eyebrow raises the whole night. Great. Fabulous.

(Or: Yoongi loves Taehyung and Taehyung loves Yoongi and somewhere along the way they figure that out.)

neons and watercolors by aimandignite [12.6k] [explicit] 

“Do you stare at the sky in the middle of roads at night often?” he asks.

Yoongi shrugs. “Do you join random people staring at the sky in the middle of roads at night often?” He glances at the guy and his heart slams in his chest at the wide smile he sees.

“I’m Taehyung. Everyone calls me Tae though.”

Yoongi nods slowly, “Yoongi.”

Tae seems to repeat the name to himself, carefully remembering how it feels in his mouth. Yoongi can’t look away. “Yoongi? Do you want to get out of the middle of the road and get hot cocoa?”

812 (rock my world) by aileron [13k] [explicit] ϟ

Jimin sniffs in a way that lets Taehyung know he’s an ungrateful brat. “Look, some people would pay good money to get a free pass that allows them right in front of the stage and hence right under the nose of Min Yoongi.”

“Min who?”

Jimin waves his hand dismissively. “The rock star you couldn’t care less about but whose face you have to stare at through your camera lens tonight.”

Taehyung slings his camera bag on his shoulder and shoves the press pass into his back pocket. “Sure, whatever. Just point me in his direction when we get there.”

- or: the fic where Taehyung thinks Yoongi is an arrogant piece of shit (albeit a hot one), but as Jimin puts it, “Which memory is going to be more awesome to look back to when you’re eighty: the time when you went and fucked a rock star or the time when you didn’t and went home instead?”

Chasing the Sun by almostsophie1 [17.6k] [mature] ϟ

Yoongi calls it a phenomena.

Whatever it is, it brings Taehyung to Yoongi again and again, twining their lives together. If it's a kind of magic, it's not one that Yoongi understands. But it pulls Taehyung to him and him to Taehyung, and somehow that's all that matters.

Out to Lunch by roebling [19k] [teen]

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Taehyung is not above taking a soul-killing office job solely for the benefits. The drab cubicle he now calls home is bad enough, but his new boss Yoongi is possibly a robot and definitely an asshole. Vision and dental coverage are enticing, but Taehyung’s not sure how long he can stick this out.

Siren of the Interstate by fringecity (indiachick) [23k] [mature] ϟ ♡ 

Yoongi is a traveling salesman circling the same set of weird towns and highways. Taehyung is a gas-station clerk in the middle of nowhere.

"Won’t space be lonely?” Yoongi asks. Taehyung shrugs—Yoongi can feel him move beside him, just a finger-breadth away. “It’s lonely down here too.”

Heart of the Matter by fringecity (indiachick) [33k] [teen] ♡ 

Disaster witch Kim Taehyung meets perfect senior Min Yoongi in the poison greenhouses of witch school. Years later, Taehyung owns a clinic that fixes hearts, Yoongi has a celebrated apothecary, and they (don't) get along.

Harry Potter-ish, but not in that universe.

A Breeze Blows, and My Heart Swells by roebling [36.6k] [teen] ϟ

Former Idol Min Yoongi is struggling to write his next album. He knows he'll never live up to the success of his first solo outing, and the pressure is getting to him. After a series of minor scandals, his manager and best friend Jimin ships him off to Harmony Retreat, an ecotourism resort deep in the Daegu countryside. With electronics strictly forbidden and no company but a rooster, a dog, and his eccentric host Kim Taehyung, Yoongi's not sure how he's going to get through this -- let alone write a hit song.

a spoonful of suga by ellievolia [38.6k] [explicit] ϟ ♡ 

“Good evening, ladies and gents. You’re listening to First, the premium digital station, and this is Spoonful of Suga, hosted by your very own Suga. Relax, let the music do its job. We’ll be taking requests later, but first, please enjoy the next uninterrupted half hour of music.”

Min Yoongi, a late night radio show host, has a regular caller. He also has busybody best friends, too much music on his playlists, dreams that feel too big for his heart, and a genius dog.

Kim Taehyung works nights as a mortuary cosmetologist, likes to listen to the radio, and he also has a genius dog.

Say My Name (And I'll Lie in the Sound) by fadetomorrow [51k] [explicit] ♡ 

Taehyung wakes up 500 years in the past and catches feelings for a Joseon prince.

The Romance of Old Clothes by fringecity (indiachick) [59.6k] [explicit] ♡ 

Min Yoongi is an art director with zero tolerance for bullshit, looking for ultimate perfection in everything he creates. Kim Taehyung is the co-owner of a vintage fashion boutique who talks to clothes and learns magic from Tumblr.

It’s a match made in the depths of hell.

[“Taehyung-ah,” Seokjin says, wily and soft, “You’re not scared of meeting Yoongi, are you?” Taehyung knows this is bait. Seokjin knows this is bait. Even Yeontan, running circles around Taehyung now, knows this is bait. His angry brows are very expressive, and right now they’re saying 'don’t take the bait, don’t be a stupid fish.' Taehyung's a stupid fish.]

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM 7 - 5 READING’S U21′S

My Thoughts On Gillingham V Reading’s U21’s………..

I left My House at 17.50PM in the afternoon and I made sure I had the following things on me,,,,,,,, (Money, Keys, My Reading Match-Day Ticket, My Samsung Galaxy S2, Spare Battery, My Gillingham Jacket, Spare Lids, My Gillingham Scarf, My Gillingham Bag, A Packet Of Polo’s, and Pad and Pens) - and I made sure I had everything on me before making the fifteen / twenty minute walk from my house to Rainham Train Station, and once I arrived at Rainham Train Station, I brought My Return Ticket To Gillingham for £4, just before leaving My House, I had posted the following status updates on Facebook And Twitter,,,, On My Way To Priestfield Stadium As Gillingham Take On Reading In The Football League Trophy - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!

I got on The 18.15PM Train and checked My Notifications and Messages On Facebook And Twitter, The Early sign’s were that Gillingham were going to record there lowest attendance of the season, Stephen, Nicholas, Rob, Ben and so many others who regally attendance home matches at Priestfield Stadium were going to give this match, and more specifically, every match in this competition a miss, because no-one wants to see Premier League B Teams participating in this competition and Premier League B Teams entering The Football League Trophy is seen by many as a pathway for Premier League B Teams to enter The Football League.

I then sent the following message before the train stopped at Gillingham Train Station, Hopefully Wilkinson and Nash can score tonight, O’Neill and Wagstaff can do with ninety mins tonight as well, Once the train arrived in Gillingham at just gone 18.20PM, I got off the train, headed for the exit of Gillingham Train Station, and I then made my way towards Priestfield Stadium, although I did stop off at Sainsbury’s to buy A 500ML Bottle Of Coca Cola and A Mars Bar for £1.80, and once I got my 20p change back from the cashier, I made my way towards Priestfield Stadium and I hardly saw anyone walking towards the ground so the earlier prediction of an attendance under 1,000 for this match is looking increasingly likely.

I went inside The Club Shop and Diane was there, and Diane had already brought our tickets for Maidstone United Away In The Kent Senior Cup, and Diane gave me the second ticket, and the tickets for this match are the same size as My Train Ticket so I need to be very careful not to accidentally throw this ticket away, at least these tickets are made out of card and not paper, which was the case for AFC Wimbledon away where Diane had to queue up and get a spare ticket from AFC Wimbledon’s Ticket Office, I just hope that The Maidstone United Match and The Knock-Out Match In The Football League Trophy are not played on the same-day, because Gillingham’s Knock-Out Match In The Football League Trophy is scheduled for The Fifth Of December - The Same Night That Gillingham will be playing away to Maidstone United In The Kent Senior Cup, But I have been told on several occasions that The Maidstone United Fixture is going to be moved again, because this match was originally scheduled for Halloween Night, But Kent Police Moved This Fixture Because Of Security Issue’s.

While I was in The Club Shop, I noticed that Tom Eaves was in there and Tom Eaves wasn’t playing for Gillingham against Reading’s U21’s, But he had come along to watch the game and Tom Eaves was speaking with supporters inside The Club Shop, and I queued up to buy A Gillingham Shirt And A Match-Day Programme for Gillingham V Reading which cost me £37 in total, I then mentioned to Diane that I will wait out-side to try and spot Gary, who I am sure will be turning up out-side Priestfield Stadium any moment now.

Gary turned up and then meet up with Me and Diane outside Priestfield Stadium and the early sign’s were that tonight’s attendance is going to be a very low turnout, I did ask Gary what is the lowest attendance at Priestfield Stadium - obviously not including Kent Senior Cup Fixtures - Gary added that he would need to double check, but Gary was sure that Gillingham’s Lowest Home Attendance was In The Football League Trophy, Reading will not bring many supporters along to Priestfield Stadium, Weather Conditions are freezing on what is A Cold Tuesday Night, and more importantly, Gillingham have got three home matches in a week and this could well explain the low turnout, as everyone will be going to The Gillingham V Bury Match at the weekend.

Me, Diane and Gary spoke about the supporters boycotting this entire competition because of Premier League B Team’s are participating in The Football League Trophy, and The Boycotts are understandable because Premier League B Team’s Entering The Football League Trophy is seen by many as Premier League B Teams getting a pathway into The Football League, But we are stuck with this current format for this season and next season regardless and attendances for Football League Trophy Matches before Premier League B Teams Entered The Competition were low, especially in the earlier rounds where attendances were between 1,000 - 2,000 at Priestfield Stadium.

Gary added that The Sponsor’s Checkatrade could well step in if there seeing attendances drop because of the resentment towards Premier League B Team’s and they may well demand for A Format Change if they believe that there Sponsorship Money is not seeing a return on there investment, One Suggestion I have made, Is for the top sixteen clubs in The Conference National to replace The Sixteen Academy Sides, by doing this, you will give The Conference National Clubs stuck in mid-table something to battle for if they cannot reach the playoffs or if they are safe from relegation, you could well have some interesting derby matches between clubs who have not played against each other competitively for years, and The Conference National Is Essentially League Three now anyway because there so many Professional Clubs playing in The Fifth Tier Of English Football.

Me, Gary and Diane spoke about The FA Cup Draw, and Gillingham being drawn at home against Carlisle United is perfect, because the one thing I wanted to avoid was Gillingham being drawn away from home against Non League Opposition, because that match will surely be moved to be shown live on television, also, I find that your down to ten men before the match has kicked off, because everyone is watching the game hoping for an upset, and Match Official’s Referee A Non League V Football League Side Differently, compared to when Two Football League Sides Play Against Each Other, One thing I really really want to avoid is A FA Cup Replay, I do not want to be traveling to Carlisle United On A Tuesday Night For A FA Cup Replay, especially as Gillingham have got Away Trips to Plymouth Argyle, Fleetwood Town and Blackpool coming up over the next seven weeks.

Eventually, We Saw Gillingham’s Team News On Twitter, And Gillingham Lined Up As Follows,,,,,,,, Stuart Nelson, Luke O’Neill, Max Ehmer, Finn O’Mara, Aaron Simpson, Scott Wagstaff, Ben Chapman, Darren Oldaker, Elliott List, Conor Wilkinson, Greg Cundle - SUBS: Steve Arnold (GK), Jack Tucker, Miquel Scarlett, Bradley Stevenson, Jesse Starkey, Noel Mbo and Liam Nash - and the first thing we have to speak about when looking at that team sheet is Stuart Nelson’s inclusion in-between the sticks, and Gary pointed out that Stuart Nelson has surely made the greatest comeback by regaining a spot in The Starting Line Up This Evening and Stuart Nelson is probably twice as old as some of Reading’s Youth Team Players.

I wasn’t sure about Max Ehmer starting against Reading because Gabriel Zakuani has been called up for International Duty By The Democratic Republic Of Congo and Gabriel Zakuani will miss the match against Bury at the weekend and Ben Nugent and Alex Lacey are both injured, so Gillingham only have one senior centre back and we would be very concerned if something were to happen to Max Ehmer against Reading, especially when you take into consideration that no matter what the score-line is going to be between Gillingham and Reading and what the score-line is going to be between Southend United and Colchester United, Gillingham have already qualified for the knock-out stages, however, Should Gillingham win or draw against Reading, then Gillingham will secure top spot, which would guarantee a home tie in the next round.

This match against Reading should be very interesting because while the result isn’t necessarily important - even though we want to see Gillingham win - This match gives us a fantastic opportunity to have a look at Luke O’Neill, Scott Wagstaff and Conor Wilkinson because all three players need minutes under there belts, but this match also allows us the opportunity to have a look at Finn O’Mara, Aaron Simpson, Ben Chapman, Darren Oldaker and Greg Cundle and see how our young players compete against Reading’s Academy Players, and also, who out of our young players can make an impression and try and stake a claim to be in The First Team Squad on a more consistent basis ???

Gary is not going to like the squad numbers for Reading, 43, 25, 39, 41, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 57, 60 Subs: 65, 46, 54, 59, 61, 64, and 67 and Gary had a look at the players who played for Reading when Reading won 2-0 against Gillingham In The League Cup and only Josh Barrett has been included in the match-day squad who played against Gillingham earlier in the season, But Gary would be irritated if he had to include those squad numbers on his spread-sheet.

Gary decided to head off inside the ground, and I went to The Ticket Office to buy My Ticket for Blackpool Away, which cost me £22, I wanted to make sure I get my ticket, but I also wanted to make sure I got enough change back so I could pay Diane The Ten Pounds I owed her straight away, as Diane was kind enough to get my ticket for Maidstone United Away, Diane wanted to know what we should do for that match and whether it would be a good idea to travel via train to the ground, I suggested that it might be wise to get to the ground very very early and leave much later then usual, because I am convinced that something bad is going to happen when Maidstone United play against Gillingham, 99% will be going to the game for footballing reason’s and cheering on there respective team’s, but you always get a 1% who are looking to cause trouble, and because Maidstone United have not played against Gillingham since The 1990’s, I am expecting something to happen in this match.

Diane was speaking with Alan and Irene, and both Alan and Irene wanted to know why people were not coming to The Gillingham V Reading Game, I mentioned that many supporters are boycotting because they see B Teams entering The Football League Trophy as a potential pathway for B Teams to entering The Football League, I think three home games in a week and A Cold Tuesday Night are also other factor’s, but not wanting to support B Team’s is the main reason why supporters are not coming along to this match, and I don’t want to see Premier League B Teams entering this competition, and I especially do not want to see B Team’s Entering The Football League Either, so the stance taken by many supporters is perfectly understandable.

Me and Diane decided to head off inside the ground, and both Me and Diane were searched before going through the turnstiles, and once we were inside the ground, Me and Diane decided that we were going to look for somewhere to sit, I had brought My Match Ticket In My Usual Seat, But I decided that we should sit higher up and Me and Diane sat near the back Of The Medway Stand, because looking around the ground before kick off and looking around The Medway Stand once we were inside the ground, The Attendance for this match isn’t going to very high, and should we be sitting in someone else’s seat then we will move.

Gillingham will be lining up with a 4.4.2 formation and Gillingham have qualified for the knock-out stages regardless what happens against Reading, but it would be nice to see Gillingham win, and I am hoping that Conor Wilkinson can score his first senior goal for Gillingham and gain some confidence, there is also the extra incentive that the group winners are drawn at home in the next round of the competition and I am hoping that Gillingham can qualify as group winners with a win, but more importantly, that none of our senior first team players pick up an injury, which is why I wouldn’t have played Max Ehmer against Reading, also, Elliott List playing for Gillingham was a surprise inclusion, as I thought we might have protected List with Saturday’s Match in mind.

Both teams came out of the tunnel ready for kick off as Gillingham and Reading Lined Up In-Front Of The Medway Stand, It is difficult to gage what the attendance is going to be like for this match, because with Tuesday Night Matches, I have noticed supporters have missed kick off by fifteen minutes because of traffic problems and trying to find somewhere to park, although that will not be as difficult for this evening’s match, Gillingham will be kicking towards The Brian Moore Stand In The First Half, With Reading kicking towards The Rainham End, both stands are completely empty for this fixture, and The Reading Supporters who have made the trip to Priestfield Stadium are likely to be sitting in Block A Of The Medway Stand, Hopefully, Gillingham can win against Reading to secure top spot in the group, and more importantly, none of our senior first team players pick up any injuries - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FIRST HALF:

And Gillingham score straight from the kick off, Darren Oldaker plays the ball back to Ben Chapman, who takes a touch to control the ball, and Ben Chapman plays the ball out-wide to Luke O’Neill, who takes a touch to control the ball before threading the ball down the line towards Scott Wagstaff, and Scott Wagstaff runs down the line before going past both Ryan East and Andre Burley and Scott Wagstaff runs through down towards the right side of the penalty area, and Scott Wagstaff picks out Greg Cundle with a brilliant low cross and you have got to say that was an excellent one touch finish from Greg Cundle to open the scoring for The Gills in what surely had to be a goal scored within the opening thirty seconds of the match - you couldn’t have wished for a better start to the match.

Two Minutes Into The Match, And Max Ehmer times his challenge on Adrian Popa to perfection, And In The Third Minute, Gillingham are looking to double there advantage already as Aaron Simpson and Elliott List link up nicely down the left side of the pitch - and those two playing down the left was causing Diane some confusion, and Elliott List had ran out of room and overran the ball out of play for A Reading Goal-Kick, and in the same minute, Max Ehmer had timed his challenge on Ramarni Melford-Smith to perfection and Max Ehmer has made two important challenges within the next five minutes of the match.

Andre Burley and Jake Sheppard are both penalised for there challenges on Conor Wilkinson and Scott Wagstaff, and the challenge on Scott Wagstaff was foolish, as Scott Wagstaff wasn’t really going anywhere in possession of the ball, However, Gillingham get very very lucky as Luke O’Neill losses out to Ramarni Medford-Smith, And The Reading Winger / Striker is penalised for his challenge on Luke O’Neill, who I thought was trying to do to much and lost possession of the ball, A Very fortuitous free kick decision awarded in Gillingham’s Favour.

And Gillingham came close to doubling there advantage in The Ninth Minute Of The Match, Ben Chapman picks out Aaron Simpson with an accurate pass down the left side of the pitch on the halfway line, and Aaron Simpson goes on a driving run forward in possession of the ball, before waiting for support and threading the ball through to Elliott List on the over-lap, and Elliott List stands the ball up towards the back-stick and Conor Wilkinson’s header towards goal is blocked, and the follow up effort from Greg Cundle is brilliantly blocked by Gabriel Osho, and that block from The Reading Defender manages to divert the ball away from goal and out of play for A Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Darren Oldaker has whipped in an fantastic in-swinging cross towards the far post which is just too high for Max Ehmer to header on target and Reading Survive - But Only Just.

Ten Minutes Into The Match, and Finn O’Mara takes no chances by kicking the ball out of play for a throw on down The Gordon Road Stand / Rainham End Side Of The Pitch, Finn O’Mara is playing out of position at Left Centre Back, Because Finn O’Mara has played Right Back or Right Centre Back For Gillingham and as I mentioned to Diane, I think Luke O’Neill will be substituted during this match and Finn O’Mara will move across to Right Back in the closing stages of this match.

A Minute Later, And Gillingham manage to double there advantage and go 2-0 up after eleven minutes, Gillingham have A Throw On Down The Right Side Of The Pitch In Reading’s Half and Luke O’Neill throws the ball short to Greg Cundle, who takes a touch to control the ball before retaining possession and Greg Cundle plays the ball back to Darren Oldaker, who plays a fantastic pass out-wide to Aaron Simpson down the left side of the pitch, And Aaron Simpson takes a touch to control possession of the ball before running forward in possession of the ball and Aaron Simpson was looking to whip in a cross before playing a short pass out-wide to Scott Wagstaff, and Scott Wagstaff is being double marked and Scott Wagstaff is forced to run away from goal, and The Experienced Midfielder passes the ball inside centrally to Darren Oldaker, and Darren Oldaker takes a touch to control the ball and another touch to lay the ball off to Scott Wagstaff, who had continued his run into an more central position after passing the ball to Darren Oldaker, and Scott Wagstaff takes one touch to control the ball before unleashing a driven effort towards goal and George Legg gets down low to make the save, however, The Reading Goalkeeper fails to parry the ball away from goal, and Conor Wilkinson is the first player to react to the loose ball and Conor Wilkinson will not score an easier goal then that all season - but it was great to see Conor Wilkinson finally score his first goal for Gillingham and both strikers have got themselves on the score-sheet within the opening twelve minutes of the match.

Reading are looking for an instant response and although Ramarni Melford-Smith does manage to get a decent shot off towards goal, The Reading Winger / Striker was flagged for receiving the ball in an offside position, and Reading do manage to build on this offside decision, as Joel Rollinson has managed to dig out an dangerous in-swinging cross towards the back side from the left side of Gillingham’s Penalty Towards The Far Post, and Luke O’Neill does brilliantly to header the ball clear and away from danger, And In The Fifteenth Minute Of The Match, Ramarni Melford-Smith was flagged for offside again, Conor Wilkinson was also flagged for offside in the same minute as Reading are slowly grabbing a foot-hold in this match and the visitor’s are just starting to cause Gillingham a few problems defensively.

Seventeen Minutes Into The Match, and Max Ehmer has to clear an dangerous in-swinging cross which was coming in towards the near post out of play for A Reading Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Joel Rollinson has whipped in an dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post, and Joel Rollinson’s in-swinging cross was too high for anyone in A Reading Shirt to header on target or back across the face of goal, and the ball runs out of play for A Gillingham Throw On, From what we are seeing so far, this young Reading Side look very good going forward, but defensively, Reading are all over the place.

But In The Eighteenth Minute Of The Match, Gillingham should have been awarded A Penalty Kick, Ben Chapman plays a long ball over the top towards Elliott List down the right side of the pitch - Elliott List and Scott Wagstaff have both switched flanks - and Elliott List gets to the loose ball ahead of the out-rushing George Legg, and The Reading Goalkeeper has completely taken Elliott List out just as Elliott List lifts the ball over the advancing Reading Goalkeeper, and Elliott List’s effort on goal fails to hit the target, But George Legg hasn’t got anywhere near the ball and he has taken Elliott List out, and Gillingham should be awarded A Penalty Kick.

I was still stunned that Gillingham were not awarded A Penalty Kick as Reading created there best attacking move of the entire match, Reading have possession of the ball down the right side of the pitch just in there own half and Tom Holmes plays an fantastic cross-field pass from the right side of the pitch down to the left side - Gillingham’s Right - In Gillingham’s Final Third and Andre Burley headers the ball down the line towards Josh Barrett, and Josh Barrett manages to retain possession of the ball despite Luke O’Neill’s attempted sliding challenge, and Josh Barrett turns so that he is facing towards goal, and Josh Barrett manages to evade Luke O’Neill’s second attempted challenge and Josh Barrett’s driven effort towards goal takes a huge deflection off Max Ehmer, and that deflection takes the ball just wide of Stuart Nelson’s Left Hand Post - Sometimes you know when your luck is in when the ball deflects wide and doesn’t deflect into the back of the net - and that’s the closest Reading have come from scoring the goal which would bring them back into the match at 2-1 - and Reading came close to score from the resulting corner kick, as Adrian Popa has whipped in an dangerous in-swinging cross and Tom Holmes headers the ball wide at the near post for Reading, and the visitor’s are causing Gillingham plenty of problems defensively.

As I mentioned earlier, Reading look good going forward, but defensively, the visitor’s are prone to some awful defensive error’s, and an horrendous back-pass to George Legg see’s The Reading Goalkeeper forced to kick the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw On Down The Medway Stand / Brian Moore Stand Side Of The Pitch, and from the resulting throw on, Gillingham do manage to create a half chance, as Luke O’Neill throws the ball short to Darren Oldaker, who plays the ball out-wide to Luke O’Neill, and Luke O’Neill gets to the byline and looks to whip in an cross, but Luke O’Neill plays the ball back to Darren Oldaker, who whips in an dangerous in-swinging cross towards the back-stick which is just too high for Greg Cundle to header on goal or back across the face of goal, and the ball runs out of play for A Reading Goal-Kick, And In The Twenty Fourth Minute Of The Match, Finn O’Mara has tried to pick out Conor Wilkinson with a long pass over the top, But Finn O’Mara’s pass was slightly over-hit and runs out of play for A Reading Goal-Kick.

In The Twenty Fifth Minute Of The Match, And Josh Barrett’s threaded through-ball to Ramarni Melford-Smith is slightly over-hit and Stuart Nelson is quick off his goal-line to dive on to the loose ball, and In The Twenty Sixth Minute Of The Match, Luke O’Neill had to be very careful watching a high bouncing ball skid up off the turf, and Luke O’Neill headers the ball back to Stuart Nelson, Reading look very strong down the left side of the pitch, and Reading’s Next Attack only strengthen’s my belief of how strong Reading are going forward, because Josh Barrett has the confidence and the ability to take on Luke O’Neill, get himself to the byline and Max Ehmer had to slide in and time his challenge to perfection - good challenge from Max Ehmer - And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Adrian Popa has whipped in an dangerous in-swinging cross and Stuart Nelson goes brilliantly to gather the ball out of the air, and Gillingham turn defence into attack very quickly, With Stuart Nelson throwing the ball out-wide to Aaron Simpson, and Aaron Simpson goes on a driving run down the left flank, and Aaron Simpson continue’s his run forward, however, Aaron Simpson’s in-swinging cross in Reading’s Final Third goes out of play for A Reading Goal-Kick.

But Gillingham do manage to make the score-line 3-0 from the resulting goal-kick, as George Legg kicks a very difficult ball down the line and although Andre Burley manages to chest the ball to get the ball under control, Luke O’Neill nips in there to intercept the ball, and Luke O’Neill goes on a run down the right side of the pitch, and Luke O’Neill has a look before whipping in an dangerous in-swinging cross towards the back-stick and Conor Wilkinson cannot make a telling connection on the ball, But Scott Wagstaff headers the ball towards goal and George Legg does in-fact make the save, But The Linesman Down The Medway Stand / Brian Moore Stand has his flag raised and Gillingham are awarded a third goal and Gillingham are now 3-0 up against Reading.

And I have to say that of the goals Gillingham have scored so far, this one is the most controversial, because even The Highlights are not clear cut and we do not get a side on angle to show clearly that the ball has crossed the line, Scott Wagstaff’s response and the lack of protests from The Reading Players indicates that the ball has crossed the line and with Gillingham 3-0 up, The Three Points Look Safe, And Steve Lovell can start thinking about Saturday’s Match against Bury, although we would like another 1-2 goals for The Gills just to make absolutely sure that the match is signed, sealed and delivered and then we can take off 1-2 players who need to be saved for Saturday’s Important Relegation Six Pointer Against Bury.

A Minute Later, And Reading do manage to stick the ball into the back of the net, however, The Linesman Down The Rainham End / Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch had his flag raised for offside - Good Finish From Joel Rollinson - and Reading are still causing Gillingham a few problems defensively and Max Ehmer is in the right place at the right time again to clear the ball away from danger - Now Max Ehmer was getting his fair share of constructive criticism at the start of the season, most of the criticism was justified and maybe one or two comments went a bit over-board, but since Max Ehmer has moved back into The Centre Of Gillingham’s Defence, after a mini spell playing as A Defensive Holding Midfielder, Max Ehmer has put in more consistent performances, I am not expecting Max Ehmer to be at John Egan’s level of ability, but we are seeing huge levels of improvement from The Max Ehmer we saw from the start of the season, to The Max Ehmer we are seeing now.

Gillingham create two goal-scoring opportunities in two minutes, In The Thirty Third Minute, Aaron Simpson and Scott Wagstaff link up nicely down the left side of the pitch, and Scott Wagstaff plays the ball through to Greg Cundle on the over-lap, and Greg Cundle manages to get himself to the byline and pull the ball back across the face of goal and Reading just about clear the ball away from danger, But It Is In The Thirty Fourth Minute Where Gillingham really should have made the score-line 4-0 to The Gills, Finn O’Mara passes the ball back to Stuart Nelson before Adrian Popa can get to the loose ball first, and Stuart Nelson passes the ball out-wide to Luke O’Neill, and Luke O’Neill plays a long ball over the top for Conor Wilkinson to get on the end of, and Conor Wilkinson is too strong for Gabriel Osho to deal with and Conor Wilkinson manages to get to the loose ball first, cuts out-side to go past Gabriel Osho, and Conor Wilkinson see’s his driven effort on goal brilliantly saved by Reading Goalkeeper George Legg, and the ball ricochets back into Elliott List’s Path and Elliott List has somehow failed to hit the target and Elliott List had to hit the target with that effort at the very least - You can tell how desperate Elliott List is trying to stick the ball into the back of the net and not scoring is perhaps starting to get to Elliott List a bit - Everything else about the way Elliott List is playing is spot on, List needs to be more composed in the final third, but with how poorly Reading have defended throughout this match, Should Elliott List get another chance to score then we are confident that Elliott List will score next time round, because Reading are poor defensively.

And Gillingham are still pushing for A Fourth Goal In The Thirty Fifth Minute Of The Match, Ben Chapman has managed to pick out Elliott List with a clipped curling pass from the left side of the pitch on the halfway line down the right side of the pitch in Reading’s Final Third, And Elliott List takes a touch to control the ball before looking to take on Andre Burley, And Elliott List checks the ball back to Luke O’Neill, and Luke O’Neill has whipped in an sensational cross towards the back-stick which is over-hit, But Aaron Simpson keeps the ball in play and plays the ball back to Scott Wagstaff, and Scott Wagstaff is forced to run away from goal, But Scott Wagstaff manages to whip in an fantastic cross from the left side of the pitch which almost picks out Conor Wilkinson at the back-stick, and Gabriel Osho is in the right place at the right time to header the ball out of play at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Darren Oldaker has whipped in an sensational cross towards the far post and Finn O’Mara climbs highest inside Reading’s Penalty Area, But Finn O’Mara cannot direct his header on target and Reading survive the latest attacking onslaught on to there goal.

But Despite all the chances created by Gillingham, It Is Reading who manage to get themselves on the score-sheet in The Thirty Ninth Minute Of The Match, Max Ehmer kicks the ball long and down-field for Gillingham and Gabriel Osho wins the fifty / fifty challenge with Conor Wilkinson and Darren Oldaker brings the ball under his control, however, Darren Oldaker losses out to Ramarni Melford-Smith, who manages to intercept the ball, and Ramarni Melford-Smith passes the ball short to Josh Barrett, and Josh Barrett plays a fantastic pass down the left side of the pitch towards  Adrian Popa, and Adrian Popa whips in an dangerous low cross which bounces up off the turf and Joel Rollinson has stuck the ball into the back of the net via the post with an excellent one touch finish and there is nothing that Stuart Nelson could have done about that, a very good goal - from what we have seen during the match so far, If Reading were going to score, then chances are, it was going to come from a cross or a piece of skill down the left side of the pitch.

But Gillingham managed to re-establish there three goal lead straight from the kick off, Greg Cundle plays the ball back to Max Ehmer, who takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball square to Finn O’Mara, and Finn O’Mara plays the ball out-wide to Aaron Simpson, who takes a touch to control the ball before running forward in possession of the ball and Aaron Simpson plays a short pass forward to Scott Wagstaff, and Scott Wagstaff passes the ball centrally to Darren Oldaker, and Darren Oldaker takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball forward to Greg Cundle, and Greg Cundle passes the ball out-wide to Aaron Simpson, who plays a neat one / two with Darren Oldaker, and Aaron Simpson manages to evade Joel Rollinson’s attempted challenge and run into an more central position on the pitch and Aaron Simpson continue’s his run forward as Tyler Frost is closing him down, and Aaron Simpson passes the ball sideways to Ben Chapman, who runs towards the right flank, and Ben Chapman lays the ball off to Luke O’Neill before continuing his run out wide to provide Gillingham with some width, and that run from Ben Chapman, allows Luke O’Neill to cut inside into an more central position on the pitch and Luke O’Neill continue’s his run towards the edge of Reading’s Penalty Area and no-one in A Reading Shirt is closing Luke O’Neill down, and from twenty yards out, Luke O’Neill unleashes a driven effort towards goal with his left foot which goes through a crowded penalty area, and George Legg had no chance in keeping that effort out and Gillingham are now 4-1 up with just over six minutes to go before half time.

After that goal from Luke O’Neill, there is a stoppage in play as Gabriel Osho is down injured requiring treatment and The Reading Defender Is OK To Continue, this short stoppage in play allows Steve Lovell to relay any additional instructions to his players, I am sure that Steve Lovell was encouraging his players to get more goals, as this would not only secure the win and all three points for The Gills, But Steve Lovell can substitute his senior players and protect them for Saturday’s Important League One Match against Bury.

In The Aftermath of Gabriel Osho’s recovery, Elliott List see’s his driven effort towards goal blocked on the edge of Reading’s Penalty Area and Aaron Simpson is penalised for his challenge on Joel Rollinson, and Ramarni Medford-Smith is penalised for his challenge on Conor Wilkinson as fouls and free kicks are starting to slow the pace and the tempo of the match down, The Free Kick is taken very quickly by Gillingham as Darren Oldaker threads the ball through to Greg Cundle who is almost in on goal, But Reading Goalkeeper George Legg is quick off his goal-line to dive on to the loose ball, this time there was no foul by The Reading Goalkeeper, and I am still shocked that penalty decision wasn’t given in Gillingham’s Favour when George Legg had fouled Elliott List.

And as we reach the closing stages of the first half, Gillingham are awarded a corner kick as Gabriel Osho takes no chances and headers the ball out of play, and from the resulting corner kick, Darren Oldaker whips in an dangerous in-swinging cross which George Legg manages to partially punch clear and away from danger and Ben Chapman attempts to hook the ball back into Reading’s Penalty Area, But The Visitor’s Manage to clear there lines, and the final noteworthy moment of the first half was Luke O’Neill being penalised for his challenge on Josh Barrett , and after four minutes of stoppage time, Referee Craig Hicks blows his whistle for Half Time.

HALF TIME: GILLINGHAM 4 - 1 READING U21’s

What we wanted to see from Gillingham so far is precisely what we wanted to see, Conor Wilkinson, Greg Cundle and Luke O’Neill have all scored there first goals for Gillingham, I am not sure if Scott Wagstaff’s effort had crossed the line or not, but Elliott List just cannot buy a goal, because when Conor Wilkinson’s effort was blocked by Goerge Legg, Elliott List surely had to hit the target, but shot wide, But I am stunned that George Legg wasn’t penalised for taking Elliott List out inside Reading’s Penalty Area, because that looked a penalty to me all day long.

Max Ehmer has been superb defensively for Gillingham and I think If Steve Lovell is going to make a substitution at half time, then one of Jack Tucker or Miquel Scarlett will come on for Max Ehmer, Because Gabriel Zakuani is on International Duty With The Democratic Republic Of Congo, and Alex Lacey and Ben Nugent are current on the sidelines because of injury, and with Max Ehmer being our only senior centre back, I think it is important that Max Ehmer is available for selection at the weekend.

I sent the following tweet at half,,, HALF TIME: GILLINGHAM 4 - 1 READING - O'Neill, Wagstaff, Cundle and Wilkinson have all scored, There are more goals for Gills in this match.,, Reading look very good going forward, especially with attacks down the left side of the pitch and Joe Rollinson took his goal really well with a one touch finish, But Defensively, you have got to say that Reading look very very poor, George Legg has made a goalkeeping error which Conor Wilkinson has capitalised on and I think Greg Cundle and Conor Wilkinson can both add to there respective goal tallies, because this Reading Side are there for the taking.

Looking at the other game in our group, Southend United are currently 1-0 up against Colchester United, And Colchester United needed to score twice if they are to progress into the knock-out stages, Now Gillingham were already through regardless before kick off, but three wins from three was the target and Gillingham look very likely they will go on to achieve that, also, more importantly winning the group means A Home Tie In The Next Round and you get more prize money for topping the group as well.

Lewis came across to sit with Me and Diane, and we would like to see both Noel Mbo and Liam Nash come on and get a runout during The Second Half, It is good to see the likes of Aaron Simpson, Finn O’Mara, Ben Chapman, Darren Oldaker and Greg Cundle get a runout in this competition, Conor Wilkinson is also very young and he has got himself on the score-sheet, and we are hoping that Conor Wilkinson can score a few more, after all, when Tom Eaves scored that hat-trick against Southend United, Eaves went from not scoring to now scoring on a regular basis, hopefully, the same-thing can happen for Conor Wilkinson as both teams come out of the tunnel to kick off The Second Half - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!

SECOND HALF:

And Gillingham Make A Double Substitution At Half Time as Noel Mbo and Jack Tucker come on for Elliott List and Max Ehmer, I think we knew that Max Ehmer had to come off at half time, while Elliott List is probably being protected for Saturday’s Match, as Elliott List will surely start against Bury at the weekend, Luke O’Neill, Conor Wilkinson and Scott Wagstaff are our three remaining senior players out on field, and of course Stuart Nelson is in goal, so there is still plenty of experienced players out there on the pitch to see out the rest of this match, but the next goal is crucial, If Gillingham score then 5-1 will surely kill off any hopes Reading have of a come-back, 4-2 and Reading have a chance to make this match more of a sterner test for The Gills.

Gillingham do win two throw on’s in quick succession straight after the re-start, However, Reading do score an consolation goal which starts to make this match very interesting and slightly concerning for The Gills, Josh Barrett has possession of the ball for Reading in Reading’s Half Of The Pitch just behind the halfway line, and Josh Barrett runs forward in possession of the ball and Josh Barrett continue’s his run forward before checking inside into an more central position on the pitch, and Josh Barrett is forced to runout wide to the right side of the pitch - Gillingham’s Left - and Josh Barrett eventually passes the ball out-wide to Tyler Frost, who is one on one with Aaron Simpson, and Ben Chapman has tracked back to support Aaron Simpson, and Tyler Frost plays the ball out-wide to Josh Barrett, and Josh Barrett whips in an dangerous in-swinging cross and Jack Tucker gets the ball partially clear and away from danger.

And Greg Cundle is on to the loose ball and Greg Cundle lays the ball off to Darren Oldaker, and Darren Oldaker losses possession to Ryan East, who skips past Greg Cundle’s challenge and Ryan East lays the ball off to Joel Rollinson, and Joel Rollinson nutmegs Jack Tucker to play the ball through to Ryan East, and Ryan East has the awareness to pass the ball through to Adrian Popa, who takes one touch to control the ball, and Adrian Popa has shaped to shoot one way, drag the ball back on to his right foot and that drag-back has completely tricked Luke O’Neill and Finn O’Mara, and Adrian Popa has chipped the ball into the far right corner of the net, Stuart Nelson had no chance, and just for reference, Adrian Popa played for Romainia In The 2016 European Championships and Adrian Popa showed his International Class with that goal, and with the score-line at 4-2, It is game on and Gillingham need to quickly re-establish that three goal lead again.

Fifty Minutes Into The Match, and Tom Holmes can consider himself very lucky to only escape with a yellow card for his horrendous challenge on Conor Wilkinson, a challenge which forced Conor Wilkinson to be substituted, Scott Wagstaff was absolutely fuming with Referee Craig Hicks and Scott Wagstaff was in-fact shown A Yellow Card for constantly protesting his claims towards The Referee, In The Mean-Time, Gillingham are down to ten men, But Gillingham have a superb opportunity to go 5-2 up from the resulting free kick, and Darren Oldaker whips in an dangerous in-swinging cross, and no-one in A Gillingham Shirt could make a telling connection on the ball, and the ball bounces up straight into George Legg’s Grasp - Either Side Of The Goalkeeper and Darren Oldaker would have scored for Gillingham.

After that chance from Darren Oldaker, Gillingham make there third and final substitution of the match, as Conor Wilkinson is substituted and youngster Bradley Stevenson has come on in his place, which means we won’t see Liam Nash come on for Gillingham, Noel Mbo was playing out-wide for Gillingham when he came on, but now Noel Mbo will play up-front alongside Greg Cundle, and with Elliott List, Conor Wilkinson and Max Ehmer all substituted, Steve Lovell is making sure that his senior first team players are all available for selection for the game against Bury at the weekend.

And Bradley Stevenson almost scores for Gillingham from his introduction from the substitutes bench, as Bradley Stevenson tries his luck from twenty five yards out, But Bradley Stevenson’s Effort flashes across the face of goal and George Legg isn’t required to make a save in The Reading Goal, Bradley Stevenson’s best position is as A Central Attacking Midfielder, But Stevenson is being asked to play out of position on the right wing, that’s one thing I mentioned on Saturday To James and Rob, hopefully, Gillingham can sign another wide player with pace so that when Elliott list has to be substituted, someone else can come on in his place who can stretch the opposition’s defence, another thing will help is Luke O’Neill playing at Right Back which will allow Sean Clare to play on The Right Wing again.

Reading are awarded a free kick on the halfway line as Noel Mbo is penalised for his challenge on Ryan East In The Fifty Fifth Minute, and from the resulting free kick, Reading managed to score again as Ryan East passes the ball short to Joel Rollinson, who passes the ball back to Gabriel Osho, and Gabriel Osho takes a few touches in possession of the ball, And The Reading Centre Back plays a long direct pass down the right side of the pitch - Gillingham’s Left - And Tyler Frost takes a touch to bring the ball under his complete control before running into an more central position on the pitch, and Tyler Frost still manages to retain possession of the ball before seeing his driven effort towards goal brilliantly blocked by Jack Tucker, and Ryan East is on to the loose ball and passes the ball forward to Josh Barrett, and Josh Barrett turns past Ben Chapman before threading the ball through to Ramarni Medford-Smith on the over-lap, and Ramarni Medford-Smith has hit a first time effort that has gone through Stuart Nelson, and Reading’s U21 Side are now back in this match with the score-line at 4-3.

And having seen the replay of this goal again, you have got to say that this is shocking goalkeeping from Stuart Nelson, it looked bad at the time in real-time, but the highlights show just how poor this goal is to concede, it’s a first time effort from Ramarni Medford-Smith and Stuart Nelson has got to be saving that towards the near post, Gillingham were out of sight at half time, But Reading have scored two goals within eight minutes, and now Reading are back in this match, Gillingham have got to score next because there is plenty of goals left in this match, thankfully, Gillingham are already through, but it would be nice to keep this winning run going, and make it three wins from three in The Football League Trophy, But Also, Three Wins In A Row For Gillingham Under Steve Lovell’s Management.

Reading now have the momentum and Gillingham are completely nervous defensively as Jack Tucker plays a poor pass and gets away with it, and Reading should have equalised in The Sixty Third Minute Of The Match, Gabriel Osho plays a short pass to Ryan East In Reading’s Half Of The Pitch, and Ryan East takes a touch to control possession of the ball, and Ryan East plays the ball forward to Josh Barrett, who passes the ball inside to Ryan East, who had continued his run forward after making that pass, and Ryan East takes a touch to control possession of the ball, and Ryan East takes another touch before threading through a defence splitting pass towards Joel Rollinson and Joel Rollinson see’s his initial effort saved by Stuart Nelson, and Aaron Simpson had to be alert at the far post to clear the loose ball clear and away from danger - COME ON GILLS - Was our response, because Gillingham have been poor throughout the vast majority of The Second Half.

Sixty Five Minutes Into The Match, And Noel Mbo is penalised for his challenge on Gabriel Osho, a challenge which not only see’s Noel Mbo booked, But Reading Have A Free Kick Within Shooting Territory Here, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Josh Barrett has tried his luck from distance and Josh Barrett’s Driven Effort Towards Goal takes a deflection and Stuart Nelson dives low down to his right to make the save, Gillingham are still leading 4-3, But The Substitution Of Our Senior Players have seen Gillingham go from a comfortable score-line of 4-1 at Half Time, To Reading Now within a goal of scoring an equaliser, Gillingham did have a half chance to try and make the score-line more comfortable, But Luke O’Neill’s In-Swinging Cross was over-hit and runs out of play for A Reading Goal-Kick.

But The Come-Back was complete for Reading after Sixty Eight Minutes, Reading have possession of the ball from the resulting throw on as Adrian Popa plays the ball back to Jake Sheppard and Jake Sheppard passes the ball short to Ryan East, and Ryan East takes a touch to control the possession of the ball, and Ryan East takes another touch before passing the ball square to Josh Barrett, and Josh Barrett turns back on himself before threading the ball out-wide to Ramarni Medford-Smith as Bradley Stevenson cannot quite manage to intercept the ball, and Ramarni Medford-Smith takes one touch to control the ball and another to whip in an dangerous low cross which bounces up high off the turf and Jake Sheppard does brilliantly to header the ball into the back of the net and there is nothing that Stuart Nelson could do about that despite his best efforts to get across to the left side of Gillingham’s Goal, and Reading were 4-1 down at half time, and now the score-line is 4-4 and Gillingham have thrown away a three goal lead.

Finn O’Mara has got to do better to header Ramarni Medford-Smith’s dangerous low cross away from goal and with Reading completing the come-back, I am not thinking about penalties, I am thinking about Reading going on to win the game, Diane believed strongly - very strongly in-fact - that Max Ehmer should have stayed on, But I made the point that we just could not take that chance because Max Ehmer is our only senior centre back available for selection at the weekend, But the one change I would look to do now is play Finn O’Mara at Right Back and Luke O’Neill at Centre Back, Luke O’Neill must be starting to tire and his experience at Centre Back will prove to be valuable to try and see out the remaining minutes of this match, there is more goals in this match that is for sure, But If Gillingham have to see out the rest of this match at 4-4 and look to win the game on penalties, then so be it.

And to be perfectly honest, With Reading On The Offensive Again, Penalties is starting to look more and more likely and more appealing at this present moment in time, Because Reading could, and perhaps should have taken the lead in The Sixty Ninth Minute, Josh Barrett - who really has been Reading’s Best Player On The Night - has the confidence and the ability to take on Luke O’Neill, cut inside into an more central position on the pitch and look to pick out the top right corner with an excellent curling effort which clears Gillingham’s Crossbar - But Only Just - and had that effort been on target then Reading would have taken the lead - COME ON GILLS!!!!!!!! - Was My Response.

Seventy One Minutes Into The Match, and Darren Oldaker is very lucky to have a free kick awarded in his favour as Ryan East is deemed to have fouled The Gillingham Midfielder, And Gillingham have the chance to re-take the lead from the resulting free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Darren Oldaker has whipped in an curling in-swinging cross which is over-hit towards the back-stick and Reading are awarded A Throw On Down The Gordon Road Stand / Rainham End Stand Side Of The Pitch, And it is from here where Gillingham had A Half Chance, as Luke O’Neill manages to intercept the ball from Ramarni Medford-Smith, and Luke O’Neill lays the ball off to Scott Wagstaff, who whips in an fantastic in-swinging cross towards the far post and Noel Mbo cannot quite manage to header the ball on target, however, The Linesman Down The Gordon Road Stand / Rainham End Stand Side Of The Pitch had his flag raised for offside, so had Noel Mbo scored, then the goal wouldn’t have counted.

Noel Mbo is then penalised for his challenge on Jake Sheppard, and Noel Mbo needs to be careful here, otherwise Noel Mbo will be shown his second yellow card of the match having already been booked earlier on in the match, And Reading have an incredible opportunity to re-take the lead in The Seventy Fourth Minute Of The Match, Andre Burley has possession of the ball for Reading In Reading’s Final Third, And Andre Burley takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball forward to Gabriel Osho, And The Reading Centre Back takes a touch to control the ball, turn and then play a long diagonal ball down the line and Aaron Simpson dos brilliantly to block the initial pass, however, the second ball drops to Joel Rollinson, who takes a touch to control the ball, and Joel Rollinson threads through an incredible threaded through-pass towards Ramarni Medford-Smith down the right side of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, and Ramarni Medford-Smith lays the ball off to Josh Barrett, who takes a touch to control the ball, and Josh Barrett see’s his initial effort blocked by Ben Chapman and then Josh Barrett hits a snap-shot effort wide of Stuart Nelson’s Right Hand Post, Reading should have taken the lead there and Gillingham just look so nervous at the back, compared to how calm we look defensively in The First Half, But Steve Lovell made the correct decision to substitute Max Ehmer at half time.

And Reading were made to pay for those missed goal-scoring opportunities, because Gillingham were awarded A Penalty In The Seventy Fifth Minute, Noel Mbo wins the fifty / fifty challenge up against Ramarni Medford-Smith down the right side of the pitch in Reading’s Half, and Noel Mbo lays the ball off to Darren Oldaker, who takes a touch to control the possession of the ball before running into an central position on the pitch, and Darren Oldaker has the awareness and the vision to thread through a defence splitting pass and Scott Wagstaff takes a touch to control the ball and Scott Wagstaff is taken out by Gabriel Osho, and not only does Referee Craig Hicks point to the penalty spot, But he should have shown Gabriel Osho A Straight Red for being the last man when he pulled Scott Wagstaff down, and up stepped Darren Oldaker, who will give Gillingham A Fantastic Opportunity to re-take the lead from the penalty spot, and Darren Oldaker has completed skied his penalty kick well over the crossbar and George Legg had dived to his left and all Darren Oldaker had to do was hit the target, and missing that penalty kick will prove to be oh so costly, because that was the chance for Gillingham to re-take the lead.

Gillingham are still looking to re-gain the lead despite missing the penalty kick, Aaron Simpson goes on an fantastic run down the left flank, and Aaron Simpson manages to get himself to the byline, But Aaron Simpson’s In-Swinging Cross towards the back-stick goes out of play for A Reading Goal-Kick, Seventy Six Minutes Into The Match, And Luke O’Neill is willing to have a go from distance, However, Luke O’Neill fails to hit the target and there are thirteen minutes plus stoppage time remaining for Gillingham to try and find a winning goal.

But It Is Looking Increasingly Likely That Reading are going to not only complete the come-back from 4-1 down to 4-4, But Reading look like they are going to be the side who go on to win the game, Because Reading Are Awarded A Free Kick In The Seventy Seventh Minute, As Luke O’Neill is penalised for his challenge on Ryan East, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Reading almost take the lead as Adrian Popa whips in an dangerous low swinging cross and the ball breaks to Andre Burley who see’s his effort cleared off the line by Finn O’Mara, and when Gillingham break and look to hit Reading On The Counter Attack, Scott Wagstaff is completely taken out by Gabriel Osho, And Every Gillingham Supporter is stunned and bemused as to why A Foul wasn’t given In Gillingham’s Favour, One, It Was A Foul, Two, Gabriel Osho was the last man again and three, Gabriel Osho should have been sent off, Scott Wagstaff is absolutely fuming and having already been booked, it would be typical if Scott Wagstaff is sent off for two yellow cards, but the foul on Scott Wagstaff wasn’t given.

Seventy Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham are looking to re-establish the lead after letting a three goal lead slip, and Darren Okdaker really should have scored from the penalty spot, Bradley Stevenson has possession of the ball for Gillingham down the right side of the pitch and Bradley Stevenson runs into an more central position on the pitch and Ramarni Medford-Smith is closing Bradley Stevenson down, and Bradley Stevenson has the awareness to play the ball out-wide to Luke O’Neill, who takes a touch to control the ball, and Luke O’Neill see’s his dangerous low cross take a slight deflection off Andre Burley and Gabriel Osho takes no chances by knocking the ball out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick.

And Gillingham do in-fact manage to take the lead from the resulting corner kick, as Darren Oldaker whips in an dangerous in-swinging cross and Jack Tucker climbs highest to header the ball towards goal and Noel Mbo see’s his initial effort on goal saved by George Legg, But Noel Mbo was able to tap in the re-bound to score the most scrappiest goal of the evening, But Noel Mbo will not mind how he scores, because Noel Mbo has scored on his Gillingham Debut and that goal from Noel Mbo has seen Gillingham go 5-4 up in what has been a crazy high-scoring game at Priestfield Stadium.

And if we all thought that was the end of the goals, Eighty One Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham extend there lead further by going 6-4 up, Gillingham kick the ball long down-field and Andre Burley wins the initial aerial challenge and Noel Mbo is on to the loose ball, and Noel Mbo plays the ball through to Greg Cundle, who manages to lay the ball off to Noel Mbo, and Noel Mbo passes the ball back to Darren Oldaker, who takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball square to Aaron Simpson, and Aaron Simpson takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Scott Wagstaff, and Scott Wagstaff had Aaron Simpson making an over-lapping run, but Scott Wagstaff lays the ball off to Darren Oldaker, and Darren Oldaker takes a touch to control the ball and with his second touch, Darren Oldaker has whipped in an curling effort towards goal from twenty five yards out and while it is a great strike from Darren Oldaker, you have got to say that George Legg has made a dreadful goalkeeping error, and with the score-line at 6-4, Gillingham have done enough to survive a real scare from Reading and Gillingham should see out the rest of this match and get the win which will see Gillingham top the group and secure a home tie in the next round of the competition.

However, A Minute Later, and Reading are back in the match with the score-line now at 6-5, Gillingham are pressing for a seventh goal as Aaron Simpson passes the ball square to Greg Cundle, and Greg Cundle plays the ball out-wide to Darren Oldaker, and Darren Oldaker plays an cross-field pass towards Luke O’Neill, and Luke O’Neill takes a touch to control possession of the ball, and Luke O’Neill plays the ball back to Finn O’Mara, and Finn O’Mara’s ball forward to Bradley Stevenson is cut out by Andre Burley, and Joel Rollinson threads through a defence splitting pass towards Adrian Popa, and Adrian Popa takes one touch to control the ball, and another to place the ball past the advancing Stuart Nelson and you have to say that was a very composed finish from Adrian Popa and both Finn O’Mara and Jack Tucker were caught out with that threaded through-ball from Joel Rollinson, and this match is not over by any stretch of the imagination.

And Reading are pushing for an equaliser which would make the score-line 6-6, thankfully, Luke O’Neill is well positioned to make the clearance and Ramarni Medford-Smith is penalised for his challenge on Darren Oldaker, a challenge which see’s Darren Oldaker down requiring treatment, thankfully, Darren Oldaker was OK to continue playing for Gillingham as Gillingham have used all three of there substitutions, However, Darren Oldaker had to come off the pitch before being waved back on again.

Noel Mbo was flagged for offside in The Eighty Seventh Minute Of The Match, Aaron Simpson does his defensive duties really well to prevent Josh Barrett from getting on to the end of a long ball over the top and Aaron Simpson shields the ball out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, But Gillingham are pushing to make the break-through as we’re approaching stoppage time, Reading do manage to get the ball partially clear and away from danger up towards the halfway line and Jack Tucker manages to header the ball forwards towards Noel Mbo, who reads the bounce of the ball a lot better then Gabriel Osho does, and Noel Mbo turns past The Reading Central Defender and manages to win Gillingham A Free Kick Within Shooting Territory here - How has Gabriel Osho still managed to avoid being shown A Red Card In This Match ???

I said to Lewis before the free kick was taken, just have ago, both goalkeepers have been terrible, and sure enough, that is precisely what happens, As Darren Oldaker has gone for goal from thirty yards out and the ball has bounced in-front of Reading Goalkeeper George Legg and the ball has basically just bounced over The Reading Goalkeeper, who has conceded three goals which you have got to say have been error’s of his own making, possibly George Legg was at fault for The Noel Mbo Goal as well, but the defending for that goal was equally as bad as well.

But that goal from Darren Oldaker is his second on the night and that goal has essentially sealed all three points for Gillingham, mind you, Reading can still score twice and take this match to penalties with the score-line at 7-7, But Me and Lewis were speaking about Darren Oldaker and he is a player with immense talent and ability and Darren Oldaker can take a free kick, Chatham Town, Southend United, and Reading, Darren Oldaker is very good at taking free kicks and he is a talented player, but Darren Oldaker can score sensational free kicks and be very good in possession of the ball, to over-playing the ball in his own final third, which did in-fact happen when Reading scored for 4-2, But I do see Darren Oldaker as someone who would benefit greatly playing in The Central Attacking Midfielder Role, because Darren Oldaker would thrive as a creative midfielder, but also, you would have two disciplined defensive minded midfielders behind Darren Oldaker who can do the defensive side of the game.

And there is still time for more goals in this match because we are in added time now, Josh Barrett tries his luck for Reading from distance, But Josh Barrett fails to hit the target, But Scott Wagstaff has the opportunity to extend Gillingham’s Lead even further as Scott Wagstaff has possession of the ball for Gillingham in Reading’s Final Third Down The Left Side Of The Pitch, and Scott Wagstaff manages to evade one challenge, cut inside into an more central position and drive in a low driven effort towards the near post which flashes narrowly wide of George Legg’s Right Hand Post.

In The Ninety Fourth Minute Of The Match, Aaron Simpson is forced to concede a corner and Reading have the chance to score the goal which will bring them back into this match at 7-6, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Adrian Popa has whipped in an dangerous in-swinging cross and Finn O’Mara has managed to header the ball clear and away from goal, however, the loose ball falls kindly to Josh Barrett, who takes one touch to control the ball and another touch to strike a powerful driven effort towards goal from thirty yards out and Stuart Nelson dives low to his right to make the save and gather the ball at the first attempt - you cannot blame Josh Barrett for having  ago from distance, because every shot on goal appears to be hitting the back of the net.

The Final Noteworthy Moments Of The Match was Noel Mbo being flagged for offside twice within a minute, and I made that Noel Mbo’s fourth time he was flagged for offside in forty five minutes, and finally, after four minutes of stoppage time, Referee Craig Hicks blows the full time whistle to one of the strangest matches I have ever seen live, and even if you were to look at this season, Twenty Penalty Kicks In A Penalty Shoot-Out between Gillingham and Phoenix Sports was strange enough, but this match just had everything and anything thrown in-between.

FULL TIME: GILLINGHAM 7 - 5 READING U21’s

I made sure I had everything on me before heading for the exit, Lewis Said C Ya To Me and Diane and how are we going to summarise that match up and go through all the analysis post match is going to be interesting to say the least, the goals at least kept us entertained on what was a freezing cold Tuesday Evening at Priestfield Stadium, I sent the following message on Facebook first and foremost, That's 24 goals you missed if you include The Chatham Game, Nelson looks a shadow of his former self - sad to see, and once I sent that message, Me and Diane decided to make our way towards the players entrance where we would go and speak with Gary about one of the strangest matches we have ever seen.

Me and Diane saw Peter Lloyd and I asked Peter Lloyd if he had seen anything like that before ??? - Peter added that he has seen Gillingham win 12-1 a long long time ago now, but this match was defiantly up there with one of the most unusual matches that Peter has ever seen, Me and Diane said c ya to Peter and we were still trying to gather our thoughts because there were five goals scored at half time, and another seven scored in The Second Half, we certainly got our money’s worth, if there was another two goals then Me and Diane would have paid 50p for every goal we would have seen scored, as an Adult Ticket for this match only cost us £7 each.

Gary eventually met up with Me and Diane out-side the ground and that was the craziest of matches we have ever seen, and there have been plenty of Gillingham Matches that we have seen that fit that description, but twelve goals, a missed penalty, Reading pulling the game back to 4-4 from 4-1 down, Gillingham going 6-4 up and then Reading get one back and Darren Oldaker scores late on to finally secure the win and three points for The Gills.

Gary added that he had sixteen seconds, someone else had fourteen seconds and someone else had fifteen seconds for the opening goal of the game, so everyone went down the middle and went with fifteen seconds, and you have to say that was a good one touch finish from Greg Cundle who really needed that goal and that was the perfect start to the match from The Gills, and it was also a very good low cross from Scott Wagstaff to assist Greg Cundle with that goal as well.

Luke O’Neill, Noel Mbo, Conor Wilkinson and Greg Cundle all scored there first competitive goals for Gillingham - that surely has to be a record - how the penalty against Elliott List In The First Half wasn’t given we had no idea, you can make a case for a booking for The Reading Player who took out Conor Wilkinson, but when Gillingham were through on goal that was a red card, and the penalty which Darren Oldaker missed, was The Reading Defender the Last Player ???, possibly, and Referee Craig Hicks was very lenient and keen to ensure that all twenty two players remained on the pitch.

But When Reading pulled the game back to 4-4, I wasn’t think about penalties, I was thinking Reading were going to win, to pull the game back on to level terms from 4-1 down to 4-4 was crazy and the goals just kept hitting the back of the net from there, The Reading Goalkeeper George Legg has had an absolute shocker, Parried Scott Wagstaff’s shot which Conor Wilkinson scored, I am not sure if Wagstaff’s effort crossed the line, Luke O’Neill’s effort went through a crowded penalty area, George Legg could have done better for Mbo’s Scrappy Goal, and he should have done better for both of Oldaker’s goals, Thankfully, Gillingham have done enough to win the game, and pick up the three points, which means that Gillingham have won all three group games in The Football League Trophy.

But while Me, Gary and Diane were talking about Goalkeeper Error’s From George Legg, You have also got to say that Stuart Nelson looks a shadow of his former self, the third goal that Stuart Nelson conceded is defiantly a goalkeeping error and to concede five goals against Reading and six goals against Southend United in a behind closed doors friendly shows that Stuart Nelson is in decline now, and that’s sad and unfortunate to say, because Stuart Nelson is A Legend and A Loyal Servant for Gillingham Football Club, but eleven goals conceded in two matches shows that Stuart Nelson isn’t the player he once was, I think Stuart Nelson needs to drop a level or two to play competitive first team football and play week in, week out at a level that Stuart Nelson is comfortable with.

I think those who are now still calling for Stuart Nelson to be our first choice goalkeeper forget to realise that Stuart Nelson will be Thirty Seven soon, Tomas Holy is getting better and better and starting to get used to life in The English Lower League’s, It was very harsh to throw Tomas Holy into A League One Relegation Battle In A Country he has never played in before, and on the final day of The 2016 / 2017 Season, Adrian Pennock went with Stuart Nelson for experience, but right now, if you were to look at Tomas Holy and Stuart Nelson’s Last Performances, Tomas Holy has made three very good saves to protect Gillingham’s slender 1-0 advantage and Gillingham won 2-1 against Leyton Orient In The First Round Of The FA Cup, Stuart Nelson has conceded five goals against Reading’s U21’s In The Football League - It’s unfortunate to see Stuart Nelson put in a performance like that, because I am sure that Stuart Nelson will be the first person to acknowledge that performance was no-where near his impeccable high standards that Stuart Nelson usually puts in whilst wearing The Gillingham Shirt.

Gary never had the chance double check the lowest ever attendance figure at Priestfield Stadium, but there was just over 1,000 inside Priestfield Stadium and we defiantly got our money’s worth in-terms of goals, I paid £7 for My Match Ticket and we were basically seeing a goal for 50p, Diane wanted Max Ehmer to stay on but I added that he had to come off at half time, Gary added that with Gabriel Zakuani on International Duty With The Democratic Republic Of Congo, and Alex Lacey and Ben Nugent both injured, we’re short of central defensive options, and whoever plays alongside Max Ehmer against Bury is anyone’s guess, But Gabriel Zakuani’s absence is going to be a devastating blow for A Relegation Six Pointer against Bury at the weekend.

Gillingham have confirmed A Home Tie Against unknown opposition in the next round of The Football League Trophy and I think you get more prize money for winning the group stage as well, those supporters who did turn up to Priestfield Stadium were rewarded with a goal-fest, but we probably saw the worst goalkeeping displays from two goalkeepers in the same match, George Legg who is Twenty One and at the start of his career, and Stuart Nelson, at Thirty Six who is coming towards the end of his career, I didn’t think George Legg was Twenty One, especially when you compare his goalkeeping display with Tom Hadler, because Tom Halder just looks like a goalkeeper, when you look at his stature and the way he is performing very well for Gloucester City in-between the sticks - also, Tom Hadler is the same age as George Legg, but in-terms of goalkeeping ability, Tom Hadler is a much better goalkeeper then George Legg.

We also got speaking about how 7-5 could have quite easily been 10-5 to Gillingham, Elliott List missed an open goal after Conor Wilkinson saw his initial shot saved, we could be talking about A Hat-Trick For Darren Oldaker had he hit the target from the penalty spot and Scott Wagstaff came close to scoring his second goal on the night with an effort on goal in stoppage time, There were plenty of positives to take out of this match, Luke O’Neill and Scott Wagstaff both completed ninety minutes of competitive football, Max Ehmer and Elliott List played for Forty Five Minutes before being substituted at half time, And Conor Wilkinson, Noel Mbo, Luke O’Neill and Greg Cundle all score there first goals for the club.

But the negatives were allowing our 4-1 lead to be pulled back to 4-4, Stuart Nelson had a horrendous match in-between the sticks and the third goal especially stands out as an effort on goal that Stuart Nelson has got to save, the defending once Max Ehmer went off was very poor, and we are lucky that Reading were worse then Gillingham at the back, we also saw the good and bad from Darren Oldaker, an young player with unquestionable ability, but Darren Oldaker losses possession of the ball to Ryan East, and that’s how Adrian Popa scores for 4-2, and that goal kick-started the come-back for Reading.

Noel Mbo was offside four times in forty five minutes, I know Gary is tracking the players for offside stats, and finally, Me, Diane and Gary spoke about The B Team’s, and Reading’s Youngsters should be participating in there own cup competitions and Academy Team’s Shouldn’t Be Entering The Football League Trophy, I think these youngsters, and our own young players as well, need to go out on loan and experience playing competitive first team football on a week in, week out basis, that is the best way for young players to learn and develop, also, if you look at the players playing in this competition, Adrian Popa for Reading, but also, Bruno Martins Indi, Charlie Adam, Saido Berahino and Ibrahim Afellay all played for Stoke City against Bury, if entering Academy Team’s is supposed to develop young English Players, then playing Bruno Martins Indi (Netherlands International), Charlie Adam (Scottish International), Saido Berahino (England Caps at all levels except Senior Level) and Ibrahim Afellay (Netherlands International) is hardly going to help develop promising young English Players.

Me and Diane said C Ya To Diane before deciding to head off and make a move ourselves as the weather is getting colder and colder now, I mentioned to Diane that Gillingham need to keep this promising young group of players together, Finn O’Mara, Jack Tucker, Aaron Simpson, Ben Chapman, Darren Oldaker, Greg Cundle, Bradley Stevenson and Noel Mbo, I think Gillingham have got to hang on to this promising group of young players and see if this group can stick together and develop together for another season, I mentioned to Diane that a few of these youngsters may well need to go out on loan for now, but there is clearly talent and ability there, but these players need to gain more experience.

The draw for The Football League Trophy Knock-Out Stages will be completed before Gillingham’s Home League Match Against Bury and we know that Gillingham will be drawn at home to one of the teams who finished second in the group - that draw has now been completed and Gillingham have been drawn against Oxford United in The Knock-Out Stages Of The Football League Trophy -  and considering that Gillingham have away trips against Fleetwood Town, Blackpool and Fleetwood Town coming up, then Gillingham being drawn at home to Carlisle United In The FA Cup, and Gillingham having A Home Tie In The Football League Trophy is very beneficial.

Diane decided to head off home and I said C Ya To Diane before making my way to McDonalds, and typically it just started to rain as I made my way towards Gillingham High Street and I wanted to go to McDonalds to get something to eat and drink, but also, I wanted to get out of this downpour as well, Once I arrived at McDonalds, I Brought A Large Coke, Large Fries and Nine Chicken Nuggets for £5.80, and I sat down to eat my dinner - more like a mid-night feast - and I checked a few responses I was getting on Twitter after I had sent the following message, GILLINGHAM 7 - 5 READING - I got my money's worth with the goals tonight, feel free to ask me any questions you have about tonight's match, Andrew asked me if there was more goals then fans, and I replied back with the following,,,, Over 1,000 fans inside Priestfield Stadium tonight, so we needed to see another 988 goals.

Matt asked me, Did it feel like every shot literally went in? and I responded, Yes, Both Goalkeepers were very poor tonight, and that is sad to say because Nelson has always been a loyal player for Gills, Nicola also made the point that, Much as I love Nels (and it really hurts to say this) he needs to move on now. Loyalty doesn't always get points sadly, and to look back at the talking points I had with Lewis, Diane and Gary, Stuart Nelson is a shadow of his former self and no-where the high standards Stuart Nelson usually sets for himself, to concede eleven goals in two matches, show to us as supporters that Tomas Holy should be Gillingham’s First Choice Goalkeeper, Steve Arnold should be our understudy goalkeeper and Steve Arnold should play in The Football League Trophy and Kent Senior Cup Matches and Stuart Nelson remains at the club as third choice goalkeeper, and that’s sad to say, because Stuart Nelson is A Legend, but I don’t think we can look past the five goals conceded against Reading’s U21 Side - especially the third goal.

Jemma thought that Liam Nash was going to play, and she was disappointed that Liam Nash wasn’t given a chance, I replied back mentioning that, I did think Nash was going to feature at some point this evening, So I am surprised he did not come on as sub, Nicholas also asked me to pick Gillingham’s Man Of The Match, and at the time I responded with the following, I need to think about it, I am still recovering from tonight's entertaining match which had everything - Thankfully, Gills Won., But I did respond back later on saying that, Having had time to think about MOTM and I have seen the highlights, Scott Wagstaff deserves to be credited with MOTM, Assisted the first goal, shot saved which Wilkinson saved for the second goal, scored the third goal, and won the penalty which Oldaker sadly failed to score - So Scott Wagstaff Gets My Man Of The Match Award.

Alan then had his say on The Stuart Nelson Situation by mentioning that, Pennock was right in the Nels situation he sadly has lost it at league level and Holy is getting better each time i see him . Nels would be a good coach mentor, I cannot see Stuart Nelson staying in the back-ground as Goalkeeper Coach, I think Stuart Nelson will want to go somewhere and continue playing competitive first team football for as long as possible, but the one thing that clearly has been shown to us after this match against Reading, Stuart Nelson won’t be Gillingham’s Number One Goalkeeper, Tomas Holy has got The Goalkeeping Jersey and Tomas Holy is putting in consistent performances in-between the sticks, yes, there are things for Tomas Holy to work on, but he has shown huge levels of improvement compared to the player he was last season.

I sent a few messages to GillsInTheBlood ONE: I am looking forward to your video blog for tonight's match, We got our money's worth in the goals column. AND TWO: I agree most our young players need another year to develop, But I hope Gills keep this group of youngsters together though, I’m not looking forward to editing it quite so much, was GillsInTheBlood’s Response for My First Question, And Video Editing must be very difficult and time consuming, so I take My Hat Off To My Fellow Gillingham Supporters who do Video Blog’s, because they must be difficult to upload and to ensure that the picture and sound quality is spot on, please keep up the good work with your excellent video content.

I mentioned to Louis that, Mbo was offside four times in forty five minutes, I am pleased that Mbo has scored his first senior goal for Gillingham tonight, I then tweeted the following, Chatham Town 0 - 12 Gillingham - Gillingham 7 - 5 Reading,Twenty Four Goals scored in two matches. And I Re-Tweeted Henry’s Tweet, A Tweet that showed support for Steve Lovell and how Gillingham are now a confident free scoring football team, and I Re-Tweeted Gabriel’s Tweet which mentioned, A month ago, I'd have been amazed if you'd told me Gillingham would score 7 goals in a match this season., While Gabriel Zakuani added: Love it boys! What a game - We are going to miss Gabriel Zakuani for our important League One Fixture against Bury at the weekend.

Gary added a few stats, ONE: 6-5 to @TheGillsFC , the first time ever they have had that scoreline. AND TWO: @TheGillsFC have yet to score a home first half goal in the league but have now scored 6 in 3 home cup games. - While The Attendance At Priestfield Stadium was 1039, I then mentioned to Rob and Nicholas the following tweet, Ehmer had to come off, he put in a solid defensive display but we need him fit to start against Bury on Saturday., and I mentioned to Lewis that, Your Video Blog For Tonight's Match Against Reading will be a very interesting watch., Lewis replied back mentioning that I should do A Video Blog and my reaction to Darren Oldaker’s Free Kick was priceless, I replied, Sometimes you just know when a player is going to score, I was running out of pages in my notepad with twelve goals in one game.

After Finishing My Meal at McDonalds, I made sure I had everything one me before heading towards Gillingham Train Station, and I arrived in time to catch The 23.15PM Train which was going to Dover Priory, But I only needed to head back to Rainham, which was one stop, and I arrived back in Rainham at just gone 23.20PM, and I made the fifteen to twenty minute walk back to my house and I arrived back home at 23.40PM, and I have seen some high scoring and memorable matches when it comes to watching Gillingham - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-KVON_SK3A - Gillingham 5 - 4 Hereford United is one such match that really does stand out - But to see twelve goals, Reading pull the game back from 4-1 down to 4-4, Gillingham then go 6-4 up, Reading score again to bring themselves back into the match and Darren Oldaker scores late on to finally seal the win is something I am not going to forget in a hurry that is for sure.

I am going to have to reiterate the point and put greater emphasis on just how bad the goalkeeping was on show throughout this match from Reading Goalkeeper George Legg and also just how poorly Stuart Nelson played as well, seeing a dreadful performance from A Professional Goalkeeper isn’t a unique experience and some-times you just have a bad day, But you could point to four of the goals conceded by George Legg that he should of saved, But Stuart Nelson has now conceded eleven goals in his last two matches, six against Southend United and now five against Reading, and to see Stuart Nelson put in performances like this isn’t something that any of us want to see, but it is looking very likely that Stuart Nelson needs to drop a level or two to play competitive first team football, but I also don’t want Gillingham 7 - 5 Reading to be the final game for Stuart Nelson in A Gillingham Shirt.

We knew going into The Reading Match that Gillingham had already qualified for the knockout stages of The Football League Trophy and Gillingham needed A Win Or A Draw to cement top spot in the group, which guaranteed a home match in the next round of the competition, and also, meant that Gillingham collected more in prize money, however, our next home match, which is against Bury in what is a battle at the bottom between two teams who have replaced there respective manager’s, Lee Clark for Bury and Adrian Pennock for Gillingham, this match has a far greater importance, and Gillingham have won two home matches in a row in two different cup competitions, Hopefully, Gillingham can make it three home wins from three, when Gillingham Host Bury In League One At Priestfield Stadium - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!