by fan_of_mulligan » Mon Jan 19, 2015 11:51 am
My Thoughts on Gillingham V Coventry City.......................
Before yesterday's match I posted a thread on here speaking about just how important Gillingham's Home Form is going to be and how our home form is going to be a deciding factor in what division Gillingham are going to be playing in next season, and it was a point I mentioned during the game to Wainscotty - who like me felt that The Coventry City Game was the start of two massive home matches as we can ideally do with six points from the two games against Coventry City and Oldham Athletic, and it is nice to pick up three points straight away, because yesterday's win was a big big result.
I got the formation right but Max Ehmer and Josh Pritchard starting with Leon Legge and Jermaine McGlashan named among the substitutes bench were the surprise inclusions in the starting eleven, I wasn't confidant with Max Ehmer's performance against Crewe Alexandra and I was not confidant with his performance in the heart of our defence yesterday either, good to see Simeon Jackson and Frank Nouble get decent receptions from The Gillingham Supporters yesterday, especially Simeon Jackson who got "Your Gills and you know you are" sang towards him from The Rainham End, I doubt that Cody McDonald gets the same levels of appreciation shown towards him from The Coventry City Supporters, although Cody rarely played as a striker during his time at The Ricoh Arena.
FIRST HALF.........................
Four Minutes into the match and Max Ehmer almost slicked a dangerous cross from Ryan Haynes into the back of his own net and Max Ehmer was lucky to only concede a corner kick and although Stuart Nelson was not forced to make a meaningful save, Coventry City were enjoying the bulk of the possession in the opening eight minutes and Max Ehmer also did well to block a powerful shot on target from Simeon Jackson and I thought that Coventry City looked a threat with Frank Nouble, Simeon Jackson and Gary Madine as there front three and Gillingham had the chance to sign Simeon Jackson on loan on Loan Deadline Day, but Wainscotty feels that Simeon Jackson is the wrong type of striker to play alongside Cody McDonald as both players would make the same runs.
Nine Minutes into the match and I thought Cody McDonald opened the scoring, Bradley Garmston plays the ball inside to Doug Loft who skips past Simeon Jackson's challenge and plays the ball forward to Bradley Dack on the stretch, and Bradley Dack stretching for the ball caused some confusion inside Coventry City's Penalty Area and Cody McDonald's first time shot was brilliantly saved by Ryan Allsop and The Coventry City Goalkeeper also saved the follow up effort from John Marquis when John Marquis really should of opened the scoring for The Gills, and Gillingham almost scored from the resulting corner as Jake Hessenthaler's Corner Kick was headered up and under by Gary Madine and the ball dropped to Cody McDonald who played the ball back to Max Ehmer on the right side of Coventry City's Penalty Area and Max Ehmer's curling effort to the bottom right corner only just went wide of the far post with Ryan Allsop scrambling across his goal and I thought that was in as well.
In The Thirteenth and Fifteenth Minutes respectively, both teams had great chances to take the lead and again Coventry City are a threat down the left hand side as Frank Nouble gets in behind and uses his pace and trickery to go past Gavin Hoyte and whips in a dangerous cross and had Gary Madine got a better connection on the ball then he would of volleyed Coventry City into the lead, by Gary Madine's volley went into the ground and thankfully Stuart Nelson wasn't committed and was in the right place to gather the ball, it doesn't have to be the cleanest of strikes to see the ball hit the back of the net - two minutes later and John Maquis uses his physical presence to hold the ball up and lay the ball back to Max Ehmer who has hit a sensational strike which only just went wide of Ryan Allsop's right hand post - if that was on target Gillingham would of taken the lead.
Twenty Two Minutes into the match and Jake Hessenthaler plays the ball inside to Bradley Dack, who plays a ball over the top to Doug Loft on the right side of Coventry City's Penalty Area, and Doug Loft runs backwards with the ball and I was expecting him to lay the ball off to Gavin Hoyte but Doug Loft whips in a reverse cross to Jake Hessenthaler who chests the ball up and goes for the spectacular over-head kick and Jake Hessenthaler almost scored another sensational goal against Coventry City only for his effort to hit the top of the crossbar and even after that attempt Coventry City were weak defensively and Bradley Dack saw his shot on the edge of the penalty area blocked by Andy Webster.
A minute later and John Egan fouls Simeon Jackson and Coventry City have a free kick twenty five yards from goal which Gary Madine blasts into the wall and Coventry City had won themselves a corner kick - good thing that shot was deflected wide because Stuart Nelson was covering the opposite post, Jake Hessenthaler also should of got his shot on target in the Twenty Seventh Minute after a fantastic build up move with Bradley Dack, Cody McDonald and John Marquis all involved and I think Jake Hessenthaler should of tried to catch Ryan Allsop out at the near post, we have had a few shots like that when we go for the opposite corner which fail to hit the target and it is something I personally think that Gillingham need to work on - great attacking play from The Gills and all that we're missing is a goal.
I have got to mention John Maquis where he looked liked he played himself into trouble when defending our own corner kick, before eventually finding a route out of danger all by himself, The Signing of John Marquis was criticised all over social media but yesterday and away at Crewe Alexandra I thought John Marquis has played well and he can hold the ball up, flick the ball on, bring others into play and works exceptionally hard and we saw more from John Marquis yesterday then we saw away at Crewe Alexandra, whether the new manager decides to keep him until the end of the season we will have to wait and see.
Gillingham then had two chances in The Thirty First and Thirty Third Minutes to take the lead, After Bradley Dack was fouled on the halfway line, Josh Pritchard almost caught Ryan Allsop out with a spectacular effort as Ryan Allsop (and probably everyone inside the ground was anticipating a cross) and had Josh Pritchard's effort been on target then he would of given Gillingham the lead, then two minutes later Cody McDonald went on a fantastic run to get from the halfway line to inside Coventry City's Penalty Area and had Cody McDonald looked up he would of seen Bradley Dack in a better shooting position but Cody McDonald probably saw this opportunity as the chance to score against his former club and show what he could really do when he is played as a striker, but Cody McDonald was crowded out and failed to get a shot off on goal.
And failing to take one of the number of goal-scoring chances that Gillingham had created through-out the first half so far proved to be costly as Coventry City won a penalty in The Thirty Fourth Minute, really Bradley Garmston should of put a challenge on Danny Swanson outside The Penalty Area, but The Coventry City Winger skipped past Bradley Garmston's challenge and once Bradley Pritchard dived in to make a challenge and missed then Referee James Linington was going to point to The Penalty Spot, if you dive in the way Josh Pritchard dived in then you are going to give The Referee every possibility to award a penalty kick, but my disappointment was with Bradley Garmston who back-peddled from the byline to inside our penalty area when Bradley Garmston should of challenged Danny Swanson by the byline, up stepped Gary Madine to place the ball into the bottom left corner with Stuart Nelson diving to the opposite side of his goal and somehow Coventry City are in-front without really creating anything on goal, they have had half chances but nothing that has caused Stuart Nelson to make a top draw save, and it is failing to score on top which is Gillingham's problems yet again and something Gillingham need to work on, especially if your unlikely to keep clean sheets in matches.
I thought Gavin Hoyte did well to not dive in on Frank Nouble who was use his fancy foot-work to draw a challenge from Gavin Hoyte and Hoyte shielded the ball out of play for a goal-kick, Jake Hessenthaler has put himself into a few hard challenges to intercept the ball, but I don't like the way Bradley Dack dives into sliding tackles because Bradley Dack is very reckless when he lunges in and I hope someone has a word in Bradley Dack's ear to tell Dack to stay on his feet and focus on stab and block tackles and not lunge into sliding challenges, the only chances created on goal from either team was right at the end of the first half when Simeon Jackson was played through by John Fleck and Simeon Jackson had a great one v one chance and his shot across the face of goal was so poor that it hit the corner flag and went out for a goal-kick, and that was it for The First Half.