Resilient Gills still in promotion race

On an afternoon of unexpected results in League Two, Gillingham held their nerve to show why manager Mark Stimson is adamant his side can still win automatic promotion.

His side’s 1-0 win against Bournemouth was far from a classic – I for one wouldn’t fancy putting together a highlights package – but as the season enters the final two months points really do make prizes.

The scrappy victory echoed the 3-1 win against Macclesfield a week earlier, although the Cherries posed far more problems. In both games for long spells Gills flattered to deceive, but when they had to they showed the necessary resilience to send the visitors packing empty-handed.

How some of their rivals would have craved a scrappy three points. Wycombe, who at one stage were waltzing their way to the title, are now looking nervously over their shoulder as their slump continued with a goalless draw at Morecambe.

Bradford, so clinical in their dissection of Gills at Priestfield earlier this month, were slapped 3-1 by Notts County. It was worse for Shrewsbury, hammered 3-0 at Macclesfield.

With Darlington’s points deduction also changing the shape of the top half, Gills now sit sixth and in the play-off positions for the first time in a month.

The pack of promotion hopefuls, which numbered as many as 14 at the start of the season, has probably now shrunk to nine. Darlington could yet clamber their way back by winning their games in hand, but Dagenham & Redbridge are on the ropes three points adrift after a 2-2 draw with Chester.

After a run of games against sides in the bottom half, Gills have duly revived their hopes. Really it was the least they had to do ahead of a tricky run-in where they will face the majority of their rivals.

Can they be considered serious automatic promotion contenders? Amazingly, even after 33 games it is difficult to say. They have been on the fringes of the top seven all season, but have never put together a sustained run of form to ever get comfortable.

Significantly though, few other teams have been able to do so either. As a result Gills have played snakes and ladders with most of the teams mentioned above. It should be a fascinating climax to the season to see just who can hold it together long enough to book their place in the final shake-down.

David Pritchard

Lydia Greenway's exclusive KOS blog

In the first of an exclusive column for KOS Media, Kent and England all-rounder Lydia Greenway shares her experience of preparing for the ICC Women's World Cup.

THE ICC Women’s World Cup has been a long time coming for us. After being knocked out in the semi finals four years ago we feel we are a much improved outfit in all areas of our game.

Four of us have been lucky enough to continue our final preparations in Sydney where the World Cup will be hosted. Myself, Isa Guha, Beth Morgan and Holly Colvin have been playing grade cricket over here since October. It is a highly regarded league with several Australian internationals featuring in the teams.

Playing on the wickets and getting used to the conditions out here has been invaluable. The four of us have also been living together so training sessions have been brilliant.

The time has flown by and it’s hard to believe that the rest of the team have been here for six days already. Our first official game is on March 7 against Sri Lanka. Before that though we have three warm-up games, one of which was today against New South Wales who are state champions. Although they were missing key players, who have joined their Australian team mates on a camp in Canberra, they still put out a good team.

Our aim for this game was to hit the ground running; training over the last few days has increased with intensity so there were to be no excuses today. On a greenish wicket we were asked to bowl first which more than suited us. Nunny (Katherine Brunt) and Ish (Isa Guha) got us off to a great start and in no time at all we had them three down. New South Wales never really recovered and we had them all out for 99.

It was great to see our bowlers hitting their areas, especially Nunny who gave the batters next to nothing with a few balls whizzing around their ears every now and then. Our batters did a great job too with the openers putting on a stand of 59 before being retired to give others a bit of time at the crease.

All in all it was a pleasing win but we still know we are not 100 per cent yet and want to keep improving in each game we play. On Monday we face the Aussies in our first official warm-up game, so we’ll be preparing for that over the weekend.

Lydia Greenway will be exclusively blogging for KOS Media from Australia where the England women’s cricket team are challenging for the ICC Women’s World Cup.

Credit where credit's due

A FEW weeks ago Kent’s top referee, Steve Bennett, was involved in a tabloid newspaper ‘sting’ for making comments about Premiership footballers.

The Orpington-based ref claimed some top Premier League players had visited him before games and asked for a yellow card to ensure they would receive a ban and thus miss out on a game over Christmas.

It was hardly revelation of the century was it? You could imagine certain players being uninterested in a midweek trip to Hull or Bolton on a cold, rainy night and doing what they can to miss out on it.

Bennett, who was taped making these claims by an undercover reporter, was expected to explain his comments, but it looks as though he hasn’t let it get to him at all.

He refereed the midweek FA Cup game between Middlesbrough and West Ham and put in a very good performance. True, it wasn’t a particularly dirty game, but he allowed the game to flow and got pretty much all the decisions right.

What I found most interesting was how he chatted with the captains in the tunnel before the game and other players throughout the game. Some people have a problem with the referee being ‘friendly’ with the players, but I can’t see why. He was able to let the game run and when a player did commit a foul he let them know they were walking a thin line. The fact the commentators barely mentioned his name is testament to how he contributed.

Referees get a lot of stick when they make questionable decisions, but you barely hear a mention when they do their job well. Bennett is due to finish his career refereeing at the top level at the end of the season as he has reached the mandatory age set by the Premier League. Hopefully he will be able to take his knowledge and experience of the game into coaching other referees which I’m led to believe he is hoping to do after hanging up his boots.

Glenn Pearson

Fleet set for another Wembley date?

After all the talk about myfootballclub membership renewals dominating the headlines last week it can be easy to forget about the football at Ebbsfleet United, but the team sent out a significant reminder on Tuesday by refusing to give up on their FA Trophy crown.

It is true that MyFC memberships have suffered a significant drop, but on the pitch Liam Daish’s side showed what they are capable of with a thrilling quarter-final replay win against Wrexham. Fleet showed their mettle by coming back from a goal down to record a 3-1 victory with stunning goals from Luke Moore and John Martin.

The game had everything: drama, passion, goals, atmosphere and Daish was rightly delighted with his side's display. It provided a stark reminder of their run to the trophy final at Wembley last year. Just thinking about it this season and last season are extremely similar. Last year Fleet battled their way through to the quarter-finals where they met Burton Albion, which they took to a replay only for Stacy Long to pop up with an extra-time winner at Stonebridge Road.

This year Burton have been replaced by Wrexham and the Fleet now face high-flying Stevenage Borough in the semi final, a similar test to the title-bound Aldershot last year.

Looking at the draw Fleet could play either AFC Telford or York City in the final at Wembley, which is by no means a certain victory, but Fleet would be seen as favourites.

However, before everyone starts to dream of Wembley, Fleet have to beat Stevenage. On paper and looking at the league table Borough should win. But in the FA Trophy Fleet seem to have an extra gear, just as they had last season, and have beaten Stevenage 3-0 and 4-0 in meetings earlier this season.

Daish has admitted his side will be seen as underdogs, but what last season showed us is Fleet relish the status and should not be underestimated.

However, one disappointment is the players and management produced perfect football at times in front of just 992 fans. The supporters who did turn out were brilliant as usual and really lifted the team when it was needed. The club has real potential with its ambitions of a new ground and there is no reason why they cannot break into the Football League in the future.

I know there is an economic crisis, but I find myself asking, where are those 26,000 who made the trip Wembley last May and who will no doubt come out of the woodwork if they return for the showpiece this year?

Tom Howard

Message boards are not for the faint-hearted

THEY can be brash, reactionary, often incoherent, occasionally downright libellous but increasingly harder to ignore.

Internet message boards for football fans are a relatively new phenomenon but have quickly become an addiction for many. Whereas once information about your favourite club would be gleaned from the match programme or conversations in the pub, technology has revolutionised the way fans interact with each other.

On the face of it this can only be a good thing for all parties – fans feel more informed about their team, which encourages loyalty, strengthening the support. At their best they can be an invaluable source of information, especially at lower levels, and give another outlet for terrace humour – famously former Gills defender Guy Butters was once put up for sale for £5 by fans while at Brighton.

However, there is a darker side to the boards, which all too often threatens to undo all of the benefits. With virtually all contributors using pseudonyms, some use several, it gives anyone with an axe to grind a free rein to peddle their often extreme opinions.
If you look hard enough it will not be long before you find something critical about any player. While they can be over the top, it is mostly nothing worse than you would overhear in conversations at the pub, but because the posts are permanent and can be read hundreds of times they can easily cause lasting offence.

The biggest problems come when players, managers or club staff cross the line and read, or even contribute to message boards. Gillingham striker Mark McCammon admitted last week he had been stung by derogatory comments he had read while out injured.
His manager, Mark Stimson, probably has the right approach when he advises his players to stay clear of them.

With big clubs who have thousands of fans paying to watch them every week it is easier to brush off the criticism, but at non-league level it can become more corrosive. Message boards may only have a handful of people who regularly contribute and it can be far too easy to get dragged into a slanging match with each other.
This is particularly a problem when the forums are attached to the club’s website, with players or board members contributing. While it can start off with admirable intentions of keeping everything at the club transparent, there are certain things within a club which have to remain confidential.

Herne Bay and Folkestone Invicta have had problems this season as the lines have been blurred between official news and comments on their forums. This week the normally unflappable Ashford Town boss Steve Lovell launched a stinging rebuke on the club’s official site about comments he read on the club’s forum.

There’s little doubt message boards will have an increasingly important role to play, but to avoid a lot of the problems perhaps it is best to keep them independent. Fans’ forums should be for fans, anyone who is intimately involved with a club and is of a sensitive disposition should probably avoid them altogether.
One example of an independent message board that works well is the thriving Kent League forum. It is not attached to any club and is a useful meeting point for fans from all 17 clubs in the division.

David Pritchard

Are Ashford Town good enough to go up?

THE more I look at the Ryman South table the more I start to wonder who will win the all important promotion spots to the Ryman Premier League next season.

With the top eight sides separated by just six points, it just goes to show how competitive the league is this season. Three Kent sides occupy places in the top eight with Cray second, Ashford sixth and Sittingbourne seventh, but a team is yet to grab the league by the scruff of the neck.

After witnessing Ashford lose 2-0 to Cray Wanderers on Saturday and 4-1 to Whitstable Town last Tuesday, many people would say the Nuts and Bolts are out of the race.
Let’s look at the facts. Steve Lovell’s side have played more games than their rivals and are four points adrift of league leaders Kingstonian.
Ashford have also got to play four of the top eight in their remaining 11 games which include Merstham, Fleet Town, Worthing and finally Kingstonian on the last day of the season. Although these games are tough, winning them could be what decides this year’s Ryman South title.

The game against Cray was one of the worst performances of the season and Lovell was quick to admit his side did not compete. There is no doubt Ashford are a good side. To go 15 unbeaten in this league is a real achievement.

However, if Ashford are to mount a serious challenge then Lovell’s players will have to dig deep, fight for every ball and win every header, which was lacking on Saturday.
When looking at the contenders for promotion, two clubs come to my attention as to whether they could make it in the Ryman Premier. The two are Kingstonian and Ashford, both clubs who have fantastic facilities.

Ultimately to make it in the Ryman Premier, ambition and strong financial backing is required. At Ashford these boxes are most definitely ticked.

Tom Howard

King is vital to Gillingham's hopes

Mark Stimson stopped short of calling Saturday’s game against Macclesfield a ‘must-win’ for his side, but make no mistake three points were absolutely vital to Gillingham’s promotion hopes.
Mathematically speaking, of course it is far too early to speak in such terms – there are still 42 points to play for between now and May. But from a psychological point of view it was vital to return to winning ways.

While Gills have not been higher than fourth in League Two this season they have always been in the pack. After picking up just four points from a possible 15, anything other than a victory against the lowly Silkmen risked being cut adrift for the first time. Fortunately they are still in the mix, despite not hitting top gear.

Simon King was possibly the only Gills defender whose reputation was enhanced by Tuesday night’s 4-4 draw with Aldershot. The centre-back, who was ruled out of the game with an ankle injury, returned to great effect against Macclesfield. Still not 100 per cent, he made several crucial blocks in the first half and even opened the scoring in the first two minutes.
King is undoubtedly crucial to Gills hopes this season, but so could Mark McCammon, who was excellent in his first start since October. The tall striker’s career at Priestfield has verged on the calamitous, beginning with his first training session when he twanged a hamstring.

McCammon is still probably four or five games from being fully fit, but for the first time he showed flashes of why Stimson signed him. Barcham will quite rightly get the plaudits for his two goals but it was McCammon who laid the foundations, winning countless flick-ons for others to profit from and set up the second goal, albeit in clumsy fashion.

If – and it’s a big if – he can stay fit, then McCammon could turn into a key player and on paper is the perfect foil for Simeon Jackson.

It would be a mistake to read too much into a victory against a mediocre Macclesfield. Gills had to win and they did. Nothing more, nothing less. They are still in the pack but with huge games against Darlington, Shrewsbury and Brentford coming up next month ahead of an equally tough run-in, victory against Bournemouth next Saturday is also essential.

David Pritchard

Gillingham reporter

Kent to reap the rewards

It's difficult to actually figure out how Kent managed to get themselves relegated in the County Championship last season. With Rob Key at the helm, they have as dynamic a captain you will find in the domestic game, together with a group of talented young cricketers that have not failed to catch the eye of the England selectors.
Earlier this week Amjad Khan was called up to the full Test squad as cover for the injured Andrew Flintoff having left fellow team-mates Joe Denly and Key in New Zealand with the Lions squad.

Now Robbie Joseph has been called as a replacement for Khan ensuring there are still three Kent players in the Lions squad. The England Lions are finally being used as they should - as a back up to the main England squad and with three (four including Amjad) Kent boys included, the future bodes well for the county. But with all this talent at their disposal it makes you wonder how they were relegated at the end of last season for the first time in their history.

It's amazing to see just how far Joseph has come over the course of the last year. I remember seeing him as a raw 15-year-old in the nets at St Lawrence and you could tell he had a bit about him even then. It was probably his pace that was most impressive. Having made his First Class debut a few years later, his career seemed to stagnate with injuries, loss of form and it appeared to me that he had lost a yard or two of pace.

After overcoming injury before the start of last season, Joseph worked really hard in pre-season under the watchful eye of director of cricket, Graham Ford. The South African and coach Simon Willis, spent many an hour on the field working with Joseph before games and in between innings to get him back on track. They performed the same service for Khan.

With those two spearheading the Kent attack in Division Two, and Key and Denly at the top of the batting card, surely it should be an instant return, Shouldn't it?

Glenn Pearson

It's been a busy day on the KOS Media sportsdesk as we put together the finishing touches to our Kent on Sunday sports pages. A number of worthwhile stories have hit the headlines this week (which you can read at www.kentnews.co.uk) and it's my job to decide which ones we go with for the weekend's paper.
It proved a difficult decision with a number of stories involving Kent Cricket Club, Ebbsfleet United and of course the Gills, but I think I've plumped for the right one as our back page splash. Have a look for yourself and let me know in the comments section below.

It's another hectic weekend with another action packed fixture list and again we'll be out there reporting on some of the biggest games across the county.
Our Gills reporter, David Pritchard, will be at Priestfield to watch Mark Stimson's side take on Macclesfield and will be providing live match updates on our website. Fellow reporter Tom Howard heads to Homelands for what promises to be a competitive Kent derby between Ashford and Cray Wanderers, while yours truly will be at Hartsdown Park to watch Margate take on Boreham Wood.

Why not post a comment to let us know where you are heading at the weekend.

Glenn Pearson
Sports editor