Doncaster Rovers v Gillingham-Match Thread

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

We`re back on the road on Saturday as we travel to Doncaster.Their record at home is not great,so hopefully we can get something,or maybe our first League away win.We`re unbeaten in five games in all Competitions,so hopefully we can keep that run going.

What would be your Gills Team?

[fan_of_mulligan]

I think Gillingham will line up as follows.......................

----------------------------------Nelson-------------------------------------
------------Legge----------------Egan-------------------Ehmer-------------
Hessenthaler----------------------------------------------------------Martin
-----------Dack------------------Loft------------------Doughty-------------
-------------------McDonald-------------Dickenson--------------------------

Subs: G.Morris (GK), Hoyte, Lennon, Pritchard, McGlashan, Galbraith, Norris

Apparently Brighton & Hove Albion have re-called Adam Chicksen so he can play for Brighton against Millwall tonight and as Joe Martin is back from suspension, Joe Martin should start at left back / left wing back against Doncaster Rovers tomorrow.

Jake Hessenthaler impressed at right back against Leyton Orient and I can see Jake Hessenthaler playing there again tomorrow, but it's the impressive form of Leon Legge, John Egan and Max Ehmer which is giving Peter Taylor a real selection headache as all three have impressed in the heart of Gillingham's defence and none of them deserved to be dropped on current form, Bradley Dack, Michael Doughty and Doug Loft should all keep there places in the starting eleven, Josh Pritchard and Amine Linganzi did score against Dartford in The Kent Senior Cup but I cannot see either player starting unless Loft, Doughty or Dack pick up a unexpected injury or illness, Cody McDonald and Brennan Dickenson will probably start in attack.

I will be going up via car tomorrow and leaving at 8.30AM, I think Gillingham need a win because Scunthorpe United are at home to Crewe Alexandra and I can see Scunthorpe United winning that game, let's hope Gills get a win and make sure we stay out of the relegation zone - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!

[baronnight]

FOM's team looks the obvious choice, the problem is, will PT play with 2 forwards away from home?
I haven't seen Doncaster play this year so don't know if they have any fast wingers, if they have, playing 3 in midfield can leave you very narrow and vulnerable on the wings.

[gillsfan1066]

This should be a fun game, Doncaster who can not win at home or score and the mighty Gills who can't win away ,or score .
Bet this turns out to be a 3-3 draw ,the mighty Gills coming off a magnificent pub cup win against Dartford, and Rovers,( I wish we were Gillingham Rovers, or United,or Albion,what ever that is, come on you ROVERS so much nicer than come on the fishes breathing equipment,which is what my buddies see when they see my blue Gills gloves) but I digress, got a feeling both teams are going to have a break out game and turn their seasons around. Who is this new signing the Gills have got ??
Of course this might be last nights vodka talking, by george that stuff goes down easy and then slaps you upside the head in the morning, lol.

[Garawa]

Facts and stats about the game can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1487

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

I was out for the day,but it was fantastic to check the score at 4:55 to find we had won! I think if we were going to win away in the League,then Doncaster was the most likely game with their poor home record,but I read Nelson kept us in the game in the first half.It was pleasing to see Luke Norris grabbed both,as we know he has potential and we need our Strikers stepping up.It wouldn`t be Gills if we didn`t make it nervy for the fans by conceding late on,but great that we held on for three big points.I have said in recent weeks that I have lost faith in Taylor,but my faith is coming back with us unbeaten in 6 games,and he deserves credit for turning it around when he was probably under big pressure before the Orient League game.

It would be great if we could get a result against Chesterfield next week,to send us fans off for Christmas happy.

[gillsfan1066]

Three great points for the Big Blue Machine, on wards and upwards we go.
OK now for my true feelings. Gillingham were complete and utter Rubbish today , and Peter Taylor is a terrible manager, clueless . He watched us do nothing all through the first half, and I mean NOTHING,and could not change our pattern of play on the fly, unable to say to the captain tell numbers X,Y,and Z, to fall back Doncaster are playing in the diamond formation and killing us. He sat there and waited till half time and somehow,somehow and only God knows how Doncaster didn't score. and then he says in the post game interview we had trained for this scenario in the past, what the ******* hell.
Thanks to the Gods of Football smiling on us today we came away with three points, smiling they must have been laughing there asses off at Doncaster,they couldn't slap their butts and pick their noses at the same time they were that bad, and GILLINGHAM were even bloody worse.
We have got till the Coventry game towards the end of January to get this show on the road, because after Coventry starting with Oldham and going through all of February into March points are going to be very, very hard to come by,the " easy games " will be a thing of the past, and all of our opponents will be fighting for a spot in the play offs.
With the exception of Bristol City our next 5 games are all against teams equally as bad or that have an even worse record than us, yeah God's, it is imperative we pick up points in each of these next six games , a minimum of 11 or 12 points, or we will be playing division two football AGAIN next season. 50 points is going to be no easy thing for us to get this year.
Someone, anyone, convince me I am wrong.

[baronnight]

So lowly Gillingham gets the elusive away win, yet again we didn't deserve to win as we were the worst team Doncaster have played this season (Donny fans forum) I seem to remember every other team who failed to beat us saying the same thing so we must be bad.
Another win next week and we might still have a good Christmas.

[Garawa]

Remember though we hadn't won away in 15 league games. I would expect any side to be cagey and nervous especially when the goal was being peppered. They showed resolve and now the unbeaten run continues with an away win so the confidence can show. These are young players with little league experience in games that matter so many hadn't been in this situation before. Start to win back to back games and players can show what they can do. I felt Norris and Dickenson (with a run in the side) could be very useful players, strong and powerful with a hard shot on them and Norris showed what he could do. Perhaps now he can cement a place to be that much needed goal-scorer.

Yes Rovers were poor but we have been beaten plenty of times by poor sides so it was our turn and at the end of the day, Taylor changed the formation significantly in the second half and it changed the game! One interesting stat from the weekend, we had managed 11 shots on target against Port Vale and Bradford and scored 3 goals but not winning either game. We have managed 3 on target and scored 3 goals in the last 2 games and won both. Certainly more clinical........imagine if we started to get more on target again!!!!!

[baronnight]

Gary,
as your someone who is interested in stats it is worth noting that Norris has a pitch time of 32% over our 20 league games, this equates to 6.4 games.
Having scored 3 goals now, that gives him a strike rate of a goal every 2.133 games, that's a very respectable return for any striker.

[Garawa]

Actually that was similar to my fact of the day! Kedwell still has the best return at present (a goal every 183 minutes) and I count Football League Trophy matches as they are classed as senior competition games so Norris has 4, a goal every 221.3 minutes. Cody has a goal every 248 minutes exactly the same strike average as ANTONIO GERMAN!!!!!!

[gillsfan1066]

DDUUUHHHH ,Ok then, see Lidbit a completion time of Pie R Squared, with the the circumference of a hypotheses triangle makes us contenders by March ,wwooww hhooo what a coach that Peter Taylor guy is, GO PT,Go PT, he's our man, if he can't do it no one can.
He is a loser,were all going to be happy if we avoid relegation, and next year he might even get us to 14th in the table, woop de ******* doo dee.
Most wonderful thing about supporting Gillingham, your expectations remain low, and people on here ask why the kids of today support Chelsea , Man Utd, or Man City, haha,it's because they WIN,who the hell wants to be in a gang that gets beat up all the time ???

[Rimshot]

I don't even want to look at the stats; I know they will be awful...three points away is an early Christmas present, I guess we can now wait until the trees are in blossom before the next away victory comes along.

[gillsfan1066]

I think we will pick up away wins against Colchester and Crewe, we have to , and home wins against Chstrfld and Coventry and Oldham, means we could have 35 points by the end of January then I really really start to worry, because February looks like it is going to be a very difficult time to pick up points.

[Garawa]

It could be the "monkey off the back" scenario like going 6 unbeaten after being winless in 12. Sometimes that desperation to get the win does the opposite so who knows what might happen.

Chesterfield haven't won in 7 away including 4 defeats in a row (something even the Gills haven't done this season). Next up is Colchester who have lost 5 in a row including TEN in the last 2 games before Bristol City visit......say no more about that but knowing us we will probably win that one!!! We have to be aiming for 6 points from the next 2 very winnable matches and we could sit around the 13th/14th mark going into the new year which, considering the recent run, has to be something any new manager succeeding Taylor would have considered to be a successful turnaround.