[ 21 Mar 15 ] Gills v Colchester Match Thread

[Garawa]

Colchester ended a run of 4 straight defeats (and 7 from 9) by beating bottom-side Yeovil 2-0 on Tuesday.

Colchester have lost 9 of their last 11 home league games but have only lost 3 of their last 8 away from home.

Colchester have won 1-0 in 3 of their last 5 visits to Priestfield.

After just 2 wins in 19 away league trips throughout most of last season, Colchester have since won 7 of the next 19 (but lost the last 2)

20 of the 83 ties between the clubs have been in cup competitions. Colchester edge the league wins 24 to 18.

The Gills have used 33 players this season before today but Colchester have used 42 already!

Colchester have been without Freddie Sears for 12 matches after his move to Ipswich but he remains their top scorer with 14 goals. Their next top scorer is Gavin Massey with 6 goals this season but he hasn't scored in any of his last 11 games for the club.

3:01
Kick-Off

3:48
Half-time: 0-0

4:01
GOAL! Gillingham 0-1 Colchester

4:04
Colchester have scored first in 15 of their 37 league games but have taken the fewest points on average from them (winning 8 & drawing 2)

4:33
Gillingham have a goal ruled out for offside.

4:40
GOAL! Gillingham 1-1 Colchester: Ehmer

4:45
GOAL! Gillingham 1-2 Colchester

4:50
Gavin Hoyte hits the crossbar.

4:53
Mathew Briggs is sent off for Colchester.

4:56
GOAL! Gillingham 2-2 Colchester: Loft

4:47
Full-time: 2-2

Referee: Darren Deadman
Attendance: 5,319 (344)

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

Tuesday`s result and performance was disappointing as we have set high standards recently.Our pitch is poor at the moment so we might not see a great passing game,but getting a win is the most important thing.Colchester got a decent 2-0 win against Yeovil yesterday so they should have confidence.They have had a few good results at Priestfield recently,so i`m expecting a close game.

We`re just as close to the play-off`s as we`re to the bottom four so Saturday`s result will show whether we will be looking up or down.It would be nice to get to the 50 point mark at the weekend then only need around 4 points to be safe.

What Gills Team would you play?

[baronnight]

Over the last 6 games Colchester have gained 6 points (the same as us) they have scored 2 more goals than us but also conceded 3 more.

Tuesday was a big disappointment for me not because we lost but we didn't change, that is to say our shape and style proved wrong on the day and there was no plan "B".
It was clear after 10 minutes our system wasn't working yet JE continued with the same formation throughout, where were the tactics to change our style and cut out the midfield threat they posed, surely with their 5 man narrow midfield it screamed out for us to use Glash and Dickenson as outright wingers to disrupt their plan, unfortunately this didn't happen and we continued to look poor. Going forward we failed to give our front 2 any service and our answer was change Marquise for the similar Norris, why not gamble on legge as a target man to feed Cody.

Sorry this is a Colchester thread and I'm going off on a rant, back on topic this will be another hard game against a team who is battling relegation with a few new faces, including a fast wing player ready to punish our lack of left back support.
A hard fought 2 - 1 victory "I hope"

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

Justin Edinburgh wants to see a response tomorrow.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/spor ... e-a-33713/

I think we will make a couple of changes with Hessenthaler coming in for Muldoon,and Bell in for Martin.

[fan_of_mulligan]

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

----------------------------------Nelson--------------------------------------
Hoyte----------------Egan-------------------Ehmer----------------------Bell
---------------------------------A.Morris--------------------------------------
--------------Hessenthaler-----------------------------Loft-------------------
-----------------------------------Dack----------------------------------------
--------------------McDonald--------------Marquis----------------------------

Subs: G.Morris (GK), Legge, Muldoon, Galbraith, McGlashan, Dickenson, Norris

I think Jake Hessenthaler will start with Oliver Muldoon dropped to the substitutes bench, I think Oliver Muldoon has had a tough introduction to what life in The Football League is like and having come on as a sub on Tuesday Night against Chesterfield, I am expecting Jake Hessenthaler to start tomorrow, the other change will be Amari'i Bell taking Joe Martin's spot at left back and the rest of the squad will be unchanged.

I think it is important that Gillingham win tomorrow, reach the fifty point barrier and keep pushing to end as high as we possibly can in League One, a defeat to Colchester United tomorrow and we're dragged back into a relegation battle, a win, and we can be assured that League One survival is almost achieved (I always think you need 53 points, just to 100% sure your safe from relegation in League One, as four teams get relegated).

Bad news is that Darren Sheldrake is Referee tomorrow, so we can all expect a very frustrating and infuriating ninety minutes - can't we just have Jarnail Singh as Referee for 46 league games.

Fingers crossed Gillingham can bounce back from Tuesday Night with a win against Colchester United - COME ON YOU GILLS!!!!!!!!!

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

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

----------------------------------Nelson--------------------------------------
Hoyte----------------Egan-------------------Ehmer----------------------Bell
---------------------------------A.Morris--------------------------------------
--------------Hessenthaler-----------------------------Loft-------------------
-----------------------------------Dack----------------------------------------
--------------------McDonald--------------Marquis----------------------------

Subs: G.Morris (GK), Legge, Muldoon, Galbraith, McGlashan, Dickenson, Norris

I think Jake Hessenthaler will start with Oliver Muldoon dropped to the substitutes bench, I think Oliver Muldoon has had a tough introduction to what life in The Football League is like and having come on as a sub on Tuesday Night against Chesterfield, I am expecting Jake Hessenthaler to start tomorrow, the other change will be Amari'i Bell taking Joe Martin's spot at left back and the rest of the squad will be unchanged.

I think it is important that Gillingham win tomorrow, reach the fifty point barrier and keep pushing to end as high as we possibly can in League One, a defeat to Colchester United tomorrow and we're dragged back into a relegation battle, a win, and we can be assured that League One survival is almost achieved (I always think you need 53 points, just to 100% sure your safe from relegation in League One, as four teams get relegated).

Bad news is that Darren Sheldrake is Referee tomorrow, so we can all expect a very frustrating and infuriating ninety minutes - can't we just have Jarnail Singh as Referee for 46 league games.

Fingers crossed Gillingham can bounce back from Tuesday Night with a win against Colchester United - COME ON YOU GILLS!!!!!!!!!

I would be more surprised if we had a good ref FOM ha ha.

[gillsfan1066]

Good job the ref gave us 45 minutes of extra time or we could have been right royally screwed, who's up next, hopefully someone in the top half of the table ,we can beat those teams, anyone near the bottom we feel sorry for and we help them to try and survive in the division.
Oh well another point and closer to the magic 50, another one next week at Crawley and were there.
Guess we will be seeing Wigan and Blackpool next year, must say I think that Wigan ride since we beat them at Wembley ten years ago has been a lot more fun than the Gillingham one.

[Garawa]

Often the goalscorer gets the man of the match but today Ehmer deserved it. He won every header in the first half and seemed to be both sides and furthest up front as well. Disappointing result but it feels like a win given we fell behind a second time on 87 minutes. First ten minutes we looked fantastic but didn't do much after until we went a goal down.

Much of the talk was about Edinburgh making changes to "try out some players" most notably changing Nelson for Morris. I would have thought some players may have been feeling unwell due to a bug that laid off Hessy but now it appears not. Is this the right time to make changes like this? What it does appear to me is that we have zero chance of Marquis joining us permanently if this was the case as Norris would rarely start ahead of the Millwall loanee.

A point suits us putting one closer to our target, it is terrible for them and was clear to see by the number of players flat on their backs after Loft scored 5 minutes into stoppage time!

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

I think before the game it wouldn`t have been a good point,but to score in the 96th minute means it is a good point.I thought we started really well at a quick tempo,and Cody nearly scored in 21 seconds but his effort was saved by the impressive Walker.After about 15 minutes we started to look a different side and we started hitting and hoping.Colchester were looking like scoring and on 62 minutes they did through Moncur as the ball fell to him in the box.Our response was good as we kept battling and our equaliser came on 82 minutes when Ehmer`s header went in.I thought we might go on and win as we looked like doing so,but a Colchester counter attack lead to their second.We didn`t stop the cross and on 87 minutes Porter headed past Morris.Again the response was good as we bombarded Walker`s goal.Walker made a few successive saves from corners and one was Banks esq.There were 5 added minutes and deep into added time Briggs of Colchester picked up his second yellow card and I think the stoppage helped us.We then scored a 96th minute equaliser when the ball came out to Loft and his smart low finish beat Walker to send Priestfield into raptures.

It was looking like a defeat which wouldn`t have been deserved,but a point so late is a good point in the end.Any talk of the play-off`s is now over,but we have a job to do still in getting to 54 points to secure safety.We need to avoid defeat next week as we would be back in trouble if we did.I was surprised by Morris starting,and Norris as Nelson has still made decent saves,and Marquis has been really effective.Edinburgh says he needed to look at fringe players,but both did a good job.

MOTM: I thought Ehmer was solid at the back,but felt Loft had one of his better games pulling the strings.He set up Ehmer`s goal,and scored the late equaliser.

[fan_of_mulligan]

I have voted for Max Ehmer, who was already in my thoughts for Man Of The Match prior to his equalising goal for 1-1 as Max Ehmer had a very good game defensively and tidied things up at the back and out-shone John Egan - who had a below par performance by his usual standards and I would like to see us sign Max Ehmer on a season long loan again next season, although that may well prove to be very difficult if QPR get relegated into The Championship.

I thought Max Ehmer took his goal really well with a glancing header, and I would of liked to have seen Gillingham whip in more crosses across the face of goal similar to the one Doug Loft whipped in for the equaliser at 1-1.

I also thought that Doug Loft had a very good game on Saturday and I can see why he would be voted as Man Of The Match, I have decided to go for Max Ehmer instead though.

[Garawa]

Loft has been WELL below most people's expectations but he has started to shine a little lately. A goal and an assist is much more of what is expected from a player like that and I'm sure he won't be happy with 2 goals and will want more. Hessy has started to struggle a bit and we can't afford to have the midfield drop in standard as its is bit threadbare now. I gave Ehmer MOM because he won every header pretty much up to the 82nd minute when he scored and that was a great header also! Perhaps another performance like Loft's might allow him to take one instead.

Not sure what I was looking at but I totally missed the second yellow card to Briggs! Didn't see him walk off or anything!

[lidbid46]

You probably didn't notice him walk of as he did it so slowly it looked like he was never going!

[Garawa]

Blimey I must have had bird poo in my eyes if he went that slow, should have seen him at some part trudging off. Mind you the game was pretty frantic at that point with Hoyte hitting the bar and Loft's goal either side. I let myself off...!

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

Blimey I must have had bird poo in my eyes if he went that slow, should have seen him at some part trudging off. Mind you the game was pretty frantic at that point with Hoyte hitting the bar and Loft's goal either side. I let myself off...!

Briggs walked off very slow.He started walking slowly diagonally towards the dressing room,and then changed direction eventually and went by the dug out.

[fan_of_mulligan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdu6MLcuHwc

Gary, your not the first person to miss a player being sent off