With the latest chapter of one of Gillingham’s longest running rivalries about to re-commence on the newly laid Priestfield pitch on Saturday, boss Steve Lovell has been remembering the day against Southend United when he had his most successful day in his career.
Few who arrived at Priestfield that Bank Holiday afternoon in 1987 would have believed what they saw, as Keith Peacock’s side took the bragging rights and how, beating the Essex side 8-1.
Going into this weekend’s 116th meeting of the two sides, the Gills lead the series 46-39 with 33 drawn, but on August 29th, 1987, it was Gillingham’s day, and their Welsh centre forwards.
The current Gills boss recalled, “It was nice as the funny thing was that when I first came to Priestfield, I hadn’t scored as I got injured early on and I think they were the first goals that I scored that season!”
“To get the first one was lovely and so to get the four was great, and it really does show you how you can go from hero to zero in just ninety minutes!”
“And that’s what I tell my players now – you might not be in the team now, but Saturday you might get called upon and if you’re ready, it could change your career as that afternoon did for me here at Gillingham.”
“Undoubtedly, those four goals turned my Gillingham career around – it was going nowhere and a lot of people were thinking that I was the crock who came from Millwall. It kick-started my season and in the end my career into the five years that I was here as a player.”
“I’ll always remember the first goal that day, as when you’re going through a period when you’re not scoring and you’re put through one on one with the keeper after only ten minutes doubts do – and did – go through your mind; flicking heck I might miss this – and when it goes in, the relief is amazing and you get your confidence and it gave me a lift and you start believing and that day, anyway the rest is history, I think I ended up with twenty-odd goals that season.”
And the following week of course was a home game against Chesterfield and a different story completely…