It was a day of firsts in the Priestfield sunshine on Saturday afternoon as Gillingham created their own little bit of history as they finally beat Ipswich Town in Kent for the very first time after sixty-one years of trying.
Jack Tucker’s first League goal for the club set Steve Evans’ side on the way to the historic win and despite being pegged back early in the second half, top scorer Vadaine Oliver’s second half double.
The second an exquisite curling effort past a statuesque Tomas Holy in the Ipswich goal, sealed the Gills first win over the Tractor Boys at Priestfield in eleven tries dating back to September 1950… and more importantly in 2021, takes Gillingham to within five points of the League One Play Off after taking seven points from the past week.
And for the third game in the last eight days, Evans named an unchanged side, and didn’t those dressed all in blue respond… and how!
The Gills started the better and after only six minutes were in front courtesy from an unlikely source – Tom O’Connor’s free kick was helped on by Robbie Cundy for Tucker to welcome Holy back to Priestfield by hammering his first Gills goal into the back of the net.
Gills thought they’d won a penalty on the quarter hour when Jordan Graham was felled in full flight only for referee Salisbury to give a free kick inches outside the box. The free kick came to nothing but moments later the frame of Holy’s goal was left rattling after Olly Lee’s shot came back off the inside of a post and rebounded to safety.
Ipswich’s best chance of the opening half came on the half hour when Troy Parrot rattled Jack Bonham’s post before Tucker made a brilliant block late in the half to deny James Norwood.
Gills continued their dominance in the early stages of the second half with Oliver central – shooting wide before having a second effort blocked before Lee headed straight at Holy from a long Ryan Jackson throw before the visitors levelled on sixty-five minutes. Ipswich skipper Luke Chambers got on the end of a free kick and his looping header beat a despairing Bonham.
Just eight minutes later, the Gills were back in front courtesy of Oliver’s twelfth of the season. Graham fed a hurtling Kyle Dempsey down the right, and the Gills skipper’s pinpoint centre was turned in by the late arriving striker.
The game was sealed ten minutes from time. Holy raced from his area to deny the advancing Oliver only to see his clearance go straight to John Akinde. The Gills sub though couldn’t take advantage and the visitors thought they’d escaped. Connor Ogilvie though had other ideas – blocking the drilled clearance – and as the ball ricocheted to Oliver, the Gills top scorer took the ball in his stride before magnificently cutting in and curling a sensational shot around a motionless Holy!
Gillingham have now won three successive home games for the first time this season to move to within touching distance of the promised land and the Play Off places – a dream that just seven days ago seemed almost as far as the midweek trip facing Evans and his troops on Tuesday – the long trek to the North West to Fleetwood Town’s Highbury Ground – a destination where they’ve only previously won once in seven visits – sound familiar?
GILLINGHAM – Bonham, Jackson, Tucker, Cundy, Ogilvie, O’Keefe, Dempsey, Graham (MacDonald), Lee (Akinde), O’Connor (McKenzie), Oliver
Subs – Bastien, Morton, Willock, Johnson
IPSWICH TOWN – Holy, Chambers, Nsiala, Wilson, Kenlock, Bishop, Dozzell (Jackson), Bennetts (Edwards), Parrott (Downes), Harrop (Sears), Norwood
Subs – Ward, Wolfenden, Cornell
Referee – Mr Salisbury
Image courtesy of Gillingham FC