Nine-man Gillingham were on the wrong end of a controversial defeat at Grimsby Town with Remeao Hutton and Jonny Williams both seeing red and the game’s only goal coming from the penalty spot. 

Hutton was harshly shown a straight red in the first half after a “coming together” which saw both attacker and defender slip in the greasy conditions before the home side were awarded the softest of penalties early in the second half which Charles Vernam converted. Just moments later, Williams received a second yellow card and was also dismissed – decisions that had the home fans thinking the match official had transformed into Santa Claus two months early. Playing with ten men for just under a hour and nine for twenty-seven minutes, it was no surprise that Glenn Morris was the busiest man on the pitch, but quite how Richard Dobson kept it together on the sidelines shows what a great character the acting Gills boss must have and you must be grateful that Gareth Ainsworth has already had his heart operation! 

Dobson recalled Bradley Dack and Josh Andrews to the starting eleven and Dack it was how found Seb Palmer-Houlden for the game’s first chance but the former Bristol City man couldn’t keep his header down. 

Palmer-Houlden was then well denied by Christy Pym in the home goal, getting on the end of a booming clearance from Morris, but the Grimsby keeper did well to save low down before the game exploded into controversy just past the half hour. On a greasy surface, Hutton and Grimsby striker Jaze Kabia collided in the centre circle after both slipping as they tried to regain their footing, and to the amazement of nearly all of the Blundell Park crowd as Kabia went down again, Hutton was shown a straight red card despite there being two other blue shirts just yards away. 

Morris kept the half-time score blank with a terrific low save from Vernam, but the half time boos directed at Mr. Kennard-Kettle from the near 500 travelling fans from Kent were to be joined by the laughter of the home fans when the official “struck” again early in the second period. 

But that came after Kabia had been rightly denied a goal by an assistant’s flag being yards offside after Morris had sensationally kept out another effort from Vernam. The Gills stopper then did well to deny George McEachran before Kabia went down again as Sam Gale came to clear and the official pointed to the spot. This time not even Morris could deny Vernam – or the match official – and Grimsby had the lead! 

Williams was the shown two yellow cards in a matter of minutes and the nine men set to valiantly see out the remainder of the game. The fact that Morris only had one real save to make in that closing period of the game was a massive testament to the eight in front of him but the one he did have to make, from Green, was top drawer. 

When home fans start singing that the official was “one of our own” you really must marvel at the commitment and dedication of the Gillingham players to keep their heads in what must have been a very trying afternoon in Cleethorpes! The defeat leaves the Gills fifth in the table with troubled Salford City heading for MEMS Priestfield next weekend. 

GRIMSBY TOWN – Pym, Sweeney, McJannet, Lavelle, Rodgers, McEachran, Green, Walker (Khouri), Vernam (Soonsup-Bell), Amaluzor, Kabia (Rose) 

Subs – Casper, Svanthorsson, Warren, Oduor 

GILLINGHAM – Morris, Hutton, Smith, Gale, Clark (Cirino), Coleman, McKenzie, Dack (Little), Jonny Williams, Palmer-Houlden (Nevitt), Andrews (Vokes) 

Sub – Turner, Ogie, Wyllie 

REFEREE – Mr. Kennard-Kettle 

Image courtesy of Gillingham FC