Nearly two thousand days after his third goal for the club, Ryan Jackson’s fourth Gillingham goal came agonisingly close to securing three precious points in their relegation “six-pointer” away to Morecambe.
Substitute Jackson’s 72nd minute piledriver – after being found brilliantly by Tuesday’s match-winner Vadaine Oliver – was the full back’s first Gillingham goal since August 2016 when he netted the opening goal at Priestfield in a win over Bury, a small matter of 1,999 days ago!
But sadly, it wasn’t to be and Jonathan Obika’s 86th minute equaliser, kept the Gills below their hosts in the table and denied Neil Harris his third win in his four games in charge that truly have revitalised Gillingham’s flagging season.
The manager made one change to the midweek triumph over Cambridge United with Tom Dickson-Peters called up for Charlie Kelman who dropped to the bench.
Given that both sides are rooted in the division’s bottom four, the first half may have been goal-less, but it certainly wasn’t chance less!
Max Ehmer made a fabulous block to deny Jonah Ayunga early only whilst Anthony O’Connor couldn’t keep his early effort down for the home side. At the other end new boys Conor Masterson and Ben Thompson both had long range efforts wide.
Cole Stockton has been terrorising League One defences all season long and on seventeen minutes, Stockton was magnificently denied by Jack Tucker. Masterson was then brilliantly denied by home keeper Trevor Carson before only the frame of the Gillingham goal kept the scoreline blank as Arthur Gnahoua rattled Aaron Chapman’s crossbar.
Chapman had to be at his best just before the break as Ayunga tested the Gills stopper as the half drew to a close.
The second period developed into a tense affair with both sides becoming more nervous about where a defeat would leave them, and it took Jackson’s piledriver to reignite the contest. Oliver did brilliantly to find the full back, and Jackson let fly giving Carson not a hope as the ball arrowed into the top corner and gave the nearly three hundred Gills fans in the crowd hope of back-to-back wins.
Within minutes Oliver came within inches of making it two, but the giant striker couldn’t keep his header down as Jackson turned provider.
Home substitute Obika then denied the Gills with a superb curling effort to level the scores inside the closing five minutes as the home side tried to stage a brilliant late recovery.
They didn’t because of a really brave save from Chapman to deny Ayunga before the Gills stopper pulled off the save of the game to deny Obika a second in stoppage time – Chapman somehow reaching the substitute’s effort that seemed destined for the bottom corner.
A vital point won, or two crucial ones dropped? That’s the question Gillingham fans were left asking as they headed home but with two home games to come against Plymouth Argyle and “target club” AFC Wimbledon, hopes of “The Great Escape” seem to be growing by the game.
Boss Neil Harris though will be the first to admit that things could turn just as quickly in football, but whilst there’s hope…
MORECAMBE – Carson, Leigh, O’Connor, Bedeau, Diagouraga, Stockton, Ayunga, Phillips (Wildig 65), McLoughlin, Cooney, Gnahoua (Obika 74).
Subs not used – Smith, Connolly, McCalmont, Fane, Bennett.
Goal: Obika (84).
GILLINGHAM – Chapman, Masterson, Ehmer, Tucker, McKenzie, O’Keefe, Thompson, Lee (Phillips 77), Tutonda (Jackson 61), Oliver, Dickson-Peters (Kelman 86).
Subs not used – Dahlberg, Lintott, Maghoma, Chambers.
Goal: Jackson (72).
Booked: Tutonda (45+1), Kelman (94).
REFEREE: Peter Wright
Attendance: 4,499
Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.