Huddersfield 2 v Gills 1 (Jackson)
Last Thursday Gills manager, Mark Stimson, suffered a major setback when it was reported that a first team Gills player was involved in a car accident sustaining a knee and neck injury.
Saturday 12 December - League Division One - Report by GillsConnect Man on the Terrace
Gills (4-4-1-1): Alan Julian; Barry Fuller; Stuart Lewis (Rashid Yussuff 70 mins); Matt Fry; Chris Palmer; Mark Bentley Kevin Maher; Dennis Oli (Luke Rooney 85 mins); Stuart Lewis; Andy Barcham; Jack Payne (Mark McCammon 75mins) and Simeon Jackson.
Unused subs: Jacob Erskine; John Nutter and Tom Wynter;
Attendance: 13,844 (inc. 277 Gills fans)
Mark had refused to name the player but when the Gills team was announced, some 30 minutes before kick-off, it confirmed that regular goalkeeper Simon Royce was missing and that reserve goalie Alan Julian (pictured left) would be between the posts.
GillsConnect had learnt from various sources that Simon Royce was the injured Gills player, following being knocked down by a car near to his home and was likely to be out for up to six weeks. The Club has now confirmed this. Click for more information
Permanent bench warmer, Alan Julian, who I must say always looks impressive during pre-match warm-ups, at last had his chance to shine in his first game since being ignominiously substituted at Priestfield during half time against Hartlepool on Saturday 22 August.
Unfortunately for Alan, todays comeback game was against League One’s top scorers and unbeaten at the Galpharm. Jack Payne also returned in the middle to partner Kevin Maher and Stuart Lewis. In-form Curtis Weston, who didn’t train on Thursday, was missing from the line-up and his place was taken by Dennis Oli. Only six substitutes were named in John Nutter, youngster Tom Wynter just back from a loan spell, Rashid Yussuff, Luke Rooney, Jacob Erskine and Mark McCammon.
The confident and unbeaten Terriers were shaken as Gills were off to a magnificent start when Chris Palmer put a great cross into Simeon Jackson (left) who ran on, drew the keeper and chipped the ball high into the middle of the goal for his first goal away from Priestfield and his tenth league and thirteenth for the season.
Huddersfield came back strongly and first Lee Novak (right) headed wide of the post and two shots from Michael Collins were high wide and handsome over Julian’s crossbar. Terriers were getting a lot of possession, especially in midfield and they were making Gills work hard behind the ball defensively.
Huddersfield’s, and one of League One’s leading scorers Jordan Rhodes, really should have done better with a good headed chance but failed to make Alan Julian make a save and the ball was wide of the post.
Thirty minutes gone and Jordan Rhodes was put clean through into the area and it look odds on that he would score his 15th goal of the season but his shot was superbly stopped by Alan Julian with a great reaction save.
Minutes later Huddersfield pressure finally told and they equalised through Lee Novak. The build-up look offside but the flag stayed down and Novak muscled past Matt Fry who fell to the ground. The Huddersfield striker, from a central position in the penalty area, took his chance well and shot low past Alan Julian.
There was three minutes added of stoppage time in the first half and Huddersfield made the most of them. Jordan Rhodes went down and gained a free-kick which was put behind by the Gills for a corner. From this set-piece Gills defensive cover allowed Jordan Rhodes to get across them and he put away a looping header past the grasp of Alan Julian.
The half finished with a succession of Huddersfield corners and Gills under pressure with ten men back - one of these set-pieces was again badly covered with the ball hitting the crossbar.
The second half started quietly but Gills were plugging away and earned a couple of corners taken by Chris Palmer in quick succession which unfortunately came to nothing. Huddersfield looked like they could step it up when they liked and they came sweeping forward with plenty of attacking options.
A great chance for the Terriers when Alan Julian looked well out of position - the shot was destined for the bottom corner until Gills captain Barry Fuller cleared off the line.
In the end it is yet another defeat on the road for the Gills and, in truth, they were well beaten by a very good Huddersfield side. Still just one point out of the 33 on offer this season in their away games which is a really poor dismal record and despite a spirited performance in the last minutes of the match - it is the stuff of relegation. Gills might claim they were always in it with the one goal difference but the gulf in class was very much greater than the score line suggests.
The Gills had their counter attacking moments with first Andy Barcham feeding Kevin Maher but his shot was well saved and then Dennis Oli (above) won a header and sent Stuart Lewis onto goal but his weak shot was easily stopped.
The Terriers continued to apply pressure through good wing play by Ainsworth and Roberts and fast movement between the two striking partners of Novak and Rhodes and they were proving a real handful for Gills back four.
Alan Julian was proving a capable replacement for Simon Royce when he made another superb save from a curling free-kick from Huddersfield’s Roberts. Jack Payne was substituted with fifteen minutes to go with Mark McCammon joining Simeon Jackson who had been getting pretty lonely up front up front in a 4-4-2 formation.
Huddersfield began to step up the pace and two or three chances created by Roberts were only just wide of Alan Julian’s post. With just ten minutes remaining the Terriers should have really added their third when Roberts squandered another chance when he really should have buried it. Quality attacking from the Terriers in the final minutes but not quality finishing and the Gills rode their luck in keeping the score respectable.
