Gillingham ended their League One campaign with a 1-0 victory at home to Plymouth Argyle on Sunday afternoon.
Vadaine Oliver’s 20th goal of the season sent Gillingham into the summer on the back of a hard-earned last day win over Plymouth Argyle as Steve Evans’ side ended the season in tenth place in the final League One table.
Oliver was on hand to head home Olly Lee’s flick from Robbie McKenzie’s cross to become the fifth Gills striker in the last twenty years to net twenty for the season following in the footsteps of Marlon King, Simeon Jackson, Cody McDonald and Tom Eaves.
The Gills boss named an unchanged side for the final game of the season as Ryan Jackson and Matt Willock returned to the bench.
The first half had hardly got going properly when a lengthy stoppage occurred following a clash between Oliver and Plymouth defender Kelland Watts. Both players contested a header, and the Argyle man was left requiring lengthy treatment from both sides’ medical teams and after a delay of nearly ten minutes, he was stretchered from the Priestfield pitch heading for Medway Maritime Hospital with the best wishes of everyone connected with both sides.
Lee had a header from the game’s first clear opportunity after a corner that he couldn’t keep down, before Plymouth sub-Byron Moore brought the very best out of Jack Bonham low to the Gills keepers right.
Oliver then struck just before the half hour – arguably one of the “easiest” of the big striker’s twenty goals of the campaign – with the Gills 63rd – and what proved to be the final – League goal of the season as he connected from just a couple of yards out!
It was very nearly two for the home side just before the break when from two separate Connor Ogilvie long throws saw chances come – and went – for Jack Tucker and Kyle Dempsey; the young defender saw the ball ricochet off his knee and over the bar whilst the skipper drive flew inches past the post.
Argyle keeper Michael Cooper brilliantly denied Lee at the start of the second half before Moore missed a golden chance to level after Bonham had magnificently denied Joe Edwards. The ball rebounded to the Plymouth sub who somehow missed the gaping target from five yards!
Oliver’s season ended when he was replaced by John Akinde and you can’t help but thinking what an incredible ovation “Big V” would have received from a packed home base after such an amazing first season in Gillingham blue.
The missing faithful will go into the summer hoping that many if not all of their heroes who they haven’t been able to back in person in this most difficult of seasons, when the Priestfield turnstiles hopefully reopen in August!
Victory for The Gills saw them end their season on a high and were ultimately seven points behind Oxford United in sixth place and the last play-off spot.
A top half finish will be seen as progress under Steve Evans, but fans will be hoping a squad can now be assembled to push that bit further next season.
The likes of Jordan Graham, Connor Ogilvie, Kyle Dempsey, Vadaine Oliver and Jack Tucker will undoubtedly attract interest from other clubs in the coming months. Keep hold of them and Gillingham will have a chance next season, lose them and it’s back to the drawing board for Evans and co.
FOOTNOTE: After the game, Dempsey was named Player of the Year and Oliver received the Player’s Player award with Tucker named Young Player of the Year. Meanwhile Ogilvie’s incredible strike at the Valley was named as the Goal of the Season.
Gillingham line up: Bonham, McKenzie, Tucker, Ogilvie, O’Connor, Dempsey, O’Keefe (Woods 59), Graham, Lee, MacDonald (Johnson 68), Oliver (Akinde 54).
Subs not used: Bastien, Jackson, Willock, Samuel.
Goal: Oliver (28).
Booked: O’Keefe (56), Dempsey (70).
Plymouth Argyle line up: Cooper (McCormick 87), Watts (Moore 13 (Lolos 68)), Edwards, Hardie, Mayor (Craske 87), Reeves, Fornah, Ennis (Jephcott 68), Law, Camara, Tomlinson.
Subs: not used: Pursall, Mitchell.
Booked: Reeves (55).
Referee: Mr Alan Young
Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.