And so in the last two games played at Priestfield, there’s been a goal in the last minute of stoppage time.
But that’s where the comparison stopped as whilst Josh Parker’s 96th minute leveller saved the Gills a point against Port Vale, Tom Anderson’s 94th minute leveller for Chesterfield wrecked what should have been Adrian Pennock’s first win as Gills boss.
It did though give the visitors a certain amount of pay-back as the Gills had grabbed a point in the 3-3 draw earlier in the season at the Proact Stadium courtesy of Scott Wagstaff’s first goal for the club.
In the end on this Valentine’s night, Max Ehmer’s goal on 68 minutes wasn’t enough to secure that first Pennock win and the look on the managers face as he left the Priestfield pitch summed up the evening.
It could have been so very much better had Rory Donnelly’s first half shot had not come back off of the inside of the right post or indeed Ehmer’s own looping header not smacked off of the face of the Chesterfield crossbar then Pennock not only would have that first win as well as that elusive clean sheet!
But then that’s not the game that we all love, and after the poor performance and the condemnation that followed the weekend, this was so different!
With Josh Wright and Bradley Dack running midfield and Cody McDonald and Donnelly pulling the visitors defence all round Priestfield, the faithful always felt that a goal would come.
The fact that it didn’t in the opening half was as frustrating as the whole season has been. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, playing in a deeper role was heavily involved in the home side’s best two early chances.
It was JET’s corner that caused complete chaos in the visitors’ box as it bounced through before being scrambled behind. And from the resulting corner, the big man saw his header bundled off the line by a relieved defence.
Chesterfield keeper Allinson then had a very, very lucky escape as he clearly handled outside of his box as McDonald raced onto a through ball. Referee Haines though incredibly penalised the Gills striker for a tussle with Anderson that happened after the keeper handled!
The official’s “favour” with the crowd decreased still further when Wagstaff was flattened and left in a heap by a “crunching” challenge from Evatt – things weren’t helped when the visitors played on with the Gills man in clear pain.
The second half began with the visitors having more possession but still lacking that final ball. Ehmer along with Deji Oshilaja coped with most things that the visitors could throw at them whilst at the other end McDonald was unlucky that he couldn’t connect with a shot as well as he’d hoped even though Allinson was fortunate to gather the rebound after spilling the initial shot.
The visitors were even more relieved moments later when JET drilled a ball across the face of goal agonisingly too far in front of a lunging McDonald and a sliding Ehmer at the back post who could only divert the ball into the side-netting.
The game seemed to have swung the Gills way on 67 minutes when keeper Stuart Nelson made a fabulous blocking save to deny Faupala as he raced clear of a wrong-footed home back line.
In their very next attack the Gills finally broke the deadlock as Ehmer brilliantly looped a header – from Ryan Jackson’s long throw – over Allinson and into the net.
Jackson’s throws caused the visitors all sorts of problems all game long. Ehmer was denied a second moments later when another header smacked the bar and the home fans sensed that a second was coming – it nearly arrived from Ehmer’s central defensive partner Oshilaja.
Donnelly did brilliantly down the left and as the ball fell to McDonald, his majestic touch found the defender whose shot was straight at the keeper.
Chesterfield then realised that time was against them and Nelson made a magnificent save to deny Kakay – Jackson reacting quickest to clear the danger – before with stoppage time almost up, a ball into the Gills box wasn’t cleared and Anderson’s side footed effort eluded everyone in a blue shirt and nestled in the corner of the Gills net sending the 96 visiting supporters into wild delight and leaving the 4,499 home fans and manager ruing the footballing gods – there was certainly little love lost on this of all days!
The point though not what Pennock wanted does extend the run under the new boss to five without defeat – but they’ve been five draws which are now part of nine games without a win meaning that the Gills faithful are still waiting to cheer a win in 2017.
GILLINGHAM – Nelson, Jackson, Garmston, Ehmer, Oshilaja, Wagstaff, Donnelly (Martin 92), McDonald (Parker 84), Dack, Wright, Emmanuel-Thomas (Byrne 89).
Subs not used – Holy, Hessenthaler, Osadebe, List.
Goal: Ehmer (67).
Booked: Dack (45+1), Donnelly (87), Nelson (95).
CHESTERFIELD – Allinson, Evatt, Gardner (Ebanks-Blake 72), Mitchell, Faupala, Nolan (Martinez 45+4), Donohue, Dennis (Simons 64), Anderson, Kakay, Grimshaw.
Subs not used – Duke, Hird, El-Fitouri, Brown.
Goal: Anderson (94).
Booked: Anderson (94).
Referee: Mr Graham Horwood.
Attendance: 4,595 (96 Chesterfield).