It was an historic afternoon at Priestfield on Saturday as Notts County took all three points against managerless Gillingham. 

On the day that English football said goodbye to one of our last World Cup winning Knights, the grandson of another Manchester United great scored a wonder goal that denied Gillingham a deserved point against Notts County in their five thousandth game in the English Football League, before an idiot stole the headlines from a hugely enjoyable game by throwing an object that hit County keeper Sam Slocombe from the Rainham End. 

It was an eventful afternoon at Priestfield where County arrived on the front foot whilst Keith Millen’s side battled hard.

Indeed, if the Gills interim boss had had eleven Dom Jeffries, the home side would have certainly claimed the points.

The Gills midfielder was everywhere covering nearly all the playing area hounding and pressing the County players and when the Gills enjoyed their best spell of the game in the second period, he was at the heart of nearly all good things from a blue shirt. 

Jeffries centred for Macauley Bonne to shoot the game’s first chance too high as the game started in a downpour and Jake Turner had to be alert to push out a David McGoldrick skidding drive. 

Jodi Jones was giving Max Clark and Conor Mahoney a torrid time down the Gills right side and from two of his teasing centres the visitors could have scored. He sent in a teasing, tantalising cross that fizzed through Turner’s six-yard box before in their next attack, Scott Malone was inches away from heading into his own net as Turner was lost. 

County did take the lead as Macaulay Langstaff headed home a great ball in from the right and as referee Young blew for the break, it was greeted with a chorus of boos from the home crowd. 

It was during the break that news of the death of Sir Bobby Charlton was posted on social media and many in the crowd were clearly shocked by the tragic news. 

Something Millen said at half time worked wonders and for the opening exchanges of the second period, the Gills played some of their best football for weeks.  

Mahoney finally put a decent ball into the box which Slocombe could only claw away. Two shots were then blocked and from a Jonny Williams corner – with the decibel levels rising – Malone showed some truly remarkable footwork, twisting and turning on the edge of the box before hammering a low shot into the corner to sparks scenes of wild celebrations as the lid blew off the top of Priestfield. 

Both sides went for the win – Conor Masterson did brilliantly to clear off the line whilst only Bonne will know how he did not turn Jonny Williams’ sensational ball into the net – it was almost as if the Gills striker was caught in two minds as the ball flashed across him. 

McGoldrick then saw a shot scrambled behind by a combination of Turner and Max Ehmer after the keeper had only pushed a cross straight to the County man and from the corner, Lewis Macari – on as a first half substitute and grandson of Manchester United legend Lou Macari – sent a thunderbolt into the top corner. 

In the remaining nineteen minutes, the visitors stretched every time consuming trick in the book and also interestingly had central defender Connell Rawlinson (who was listed as a substitute) “warming” up on the sidelines nearly ten minutes after County had made their third permitted set of changes.

It certainly appeared to be more like a coaching session from the thirty-two-year-old defender, but the officials turned a blind eye which sadly sums up the end of their performance. 

George Lapslie could not keep a header down after Jayden Clarke and Ike Orji combined well down the right before Bonne was cynically taken out by Jim O’Brien with a challenge that would have been referred to VAR, I am sure in a higher division! 

Sadly, then the disappointing side to the afternoon. Jayden Clarke raced onto a super ball from Max Clark only to be completely taken out by Slocombe as he was about to shoot – referee Young was not interested despite the howls of protests from the crowd.

The County keeper then took an age to take a free kick and was not spoken to and as the ball worked its’ way forward, the keeper was spotted holding the back of his head! 

The incident took the gloss off a good Gills performance where they were unlucky not to get a share of the spoils – an incident that may well have further repercussions for the Club in the days to come. 

Gillingham have little time to dust themselves down as they head to Wiltshire on Tuesday night to face rivals Swindon Town, likely again without a permanent manager in charge.

GILLINGHAM – Turner, Max Clark, Ehmer, Masterson, Malone (Orji 79), Mahoney (Nichols 78), Coleman, Jonny Williams (Lapslie 64), Jeffries, Jayden Clarke, Bonne.

Subs not used – Gale, Shaun Williams, Morris, MacArthur.

Goal: Malone (52).

Booked: Malone (52), Lapslie (77).

NOTTS COUNTY – Slocombe, Baldwin, Brindle (Macari 16), Cameron, Nemane, O’Brien, Palmer, Adebayo-Rowling (Crowley 60), McGoldrick, Langstaff (Morias 71), Jones (Austin 71).

Subs not used – Stone, Tipton, Rawlinson.

Goals: Langstaff (38), Macari (78).

Booked: O’Brien (84), Cameron (96), McGoldrick (96).

REFEREE – Mr Alan Young 

Attendance: 6,983

Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.