To the most fervent Gillingham supporter, Sheffield United’s 90th minute winner would appear to have stolen the three points, but in truth, the visitors were the better team on the day and fully deserved their first away victory of the season.
Gillingham remain 8th in League One having missed the opportunity to potentially finish the day in 2nd.
Bradley Dack’s 20-yard freekick was the highlight for Gillingham, giving them the lead in the 34th minute, but from then on, they rarely troubled Simon Moore in the Sheffield goal. Kieron Freeman slid in the equaliser on 65, and it looked as though that would end the scoring until Josh Pask used an arm to clear the ball, leading to Billy Sharp’s late, late penalty.
As befitting their league position, Gillingham started the game on the front foot, with the returning Ryan Jackson’s long throws looking for the height and power of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Max Ehmer. But a slide-rule pass forward by Paul Konchesky in the 4th minute opened up the Sheffield United defence, allowing Cody McDonald to run through. McDonald feinted past a lunging challenge from James Wilson, but goalkeeper Simon Moore was off his line quickly to smother the Gills’ forward’s shot.
In their next attack, the Blades made good progress down their right wing, with Mark Duffy exchanging passes with Kieron Freeman, before Duffy swept a shot across the face of goal; Jonathan Bond able to pounce on the ball without any further challenge.
For a side who hadn’t scored first in any game this season, Sheffield United were exploiting acres of space in the Gillingham midfield, with Duffy especially roaming free. Duffy’s ball into the feet of Billy Sharp led to a poor touch from Ehmer, which pushed the ball into the path of Freeman, whose run was ended by a clumsy challenge from Dele Oshilaja; fortunately the referee, Mr Handley, was unmoved by impassioned pleas from the men in red and white stripes.
Duffy fired in another long-range shot that Bond did well to parry away from the danger area to his left, but the keeper was grateful to Ehmer’s sliding challenge to block a Matt Done shot, after more good work from Duffy and Freeman had carved the Gills defence open.
Arguably against the run of play, Gillingham took the lead in the 34th minute from an exquisite Bradley Dack freekick. Cody McDonald’s weaving run was ended on the edge of the box by a crude bodycheck from Dan Lafferty, earning the left-back Sheffield’s second caution of the afternoon. Dack took on the responsibility from 20 yards from the left side of the ‘D’, curling a shot over the wall that Moore could only help into the back of the net; the shot having too much power for the keeper’s right hand.
At the other end, Dan Lafferty had an almost identical freekick to Dack’s, this time perfect for the left-footer, but his effort went tamely into the wall and out for a corner. From the set piece though, Chris Basham climbed high over McDonald to power a header down, which Bond was able to gather on his line.
Gillingham made a change at the interval in both personnel – Josh Pask replacing the ineffective Billy Knott – and in formation, changing to 3-5-2 to match up their visitors. The first chance of the half though fell to the Blades, and started from a Gillingham corner. A quick clearance down the right side saw Sharp hold off Jackson’s challenge, turn inside the fullback and fire in a left foot shot that Bond did well to force behind for a corner.
Although United continued to dominate the possession, Oshilaja and Pask were sweeping up most of the threat, but Sharp was left free on the hour to ghost into the area and direct a header from a Lafferty cross wide.
On a rare foray forward, Mark Byrne stung the palms of Moore in the Blades’ goal with a rasping drive, but Dack was standing in an offside position to capitalise further, but this was only a precursor to Sheffield’s equaliser in the 65th minute.
Lafferty was given time and space on the left to measure a cross into the Gillingham area. Done outjumped the defence to head towards the left side of the 6-yard box, where Sharp was free to turn the ball back across goal, with Freeman sliding in to convert from close range.
The next ten minutes was a case of wasted chances for both teams. Duffy blazed a freekick high into the Medway stand. Then Emmanuel-Thomas, who had been playing in a deeper role off McDonald, fired a tame freekick into Moore’s arms, then found the keeper’s handling safe once more from a 25-yard curling effort.
Sheffield should have been in front on 76 as Basham drove forward from a Blades’ throw on the right side. His pass into the path of Duffy allowed the midfielder to drive a low cross into the near post, where substitute Leon Clarke held off Ehmer’s challenge, but could only stab the ball into the advertising hoardings behind the post.
Jamie O’Hara swung a high, hanging freekick into the United area from the left, which Moore fumbled as he advanced. The ball dropped to Ehmer, whose snapshot was well charged down by Ethan Ebanks-Landell. While from the clearance, Sharp teased the Gillingham defence, swapping passes with Lafferty, before seeing his shot rebound off Jackson’s challenge.
Into the last five minutes, and the game was becoming increasingly stretched. A long ball over the top from Paul Coutts drew Bond from his goal, but the ball held up on the pitch allowing Clarke to beat the keeper to the first touch. Gillingham’s defence closed down the initial threat, but the ball was worked back to Duffy outside the area, although his shot was high, wide and not very handsome.
The goal that Sheffield United had been threatening arrived in stoppage time from the penalty spot after an inexplicable handball from 18-year old Josh Pask. Freeman looped a cross into the area from the deadball line on the right wing. Although not under immediate pressure, Pask did have two Sheffield players in close proximity, and the ball struck his raised arm, with Mr Handley pointing immediately for a spot-kick. Blades’ skipper, Sharp, stepped up to fire his penalty into the left corner, beyond Bond’s outstretched arms to seal the win.
GILLINGHAM (1st – 4-4-2; 2nd – 3-5-2): 30- Jonathan Bond, 2- Ryan Jackson, 5- Max Ehmer, 6- Dele Oshilaja, 12-Paul Konchesky, 44- Josh Wright, 11- Billy Knott (18- Josh Pask 46), 23- Bradley Dack (4- Jamie O’Hara 77), 33- Mark Byrne, 50- Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (9- Rory Donnelly 77), 10- Cody McDonald.
Subs not used: 1- Stuart Nelson, 16- Emmanuel Osadebe, 20- Darren Oldaker, 21- Elliott List.
Goals: Bradley Dack 34
Cautions: Dele Oshilaja 46, Josh Pask 89
SHEFFIELD UNITED (3-5-2): 25- Simon Moore, 5- Jack O’Connell, 13- Jake Wright, 20- James Wilson (19- Ethan Ebanks-Landell 61), 18- Kieron Freeman, 6- Chris Basham, 15- Paul Coutts, 21- Mark Duffy (8- Stefan Scougall 87), 24- Dan Lafferty, 10- Billy Sharp, 11- Matt Done (27- Leon Clarke 67).
Subs not used: 1- George Long, 3- Chris Hussey, 4- John Fleck, 23- Ben Whiteman.
Goals: Kieron Freeman 65, Billy Sharp 90 (pen)
Cautions: Matt Done 14, Dan Lafferty 32
Attendance: 5,598
Referee: Mr Darren Handley
Assistants: Mr Thomas Ramsey and Mr Dean Treleaven
Fourth Official: Mr Andy Woolmer