The scoreline suggests a thrashing of all proportions – the reality was so different as yes Sunderland did return to the North East with the League One points, but Steve Lovell will have left the Medway Priestfield Stadium wondering what might have been.

The last time Gills conceded four at home, they were well and truly routed by a Bolton Wanderers side eighteen months ago en route to winning League One promotion who were head and shoulders above the home side that night and ultimately set the stage for Ady Pennock’s demise.

So, the same thing happened in this game, right?

How wrong you could be, as yes over the ninety minutes the visitors possibly just about had enough to win the game, but the 4-1 scoreline incredibly flattered the Wearsiders at the end of the game!

It all started so well for Lovell and his men too as Tom Eaves rose brilliantly through the crowd at the far post to beat keeper Jon McLauglin to the ball to head his fourth goal of the season from Luke O’Neill’s terrific centre.

Barely though had the home fans settled back in their seats had Sunderland levelled – a corner wasn’t cleared properly, and Chris McGuire was allowed to bundle the ball home at the back post.

The encouragement really pushed the Gills back for ten minutes and the visitors went onto score twice in ninety seconds; George Honeyman put the visitors in front with a shot that seemed to clip a defender giving Tomas Holy in the Gills goal no chance, before soon after it was 3-1 as this time Max Power was allowed too much room again giving Holy no chance – suddenly the Gills found themselves 1-3 down inside twenty minutes of kick off.

Eaves was agonisingly close to reducing the arrears as he was desperately close turning in Max Ehmer’s flick and shortly before half-time Josh Parker flashed a header narrowly past the left post.

The second half began with the Gills in the ascendancy and there were loud appeals for a penalty when Regan Charles-Cook was sent sprawling in the box.  Referee Coggins appeared to give the spot kick as he turned back towards the centre circle – sadly the official was “just” giving a goal-kick.

The home side then had two efforts scrambled off the lines – Eaves’ looping header being cleared before Mark Byrne did the hard work for Parker’s shot that had McLaughlin scrambling to save.

Then totally against the run of play Sunderland sealed the points with a goal that really summed up the Gills night.  They lost possession down the right and as the ball was played into the box the luckiest of ricochets saw the ball drop to Maja not once but twice who gleefully prodded the ball into the net.

The Gills kept going and with new boys Charles-Cook and Brandon Hanlan combining well all night and the pacy Hanlan a real threat all game long, and Eaves was denied a late second as his toe poke came back of a post after Charles-Cook and sub Elliot List had combined down the left.

Bottom line though however is that the history books will register this as a heavy home defeat but with Coventry City due next at Priestfield at the weekend, there’s an early chance to get to winning ways.

The defeat sees Steve Lovell’s side drop to 9th place in League One.

 

Gillingham line up: Holy, O’Neill (List 70), Ehmer, Garmston, Zakuani, Bingham (Reilly 70), Byrne, Charles-Cook, Parker, Hanlan (Stevenson 85), Eaves.

Subs not used: Hadler, Fuller, Lacey, Nasseri.

Goal: Eaves (3).

Booked: Ehmer (51).

Sunderland line up: McLaughlin, James, Love (Hume 78), Loovens, Baldwin, Cattermole, Gooch, Power (O’Nien 83), Honeyman, Maguire (McGeouch 69), Maja.

Subs not used: Ruiter, Ozturk, Embleton, Mumba.

Goals: Maguire (4), Honeyman (18), Power (20), Maja (59).

Booked: Cattermole (43), Hume (93).

Referee: Mr Antony Coggins

Attendance: 8,438 (2,087 Sunderland)