A Connor Chaplin strike just sixteen minutes from time condemned Gillingham to a frustrating defeat at Ipswich Town as Neil Harris’ side came within touching distance of another massive morale boost under the new boss.
When Gillingham lost four nil at home to Ipswich Town on the first Saturday of the year, it spelled the end for Steve Evans’s reign at the club.
Now just twenty-eight days later, Neil Harris’ Gills side came agonisingly close to a “revenge” win in the new boss’ first away game in charge.
But in the end, when you’re in the relegation zone, lady luck has an annoying habit of being absent, and so it proved at Portman Road as Vadaine Oliver and then Danny Lloyd crashed efforts off the frame of the home goal in the opening stages of the second half, before against the run of play, Chaplin’s goal condemned the Gills to another heart-breaking defeat.
Harris made two changes to the side that beat Crewe in midweek as Oliver came in for Charlie Kelman (who found a place on the bench), and new signing Ben Thompson made his debut in place of Mustapha Carayol who wasn’t fit enough for the trip to Suffolk.
The nearly five hundred travelling supporters in the 20,000 plus crowd were treated to another much improved performance and they so very nearly had the perfect start as Lloyd’s early free kick forced home keeper Christian Walton into a brilliant low save.
It took the home side over twenty minutes to test Aaron Chapman, and when they did, Wes Burns forced the Gills keeper into a terrific save from outside the box. Thompson then came agonisingly close to a debut goal at the other end as his curling effort beat Walton but also the post.
The new Gills boss must have been encouraged by the opening half, and his satisfaction levels must have grown even more after the break as the Gills went looking for the goal that their efforts deserved as the Ipswich woodwork was hit twice.
Oliver first got on the end of a long ball over the top and he brilliantly caught a strike that beat the home keeper but crashed back off the post. It was Lloyd’s “turn” next as Jack Tucker’s ball into the box caused mayhem, and as it fell to the midfielder, he beat Walton, but sadly not the post as the defenders dived in!
Sadly, that was Lloyd’s last involvement in the game as shortly afterwards he went down with a knee injury that didn’t look good and it was almost as though, with his departure, so lady luck went too as within a matter of minutes, the home side took the lead against the run of play as Chaplin arrowed a low shot into the bottom corner giving Chapman no chance.
Try as they might, the Gills couldn’t get the ball in the back of the Ipswich net, and they returned to Kent empty handed.
Beaten yes, but the seeds of encouragement were there for all to see, and if it continues when Cambridge United come to Priestfield on Tuesday, there might just be fight left in the old “white horse” that might yet just open that escape door just a bit wider!
IPSWICH TOWN – Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Burns (Edwards 54), Evans, Carroll, Chaplin (Bakinson 84), Thompson, Pigott (Bonne 79), Norwood.
Subs not used – Hladky, Jackson, Burgess, Edwards, Celina.
Goal: Chaplin (74).
GILLINGHAM – Chapman, Masterson, Ehmer (Phillips 91), Tucker, McKenzie, O’Keefe, Thompson (Dickson-Peters 79), Tutonda, Lee, Lloyd (Kelman 68), Oliver.
Subs not used – Dahlberg, Jackson, Maghoma, Sithole.
Booked: Tutonda (11).
REFEREE – Mr Steve Martin
Attendance: 20,698