Coca-Cola League Two

Aldershot Town 2 Gillingham 1

WHILE patience proved to be a virtue at ‘The Rec’ on Saturday, Aldershot’s victory was ultimately down to a little slice of Lady Luck.

Nobody likes a late winner more than Scott Davies but this time his decisive goal, with four minutes to go, was not one of his famous piledrivers.

Instead, what appeared a fairly tame effort from the edge of the area was deflected past Gillingham ‘keeper Simon Royce by his team-mate, Simon King.

Not that Davies or Aldershot were complaining. After patiently probing ten-man Gillingham for more than an hour — striker Mark McCammon was sent off for a foul on Nikki Bull after just 13 minutes — Kirk Hudson had given The Shots the lead in the 75th minute.

But all that hard work looked wasted when, yet again, Aldershot conceded a goal in the last ten minutes. Simeon Jackson’s 84th-minute header was the sixth goal Gary Waddock’s side have let in the last ten minutes of matches this season.

Thankfully, unlike those other late goals at the likes of Luton Town and Shrewsbury Town and at home to AFC Bournemouth, Jackson’s was not decisive, thanks to Davies’ goal two minutes later.

Yes, it was fortunate, but Davies’ long-range shooting had lit up the game and stung Joyce’s hands regularly through the 90 minutes, so the luck was deserved.

“I’d been practising my shooting all game,” said Davies afterwards. “I am never afraid to shoot. If I do and it goes over the East Bank, then so be it. The winner was a bit fortunate as it got deflected — but I hit the target.”

This was Davies’ first league start of the season as he makes his way back to full fitness after a heel operation, with Lewis Chalmers relegated to the bench.

Waddock made three other changes from the side beaten 3-1 at Luton Town last week. Chris Blackburn was back from his ankle injury and slotted straight in at centre back, with Ricky Newman suspended, while, at left back, Dean Howell was preferred to Anthony Straker.

With Hudson, in for Scott Donnelly, and Davies scoring the goals, Waddock’s changes worked.

This was, in fact, a typical Aldershot win under Waddock’s management. Yet again, the margin of victory was by a single goal — all four league wins in League Two have been by the odd goal, following on from the plethora of narrow successes on which last season’s Conference triumph was based.

One only needs to look at the League Two table to see Aldershot’s ability to win (and lose), rather than draw, tight games.
They have a modest goal difference of +1 but have 13 points from seven games. Sitting sixth, they are in the play-offs spots, and just two points shy of the automatic promotion places.

Waddock will not discuss the table and refuses to look beyond the next game. In fact, he scarcely even talks of that match, away to Notts County on Saturday. “Let’s just enjoy the three points from this win, before we start to prepare for the trip to County,” he said.

But this was a very satisfying victory. The Shots were not at their best and, if anything, the sending off of McCammon seemed to disrupt the home side more than The Gills.
 
“We needed to be patient today,” said Waddock. “They had the sending off early on and it is always difficult to play against ten men. In the end we broke them down and we’ve got a good result.

“But during the first half we played too direct and too long for our liking. That suited Gillingham. Martin Kuhl and I told the guys at half-time to shorten up the passing in the second half.

“And I thought we had a number of good efforts in the second half and scored two goals. We’re very happy to have got three points against another good side.”

Indeed, but for AFC Bournemouth’s late equaliser in the first home league match of the season, The Shots would boast a perfect home League Two record. Still, ten out of 12 points represents a superb start.

“Sometimes you need a bit of luck and we got that with the deflection for Scott Davies’ winner,” continued Waddock. “But if you don’t shoot, you don’t score. Scott has hit five efforts from outside the box during the game. Simon Royce is a good keeper and has had to do well on a couple of occasions to stop Scott scoring earlier.”

Gillingham, smarting from a 7-0 mauling at Shrewsbury last week, no doubt felt that they deserved something from a match in which they showed plenty of character, given last week’s debacle.

But, ultimately, McCammon’s dismissal cost them. The powerful forward started brightly and beat Blackburn for skill and pace in the opening minutes. In the 13th minute, however, he deliberately barged into Bull, after the ‘keeper had already caught a cross from Mark Bentley, the former Shot.

Nat Lofthouse would have been proud of McCammon’s challenge but while Lofthouse was rewarded with a goal in the 1958 FA Cup Final, McCammon saw red from referee Scott.

Red did seem a little harsh and Bentley, with a smile on his face, suggested afterwards that Bull had been ‘a good pro’ in staying down. But it was an entirely unnecessary challenge and McCammon looked pretty foolish as he left the pitch, essentially sent off for a classic case of a centre forward ‘letting the ‘keeper know I’m about’ early in a game.

Gillingham’s midfield and defence were not affected by the sending-off, however, and the visitors were quick to regroup. Charlie Daniels looked dangerous down the left and kept Junior Osborne busy and, while Blackburn went close with a header from a corner, it was the Kent side who nearly opened the scoring, in the 28th minute.

It was a move made in Aldershot, as former Shot John Nutter crossed to Bentley, whose clever header beat Bull but not the post. Curtis Weston then wasted a good chance from 40 yards, with Bull out of his goal, after hesitation between him and Anthony Charles.

At the other end, Davies, who had already forced a flying save from Royce in the eighth minute, had another rasping shot blocked, as The Shots finally began to adjust to playing ten men and relied less on long balls up to Marvin Morgan.
John Grant, without a league goal at ‘The Rec’ for more than seven months, was unlucky when a smart turn and shot was deflected onto the inside of the near post.

Grant then forced Royce into a good save in first half stoppage time and Morgan was inches away from tapping into the empty net. Morgan was, perhaps, a little fortunate to be on the pitch, after he was only booked for a late, two-footed, tackle on Weston in the 37th minute.

Aldershot enjoyed some nice spells of possession after the break, with Howell impressing as an attacking force from left back and Blackburn pushing forward from defence and showing an impressive array of passing.

But, apart from a shot from Grant, which lacked the pace to beat Joyce, after a smart one-two with Louie Soares, the game looked like it would drift to 0-0.

In the last 20 minutes,  however, matters opened up. Bull saved well as Jackson made a rare raid for The Gills and then Royce superbly kept out another Davies thunderbolt. The power was out around the ground — it was a good job the clocks had not gone back — but Davies’ right foot was electric all game.

Finally, The Shots broke through. Grant’s clever flick put Hudson clean through and he finished with aplomb, in virtually his only contribution of the match.

“I thought Kirk was quiet today,” said Waddock. “But he gives us that threat, with his pace, and he’s a good finisher. I’m pleased he’s got his first goal of the season.”

Given The Shots’ horrid habit of conceding late goals, the last 15 minutes were bound to be a nervy affair. And when Ben Harding’s header back caused confusion, Jackson nipped in ahead of Bull, to nod the ball home.

“It was a sloppy goal,” said Waddock. “We are letting in late goals. We have to improve in that area. I think it’s a concentration thing.

“We can’t put it down to a lack of fitness, as we all know how fit the players are. I think sometimes when you take a lead, there’s a sense of relief and, instead, we need to keep our foot firmly on the pedal and see games out and get results.”

This time, however Davies’ sharp-shooting was on hand to  win back the three points. After playing a game of patience — solitaire — Davies was able to make it yet another win by the  familiar solitary goal margin.

“We’ve had a good start but won’t get carried away,” said Davies. “A winning mentality has been installed in us by the Gaffer and Martin Kuhl.

“We just have the ability to bounce back after we’ve lost. We did it almost every time last season and we’ve done it again today, after losing at Luton last week.”

Aldershot: Bull, Osborne, Howell (Straker), Blackburn, Charles, Harding, Soares, Davies, Grant, Morgan, Hudson. Subs not used: Jaimez-Ruiz, Chalmers, Donnelly, Hylton.

Gillingham: Royce, Nutter, King, Richards, Fuller, Bentley, Crofts, Weston, Daniels (Cumbers 82), McCammon, Jackson. Subs not used: Julian, Pugh, Mills, Jarrett.