Whenever I see United officiated by a Premiership referee, I am a bit sceptical about it all.
I'm probably just scarred by the self-important strutting of Jeff Winter, but seeing Mike Dean warming up today filled me with dread. However, I was made to eat my words after his performance today. Whenever discussing in the pub turns to referees, we're usually criticising them, but today conversation was actually started off by complimenting him on his excellent performance.
Walking down Warwick Road towards my seat in the East Stand, I found myself surrounded by Gillingham fans. I realised this because of their almost genetic need to punctuate sentences with the phrase 'cor blimey', much in the same way that West Cumbrians use 'eh?' in place of a comma. The thing that struck me was that they were singing songs about how much they hate Swindon Town. My geography is pretty good, thanks for asking, but those two places don't really strike me as places that are particularly close by. Admittedly, the two towns are closer than us and Burnley (come on down!), but the reason behind that rivalry baffled me. Especially when Swindon have Reading and Oxford for company.
The eleven blue shirted heroes who took the field on a Sunny Saturday were: Keiren Westwood; David Raven, Danny Livesey, Peter Murphy, Zigor Aranalde; Kevin Gall, Luke Joyce, Paul Thirlwell, Jeff Smith; Danny Graham, Derek Holmes.
From the outset, United played really good football. The passing was quick and incisive, the closing down was brisk and the tackles snuffed out any Gillingham attack before it had chance to develop.
The first half was one way traffic. Jeff Smith's corner was headed over by Peter Murphy after he stole a yard from his marker and then gave United the lead with a crafty free kick shortly after. Danny Jackman hauled Luke Joyce down as he took a shot at goal and the referee awarded the foul roughly twenty yards from goal and just right of centre. Murphy and Jeff Smith stood over the ball and Murphy hit the ball hard and low towards the near post, gambling on the wall jumping. The ball sped under the wall and into the bottom corner to give United an early and thoroughly deserved lead.
The goal sparked some life into Gillingham and their only player who looked capable of doing something was Felix Bastians who played on the left of midfield. His first noticeable action was to attempt to commit a foul so dastardly on David Raven that he almost erected a circular saw in the middle of the pitch and fed him onto it. However, our cunning loveable Liverpudlian saw him coming saw the opportunity for a free foul and made it count.
But yeah, Bastians ability to whip over good crosses from the left was their only hope of getting back into the game. He purposely didn't face up to the full back and try to get to the by-line, he delivered his crosses almost 35 yards from the goal line with the hope of tempting Westwood out of his goal, but whenever he did come for the ball, he claimed the ball with authority. Maybe the signing on Thursday has jolted him out of the comfort zone?
For the remainder of the first half, United were dominant without threatening the Gillingham goal. The nearest we came was another header from Murphy which sailed into the Warwick. The first half was a controlled display, but I remember the Yeovil home game when we controlled the first half and lead 1-0 at half time. Gillingham don't possess a player anywhere near as talented as Leon Best playing up front for them, but that doubt is always at the back of your mind.
Gillingham did have chances in the second half, Dean McDonald hit the bar with a looping header and a shot which looped up off Jeff Smith went close to embarrassing Westwood. The only other time they got near the goal was when Mark Bentley almost detached Westwood's head from his shoulders with a high and late challenge when he had collected the ball. Had our players barrelled in and started pushing him around, like you see other sides doing, he may have been sent off for it. However, Mike Dean let him away with a yellow card.
From then on, United became dominant. Johann Smith came on to the pitch in place of Holmes. Immediately he came on and gave Gillingham something different to worry about. He began to stretch their back four and offered us the chance to play the ball in behind their defenders, something that Graham and Holmes never could do. His runs were intelligent and he did look dangerous. For all the stick he takes, he shows great courage. He could take the easy option and make runs into places whereby he cannot have the ball passed to him, but he never hides and is always looking for the ball. If only a few of the more fancied players had that attitude.
The visitors were reduced to ten men when Bentley showed a distinct lack of footballing onus when he committed a tackle that combined lateness, being from behind and showing his studs, the second yellow card was inevitable. For Jepson to claim that this yellow was unwarranted is a mixture of stupid, idiotic and just plain bizarre.
United made the game secure after 81 minutes when Luke Joyce broke into the box and headed home Jeff Smith's perfect cross from the left wing. In the past, Joyce has usually been deployed as a defensive midfielder and when he and Thirlwell play together, I always get the impression that the pair of them is there to do the same job and end up getting in each others way. Today, Joyce was given licence to make forward runs and to support the strikers and he ended up giving a man of the match performance in that role and his goal was well deserved.
From then on, Gillingham crumbled. Their heads went down and there was a distinct lack of spirit amongst their side. Their players started to lose discipline. Leon Johnson forearmed Kevin Gall off the ball, Danny Spiller took a swipe at Paul Thirlwell after he had made him look daft and you thought that they'd be lucky to end the game with ten men. United showed a ruthless streak by taking Gillingham to the cleaners.
Two became three when Jeff Smith and Aranalde combined down the left and his cross into the box saw Danny Graham hauled back, Dean waved advantage and Kevin Gall smashed the ball into the top corner. Three was putting a more polished edge to the scoreline and it also began to eradicate some of the goal difference deficit which may come in useful as we come towards the end of the season. This move was started by some excellent work by Danny Graham which must be reported. He chased a 50 yard lost cause to close the keeper down; the result was him slicing the ball into touch for a throw-in from where the move to the third goal began.
Gillingham were longing for home when Johann Smith ran at Brent Sancho and he was fouled for a penalty right on the edge of the box. Initially I thought it was a free kick, but Mark Fuller's excellent photograph caught the moment of impact superbly and the foul was just inside. Danny Graham grabbed the ball, before almost fighting Zigor Aranalde for the right to the kick. I'm happy that Graham showed the guts to do that, because if a striker doesn't fancy the chance to take a free shot at goal from twelve yards, he shouldn't be on the pitch. His penalty kick oozed class, because he took the kick in the same way that Yakubu does for the smog monsters. He waited for the keeper to dive then slotted the ball the other way.
As Graham lined the penalty up, Shaun Vipond replaced Paul Thirlwell for his home debut and when he had the ball, he looked confident and assured. Hopefully he is the next in the long line of youngsters that Eric Kinder prepares for the rough and tumble of the first team.
In stoppage time, Danny Graham showed real poachers instincts by heading home his second of the match and United's fifth. In the last ten minutes, Gillingham had lost all semblance of shape and organisation and it was ruthlessly exposed by United.
All in all, it was a day for the unsung players in the team. Luke Joyce was man of the match, love him or loathe him, you can't hide from the fact that McDonald's decision to introduce Johann Smith turned the game from a potentially nervy last ten minutes into a cake walk, and Danny Graham is beginning to look like the mobile target-man that we all crave.
It all builds up next Friday's trip to Tranmere as an enormous game in the bigger picture for the play-offs. With yesterday's results going as they did, it looks as if Doncaster are out of it, leaving Oldham, Blackpool, Tranmere, Swansea and ourselves to fight for two play-off positions.
Hold tight kids, 'cos if we make them, we'll go up.
Ian Baker
