Stockport County 0 Gillingham 0
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Simeon Jackson is denied by keeper Owain Fon
Williams during Gillingham's 0-0 draw at
Stockport
Picture: Barry Goodwin
by Luke Cawdell
Gillingham picked up their fifth away point of the season after
a goalless draw at Stockport on Saturday.
The draw extends the Gills’ run without a win away from
home in League 1 to 18 games.
Gills boss Mark Stimson was hoping to finally
end the barren spell away from Priestfield but had to settle for a
point – one he was pleased to collect.
“I’ll definitely take a point,” said Stimson.
“It’s a hard place to go and they are fighting for their lives.
They’ve three home games in a week and reading the reports before
the game they need to win all of them to stay up."
Stimson named the same starting eleven which
beat Huddersfield the week before. The only change in the squad was
on the bench where Jack Payne came into replace Kevin Maher. He was
absent for family reasons.
The match, played on a terrible surface
at Edgeley Park, started at a lively tempo with the hosts
looking the more threatening.
Early shots from Paul Turnbull, Jabo Ibehre and George Donnelly
failed to find the target and throughout the first 45 minutes
neither goalkeeper was severely tested.
Gills striker Rene Howe was busy up front and he came just an
inch away from connecting with Andy Barcham’s cross midway through
the opening half.
Simeon Jackson hit an effort into the arms of
keeper Owain Fon Williams and moments later the 17-goal striker put
another shot well over the bar from 18 yards.
There were claims for a penalty from Barcham, as he went down in
the box, but the referee ignored the appeals and half-time came
with the game still scoreless.
Stimson was adamant that referee David Foster
had got the decision wrong.
“We don’t like to moan about it too much but
for me it was a stonewall penalty,” he said. “The guy took him
out.”
An early chance in the second half for League 1's basement
side Stockport nearly broke the deadlock when Turnbull glanced
a header goalwards but Julian pulled off a great save to deny
him.
At the other end Jackson was getting closer and
a long-range effort went just wide of the post.
Jackson was withdrawn just after the hour mark, to be replaced
by Dennis Oli, as he had been carrying an injury picked up
earlier in the game.
Chances were falling at the feet of County striker Ibehre
throughout the game, but he was being wasteful. When the hosts did
find the target they found Julian in top form.
With 70 minutes gone he produced a great block to deny David
Perkins and then tipped the long-range follow-up from Turnbull out
for a corner.
Neither team managed to gain the upper-hand towards the latter
stages and Gillingham’s long search for an away win continues.
Gillingham: Julian, Lewis, Nutter, Richards,
Dennehy, Barcham, Miller, Weston, Jackman, Howe (Dickson 83mins),
Jackson (Oli 63mins). Subs not used: Royce, Palmer, Bentley, Payne,
Walker.
Stockport: Fon Williams, Mullins, Sadler,
Swailes, Huntington, Partridge (Rowe 76mins), Tansey, Turnbull,
Perkins, Ibehre, Donnelly. Subs not used: Gerrard, Fisher, Hare, L
Barnes, S Barnes, Halls.
Attendance: 3,894
Thursday, March 11 2010
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