Gillingham 3 Plymouth Argyle 0
Comments |
Danny Kedwell celebrates his first
Gillingham goal Picture: Barry
Goodwin
by Luke Cawdell
Danny Kedwell converted two penalties and Luke Rooney hit a fine
solo goal as Andy Hessenthaler’s Gillingham maintained their
unbeaten start to the League 2 campaign.
Kedwell opened his account for the Gills from the penalty spot
to give his hometown side the lead at Priestfield against Plymouth
in the second half.
Plymouth were reduced to 10 men as a result of the penalty, as
Ben Gibson went for a second booking, and the win was made safe
following a stunning goal by substitute Rooney as he smashed an
effort in off the underside of the bar.
Kedwell made it 3-0, again from the penalty spot, to cap the
victory off.
Chances for both teams were at a premium in the opening half
with neither keeper finding themselves over-worked. In the second
half Plymouth barely got a sniff of the Gillingham goal as the
hosts dominated.
The Gills, with Curtis Weston operating up-front alongside Danny
Kedwell, made a lively start but that soon fizzled out by the
break. The home side’s chief tormentor in the early stages Charlie
Lee was kicked into submission and he looked to be struggling from
a foul committed against him on 18 minutes.
Lee was operating down the right flank while Danny Spiller took
up duties on the left.
It was the visitors who came closest to finding the net in the
first 45 minutes when Warren Feeney’s cross was smashed narrowly
wide, with the aid of a deflection, by Luke Daley.
Conor Hourihane also sliced a good chance wide for Argyle while
at the other end the Lee put an effort the wrong side of the post
after capitalising on some indecisive defending from Stephane
Zubar.
The Gills attacked straight from the whistle in the second half,
again making the early running, and Matt Lawrence was only denied
by the crossbar as he got his head on the end of a Spiller
corner.
Kedwell almost got off the mark with a volley on the hour which
keeper Romain Larrieu did well to tip round the post. From the
resulting corner Lawrence headed narrowly over.
Gills boss Hessenthaler swapped things around in attack with
Dennis Oli introduced to play alongside Kedwell in attack. Rooney,
back from a three game suspension, added extra energy on the left
of midfield while Weston went to the right..
Gillingham’s second half domination was rewarded when on 74
minutes but confusion reigned before Kedwell tucked away from the
penalty spot after Ben Gibson had been penalised for a
handball.
Weston had actually scored from the move, despite Gibson’s
interception, but the linesman had already flagged for a penalty.
To the delight of the Gills fans Kedwell converted to avoid any
later arguments.
It was a double blow for the visitors as Gibson’s booking for
the handball, following an earlier caution for a foul, saw him
making a lonely early exit.
Lee almost doubled the advantage with a vicious drive on the
volley but somehow Durrell Berry managed to clear from off the
line.
It was Rooney who blasted in the second with four minutes to go.
He burst into the box, held off his marker, and drove an
unstoppable shot in off the bar to seal the points for the home
side.
Kedwell put the icing on the cake with his second from the
penalty spot in injury time, tucking away into the opposite corner
of the goal, after Lee had been fouled in the box by Curtis
Nelson.
Gills: Flitney, Fuller, Lawrence, Frampton,
Martin, J Payne, Weston (Jackman 87mins), Lee, Montrose (Rooney
60mins), Spiller (Oli 60mins), Kedwell. Subs not used: Richards,
Jackman, Gazzaniga.
Plymouth: Larrieu, Berry, Zubar, Nelson, Daley
(LeCointe 78mins), Walton, Feeney, Soukouna, Gibson, Hourihane,
Atkinson. Subs not used: Cole, Hitchcock, Copp, Young.
Attendance: 5,053
What do you make of Gillingham's victory? Have your say
below.
Saturday, August 20 2011
The KM Group does not moderate comments.
Please click here for our house rules.