Gillingham (H) League One, Oct 31st, 3pm

[SaigonSaddler]

Ride that lightning Mo Fo's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Derbyshire Saddler]

yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Well done Sallian, I knew you had it in you (literally) :D

[Guest]

We've done a Gillingham!

[Holbeach Saddler]

Mildly content

[sallian]

we are now approaching the the gillingham goal fertility zone.... i hope Smith gave the players the contraceptives

Another contender :lol:

well he obviously gave them reliable pills or whatever....i'm happy that these comments spark the right result apparently

[Pheasey_Saddler]

Fantastic comeback and result. Knowing that we'll be top for the next 2 weeks now makes it even sweeter!

[SoccerHQ]

3-2 Coventry now, was a late kick off there for some reason. They'll need to be watched.

[sallian]

yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Well done Sallian, I knew you had it in you (literally) :D

Well I have said before I almost broke my leg when we scored at Orient a few years ago....the steward thought I was a very calm and civilized supporter, he got closer to me as he looked with disapproval at some of our more wildly mannered supporters....

But then he saw me transform immediately into the incredible hulk on speed......almost punched holes in the stand but then gashed my leg badly on the wooden seats as I started levitating in ecstasy.....guess steward thought I was a real schiz-psycho

Gillingham must be sick to be 2 - 0 up the top rivals then to crash 2-3...hopefully it will damage them all psychologically

[Soton Saddler]

Awwwwh yeah!!!! Great result.

19 wins for the promotion!! Top of the league and a third of the way through the season.

[SaigonSaddler]

Walsall FC - suckling at the teet of unlikely victory since 1888.

[sallian]

:oops: just got it - it's saul-ian not sally ann. :oops:

Sorry that you only just discovered that, perhaps you were were fantasizing about me before :lol:

I just got a bit of sick in my mouth :( :(

Sorry....jealousy can do that, don't be too sad...you got my attention

[sallian]

:oops: just got it - it's saul-ian not sally ann. :oops:

Sorry that you only just discovered that, perhaps you were were fantasizing about me before :lol:

I just got a bit of sick in my mouth :( :(

Sorry....jealousy can do that, don't be too sad...you got my attention

oops just realised you were the original poster....maybe i am seeing double after that win

[Guest]

PS Thanks for the rugby updates, Welsh - not. I was going to watch that later, but it seems pointless now.

Still, who cares??? UTS!!!

[SaigonSaddler]

PS Thanks for the rugby updates, Welsh - not. I was going to watch that later, but it seems pointless now.

Still, who cares??? UTS!!!

Massive Oz fightback in the last 7 mins. Who'd have thought it!

[Welsh_Saddler]

PS Thanks for the rugby updates, Welsh - not. I was going to watch that later, but it seems pointless now.

Still, who cares??? UTS!!!

Many apologies - I only posted the progress of that game because someone requested it....or perhaps they were winding me up :oops:

Sorry.............but at least Walsall won, and we're TOP OF THE LEAGUE :D :D :D

[SaddlerSteve]

Best game of the season so far.

We were pretty poor for the first 30 mins and paid for it with their 2 goals.
Our goal seemed to come out of nowhere in then we got a quick 2nd and almost a 3rd.
Halftime saved them from going further behind.
2nd half we were all over them but couldn't seem to get it together in the net... until the end!
What a bloody goal!!

Brilliant atmosphere upstairs and the place erupted when that 3rd goal went in.
Another clown of a ref but thankfully it didn't cost us!

[SaigonSaddler]

:oops: just got it - it's saul-ian not sally ann. :oops:

Sorry that you only just discovered that, perhaps you were were fantasizing about me before :lol:

I just got a bit of sick in my mouth :( :(

Sorry....jealousy can do that, don't be too sad...you got my attention

oops just realised you were the original poster..hi everyone I'm me, maybe you hadn't heard of me but let me fill you in blah blah fudge blah, Walsall are cack etc, oh hang on and more whittering bollocks ..maybe i am seeing double after that win etc FFS

Sorry but I'm pissed. :D Suck it up you massive wrongkestein's monster.

[Guest]

PS Thanks for the rugby updates, Welsh - not. I was going to watch that later, but it seems pointless now.

Still, who cares??? UTS!!!

Many apologies - I only posted the progress of that game because someone requested it....or perhaps they were winding me up :oops:

Sorry.............but at least Walsall won, and we're TOP OF THE LEAGUE :D :D :D

Never mind, Welsh. It's not as if I am interested in either team.

I was going to go to sleep a couple of hours ago (at 0-2). Can't get to sleep now...

[latviancheese]

That really is, promotion winning stuff.

We were awful for 30 minutes, gifting them a goal and gifting Bradley Dack the chance to dive. At this poiint i feared a 4-0 beating.

But the lads grabbed the game, by the gonads, and got back in it with a long range effort. You saw Giligham collapse, and we went for them from this point. You didnt really want half time to come.

We were superb second half and we just couldnt get the ball in the net, then we had to hold on for 20 mins as they attacked us. I thought it was petering out to a 0-0. However these days we have players that can win games, and dont want to settle for draws. Step up Rico Henry, who produces some of the greatest footwork ive seen from a Walsall player, the boy is going places.

When the ball bobbled up into the air everyone was thinking "just hit it", Demetriou did, and the rest is history.

fudge me we might just be good enough to get promoted......

Everyone was MOTM today. It was a real team effort. We must re sign George Evans, he is a classy player.

The ref was Gillinghams.

Bradley Dack deserves nothing but pain, Karma is a bitch, and shows why you shouldnt give it the big un infront of the home fans. Also, he looks homeless.

Jordan Cook is still useless.

UPTHESADDLERS

[gerryhatrick]

Kiddy off the bottom, their first victory in 20 starts, with a single goal from Jordan Murphy.

[sallian]

oops just realised you were the original poster..hi everyone I'm me, maybe you hadn't heard of me but let me fill you in blah blah fudge blah, Walsall are cack etc, oh hang on and more whittering bollocks ..maybe i am seeing double after that win etc FFS

Sorry but I'm pissed. :D Suck it up you massive wrongkestein's monster.

Sounds more like Ritalin or something...be careful what you get in the pharmacists over there, some of the anti-biotics would knock out an elephant or make a pig puke

[BathSaddler]

All I can say is FANTASTIC. Gillingham are the third side this season [after Coventry & Burton] who were top of the league on their arrival in WS1 and we have beaten them all :) .

Chuffed to bits for Demetriou getting the winner, a great signing by DS.

We don't even need Super Tom to score these days.

[Guest]

Top of the table for the THIRD time this season.

(Just in case you hadn't noticed, AM. :D )

[funk_hits_the_fan]

Really starting to believe.

Best game in a while, good atmosphere upstairs, good gate, good time to be a Saddler!

And I haven't had to read any drivel from the resident idiot that has lots of opinions but doesn't go to any games. Best Saturday afternoon in ages! :lol:

[Wendy Mumford]

Evans, Sawyers, Rico. I would suck you all as hose pipes! Mmmmmm xxxx

[scott_powell]

First 30 we were shite.

Last 60 we were immense.

Absolutely huge respect to those who joined us in the upper today. It felt as though we'd played a big part in sucking the ball into the net. At 2-0 down we rallied on upstairs and look what happened! Superb. Haven't celebrated a goal like that for a long long time. We need more up there! This team deserve it!!

Referee was an utter disgrace. How was that not a red card for the tackle on Sawyers? Dreadful challege. Ref bottled it. Gave them EVERYTHING.

Who cares though! Top of the league!

[gerryhatrick]

All I can say is FANTASTIC.

We don't even need Super Tom to score these days.

Tom must be, by far, the best decoy in the division. :D

[Gripper]

Few stages of my thinking...

1-0 down - We'll still win
2-0 down - maybe not
2-1 and 2-2 - no time to breath between the two...lets get another before half time.

3-2....Scenes.

AT LAST a decent team visit the Bescot!! They got under our skin, their number 23 ran the show in the the same way Sawyers often does (and did at parts today) but in a totally different role, he completely stood out even if he was a fan of play acting and being an all round dirty fudge.

Fair play Gillingham, decent numbers too...I'm quite happy though, I doubt they are.

[philthesaddler]

Wow, what a game, it had it all: a penalty, a 2 goal comeback, a 25 yard screamer, a terrible ref, atmosphere...the lot.

This team has some proper backbone now, but we've got to stop gifting opposition teams the lead at home. Their first goal came directly from Chambers and Evans having a mix up about 10 yards inside the Gillingham half. Those two are there to prevent that, to allow the others to be creative. Fair play to Gillingham tho, that ball through was great and the finish was quality.

Their second was partly Downings fault - he maybe shouldn't have let the ball bounce, but I also think there was a shove in his back from Dack which put him off balance, the replay will probably show it. The ref should have stopped play at that point, but didn't, let play continue, then gave a penalty for what seemed a very similar push on Dack, who duly scored the penalty and celebrated like he was some kind of deity. More about the ref later.

Last seasons team at this point would have folded, instead, we have confidence to score every time we go forward. Almost immediately, Morris fired a low shot in to the corner, and before you could catch your breath the ball was fizzed in to the box again and Lalkovic nipped in to make it 2-2. Game on. At that point, we were buzzing and Gillingham were shell-shocked, game set up perfectly for the 2nd half.

To be honest, I always felt we'd go on and win it from that point, but in Dack they have a tricky customer, and the way the ref was reffing the game, we could barely make a challenge, which all being said heaps even more credit on the lads, they were playing 12 men effectively, so to play so well, keep it tight at the back against one of the best teams in the league, but at the same time push for a winner really was superb.

2nd half we kept pushing and pushing, Bradshaw started to find some more room and we spent most of the time camped in their half.

The winner came deservedly, Cook and Bradshaw both involved, and Demetriou kept a cool head to smash it in at the back post - pandemonium.

Now, before the negatives, even more positives:

- George Evans. Superb, definition of a box-to-box midfielder. Neat, tidy, loads of vision, not afraid to have a go. Pushed Sawyers close for MOTM today.

- Rico. How on earth is he only 18? I've said it before, but he plays like he's in his prime. Intelligent, aware, cool under pressure. We should be looking at close to £3m for him.

- Morris. Superb performance, especially 2nd half.

Negatives:

- Chambers had a poor game by his standards, gave the ball away under little pressure 3 or 4 times which lead to pressure being heaped back on us.

- Etheridge. Makes me nervous at corners, flaps at lot. In fairness he usually gets some kind of contact on the ball, but for a lad of his height, he could do better I think.

Finally, the referee.

I could write an essay on this blokes performance today, so I probably will. Let's analyse the big decisions:

- the penalty

To me, there was a clear shove on Downing as the ball came over. Should have stopped play there. Replay will prove me wrong or right.

- Number 11s challenge on Sawyers

Straight through the back of him after the ball had gone, with feet off the ground, out of control - only a yellow

- Number 11 tugging Rico back a few minutes later

Completely missed by the ref, would have been a 2nd yellow

- Challenge from behind on Chambers, early in the 2nd half

Again, just a yellow card. I'd say it was borderline dangerous and again, the player had no control over the challenge given the speed he came in at, debatable, but a yellow didn't seem enough.

- Another tug back from Number 11 in the 2nd half

The ref correctly played on, thus admitting an offence had happened, but again, failed to book the player for what was a clear booking. Seconds later, number 11, who must have totted up 5 fouls by now, already on a yellow, was subbed off, no surprise there. There was probably no need to bring him off tho because with this referee, he probably wouldn't sent him off.

- Fisticuffs involving Lalkovic

Their player raised his hands to Milan's neck. Thats a straight red. Has this been forgotten by the referee? Such a simple rule to implement, you raise your hands aggresively to an opposing player, it's a red. Instead, he booked both, despite it being the Gills player that instigated the incident.

- "Challenge" on the edge of our area in the 2nd half.

I labelled this as possibly the worse refereeing decision I've ever seen. Couldn't tell who the Walsall player was, think it might have been Chambers, but he cleared the ball on the edge of the penalty area fair and square, the Gillingham player wasnt even close to the ball, but the 2 players momentum meant they bumped in to each other. Ref gave a freekick to them. I mean, if you weren't at the game, just ask anyone who was, it was a truly astonishing decision. It was a clean interception that the ref gave as a foul. Shocking.

- No action taken against Dack in stoppage time for remonstrating

Already on a yellow, Dack went down theatrically on the edge of the area (or may have been inside), ref said no foul (surprisingly), so thats simulation, which is a yellow card. Dack, proceeding to chase the referee violently gesticulating and remonstrating with him, again, a further yellow card for those actions.

Do all previous cards get wiped in stoppage time or something?

On the whole, I'd give this ref about 2/10. He was truly dreadful. He gets one of those 2 points simply for turning up and the other for managing to start and finish the game. I think we came out of that game with 3 yellow cards, they came out with 5, which suggests a pretty even but physical game - don't believe a word of it - they could, and should have had 3 men sent off, Gillingham were a dirty, cynical side.

I know refs have a tough job, but this guy redefined inept.

Anyway, 3 points, well deserved, top of the league.

[JonnyOwen]

Very well deserved win. Conceded two poor goals, the penalty especially but responded quickly with heart and determination against a good Gills side and a fudge disgraceful referee, should of stuck a Gills shirt on.

I was really, really surprised by who horrible Gillingham were. Horror challenges, lots of cynical shirt pulling and stamps on feet - and yet the referee just let them get on with it, very spineless from him. McGlashan should of been off for a terrible challenge on Sawyers, high foot at high speed and didn't even get the ball. Dack too for about 3 or 4 bad challenges and tugs on the back of our shirts that the referee once for.

Great performance from the lads, Milan, Sawyers, Evans and Rico were outstanding - and Morris has to start when we play 433, he is heads and shoulders better than Forde. Best player for the Gills was easily John Egan who must of put in 3 or 4 last ditch tackles to stop us from scoring, he was excellent for them, very impressed.

So happy we managed to stick it to the cocky fool in Dack, what a horrible player.