Costly missed opportunities cause Gillingham and Grimsby to draw
George Lapslie scored the equaliser to keep Gillinghams play-off dreams alive in a 1-1 draw with Grimsby Town at Priestfield Stadium on Saturday.
A sickness bug forced manager Stephen Clemence to make alterations in his starting XI. Irish defender Conor Masterson also missed out through suspension after getting two yellow cards against Wimbledon.
After 13 minutes, Donovan Wilson put the visitors ahead after being played through by captain Gavan Holohan. The striker slotted it underneath Gills goalkeeper, Glenn Morris.
However, the away side didn’t stay in the lead for long. George Lapslie volleyed the ball into the goal from a lovely teasing cross from Dieng.
In the unlikeliest of circumstances, Jonny Williams came dangerously close to scoring his first league goal for the Gills. Remeao Hutton delivered a ball in from the right aiming for the back post where Williams was. He beat the defender to the header but Harvey Rodgers was there to clear it off the line.
Near the start of the second half, Donovan Wilson should have put his side in front. He got played in by Denver Hume and skied a first-time effort over the bar.
Throughout the game there were some wishful thinking long-range efforts. Shadrach Ogie had a few attempts from distance that rarely troubled the Grimsby keeper. One attempt was too powerful for Harvey Cartwright and caused him to parry. Connor Mahoney was the fastest to react and came close by hitting the post.
Ogie went on a mesmerising run, striding past three Grimsby players. He entered the penalty area and shot from a tight angle. His effort came close but just too much power caused it to rise over the bar.
The game ended 1-1 with the fans upset with the result. Boos rang out at the end of the game particularly with the decision that Clemence didn’t make any substitutions till the 84th minute.
This result means that Gillingham sit in 9th place still only one point away from a play-off place. They travel to Morecambe on the 23rd of March for another big game for their hopes of making the play-offs.