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Matchday Memories: On This Day 2013 – See Gills Gutted By Sky Blues At Sixfields Stadium

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CCFC Skipper & Gaffer

On this day (September 15th) in 2013 we played Gillingham at our thankfully temporary ‘home’ at Northampton Town‘s Sixfields Stadium. Apart from an opening day reverse (2-3 at Crawley Town) the Sky Blues were unbeaten in League One six games in with three wins and two draws. Sixfields was proving a goals-a-plenty ‘home from home’ so far with a 5-4 win over Bristol City followed by a 4-4 draw with Preston North End and a 2-0 victory over Colchester United already in the bag!

However, because of the ongoing supporters’ boycott of the club’s owners there was a crowd of only 2,046 fans (of which 371 were from Kent) to see if City could keep their 100% ‘home’ record. They saw a closely fought game from two teams near the bottom (in City’s case because of a points deduction) with plenty of chances at both ends.

Leon in the Sky Blue

Former Sky Blue player (and now CCFPA member) Steven Pressley saw his team eventually came out 2-1 winners, their second consecutive league win of the season, with both Leon Clarke and (now CCFPA member) Franck Moussa scoring. The Gills featured former Sky Blue forward (and now CCFPA member) Cody McDonald who, wouldn’t you know it, quickly grabbed the Gills’ equaliser after ten minutes after a period of sustained pressure and corner deliveries from the visitors.

Franck in the Sky Blue

Before the second minute of the game was up Leon had slid in to convert a clever cross from (now CCFPA member) Cyrus Christie before City ‘keeper Joe Murphy was beaten by Cody from close range in the six yard box after a bit of penalty area head tennis for the Gills to equalise.

The Sky Blues slightly fortuitously claimed the points eight minutes from time after the Gills’ goalie Stuart Nelson missed a clever CCFC corner kick from (now CCFPA member) Blair Adams, which was headed back across goal by Leon, and Franck was hand to force the ball home from almost on the goal line. Franck’s richly deserved winner for City lifted us out of the bottom four a week after the club had overturned their pre-season ten-point deduction.

Leon celebrates after his early goal

The two teams lined up as follows:-

Cody McDonald in Sky Blue action

Sky Blues (CCFPA members underlined)

Joe Murphy, Blair Adams, Cyrus Christie, Andy Webster, Jordan Clarke, John Fleck, Conor Thomas, Franck Moussa (sub. Jordan Willis -88), Carl Baker (c) (sub. Mathieu Manset -72), Callum Wilson and Leon Clarke.
Unused Subs: Ryan Haynes, Adam Barton, Billy Daniels, Louis Garner and Lee Burge (gk),
 
Gillingham:(managed by Martin Allen)
Stuart Nelson, Michael Harriman (sub. Sam Muggleton -88), Joe Martin, Leon Legge, Adam Barrett (c), Charlie Allen, Amine Linganzi, Danny Hollands (sub. Adebayo Akinfenwa -88), Myles Weston, Danny Kedwell, Cody McDonald (sub. Steven Gregory -79)  Unused Subs: Callum Davies, Bradley Dack, Jake Hessenthaler and George Howard (gk)   Referee:- Trevor Kettle
 
By the time the two sides met again in the return in March the Sky Blues promising start had crumbled in the new year with plenty of Sky Blue defeats on the card. It was the side from Kent who got their revenge with a 4-2 victory in a game of four penalties (two to City) and the visitors down to ten men after 25 minutes with Danny Seaborne sent off. Nevertheless there were enough points picked up to give the Sky Blues an eighteenth place finish four points away from the trap door (ninth without the ten point penalty). Gillingham were just above us two points better off!

CCFC 2013-14

Champions Wolverhampton Wanderers, followed by runners up Brentford climbed out of the division along with, after the playoffs, fourth placed Rotherham United.

At the other end of matters Tranmere Rovers, Carlisle United, Shrewsbury Town and (at the bottom) Stevenage Town experienced that ‘sinking feeling’!

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the images.

 

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September 15, 2024 · Tagged with

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