Gillingham reach crunch time, heading in to the weekend’s game against Crewe desperate for a win. Make no bones about it; a draw will not do. And that goes for both teams.
One point out of twelve has left Gillingham five points behind Wigan and a further nine behind Burton Albion. Coupled with their recent terrible form – just one point picked up from a possible twelve – and Gillingham fans are looking over their shoulder at the four point gap to Bradford in seventh. After they host Crewe they face Southend at Roots Hall, before playing Walsall at home (provided the game is not postponed due to international call-ups) and Bury away over Easter weekend. It is a period that could well prove decisive in terms of the season as a whole with their away form set to be tested and their hoodoo against the teams at the top of League One.
Crewe are just three points and one position off rock bottom of League One, and they look slightly doomed to relegation. This will not stop them scrapping as any team near the bottom of the table will do. Testament to this are the points they have picked up they have picked up at Southend and Wigan, and via their draws at home to Walsall and Burton recently. They will be no pushovers, that is for sure.
However, in Crewe’s current predicament, draws just will not do and they will be going full throttle for three vital points to bring them closer to safety. This could well play in to the hands of the Gills, giving them a chance to find space down the flanks with the likes of Brennan Dickenson and Jermaine McGlashan both getting minutes under their belts in recent games.
Goals have been lacking for the team recently and one of Rory Donnelly, Dominic Samuel or Luke Norris need to step up and grab the bull by the horns. With Bradley Dack no longer providing goals on a plate and missing his fifteen goals, the strikers need to accept the goal-scoring responsibility.
They need to be killing themselves to make runs, gamble in the area and concentrate on all areas of their respective games. Too often touches have been heavy, crucial passes have gone astray and chances gone begging. Dack cannot save them now, and they need to step up and nail down a starting spot.
One player who has stood up in recent games has been Josh Wright. The captains armband seems to have imbued him with even more energy and class. It is so noticeable how much ground he covers and how willing he is to receive the ball anywhere on the pitch.
He seems to bring a calmness in the midfield which is much needed in a team lacking experience and which has seemed to panic slightly, as acknowledged by Edinburgh himself after the Chesterfield loss.
A victory for Gillingham, however it comes is a must. It will give them a bit of breathing space in light of some tricky games coming up; it will be another game ticked off before the end of the season; it will be another game closer to the return of Dack and John Egan; it will be the end of a major dip in form that has made this a must-win game; and it will relieve some of the pressure that seems to be inhibiting some of the players in Justin Edinburgh’s young squad as of late.
Win, lose or draw it is not season over but it will take one almighty effort to make the playoffs and to rally the players for the final ten games of the season if Gillingham cannot overcome lowly Crewe. A loss for the Railwaymen will see them well adrift at the wrong end of the table and with games running out
Momentum is everything, and at the moment Gillingham reach crunch time they are stuttering into first gear and threatening to stall. Crewe are yet to get out of neutral
For Gillingham, it is time to accelerate clear of the chasing pack. For Crewe, they need to get going and try to catch up with the strugglers.
It isn’t the making of the classic, but it looks like it will be nervy at the MEMS Priestfield come 3 o’clock Saturday afternoon.
