Gillingham 1 (Jackson 18) Rochdale 1 (Le Fondre 61) – Full Time Report

Adam Le Fondre’s fine goal earned Rochdale a point at Gillingham. The draw was a fair reflection as Dale dominated the second half after Gills had enjoyed the better of the opening period.

Le Fondre’s excellent curling strike brought the draw that extended Rochdale’s unbeaten league run to nine games.

Gillingham held a deserved lead over Rochdale at the break after Simeon Jackson finished off a fine move and the home defence kept Dale comfortably at bay.

Jackson could have doubled the Gills lead but hit his shot straight at Sam Russell, while Dale came closest in the final minute of the half when Clark Keltie’s shot was somehow blocked on the line.

After Gillingham had enjoyed the early possession the first two chances both fell to Dale. Lee Thorpe glanced a header wide from Tom Kennedy’s cross and then from a Kennedy corner a scramble ensued in which Rory McArdle almost turned the ball home.

The Gills’ first chance brought them the lead as Albert Jarrett whipped in a superb low cross that was crying out for one of the two strikers, who had both lost their men, to fire home. Simeon Jackson did the honours.

The home side took a hold of the fixture and Jackson squandered a glorious chance to double the lead as he latched onto a long pass. Sam Russell came out to meet him and the striker lost his nerve, firing his shot straight at the Dale keeper.

The chances dried up after that, but Gillingham were good value for their lead after keeping the visitors’ chances to a minimum. That was until the final minute of the half when a corner fell to Clark Keltie who looked certain to score from just seven yards out, but his well struck shot hit Gillingham keeper Simon Royce on the line.

The opening stages of the second half brought very little to report other than a worrying injury for Scott Wiseman, who pulled up in a chase with Jarrett and was forced off in place of Marcus Holness.

The first real chance of the half came to Dale on the hour when Joe Thompson broke to release Adam Le Fondre, who bore down on Royce from a tight angle and cut the ball back, only for Curtis Weston to get a vital block out for a corner.

Dale continued to drive on and they had their equaliser when Tom Kennedy drove at the heart of the Gillingham back line and produced a fine pass for Le Fondre, who checked inside and produced a finish right out of the top drawer, looping the ball over the head of Royce, who had no chance.

The goal gave Dale confidence, in particular Le Fondre, who was next to test Royce following a lovely turn on the edge of the box. Royce palmed clear at full stretch.

Keith Hill introduced Will Buckley in search of victory and he added pace down the Dale left but there was to be no end product. Dale were building things nicely but there was nothing to really test Royce.

Gillingham’s only real chance of the entire period came with just five minutes left when Russell dropped a cross and Lee Thorpe, not once, but twice got the ball off the line. 

Attendance: 4,029

Gillingham: Royce, Fuller, Nutter, King, Richards (Mills 53), Bentley, Jackson, Southall (Mulligan 75), Miller (McCammon 79), Weston, Jarrett.
Subs (not used): Lewis, Julian.

Rochdale: Russell, Wiseman (Holness 55), Kennedy, Stanton, McArdle, Rundle (Buckley 69), Toner, Keltie, Thompson, Le Fondre, Thorpe.
Subs (not used): Higginbotham, Jones, Spencer.

Booked: McArdle, Thompson, Keltie.