Gillingham 0-3 Coventry City - I think the occasion got to them today, admits deflated James Marrs

GILLINGHAM  0-3  COVENTRY CITY
The FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division
Sunday 18^th May 2014
Stephen McCartney reports from Maidstone Road

GILLINGHAM manager James Marrs says he feels deflated after his side suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the top-of-the-table showdown against Coventry City.

The Gills would have claimed The FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division title had they won - but they chocked in front of an expectant record home crowd of 242.

Coventry City were clinical in front of goal and lone striker Helen Dermody scored twice in a devastating 103 seconds to stun Gillingham in the first half.

The Midlands outfit were reduced to ten players with seventeen minutes left when left-back Nikki Miles was seen by an eagle-eyed assistant referee for allegedly kicking Jade Keogh in an off-the-ball flashpoint.

But the league’s highest goalscorers couldn’t find a breakthrough against a resilient Coventry City side that were unbeaten on their travels in the league.

Coventry City added a third late on when substitute Marie Gauntlett capitalised on a mistake to add insult to injury.

“I’ve not got too much to say to be honest,” said Marrs after his side’s only home defeat of the season.

“Fair play to Coventry, they came here with a game plan and they executed their game plan and picked up the win so fair play to them.

“I thought the game was a fairly even game.  They were just a little bit clinical in the final third once they got their chances and we unfortunately wasn’t, so it can be a cruel game.”

When asked whether his side froze on the big occasion with all the pre-match treble chasing attention, Marrs replied: “As much as we can turn round, me and Jack (Wheeler) are trying to deflect that point, we were saying to them it’s more important that you focus on the game rather than the occasion.

“I think the occasion got to them (my players) unfortunately.  We tried our best to try and drum that out of them but it wasn’t quite enough.”

With skipper Jay Blackie ruled out through suspension, the armband was handed to goalkeeper Faye Baker and she was called into action after only 121 seconds.

Dermody whipped in an excellent left-footed free-kick from 35-yards, which flashed across goal and Baker dived to her left to parry the ball away.

Gillingham’s first opening came inside the opening fifth minutes, following their first corner of the game.

Charlotte Gurr swung the ball in from the right and Deanna Cooper came up from the back to plant her header across goal and past the far post from eight-yards.

But after those couple of early chances the game turned into a cagey affair in front of the large crowd, which included Gillingham Football Club’s chairman Paul Scally.

“The support we’ve had today has been absolutely fantastic,” said a thankful Marrs, who went on to praise Charlotte Richardson for her efforts.

“I said to our head of media that if we could get over 100 that would be fantastic. To get over 200, I’m flabbergasted by the amount of support that we’ve had today.

“We’ve also had the Gillingham directors and Mr Paul Scally himself down today to support us so we’re absolutely over the moon and delighted with the amount of support that we’ve had.

“We’d like to thank everybody for the support they’ve given us throughout the season just as well as today.

“To see the directors of Gillingham here today and to see Darren Hare and Mr Paul Scally as well to support us in what was our most important game of the season speaks volumes for where we want to go as a football club and it speaks volumes about the respect that the girls have gained this season.”

Unfortunately, Gillingham’s players froze in their biggest home game in their history, on a warm sunny afternoon in Chatham.

Fliss Gibbons clipped the ball forward through the heart of Coventry’s defence, which was latched onto by Lisa Fulgence, who bulldozed her way into the penalty area but the ball ran away from the striker, rolling into Susan Wood’s hands.

Coventry were a threat down the left and left-back Miles played a one-two with winger Natalie Brace but her angled effort bounced into Baker’s hands for a comfortable save.

But Coventry City grabbed the lead in the 31^st minute.

Miles whipped in an excellent low cross from the left, which put Dermody through on goal and she took a touch before slotting her right-footed shot across Baker into the bottom right-hand corner.

Marrs, who coached the Kent FA Women’s team to Southern Counties Cup glory with a 2-1 win over The Army on this ground on Wednesday night, said: “Good finish to be fair.  I thought she was a decent player. She had good movement off the ball. It was a good bit of football from them.  They slipped it through and rolled it nicely into the corner.

“We gave them too much respect in our own half, didn’t press the ball the way we should’ve been pressing the ball and our shape wasn’t very good and they managed to punish that so fair play to them.”

Gillingham were facing an uphill struggle when Coventry City replicated that goal a second time only 103 seconds later.

Baker stepped off her line but she couldn’t prevent an unmarked Dermody to nip in and poke the ball past the keeper to find the bottom far corner for a second time.

Marrs said: “You’d like to think that you learn from mistakes but you’re at your most vulnerable once you’ve just conceded – the other team as well.

“It’s just deflating, it’s just deflating really.”

The two strikes stunned Gillingham and their supporters and to make matters worse 20-goal striker Lisa Fulgence was forced off through injury, later confirmed as being a broken clavicle (collarbone).

Marrs rued an excellent chance missed in the 39^th minute, which would have brought his side back into the game had Gibbons scored her sixth goal of the season.

Gurr played the ball to substitute Nikita Whinnett who whipped in a high hanging cross towards the far post where Emma Tune knocked the ball down across goal and Gibbons clipped her left-footed shot agonisingly over the bar from six-yards.

“That was our best move. That was our best bit of football,” said Marrs.

“I’ve been punching onto the girls all the time about you must get the ball in the wide areas and before we then start to play combinations in off the centre forwards.

“We managed to get the ball in a wide are for only the second or third time, produced a great bit of football and you’re waiting for the finish and it just didn’t happen for her, bless her, but she was in the right place at the right time.

“She got in behind the central defenders, which we asked the central defenders to do and unfortunately it was lacking the finish.”


There was to be ten minutes of injury time at the end of the first half due to a couple of lengthy injuries to Coventry midfielder Destiney Toussaint (left-ankle) and Fulgence.

Coventry keeper Wood stepped to her right to catch Keogh’s speculative right-footed free-kick from 35-yards.

Coventry City almost punished a mistake from Charlotte Long some 35-yards from goal and Hayley Ladd played the ball inside to Dermody, who flashed her right-footed angled drive wide of the far post from 30-yards.

When asked what were his thoughts inside the home dressing room, Marrs revealed: “There was a few choice words that had to be said from my assistant which were rightly put across and then we spoke to them about a little bit of shape and how we wanted to go out and attack in the second half basically and just give us everything that they’ve got for 45 minutes.

“The girls know, they’re not silly. They know they’ve not pulled it out of the bag.  They know if they’ve not worked hard. They know they needed to change that. We didn’t need to say too much to them regards to that.

“We focused on a little bit of shape and what we was looking for from certain players and see if we could get that out for the second half.”

Gillingham pressed for an early breakthrough and Cooper cracked a left-footed volley towards goal from 25-yards, which stung the fingers of visiting keeper Wood after 45 seconds.

Coventry midfielder Rebecca Anderson then hooked a shot across the penalty area from just outside the box which Baker comfortably gathered to her right.

Coventry skipper Natasha Lynch, who was solid alongside Kimberley Walton at the heart of defence, clipped a long ball through the heart of defence and Baker smothered the ball at Dermody’s feet.

Gillingham forced their second corner in the 63^rd minute, which was swung in from the right by Gurr and Tune threw herself at the ball and sent her towering header over the bar from six-yards.

But the longer the game went on, the less likely that Gillingham were to grab the two goals that they needed to win the title today.

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The impressive Dermody swept a cross into the Gillingham box, which was cleared away and Gauntlett’s first time shot was saved comfortably.

Gillingham were given a lifeline when Miles was shown a straight red-card and when asked about the flashpoint, Marrs replied: “I didn’t see what happened off the ball. I generally didn’t see it!  I can’t really comment on that. I didn’t see it!

“If you’ve kicked (someone) it still goes down as violent conduct. If you’re kicking somebody off the ball – if she’s done that – she’s got the red card and rightly so.”

Gillingham, who retained their passing game, were forced to shoot from distance in the 75^th minute when Tune cracked a right-footed drive towards the far corner from 30-yards, which was plucked out of the air by Wood, high to her right.

Coventry left ten players behind the ball and parked the team bus in front of Wood as Gillingham struggled to make the breakthrough.

Marrs understood the tactic by saying: “When you’re looking after a 2-0 lead you don’t need to come out and play! Just stay nice and tight and basically crashed anything that they got hold off so fair play to them.

“They got the goals that they needed and they sat in and they’ve nicked a third goal.”

Gurr (Golden Boot winner with 23 goals) drilled a free-kick into the wall which was blocked by Gauntlett and the ball came out to Lauren Williams, whose shot looped into Wood’s hands.

Despite enjoying the most possession, a mistake gifted Coventry City a third goal with six minutes left.

Ashley Neville’s angled drive from the right screamed narrowly past the near post and Baker played her resulting goal-kick short to Gurr just outside the Gillingham box.

However, Gurr lost the ball to Gauntlett, who took the ball into the penalty area before stroking her right-footed shot into the bottom far corner leaving the Gillingham striker on the deck in a state of frustration and despair.

“We have to take that on the chin because we asked the girls to play out,” said Marrs.

“We asked the girls to get the ball down and try and pass it.  Unfortunately the ball got stuck underneath her feet, which is unlike Gurrsey to be fair.

“The girl managed to disposes her and then finish in the back of the net.

“But we’re not going to criticise Gurrsey for that. We asked her to go and collect the ball and go and get the ball and try and play the right way so it’s going to come with mistakes at key points and sometimes it can work for you at key points or unfortunately that’s gone against us today.

“But without the 23 goals that she’s finished for us this year we wouldn’t be nowhere near where we are! She’s allowed to have a mistake every now and then.”

Gillingham’s last chance saw Williams cross the ball into a crowded penalty area but Whinnett’s weak shot rolled into the keeper’s hands.

Gillingham received an ovation from their proud but disappointed fans at the final whistle, the players thanking them for their support during the club’s best ever season.

Marrs – Kent FA coach of the year – has produced a side that play beautiful football and has delivered two trophies in the shape of the Kent Women’s Cup and Ryman Women’s Cup and they also lost 2-0 away to FA Women’s Cup holders Arsenal in the Fifth Round.

But sometimes in football you don’t always get what you deserve!

Coventry City travel to fourth-placed Portsmouth for their last Sunday with 43 points, one point behind the Kent side.

The Sky Blues will claim the title with a win on the south coast, whilst Gillingham will win if for the first time if Pompey do them a massive favour.

“It’s been an absolutely fantastic season,” said Marrs.

“We set our targets of what we wanted to try and achieve and we’ve gone above and beyond that so no complaints from us, no regrets from us.

“We’ve given it everything that we can and we’re just hoping next week Portsmouth can do us a job on Coventry and we can still win the league so even to lose today we can still win it. We need to make sure that we don’t forget that!”

A new chairman will be in charge of the club (the ladies team) by the time the new season comes around after Martin Andrews has decided to step down after six years at the helm.

“Paul Brown is going to be our new chairman next season,” revealed the manager. 

“He’s got lots of prospects and lots of ideas and he’s prepared to actually put himself on the line to go out to make sure we’re progressing as a football club.

“Plans and preparations will already begin as soon as we leave this place today.  Plans and preparations will go in for next season as they always do.

“We’re looking to do some big things at this football club.

“It’s just going to be nice tonight to just chill out and fingers crossed we can move onwards and upwards and we look forward to next season but a well- deserved break to start with.”

Gillingham: Faye Baker, Lauren Williams, Jade Keogh, Deanna Cooper, Amy Taylor, Rachel Ahern, Charlotte Long (Lauren Davis 61), Emma Tune, Lisa Fulgence (Nikita Whinnett 37), Charlotte Gurr, Fliss Gibbons.
Subs: Lauren Phillips, Catherine Cooper, Emma Wood

Coventry City: Susan Wood, Annabel Johnson, Nikki Miles, Hayley Ladd, Natasha Lynch, Kimberley Walton, Ashleigh Neville, Rebecca Anderson, Destiney Toussaint (Marie Gauntlett 57), Helen Dermody, Natalie Brace (Karen Clough 88).
Sub: Stav Williams

Goals:  Helen Dermody 31, 32, Helen Gauntlett 57

Sent Off: Nikki Miles 73

Attendance: 242
Referee: Mr David Simpson (Enfield, Middlesex)
Assistants: Mr James Finch (Gillingham) & Mr Michael Johnstone (Lordswood)