AN APPROPRIATE MEMORIAL?A rare treat yesterday. Back in October, I took my next door neighbour, a lifelong Gillingham fan, to St. Mary`s to watch Saints take on the Gills and win 4-1. Yesterday was the return match so it was my neighbour`s turn to take me to the Gills` Priestfield Stadium.
On this occasion, the Saints had little to play for but the Gills needed to win to be almost sure of avoiding relegation. And it showed. Saints` manager Alan Pardew took the opportunity to include some young players with one, Aaron Martin, making his debut. Some senior players were also rested after a gruelling season, so there was a good deal of confusion and uncertainty around. But no excuses. The Gills harried and fought and, in truth, deserved to run out 2-1 winners. As for Saints, if you don`t start playing until you`re 2-0 down, you only have yourselves to blame.
But enough of that. The real purpose of this item is to report on the `arrangements` for opposition fans visiting the Priestfield Stadium, which were altogether rather civilised. The staff in the away section were polite and helpful and I was unaware of any `trouble` or difficulty despite the usual raucous singing and bantering which are all part of the `matchday experience.`
The Priestfield Stadium has four `stands` surrounding the pitch - the Rainham End, the Gordon Road Stand, the Medway Stand and, for visiting supporters, the Brian Moore Stand. Brian Moore was, of course, one of the most knowledgeable and well respected football commentators of his or any other generation. He was born at Benenden in Kent, educated at Cranbrook School and was also a Gillingham supporter and a director at the club for many years. As a consequence he was the most popular choice to have a new stand named in memory of him following his death aged 69 in 2001.
Trouble is, the Brian Moore Stand is really a temporary structure and has been since it was built in 2004 - financial constraints preventing the club from building the permanent stand. It is supported on a network of scaffolding, has no roof and is consequently open to all weathers and, my, didn`t it rain yesterday. For us Saints fans, the game itself might have been inconsequential but it struck me that it would have been so much more fitting to Brian Moore`s memory, for one of the three other stands to be renamed for him rather than the rather ramshackle temporary structure we found ourselves in. I`m pretty sure neither Medway, Gordon Road nor Rainham would mind too much, for Brian Moore was anything but ramshackle.
Anyway, honours are even, bragging rights are shared and peace has broken out in Snopper Street. I wish the Gills well in their last game of the season next Saturday, when they go to Wycombe seeking the one point they need to guarantee their survival. We Saints fans will, mercifully, be back in the dry, warm and welcoming confines of St. Mary`s Stadium for our last game against Southend. If all goes well, my next door neighbour and I should be visiting each other`s stadiums (stadia ?) again next season. I can hardly wait! Neither, I suspect, can he.
2 comments:
Excellent, well researched article neighbour, as ever. Snopper Street is indeed its usual tranquil self, despite the young party-goers late night from round the corner. The Street will however get increasingly tense as the week goes on. Only the Footballing Gods (FG) know what the mood will be back on the Street come Saturday evening. As you say, a second visit to St Mary's next season will mean League 1 (still Div 3 in my eyes) for at least one more season. I rather suspect that after that, our two teams will go their seperate ways, only to meet again in the odd cup-tie perhaps. So, those FG upstairs, one more chance for a very pleasant day out in Hampshire please. I'll happily sign-up for a 0-5 defeat if it helps.
Thanks, SN. As Signor Mancini might suggest, it will be important for you to get three important points next week, so you can look forward to another important day out next season, which could be the most important for years.
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