Stanley took all three points after scoring seven goals in an extraordinary game against Gillingham at the Crown Ground.
Sean McConville, Andy Parkinson, Charlie Barnett, Terry Gornell, Phil Edwards and Jimmy Ryan were all on target as the Reds extended the Kent outfit’s wait for an away win.
Stanley broke the deadlock with thirteen minutes on the clock. Gornell made a tidy run down the left hand side and pulled it across the six yard box to find McConville who had enough time to take a touch before hitting it past Lance Cronin in the Gillingham goal.
But fifteen minutes later the Gills were level. A long throw from Barry Fuller found the head of Mark Bentley who flicked the ball past goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin into the far corner.
The 34th minute saw Gillingham take the lead. This time a flick on from Adebayo Akinfenwa found Bentley in the clear for him to fire home his and Gillingham’s second and turn a deficit into a lead in the space of a few seconds.
But a frantic last ten minutes of the half saw the tables turned once again. Three minutes after Andy Hessenthaler’s men had taken the lead, Gornell found Parkinson on the edge of the box, who smashed the ball across the goalkeeper into the far corner of the goal.
Barnett then made it three goals with two minutes left until half time. He seemed to cross the ball from the far side and somehow found the net, although he may argue that it was indeed a perfectly crafted chip, whatever it was it sent Stanley into half time with a 3-2 advantage.
The second half was just as impressive as the first.
Cody McDonald again levelled when he chipped Dunbavin with nine minutes gone to make it 3-3, but seconds later the Reds were awarded a penalty when skipper Andy Procter was brought down by Bentley. It was scored by Edwards, who sent Cronin the wrong way with a drilled effort into the left corner.
Five minutes later referee Iain Williamson pointed to the spot again when Gornell was tripped just inside the area by visiting defender Josh Gowling. Once again Edwards sent the Gillingham goalkeeper Lance Cronin the wrong way, this time going right, to fire the Reds further into the lead.
In the 72nd minute Gornell made it six for Coleman's men, cutting into the penalty area and sliding the ball through Cronin's legs. With the score 6-3 it was surely all over.
But not so. The referee awarded another penalty in the 77th minute but this time to the away side. Dunbavin spilled the ball to McDonald's feet and seemed to impede young striker inside the area. Akinfenwa proceeded to place the ball past the Stanley goalkeeper to take the score to 6-4.
No score line seemed safe in this goal fest of a match and Gillingham would not give up however they could not finish any more chances, whilst at the other end Stanley also kept pressing, trying increase their own goal count.
The only sour moment of the game came five minutes from the full time whistle. Referee Williamson failed to award a free kick, which led to something of a melee on the sidelines. After everything cleared up, Gillingham’s goal scorer Bentley was sent off for a second bookable offence and a further caution was given to Stanley’s Ryan.
In added on time Ryan finally got his goal that he thoroughly deserved. He slotted the ball into the far corner of the net to make it seven for Stanley and took the full time score to an unbelievable 7-4.
Stanley: Dunbavin, Bateson, Winnard, Hessey, Procter, Ryan, Barnett, McConville (Turner 82), Edwards, Parkinson (Murphy 94), Gornell (Lindfield 94) Subs not used: Cisak, Joyce, Richardson, Boulding
No comments:
Post a Comment