This was my first ever trip to Gillingham, and after preparing a coppa and stilton ciabatta for lunch, I left home at half past ten. I took the 10:48 train from Guildford to Waterloo; Northern Line to Leicester Square; Picadilly line to King's Cross St Pancras, arriving at quarter to midday. Wandering to St Pancras International, I found I had about 4 minutes to make my way to platform 11 for the 11:55 to Gillingham. Running up at least three escalators, having my ticket rejected, I finally jumped on HS1 with seconds to spare.
HS1 has wide and spacious dark blue / light blue seats, which fooled me into thinking I was in first class. I wondered along a few carriages, before realising they were all the same, and spotting Fantastic Mr Ox at a spare table, joined him for the journey. I spent the next few minutes wiping sweat from my brow, before settling down for the 100mph journey out East. The train definitely sounded fast, but as we were in a tunnel until Stratford International, and then again to Ebbsfleet International, there was nothing to see. HS1 has a ring-tone like jingle after each station to announce the destination and stops, which I first thought was FMO getting multiple text messages.
Stopping at Ebbsfleet, we looked over to try and spot the Ebbsfleet ground from our Conference days, and spotted the station across from the empty Ebbsfleet car-park. The High Speed train then trundled on slowly to Gillingham, with Gravesend a good ten miles from Northfleet. On each side were vast quarries in the chalk, until we finally approached the Medway, and a marooned submarine.
I had found out the London yellows meeting point in Gillingham as the Britannia pub, a few yards away from the station. FMO bought the first round at a bargain £4.90 for a Kronenbourg and a Spitfire (which I haven't seen since University days). The Britannia was a definite spit and sawdust pub, with tacky carpets, and fake plate-tin advertising signs tacked to the walls. Apart from the standard signs warning against taking or dealing drugs , there were also notices against bringing your own alcohol into the pub!
The next round was £5.90, which made us think either the first one was in happy hour, or more likely an innumerate barman, but still, a good improvement on prices. The pub soon filled up with more United fans.
The Priestfield stadium has been improved on three sides for the home fans, with a two tier stand to our left, a one-tier stand opposite us, and a shallow all seater stand to our right, with a bizarre fluorescent blue LED clock. As for the Brian Moore stand we were put in, it is a temporary standard behind the goal, built on scaffolding. It towers to around the height of the Oxford Mail stand at home, but is uncovered, and its skeletal nature all too visual. The United fans were shepherded into into the top tier of the stand, and about 1/3 of the stand to the right was also blocked off.
Dark clouds loomed, the wind blew, and jobsworth stewards stopped anyone taking camera-phone snaps. Bouncing at the top of the stand had the metalwork shaking, but nothing too serious.
As for the game itself, the wind took a lot out of both sides, and the two teams ground each other into submission, ending up 0-0 at half time.
At the break, leaving an uncovered stand for a completely open concourse, yet more jobsworth stewards ejected people for lighting up a cigarette even in a far away corner next to the gates.
Second half saw the clouds darken, and Gillingham looked threatening in the last ten minutes. Akinfenwa had a wild overhead kick way past the post, and the Gills even had a shot off the bar in the last few minutes.
Ending the day with a clean sheet was welcome, and we move onto Rotherham at home in a week's time.
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