Fans revel in happy hour

Photo: Max Flego

GOAL-GETTER . . . Ryan Flynn pokes home to secure a last-gasp victory for Athletic.

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BEGGARS can't be choosers. In an ideal world, Athletic would swap their heightened, top-six away-day efforts this season for identical home results.

It is difficult to believe that this confident, strutting side - in the second half at Priestfield, anyway - is made up of the same constituent parts to that which succumbed rather sedately in successive outings on home turf to Swindon and MK Dons.

Indeed, successive wins on foreign territory in the space of five days were achieved without two first-teamers on international duty in Cameron Dummigan and Ryan McLaughlin.

Add Luke Woodland and Calaum Jahraldo-Martin to the jet-setting mix and there was sufficient justification within the competition's rules to have this fixture played on another day.

At half-time, the postponement opportunity may have seemed a chance missed.

By full-time, to see the game out on its originally assigned date was a very wise judgment call.

Around 3,000 Athletic regulars have waited in vain, so far, for a home league win.

It's a real shame that no more than the 127 who made the longest trip of the season to within an hour's drive of Dover's white cliffs managed to see just how resolute and driven boss Stephen Robinson's side can be.

COLLECTED

On the road, only four clubs in League One have collected more points.

With Ousmane Fane in excellent form powering the side on alongside the ever-wily Paul Green in midfield, Athletic dominated possession from the half-hour mark onwards and created plentiful scoring chances.

This was a truly top-notch performance for an hour.

Ryan Flynn, with his clever movement into pockets of space and keen footballer's brain full of potential angles to slide in telling passes, got the winning goal after 89 minutes. It was all Robinson's side deserved.

True, there was a strong penalty claim for the home team. The Gillingham supporters and their enraged manager Justin Edinburgh felt Peter Clarke, diving full-length to block a Jake Hessenthaler shot, used an arm.

This time, referee Kevin Johnson erred on the side of giving Athletic the benefit of any doubt. He did the same for the winning goal, when Gillingham goalkeeper Stuart Nelson claimed rather optimistically that he had been blocked off.

A helpful slice of decision-making fortune or two, perhaps, compared to previous experiences this term at Bradford and then at home to Shrewsbury.

The penalty incident came after Freddie Ladapo had levelled Cody McDonald's opening goal, only four minutes after arriving on to the pitch as a substitute.

Whether fortunate or by way of immaculate design, Robinson's decision to throw on the Romford man in favour of the out-of-puff Billy Mckay worked a treat.

In the 65th minute, he rolled his marker Chris Herd with aplomb, raced into the area and fired a left-footed effort expertly beyond the reach of Nelson at his near post.

Demons were released in the minds of a Gills side who had won only once in nine outings before this one.

Athletic pushed for more than one point and were justly rewarded for their ambition.

Robinson elected, not surprisingly, to maintain the same starting line-up that impressed in seeing off Fleetwood in the midweek Checkatrade Trophy group game.

Defending in front of the empty temporary stand at Priestfield, Athletic came under early pressure.

Frank Nouble's seventh-minute header was directed comfortably over the crossbar from Athletic's perspective, but it hinted at the physical prowess of the tall, muscular striker who has had more loan clubs than a municipal golf course.

Gillingham had penned Athletic in when Josh Wright let fly from 30 yards out, the ball hitting an Athletic defender on its way behind.

A corner was swung in with intent and Connor Ripley, who has enjoyed an excellent season overall sprinkled with errors of late at Charlton (arguably) and at home to MK Dons (clearly), came out to catch before realising too late the ball was too tall.

McDonald was alert enough to evade his marker Brian Wilson and head the ball into the unguarded goal after 10 minutes.

The ex-Norwich striker and one-time target of former Athletic manager Paul Dickov might have made it 2-0 after 26 minutes, but Ripley was glad to see the right-foot effort safely into his gloves.

Athletic enjoyed a spell of pressure around 35 minutes that saw their best chance to level of the half. On the first of four straight corners in quick succession, a short one was worked to Paul Green and his shot from 20 yards was blocked behind by a defender at the vital moment.

Gillingham were arguably the sharper of the teams before then, but Robinson's men emerged from the dressing room re-energised.

After 52 minutes a chance arrived when Wilson raced into the area and was found by Flynn's neat pass. Lee Erwin, spinning on the spot eight yards out, couldn't pull his effort back inside the near post though.

Four minutes later, Jamie Reckord air-kicked from Flynn's centre from the left when most were waiting for the net to bulge. A familiar theme was emerging.

Would Athletic, penning the hosts in, be able to make their superiority tell on the scoreboard?

Cometh the hour, cometh Ladapo. His goal was greeted by an enthusiastic celebration that brought with it a yellow card from killjoy referee Johnson.

The Crystal Palace man also forced Nelson into a save with his legs and was inches away from connecting with a Flynn cross.

However, Flynn coolly slotted in to lift his side from the foot of the division after a Green shot fell kindly into his path.

IN A NUTSHELL: Athletic got what they deserved.