Features
The Season so far… Part Three
Published by Gillingham Ladies Media on December 31, 2011
In part three of the season so far we review the games from Portsmouth away right through to the home win over Spurs Ladies.
The Gills followed up their draw with West Ham by travelling down to the South Coast to take on Portsmouth Ladies.
The game finished one-one and ensured that the Ladies made it just one defeat in six games when Natalie Crinean levelled up the scores late on. Portsmouth took the lead after just 18 minutes when Charley Wilson headed in from a corner, despite a Portsmouth player standing in an offside position.
It took the Gills until the 88th minute to equalise when Natalie Crinean got on the end of a Leah Jones to head the Gills into a share of the points.
When Queens Park Rangers travelled to Chatham Town just one week later the Ladies made it three draws on the spin.
The visitors took the lead right on the stroke of half time through Cherelle Albert, she picked the ball up out the area, turned and fired her shot straight into the top corner against the run of play.
The Ladies equalised in the second half when Danielle Carlton played a ball in behind the QPR defence and Vicky Ashton-Jones raced into the area and poked the ball home into the bottom corner.
The following week the Ladies travelled to League leaders of the time Brighton Ladies and came home with all three points.
Again they came from behind not for the first time to get a result. In the 15th minute Kim Whitcombe put the home side ahead when she tapped home a cross from the right wing.
On the half hour mark the scores were level when Danielle Carlton let fly with one of her trademark left footed shots, it took a deflection but flew into the back of the net.
The Gills made it 2-1 when just before the hour mark a Katie Hardaker long range effort flew into the back of the net. 
Next up for the Gills was a trip to their bogey side Colchester Ladies and still the jinx goes on as they came away with nothing for their efforts.
For the second time in the season Colchester were to win the game by four goals to one. Colchester took the lead when the Gills switched off and they headed home from four yards out. They doubled their lead just after the half hour mark when Kate Longhurst fired a free kick into the back of the net leaving Jess Nunn with no chance.
Six minutes later and they made it 3-0 when they headed home a controversial corner after Jess Nunn was fouled in the build up but it went unnoticed. In the 70th minute they made it four-nil with a well taken goal from the edge of the area.
The Gills did net a consolation in the final minutes when Anelle Massey played the ball over the top for Natalie Crinean to race onto and expertly lob the keeper.
Once again the Ladies didn’t let defeat play on their minds for too long as they bounced back with a victory over Spurs Ladies a week later.
Once again the game was a low scoring affair with the Gills wining 1-0 however the way it exploded into life everyone was forgiven for thinking it could have been very different.
Natalie Crinean scored with just 37 seconds on the clock when she back heeled home a cross from the right wing that had come from a well worked team move. It was to be the only goal of the game that the Gills would dominate.
In the final part of the season so far we will take a look back at the games from the opening round of the Kent Cup up until the final game before Christmas.
