I must have been a dozen times and I have seen us win there a fair few times, but when I think of Gillingham my mind is always drawn to that 3-0 defeat on the Easter Bank Holiday 2004. That and the 5-1 defeat to Crewe in the playoffs are the two games that have left me feeling physically sick. My Daughter was born on the Good Friday 2004, so I had to work hard to be allowed to go to Gillingham on the Monday. There are a lot of Walsall fans with the view that the Norwich hammering was the one which got us relegated but the Gillingham one will always stick in my mind, a 2-0 defeat would have been enough in the end as it worked out.
Fred Barber putting the window through is another memory, we lost that game too, think that was one of the FA Cup games.
No, Iām the same. There were a few teams where I felt like that - Torquay was another. Itās nothing to do with the stats. I think it is probably down to one or two games that stick in the mind. Gillingham and Torquay away felt like points gone.
That brings back a bad memory. Torquay at home played on an extremely muddy FP pitch, must have been around 1970. We lost one nil. It felt like the mud was on their side that day as all our attacks seemed to be thwarted by the ball sticking in the mud. Then a Wesson clearance or a back pass got stuck in the mud leaving the Torquay attacker an easy task to score. Typical Walsall defeat back then, Lady Luck nowhere to be seen.
Yes, I think that defeat overshadows any number of victories. Itās hard to think of all the wins when that is at the top of the memory bank.
And I was wondering earlier how many Walsall games have been given a name which most fans (if they were around at the time) would recognise and understand. I thought of The Battle Of Brammall Lane, Hurricane Edgeley, andā¦McKnightmare. Another shambles at Gillingham which can only destroy any positive memories of visits there.
My pants are still wet from Hurricane Edgeley. If i recall correctly even the players went off to shelter in the changing rooms whilst we carried on singing on the terrace.
Umbrellas rendered useless in seconds. Clothes a hindrance. What a great day / memory.
I was sitting in the grandstand next to the away end, Iād not foreseen the hurricane but I had anticipated heavy rain, so I paid a bit extra, not so much for the seat as for the roof. Anyhow, my memory is of everyone on the terrace running for whatever cover there was when the hurricane struck, although one stalwart stayed behind trying in vain to get his umbrella up. Within two or three seconds the umbrella was destroyed and he ran as well. Nice and dry where I was though.
Another shambles at Gillingham which can only destroy any positive memories of visits there.
