Gillingham’s game at Notts County wasn’t short of controversial moments.
Both teams felt they should have had a penalty and with three minutes of normal time remaining the hosts thought they had levelled the game up – having trailed to Elliot Nevitt’s first-half opener – when Sam Austin netted. A late flag from the lineman ruled that out and Gillingham held on to win 1-0.
Gills reaction: ‘A massive win for us’
Referee Lee Swabey consulted with his assistant before ruling the Austin effort out.
The home crowd were incensed, having already had a penalty ruled out moments earlier following a trip from Shad Ogie in Jevani Brown.
That came after the Gills were denied a spot-kick from what looked to be a handball inside the box by a Notts County defender. Referee Swabey waved play-on with both decisions.
Gills’ assistant boss Anthony Hayes – who was on press duty at Meadow Lane – said of their own penalty appeal: “From where we were sitting, it looked blatant. I must admit, though, from the incident with Shad, that looked a penalty as well.
“Sometimes the calls go for you, sometimes they go against you.
“You could argue that, that one’s gone for us, but that (other) one’s gone against us. You’d like to think over the course of a season, it’s a cliche, but they even themselves out.
“We can’t control those decisions. What we try and do is give the players the best platform to go and be the best version of themselves to go and win football matches.
“We definitely should have had a penalty but we can’t control that. What we have done is controlled a lot of that game. Some of it without the ball. But really pleased with the personality that the group has shown.”
County’s big moment to equalise came on 86 minutes when Jodi Jones’ cross was guided in by Austin but the officials felt Jevani Brown was in an offside position as he helped the ball on.
Home boss Stuart Maynard was booked for protesting about the penalty and felt they the goal should have also stood.
Speaking calmly post-match, he said: “The big moments haven’t gone our way.”
He said that their management team felt it was a “clear penalty” and the disallowed effort was onside, insisting that there was “clear daylight” between the ball and Brown after reviewing the footage.
Maynard added that his team “deserved to win the game on chances alone.”
