Gillingham Player Ratings

[7:18]

Kuipers 6 - a few communication problems with back 4, great save first half

McNulty 6 - played really well first half, faded in second
Elphick 7 - dodgy first half, improved as game went on, great header for goal
Virgo 6 - not his best performance, a few rash tackles and needs to lead
Hoyte 7 - solid, reliable, looks to pass the ball forward

Thornhill 6 - not a left winger, made good tackles but also some dodgy balls
Dicker 7 - defended well and sent through some good through balls
Crofts 8 - tough tackling, did well going box to box, solid
Bennett 10 - won the freekick, amazing goal, great cross, uses his pace

Forster 6 - did nothing wrong but not many chances
Murray 7 - actually jumped for balls, looked keen and put in the work

SUBS

Dickinson 7 - had impact, jumped for ball and actually ran past a few players
Hart 7 - good solid shift, put in the work, good tackles and work rate

 

[mccraque]

McNulty had a great first half...so gets a 7 for that alone.

Thornhill was neat and tidy I thought....7 also.

Dickinson 6. Should not look for so many freekicks - if he stayed upright he could be great.

Harty 8 - great shift.

 

[blue and white army]

Three stand out individuals. Elphick 10, Bennett 10 and Crofts 9.

Others Dicker did a good job quiet but effective and what a shift Jimmy put in a tremendous performance.

 

[griff9]

Kuipers 7 - one very good save in first half,dealt with what he had to.

Mcnulty - 7 - first half looked like he had been playing in that team all year, tired in the second but to be expected and was generally very good.

Elphick- 7 - Good header for the goal, looked shakey at times..

Virgo - 6 - Again looked shakey in places but tidy in others.

Hoyte - 6 - good game, used his pace well to retain when caught out of position

Thornhill - 6.5 - thought he did well considering hes not a left mid, looked class in places, a lot better then how he looked in the wallsall game although that was time ago now

Dicker - 7 - Solid as always

Crofts - 7 - got stuck in and played his role well.

Bennett - 8 - M.O.M in my opinion, just seems to get better and better.

Forster - 5.5 - Unusually quiet, but couldn't really knock him.

Murray - 7 - Good first half, got quiet in the second but good to see him actually making an effort this time.

Subs : Dickinson - 6 - good in places, skillfull but i get the impression hes not ever gonna be prolific...
Hart - 6 - Linked play well, a few good turns too, but getting on a bit and was lacking in pace, but thats to be expected none the less a good game.

 

[Mellotron]

Kuipers - 6 - Didn't have a huge amount to do, some communication mix ups which Virgo had a go at him for, but grew in confidence towards the end when they were pumping long balls up.

McNulty - 8 - Great to have him back, quality player who shows that touch of class on the ball. Some gorgeous passing.

Virgo/Elphick - 7 - Both had a mixed game, solid in the header but occasional hoofball when needed.

Hoyte - 7.5 - Gives our defence some PACE, and completely freed up Bennett to forage. Bennett would not have had such a free role if he had El-Abd behind him.

Thornhill - 6 - Shows glimpses of what he can do, gets in dangerous positions but end product not there yet. I think it will come, he seems full of ideas and is looking to prove himself.

Crofts - 8 - Solid game from him, very very busy at the centre of midfield, some good challenges and great passing.

Dicker - 6.5 - Bit of an off day compared to his usual high standards. Some good passing etc but gave the ball away far more than expected.

Bennett - 9 - MOM. Fantastic free kick, gave their defenders a torrid time and service for Elphick's goal and in general was superb. We have a real gem on our hands here.

Forster - 7.5 - Was his usual self, working hard in the channels, winning corners and throw ins.

Murray - 6 - Disappointing considering his usual high standards, first touch was still excellent but often wasn't making the second ball. Didn't look sharp enough, but given games that will come, and Slade does seem to have instilled some fire into him.

===

Dickinson - 6.5 - A real mixed game, a couple of nice touches and flick ons but still looks lazy, goes to ground far far too easy and can at times have a non league touch. Used his size and strength for good a bit more this time. Far better performance than at Stockport or MK Dons, not hard to improve on those showings though.

Hart - 7 - Carried on from Forster, and was a required sub as Murray and Dickinson was too slow a partnership. Worked his socks off for the team and helped keep the ball in their half.

 

[spunkmonkey]

Kuipers - 6 - a couple of good saves, one major flap, average distribution
Hoyte - 7 - Combined well with Bennett, defended well, got forward and supported.
McNulty - 7 - Class in possession, great going forward, didn't see him win a header though! Great to see him back.
Virgo - 7 - Defended well, one minor mess up with kuipers that scared the sh*t out of me.
Elphick - 9 - Excellent performance, very solid capped by a good goal.
Bennett - 9 - Class class class, great pace great skill great goal.
Thornhill - 6 - Not the answer at left midfield, played ok but made the midfield look unbalanced. When he pushed inside it did allow McNulty to overlap to good effect.
Crofts - 9 - Quality tackles all over the pitch, good in the air, good use of the ball.
Dicker - 7 - So comfortable on the ball good in possession and a great outlet for the back four.
Forster - 7 - Usual self , runs and runs intelligent hold up play.
Murray - 7 - Nice touches and held the ball up really well, couple of crap passes and flicks but you can see the quality guy has. We be awesome when fit.

Hart - 6 - Did what you would expect from him chased, hassled and battled.
Dickinson - 6 - Couple of good moments and some terrible ones, thought I was watching an 80's martial arts film at one point. Flick, kick, fall down!

 

[Brighton M]

Kuipers - 7 one quality save
Hoyte - 7 steady throughout
Elphick -8 immense
virgo - 7 didnt do anything wrong
mcnulty - 7 can't believe he's been out so long playing like that
dicker - 7 - composure again
crofts - 7 - quality, almost scored an blinder
bennet 8 - faded, but was OUTSTANDING first half
thornhill - 7 - a generous 7, but he looked useful at times
Forster - 5 - did nothing
Murray - 7 - looked very sharp, unlucky with a glancing header, creative too

dickinson 6 - needs to stay on his feet
hart - 6

 

[SNOOPY]

mcnulty and dicker the best players in the squad

 

[Mellotron]

Murray - 6 - Disappointing, often wasn't making the second ball. Didn't look sharp enough.

Without wishing to be too attention-seeking, I want people to notice that I, Mellotron, posted the above. I am not blinded by my love for Murray and I hope this helps prove it.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

oh feck off Mellotron you attention seeker

 

[Mellotron]

oh feck off Mellotron you attention seeker

Unlike someone who shouts Elliott at every opportunity?...

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

aha, I need to express my pure unadulterated joy for him somehow, and I heard JD shouting it at Elliot loads in Scrubs once, it was well funny and that, so I sorta copied it just for kicks and it was getting a few laughs at Yeovil so I thought I would prolong it.

I was joking about you being an attention seeker, I think you got that.

 

[Mellotron]

You know it boy.

How class was Elliott tonight though? We've mugged Wolves right off! RIGHT OFF!

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Yeah, and he's a proper professional to boot. Can tell he's got the right attitude to go a long-way in the game.

 

[sam86]

I don't often do this due to disappointment, but here we go -

Kuipers; 6 - Few communication problems. Kicking was a bit hit and miss. Still not commanding the box enough for me. Made a fantastic save in the first half. Tonights match summed MK up for me, he is a quality, quality shot stopper. Everything else is average. Would I keep him in the starting 11? A few weeks back, no. But he has improved, so yes, for now.

--

McNulty; 7 - Played well in the first half, faded in the second. But that's to be expected. Deserves a 7 just for appearing in the stripes at home again.

Elphick; 8 - Had his critics the past few weeks, and hit back with a solid performance. The run for the header, and the header itself, brilliant.

Virgo; 6.5 - Played well. Needs to communicate more with Kuipers (obviously works both ways). Few rash challenges, but overall a good performance.

Hoyte; 8 - This boy is real class. A few positioning problems, but understandable for hsi age. His work rate, and attacking ability is top notce. Worked really well with Bennett. You can tell he's Arsenal. We need him a longer loan deal to keep moving up the table.

--

Thornhill; 6 - Was just OK. Nothing more, nothing less.

Dicker; 8 - Quality. Does the simple things so well.

Crofts; 7 - Again, passed it well, tackled well, got back and forward. Good match.

Bennett; 10 - Special mention for this chap. I've no idea how he didn't get man of the match. Starting to look like a quality piece of business.

--

Forster; 5 - Match passed him by.

Murray; 7 - Still not quite 100% fit. But can still see the quality he has.

--

Dickinson; 7 - One of the best games I've seen from him. Held the ball up well. Took players on. Even won a few headers. He does go down easily, but a lot of the time I don't think he gets freekicks when he should do. Similar situation with Crouch, referees seem to turn a blind eye to the tall skinny forwards. Would like to see him toughen up though. Worked well alongside OGH.

Hart; 7 - Was pleased to see him get a run out, and does what OGH does. Work rate was good, link up play was good, tracking back was good. Very useful sub.

--

Based on the past few weeks, tonight was very much about the defense. All I'll say is, lets not get carried away. We played well, but both goals came from set pieces. Next week, on to goals from open play whilst keeping the defense tight, and making chances from set pieces

 

[bright1064]

Kuipers 6

McNulty 6
Elphick 8
Virgo 6
Hoyte 7

Thornhill 7
Dicker 6
Crofts 7
Bennett 9

Forster 5
Murray 6

SUBS

Dickinson 5
Hart 6

 

[Acker79]

Murray - 6 - ...
===
Dickinson - 6.5

 

[Mellotron]

Still coming to terms with it myself.

Don't worry though, Murray will get sharper. Whereas that is as good as it gets for Dickinson.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Won't ever attempt to give marks out of 10 for the team, but I thought Dicker & Bennett were the 2 best players on the park tonight; closely followed by Crofts & Hoyte.

 

[RM-Taylor]

Sounded like Crofts had a good game

Well done to Elliott Bennett for the man of the match performance but a special mention goes to Jim McNulty on his League return