Gillingham 1 Rochdale 2

In the past five years, tackling has become one of the most contentious topics in  football. Studs up, two footed, off the ground, over the top, every week these phrases are repeated and debated in games across the country. There is a generation of fan coming through who will see the way players tackle through totally different eyes to the one before. The players are also asking these same questions of the officials like never before, sometimes looking for cards, but sometimes looking for protection.

Which brings us to Saturday's game. For the second successive home match Gillingham were reduced to ten men before half time, thought the circumstances were slightly different this time. Against Southend, Bradley Dack was late, painfully so, especially for his opponent who was unable to carry on. On Saturday Danny Jackman's tackle was undoubtedly strong, but there appeared little question that he won the ball. Despite this, he was shown a straight red card. Referees are seemingly being asked to judge not just what happens in each challenge, but also the intent of each challenge, and what might have happened if it had been mistimed. A difficult job is being made much, much harder.

The red card certainly impacted the match, although not in the obvious way the scoreline would indicate. Gillingham were already one down before Jackman's departure, and were frustratingly insipid throughout the whole of the first half. The second half display was much improved, the ten men showing an urgency that would have left most supporters asking the inevitable question "why didn't they play like this from the start?" Unfortunately, a man down and chasing the game, Gillingham were always vulnerable to the counter attack, and conceded a second goal on the hour. It says much about the Allen's impact on the team and the start that they've made that even then the heads didn't go down, and when Danny Kedwell scored his 8th league goal of the season from the penalty spot with fifteen minutes still to go, there was belief on the pitch and in the stands that the game could still be rescued.

Ultimately though, Rochdale held on. In truth they probably should have scored again. Despite this, there was just about enough to take encouragement from. The unbeaten record may be gone, but there is a long season still to go, and if Gillingham can show the same intensity and desire from the second half here in the rest of their games, they shouldn't drift too far away from their current spot at the top.

Something unexpected has happened over the last couple of weeks. It started back in August, with a relatively comfortable 3-1 win in the season's opening game against Bradford. Seven undefeated games later, Gillingham are still looking good. Maybe not great, certainly not unbeatable, but a sustained level of good, something that has been frustrating rare in the past few (ten?) years, and so it should be lauded for what it is. Clearly there is still a long, long way to go in the season, but there is a noticeable confidence surrounding the team, and by proxy the rest of the club and its supporters. It's starting to make going to the game fun. This shouldn't seem such a revelation. After all, why would anyone go, and keep going, if it wasn't fun? But being a football supporter is rarely as simple as that, and the introduction of fun into the 90 minutes has come a quite a pleasant surprise to many fans who become more used to frustration and disappointment.

And that's one of the reasons why I wanted to start writing about what's happening. There are others, but they're not really relevant to anyone else reading this (if indeed anyone else is reading this). I'm not so blinded as to assume that it's now going to be fun and laughs forever, but it's enough of an inspiration to get things started. An irregular and incomplete record of Gillingham (and other sporting giants).