Soccer: U's prove they can beat the best

Just when it looked as though the U's had forgotten how to win after dismal defeats against lowly Oxford, Cardiff and Oldham, they bounced back to beat play-off hopefuls Gillingham - a team they last defeated at Layer Road in 1993.

Valuable points have been squandered by the U's against relegation zone strugglers like Cambridge (3), Oldham (3), Cardiff (6), Blackpool (2), Reading (3), Oxford (5) and Scunthorpe (5).

But Steve Whitton's U's have also surprised us all by taking 21 points off Division Two's top eight clubs - Preston (4 points), Wigan (4), Stoke (4), Bristol Rovers (3), Notts County (3) and now the Gills (3).

Every one of those successes was fully deserved and Saturday's 2-1 win was no exception.

With an Iffy and an Efe in the day's line-up - Gills striker Iffy Onuora and U's new boy Efetobore Sodje - anything might have happened, but in the event it was the Kent side who had an off day.

Leading marksman Steve McGavin scored his 14th goal of the season and Tony Lock netted his first, both within a six-minute spell around the hour mark, to see the U's to the brink of Second Division safety.

But it was transfer deadline signing Sodje who stole the show with a polished man-of-the-match performance equalled only by Gillingham's latest loan signing, full-back Jon Bass from Birmingham.

All-action Nigerian international Sodje, brought in from Luton two days earlier, looked hungry for success from start to finish and never missing a tackle, he clearly relished his new challenge to blot out Gillingham's lively strike force.

Sodje and Gavin Johnson replaced Lomana Tresor Lua Lua and Jamie Moralee in the starting line-up that lost at home to Oldham four days earlier, while Bass and Rowe were the only changes in a Gillingham side that won in midweek against Bournemouth.

Steady rain livened up the action in a first half dominated by defences, but there was still loads of midfield activity despite a lack of goalmouth incident.

Gavin Johnson, passed fit just before kick-off, almost saw the game away to an explosive start with a wicked left-foot drive from the edge of the Gills' area which former Arsenal keeper Vince Bartram superbly tipped over.

And some great play by McGavin almost paid dividends just before the interval, but no-one was on hand in front of goal to put the vital finishing touch to his cross.

That was the nearest the U's came to scoring before the break, while the ever dangerous Nicky Southall, plus Rowe and skipper Paul Smith threatened to break the deadlock for the visitors.

Smith and Southall (twice) went close again as the Kent side started the second half positively, but they fell behind on the hour when a slip by Barry Ashby let in Lock who forced a corner.

Joe Keith's flag-kick caused havoc in the Gills six-yard box and when Jason Dozzell's goalbound header was only half cleared McGavin was on hand to nod in substitute Andy Arnott's rebound from from a yard out.

U's keeper Simon Brown saved well from Junior Lewis as the visitors hit back, but the picture looked even brighter when Lock scored six minutes later.

The lively striker embarked on a great solo run, following a neat one-two with Dozzell, and sidestepped two defenders inside the area before slipping the ball past Bartram from the acutest of angles.

Lock should have finished things off 13 minutes from the end but, clean through, his shot was blocked by the advancing Bartram.

Gillingham cashed in on their good fortune two minutes later when Rowe reduced the deficit from a cross by substitute Steve Butler to set up a nerve-tingling finish.

The U's lead remained intact only because Brown heroically kept out point-blank efforts from Butler and Rowe with just six minutes remaining.

Bandana man - Efetobore Sodje, left, in action for Luton against new U's team-mate Jason Dozzell at Layer Road.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.