Gillingham 1 v Charlton Athletic 1

After winning promotion at a Wembley final in May, Gillingham had their second "cup final" of 2009 yesterday when they entertained the famous Charlton Athletic. That might sound a tad arrogant but that's precisely how their fans saw it yesterday. Their largest crowd of the season, up 25% on their previous best at just over 10,000 squeezed into the Priestfield to see the action.

A measure of just how keen people were to be at this game was that Gillingham's "Great Hall" (pictured below) was packed with 380 paying punters. Mike Sullivan, the Gills Sales Manager, told us how excited they were to be facing the Addicks and thanked those in the room for their patronage in filling the venue. As if to reinforce the point he told us that hospitality bookings for their next game against Oldham were currently at "39" and he wasn't joking.

Irrespective, we enjoyed a decent meal and free beer courtesy of Scottish and Newcastle. Our seats were in the back row of the second tier of the Gills Main Stand that runs the length of the pitch and the view was excellent. The only problem was that the seats reserved for dining guests are very close to the Gills home end which was filled with those Medway residents who, shall we say, feel more strongly about the Valley Express initiative than some others!

The tone had already been set in Paul Scally's programme notes. He established his right not to have grown-up a Charlton fan in spite of being born in Merriman Road, gone to school at Our Lady of Grace and having grown-up playing in The Heights with Charlton-supporting mates. Nope, he went to Millwall as a ten year old and was hooked. Fair enough, but he then went on to say that having grown-up in Charlton he knows it's in London, SE7 and "no matter how much some try to kid themselves to the contrary, they are therefore not a Kent club as I so often read and hear." Shame then that our travelling fans didn't bring with them the large flag bearing our name and "Pride of Kent."

Phil Parkinson surprised me again this week by playing a 4-4-2 formation throughout. It didn't work and we would have been able to create more attacking chances if we had played five in the midfield or with Shelvey behind Burton. As it was, McLeod and Burton both played like lone strikers and Semedo and Racon had to work that much harder and play much deeper in midfield just to compete.

The game was desperately short on opportunities for either side, so it was a surprise there were any goals. The diminutive Simeon Jackson was hardly in the match but he popped up Hales-like at the death to nab the equaliser after John Nutter had scored in front of the Charlton fans with a spectacular slice. We had one half-chance in the first period which McLeod earned by racing through on goal, turning inside his man and with the goal opening and the keeper looking isolated, he miscued another shot and lashed it high and very wide. Nicky Bailey was spraying Hollywood balls about all afternoon but most went straight out or straight to a blue shirt. Lloyd Sam didn't really get any return again against his two markers, so all-in-all we weren't able to properly support the front two.

We were solid enough at the back again although the muscular Dennis Oli was a constant threat without Gillingham really causing too many problems. When they did look most like scoring in the second-half, Rob Elliot was there with his "one-a-game" brilliant low stop from ten yards.

To the eightieth minute then and that sublime slice from John Nutter which arced beautifully over the despairing dive from Simon Royce and revealed the 100 or so Charlton fans who had previously been enjoying the Gills hospitality. Frosty stares all around in the Upper tier but, hey, you pays your money and you takes your choice. As far as I could see we were simply celebrating our goal, nothing more, but it was an obvious provocation for some of the more agitated Gills fans behind the goal who poured down to the front to point and gesture, their faces contorted with rage, but maybe just contorted. A well orchestrated chorus of "Stewards, stewards do your job" told me that this is a regular response if visiting guests are spotted.

I immediately feared the worst in terms of the Gills response on the pitch and we got it. Within three minutes they were level after pressing the urgency button and finding Jackson in a crowded box with a yard of space. It was then that one of those Gills fans around us stepped over the line and was very offensive to one of our party, a Manchester United fan, who showed significantly more resolve that I would have been able to had the words been spat in my face. Unfortunate then, that the match should finish for us on such a downbeat note.

Predictably after the game I understand there was a confrontation between rival Herberts down the side of the station, in spite of a very visible police presence. We had a drink ourselves away from the station but there were groups of mainly Charlton fans prowling the streets that did nothing to endear us to the bitter locals. I suspect they might play up when they come to the Valley in March.

The draw keeps us in second place behind Leeds who lost as predicted 2-1 at the New Den. With Bristol Rovers going down at home to Yeovil and MK Dons getting beaten at Southampton, only Colchester, Huddersfield and Norwich prospered at the top.

Next weeks opponents, Carlisle, managed a late 2-1 win over Southend that should give Greg Abbott a stay of execution until after our game at least. I won't be making the trek north for this one but I hope to be listening to a reversion to 4-5-1 with Shelvey re-introduced behind Burton or Mooney who made another encouraging late cameo upfront.