Sunderland 1 Gillingham 0: Story of the day after late Nathan Broadhead winner sends Alex Neil's side into the play-off places
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Nathan Broadhead came off the bench to head home a stoppage-time winner when he converted Elliot Embleton’s cross.
The result moved the Black Cats upto sixth in the League One table with six games remaining.
Here’s how the game played out:
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RECAP: Sunderland 1 (Broadhead, 90+5) Gillingham 0
Key Events
- Sunderland XI: Patterson, Winchester (Gooch, 69), Batth, Wright, Cirkin, Evans, O’Nien (Embleton, 69) , Clarke, Pritchard (Broadhead, 69), Roberts, Stewart
- Subs: Hoffmann, Xhemajli, Neil, Matete, Embleton, Gooch, Broadhead
- Gillingham XI: Chapman, Jackson, Ehmer, Masterson, Tucker, Tutonda, Lee, Chambers (Reeves, 73), Thompson, Oliver, Kelman (Akehurst, 89)
- Subs: Dahlberg, Maghoma, Akehurst, Reeves, Dickson-Peters
What to make of that side
So it’s two changes to the Sunderland side which started against Lincoln last time out.
Danny Batth and Alex Pritchard have returned to the starting XI following injury setbacks, with Lynden Gooch and Dan Neil dropping to the bench.
It looks like the hosts will line up with a back four Batth and Bailey Wright at centre-back.
Luke O’Nien may drop into a deeper role alongside Corry Evans in midfield, with Patrick Roberts, Pritchard and Jack Clarke supporting Ross Stewart.
It’s also good to see Nathan Broadhead back on the bench.
Predicted line-ups
Here are our predicted line-ups for today’s match:
Sunderland predicted XI: Patterson; Winchester, Wright, Cirkin; Gooch, Evans, Neil, Clarke; Roberts, Pritchard, Stewart
Gillingham predicted XI: Chapman; Jackson, Tucker, Ehmer, Masterson, McKenzie; O’Keefe, Lee, Thompson; Kelman, Oliver
Neil Harris on Sunderland
Here’s what Gillingham boss Neil Harris said when asked about playing at the Stadium of Light:
“The Stadium of Light is a great place to play our football, probably in front of a crowd of around 30,000, a great atmosphere, huge football club that are under huge pressure to go up in the play-offs and get promoted this year.
“We talked about Sheffield Wednesday recently in a similar way, they have an array of talent, very good players, can play various systems under Alex Neil, who is a vastly experienced manager and we know it is a very tough ask but it is a great one for us, with the form we are in and the confidence and belief that we have in the group.”
How Gillingham are shaping up
Gillingham have moved four points clear of the relegation zone following the appointment of Neil Harris at the end of January, yet they have played more matches than some of the teams below them.
To find out more, we caught up with broadcast journalist Benjamin Watts, who reports on Gillingham for BBC Kent Sport, to get the inside track.
Here’s what he said when asked about the Gills’ recent form:
“Gillingham’s form has been much improved since the arrival of Neil Harris as manager on transfer deadline day.
“Gills have won five, lost four and drawn three, enabling them to move from ten points adrift of safety to four above the relegation zone.
“Harris’ first two victories came at Priestfield, narrow 1-0 wins over Crewe and Cambridge, but Gills’ last three triumphs have all come on the road - away at Lincoln, Doncaster and Accrington.”
Read more HERE
