Saturday 25th November 2001 - Blackburn Rovers 1 V 2 Gillingham - League Division One - Ewood Park - Attendance 18,016

Blackburn Rovers were Premier League Champions in 1995. Gillingham finished fourth from bottom in League Division Three in 1995. Seven years later Rovers and Gillingham were playing each other in a league game. Over 2,000 Gillingham supporters made the long trek to Lancashire on a cold Saturday afternoon in November and were rewarded for their efforts. Blackburn started the game brightly when David Dunn had Bartram at full stretch with a shot that the Gills keeper had to turn round the post. In the 12^th minute former Manchester United striker Mark Hughes gave Rovers the lead. Matt Jansen supplied the pass into the area for Hughes who scored with a shot into the corner of the net. Blackburn kept up the pressure and both Jansen and Gary Flitcroft went close to doubling the lead. Vince Bartram was being kept very busy and had to make s superb save from Craig Hignett’s curling strike on goal. Gills first real opportunity of the half came though Paul Shaw but he could only drag his shot wide with only goalkeeper Brad Friedel to beat. Andy Hessenthaler’s side were giving as good as they got and it was the player manager who got the goal that drew them level. Shaw provided the pass to Hessenthaler who was in space and he drilled a shot low in to the corner of the net pass Friedel. Moments later to the shock of the home and away fans Gillingham were in front. John Curtis played the ball back to his keeper but didn’t realise Friedel was out of his goal. The ball rolled pass Friedel and into a empty net. The Gillingham supporters were in dreamland and almost had a third goal to celebrate in first half injury time. Marlon king’s shot was blocked and Paul Shaw rebound was cleared off the line by Jeff kenna. If the Gillingham players and supporters were expecting a siege on their goal in the second half they were mistaken as Blackburn seemed to have run out of ideas. Bartram was still being kept busy though and produced a superb double save from Jansen towards the end of the second half. The frustration slowly got to the Blackburn players and Dunn was sent off for his second book able offence with a late challenge on Mark Saunders by the corner flag. Blackburn were down to ten men but moments later so were Gillingham when Shaw received his second booking for a bad challenge. Matt Jansen had one last chance with a header to equalise for Rovers but Bartram was there to deny him again. The Gillingham players saw out the remaining minutes to earn the win their heroic performance deserved. The players and supporters celebrated long into the night for which was properly the club most famous ever away win.