Fast train to Paris? No thanks, Gillingham please

With less than 12 months to the 2012 London Olympics and not having tickets to see any of the events, I have wondered what benefits I would get from the ‘greatest show on earth’.

I will no doubt enjoy watching the mix of sports from home and take in local activities in Ipswich to mark the Olympics. Yet it is thanks to the Olympics and a new International rail connection built next to the Olympic Park, that we sampled our first real benefit - high-speed travel.

Having begun last Saturday by train from Ipswich to Stratford, (Olympic Park site), we then embarked on a new way to follow Shrewsbury; a high-speed service in style and with ease to Gillingham!

And yes, while we waited for the South Eastern high speed service, several Eurostar services whooshed passed as fast as Lionel Ainsworth bound for Paris or Brussels. Moments later it was our time rocketing at speeds of 140mph (so say’s South Eastern Railway’s website) underneath queuing traffic on the M25 / QE2 bridge, along the North Kent coast arriving 30 minutes later in Gillingham.

On to the game and an excellent team performance was built on high-speed like reactions from keeper Ben Smith – who dived low to save Gill’s Danny Kedwell’s first half penalty. In the second half Salop created a number of good chances and we should have had the result secured before relying on late, late drama.

90+ 3 added minutes: Another penalty, this time for Shrewsbury slotted home with assurance by Nicky Wroe, 1 – 0. But no, another twist, a Shrewsbury player, doing a Usain Bolt by being too quick and getting penalised for encroachment.

Retake is required. All 168 of us in the Brain Moore Stand look on; and with no hesitation Nicky Wroe sends the Gills keeper the wrong way, and the first away win in the league is there. Late drama v Gillingham; where’ve we seen that before?

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Lewis Jones
http://ipswichshrews.blogspot.com