From the Archive | Seventh Heaven for Salop  

Salop have seen plenty of memorable wins since moving to Oteley Road 18 years ago, but none of them have been as dominant as our win against Gillingham in September 2008.  

After a busy summer of transfer business, we had made a strong start to the season, winning three, drawing one, and losing one in our opening five. Eye-catching summer transfers, which included a record-breaking move for Grant Holt, and the capture of experienced defenders Michael Jackson and Graham Coughlan, had seen us positioned as one of the favourites for promotion.   

The Gills were no pushovers themselves. They had been relegated to the bottom tier for the first time in over a decade and were looking to make an immediate return to League One. Coming into the game, they sat just below us on the table, equal on points and on a three-game winning run.   

The first 25 minutes of the game followed the form book and played out evenly. This all changed in the 27th minute, with Jackson rising highest from a Ben Davies corner to make it 1-0.   

This lit a fire under the team. Just three minutes later, David Hibbert was on the scoresheet, with his effort deflecting off Josh Nutter to make it two. He came close to grabbing a brace three minutes later, forcing a great save from Simon Royce.   

Royce could do absolutely nothing to prevent Town’s third ten minutes later, with Davies curling in a stunning free kick to put us comfortably in the lead. Fans were barely back in their seats when Coughlan headed home the fourth on the stroke of half-time.   

An 18-minute flurry had totally taken the wind out of Gillingham’s sails, and things would only get worse in the second half.   

Just seven minutes after the restart, Shane Cansdell-Sherriff side-footed the ball past Royce from just inside the six-yard box following a scramble on the touchline.   

Town were 5-0 up, and somehow, leading scorer Holt was yet to get his name on the scoresheet. He was given the chance to change this in the 58th minute when he was hacked down inside the Gillingham box. The striker dusted himself down, stepped up, and smashed the ball to make it six.   

Salop were full of confidence, and so was skipper Davies. The midfielder stepped up to curl in another audacious free kick in the 87th minute.   

The game ended 7-0 and still holds the record for the biggest win ever recorded at our new home.