News of former Gills players and managers
MK Dons defender Tom Flanagan has joined League Two Barnet on loan until the end of the season. Of course the 21-year-old made 15 appearances here at Gillingham earlier this season before a fractured a metatarsal ended his spell.The Bees moved for the Northern Ireland Under-21 international after Stevenage recalled Bondz N'Gala from his loan at Underhill.
Former Gillingham manager Peter Taylor has this week been appointed England's head coach on a two-month contract for this summer’s Fifa Under-20 World Cup finals in Turkey.
Taylor, who has also managed Brighton, Hull, Crystal Palace, Stevenage, Wycombe and Bradford, had one match as caretaker manager of the senior England side after Kevin Keegan resigned in 2000. He took charge of the 1-0 friendly defeat to Italy in Turin and made David Beckham England captain for the first time.
He has also had two stints in charge of England's Under-21 side, between 1996 and 1999, and then from 2004 to 2007. Peter was in charge of Bahrain but left that post in October last year and has more recently been coaching and scouting at Steve McClaren’s Twente Enschede in Holland.
England will be one of 24 teams at the finals in June and July, with the draw taking place in Istanbul on 25 March.
Taylor, now 60, who played for Southend, Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Leyton Orient, Oldham and Exeter before moving into coaching said "I just hope we can get the best players available to go out there and do well."
He added: "I am very pleased and I am looking forward to it. I have been very fortunate to have had two spells with the FA and even though this latest one is short-term it is a tremendous feeling to have another opportunity to come back.
"The experience is the most important thing. Any level under the senior team is about readying players for that moment. This tournament will be good for young players."
Youngster Ashley Miller has joined Blue Square South side Tonbridge Angels on loan. The 18-year-old former Gillingham striker had previously been on loan at Ryman One South sides Hythe Town and Ramsgate earlier this season.
He made his debut for the Blue Square South side in their midweek defeat at leaders Welling United, Frannie Collin netting the Angels goal in a 4-1 reverse.
In an amazing game last Sunday, Thurrock, struggling at the wrong end of the Ryman Premier League under former Gills boss Mark Stimson, were leading 1-0 at Wingate & Finchley thanks to a 62nd minute penalty from skipper Stuart Thurgood.
But then with six minutes left on the clock the game was abandoned when the home side had a fifth player sent-off – all of which came in a 30-minute second-half spell.
This fixture was one of three games selected to promote a special “non-league football against discrimination” weekend organised by the Ryman League and football charity Kick It Out but referee Sam Purkiss had been left with no choice but to abandon the game.
Thurrock chairman Tommy South “I thought it was an absolute disgrace. I thought they were trying to get the game abandoned.
“The referee had a good game, it was five sending offs. For one of the dismissals, the player just came up when it was our free kick and booted the ball the length of the pitch having already been booked. It was at that point we thought they were trying to get the match abandoned.
“They were never going to score in a million years. But we might have scored more and if we get relegated on goal difference, having the game abandoned could be costly.
“I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve been in non-league 35 years. It wasn’t a dirty game at all. We had two players booked, they had five sent off.”
Following a meeting by the Ryman League board a decision was made to allow the result to stand.