By Matt Lond & J Bateman
February 26 2003

A solitary Rod Wallace strike 15 minutes from time strikes new hopes in Gills push for the playoffs.

Gillingham  1-0  Norwich   Wallace 75 Att: 7,935

Gillingham's Rod Wallace dealt Norwich's play-off aspirations a blow a with the winner at the Priestfield Stadium with a 75th minute strike that helped his own club's chances of claiming a top six spot as he scored his fourth goal in as many games. 

Norwich now have only one away win since September but they will feel they should have had a late equaliser. 

Craig Fleming thought he had scored in injury-time but the assistant referee indicated a push on Gills' player-boss Andy Hessenthaler and the goal was disallowed. 

The game began with the home side starting the better and they almost took the lead after seven minutes when Malky Mackay's defensive header back to Robert Green fell woefully short of the keeper, but Paul Shaw capitalised with a vicious strike from 10 yards which rebounded off the inside of the post and away to safety. 

On-loan striker David Healy almost gave his side a surprise advantage just before the break only for Jason Brown to produce a good save to turn away his 25-yard curling effort. 

The second half began in similar vein to the first as Gillingham domination was tempered with Norwich's threatening attacks on the break then the game turned a bit scrappy until Wallace finally broke the deadlock. 

Player-manager Hessenthaler burst down the right wing before unleashing a superb ball into the penalty area which wrong-footed Green, and left Wallace to side-foot into the corner.

With the game then drifting into injury time, Steen Nedergaard's punt into a crowded penalty area found Fleming at the back post and his close-range header sneaked in, only to be chalked out by referee Clive Penton and his assistant.

Report Courtesy Of Matt Lond