GILLS AT WEMBLEY: LET'S MAKE IT A DAY TO REMEMBER - FULLER

Friday 22nd May 2009

AS A fifteen-year-old, he was one of the massed ranks that followed Peter Taylor’s Gillingham to Wembley in May 2000 for the play-off final against Wigan Athletic, writes Mike Green.

This weekend, Barry Fuller will lead Mark Stimson’s Gills out at the new Wembley as Gillingham bid to return to League One at the first attempt.

Speaking to BBC Radio Kent, Fuller admitted, “I wasn’t a fan of the Gills, but I had always followed them as they were my local League side as I grew up in Ashford.

“I got a phone call from my dad asking if I wanted a ticket, so I jumped at the chance.

“I can’t remember much about the day,” he went on, “But I do remember jumping up and down and going berserk with the rest of the Gills’ support when Andy Thomson scored the winner.”

He went on, “I remember talking about the game with Hess (Andy Hessenthaler) when he was at Barnet and I went on loan there.

“It’s a day I won’t forget and I hope that we can make tomorrow a day to remember for everyone wearing blue.

“It will be my honour and privilege to lead the side out - I just hope that I can go on and lift the trophy itself.”

And the Gills skipper has tried to put the Gills 7-0 drubbing against their opponents Shrewsbury Town in the league at the New Meadow in September behind them.

“There gaffer (Paul Simpson) was the guest on SKY for our second leg and he admitted that for 25 minutes that day we absolutely battered them.

“You could say the final will be pay back, but we’re not looking at it like that, because it really was a freak result.”

And smiling, the Gills skipper added, “Who knows? If we get the luck they did that day tomorrow it could be them on a back end of a result like that.”

For Fuller himself, tomorrow’s play-off final will cap an incredible season for the full-back, who was diagnosed shortly after Christmas with pneumonia, which meant he missed the lucrative FA Cup tie against Premier League side Aston Villa at Priestfield Stadium in January - somehow we think playing at Wembley makes up for that.”

Listen to BBC Radio Kent tomorrow with LIVE COVERAGE of the game - 96.7fm or 104.2fm or via their website www.bbc.co.uk/kent

Gillingham v Shrewsbury Town

Coca-Cola League Two Play-Off Final

Saturday 23rd May 2009

Kick Off 3:00pm

At Wembley Stadium