Gillingham 0 Millwall 0

IF, AS manager Stan Ternent believes, Gillingham need seven more wins to stay up then they better learn how to put the ball in the back of the net.

Saturday's dour goalless draw with Millwall was the fifth time in the last seven games that Gills have drawn a blank – a statistic that points strongly towards the Championship trapdoor.

True, they kept a clean sheet at the other end and earned a point in the process. But with just 14 games to go the Gills need to start winning their home games if they are going to survive.

Gillingham had not lost at home to Millwall since 1997 but their hopes received a blow before a ball had been kicked when keeper Jason Brown pulled a hamstring in the warm-up.

That meant Steve Banks was called up 10 minutes before kick-off but he could have been replaced by a dustbin for the first half, with the visitors failing to get a single shot on target.

Ternent's men were little better. Michael Flynn had a volley in the fourth minute of his home debut that deflected off a defender and into the hands of Andy Marshall and Darius Henderson blasted a half chance over the bar in the final minute of the half.

For a local derby, the game was turning out to be something of a damp squib. A clash between Darren Byfield and Darren Ward in the second minute saw 18 players involved in a bit of pushing and shoving but that was the only suggestion from the players that this was a clash between bitter rivals.

Supporters tend to be inspired by events on the pitch and there was just nothing worth shouting about going on there, a fact not helped by the appalling conditions.

The wind was so strong that one of Banks' goal kicks almost came straight back at him, while his opposite number Marshall managed to clear the Gillingham crossbar by 10 yards on one bounce with one of his efforts.

The pitch was awful as well, but both teams did improve after the break. Henderson nearly latched on to a Southall cross four minutes after the restart and Southall himself had a penalty shout turned down five minutes later.

Millwall had chances, too. Nyron Noswothy cleared from the goalmouth after Scott Dobie had clipped the ball over a diving Banks, while Richard Rose had to head off his own line after a dangerous corner from Dave Livermore.

Southall then came closest to scoring 15 minutes from time but his shot was blocked by Kevin Muscat, who then stabbed the ball onto his own post in his urgency to clear.

With a point of little use to either side, both Ternent and Dennis Wise urged their players forward in search of the win late on.

Flynn should have snatched all three points when he was put through on goal but his shot was well saved by Marshall.

Substitute Matt Jarvis, once released as a youngster by Millwall, injected some much needed pace into the game in the closing stages and nearly came back to haunt the Lions.

With just two minutes left he beat two defenders and put the ball into the middle. When it came back to him off a defender he must have pictured a dream ending to his comeback from a hernia op, but sadly the ball flashed wide of the goal.

The final whistle meant Gillingham have now failed to score in 299 minutes of playing time – a problem they will have to rectify before it is too late.

Gillingham: Banks, Nosworthy, Ashby, Cox, Rose (Jarvis 72), Southall, Smith, Crofts, Flynn, Henderson, Byfield (Roberts 65). Subs Not Used: Bossu, Hills, Pouton.

Attendance: 9,127.

GILLS JURY:

"In the second half we had enough chances to win it but then again so did they so maybe a draw was a fair result. We need to get a few players in, especially a forward who can put the ball in the back of the net." Paul Tyler, Gillingham

"Overall, I think Millwall had most of the possession but in the second half we had two really good chances. We seem to be lacking that killer instinct in front of goal and it's disappointing we aren't scoring enough goals. That could cost us at the end of the day because we need to win our home games." Gary Liptrott, Walderslade

"I was hoping we could build on the second half performance against Watford but that never really happened. The conditions didn't help but they were the same for both sides and to put it bluntly it turned into a game to forget. To move up the league it's clear we need a striker with an eye for a goal. Someone in the Marlon King or Carl Asaba mould who can create goals from almost anything and guarantee you a goal or two every other game." Keith Pestell, Rainham

"Conditions were pretty bad, which didn't allow us to play but that helped us more than Millwall I thought. There weren't many chances in the game but I thought we did okay. It's a point closer to survival but we've got to improve at home because we don't seem able to pick up points away." Bobby Payne, Rainham