At the time, I remember being frustrated and disappointed that we didn’t really take the game to our opponents who, despite being right in the thick of the playoff picture at the top of League One, offered relatively little on the day.

On reflection, I can understand why Gillingham played in such a cagey fashion. They’d lost their last three matches and the pressure was beginning to mount on manager Mark Stimson, with a significant portion of the club’s fans questioning his position.

As someone wanting to see their team attack and go for the win, it was disappointing to watch. But looking at the bigger picture, perhaps it was the best approach to take.

Another defeat would have seen confidence hit the floor. Instead, a draw steadies the ship a little.

It’s the sort of solid, unspectacular, defensive performance that the side really needs to deliver away from home. If we can start to play like that and kill the game away from home, then return to our more open, attacking style when at home, then we could soon start moving up the League One table.

Sometimes you need to abandon good football in search for stability – and this weekend’s borefest at Priestfield may have been the start of a more solid Gillingham side in the weeks to come.

You’ve heard about winning ugly. Well, we need to walk before we can run and this weekend we DREW ugly. Let’s hope we can move onwards and upwards from this.

From the chairman, through the manager and players to the humble supporter there has been much soul searching that has led to criticism from all quarters, none less than Paul Scally himself. A response was needed and credit to the chairman who backed his manager to the tune of three new loan players who were all drafted straight into the starting line-up.

In his after match interview, Mark Stimson was full of praise for his team, but what would the paying public make of this performance, could they see beyond the fact that this was a turgid game with very little in the way of entertainment from either side?

Colchester United are not a team that are built to be easy on the eye. They are a huge lump of a side with a battering ram of a strike force in the shape of Kayode Odejayi and Clive Platt, but their fourth place standing confirms their effectiveness. They also came to Priestfield with something to prove having shipped 12 goals in their last two games.

Darren Dennehy, loan signing from Cardiff City, can be taken as the first of the positives. He sometimes looked less than assured on the ball, but alongside Josh Gowling, manfully stood up to the challenge that was presented by the physical presence of the Colchester front two.

Five changes in total were made from the side humbled at Accrington with youngsters Jack Payne coming into midfield and Tom Wynter moving across from central defence to take on the left back position vacated by Chris Palmer and hereby is another plus. Wynter looked comfortable and his delivery was a good deal better than that offered by Palmer of late.

It was Wynter’s ball over the top that freed Simeon Jackson for an early opportunity that the striker lobbed wide. From an attacking viewpoint (and that goes for both sides) it was as good as it got in a first half that was dull, dull, dull.

New loan signings, Rene Howe from Peterborough and Tristan Plummer from Bristol City had very limited opportunities to impress as the game sleepwalked its way to the break. Plummer was played on the left in the opening 45, didn’t have a great half, but improved in the 15 second half minutes that he was on the pitch having been switched to the right hand side. Howe, on the other hand, did very well in the second half. He showed a good touch, held the ball up well and, given time, he could forge a fruitful understanding with Jackson.

Two big moments in the second half could have won the game for either side. On the hour Howe released Andy Barcham, whose cross from the byeline narrowly evaded everybody and in the final five minutes Alan Julian was forced into his first meaningful save when he pushed a Kevin Lisbie header onto the bar.

There were a few boos at the end, but they were fairly muted. Perhaps a sense of pragmatism has pervaded Priestfield. We are in a fight to stay in this Division and a point at home against a top four side is not to be sniffed at. The commitment, so sadly lacking at Swindon and Accrington, was evident and more of the same needs to be taken into the away fixtures, beginning on Tuesday at Hartlepool.

Manager Mark Stimson explained how his team now differs greatly from the side that crashed out of the FA Cup to Barnet two seasons ago, citing the increased number of players with potential in his current squad.

Stimson named five players from his current squad who he felt could move on to bigger and better things.

Simeon Jackson, Curtis Weston, Andy Barcham, Jack Payne and Luke Rooney could all one day “play top end Championship,” according to the Gills boss.

And there are other players who sit on the borderline with regard to their career progression.

One such player, according to Stimson, is Lewis, who was challenged by the Gills manager to show what he’s capable of in the remainder of the season to earn a long-term deal at the club.

“Can he really take Division One by storm or is he just going to be a run of the mill (player),” he said during the pre-match press conference.

“That’s for Stuart, that’s his challenge.”

Lewis is out of contract at the end of the season and the Gills boss wants his midfielder, dubbed “The Ginger Cafu”, to force the club’s hand and offer him a new contract rather than let him go.

Stimson may give Lewis his first opportunity to respond this weekend when Gillingham take on Colchester United at Priestfield.

Watch and listen to Mark Stimson’s comments on Lewis and the squad as a whole in this video.

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The Gillingham squad will be bolstered by the addition, on loan, of strikers Rene Howe and Tristran Plummer, and central defender Darren Dennehy. It is likely that Plummer will start on the wing on Saturday.

Overseeing proceedings will be, West Midlands based referee, Oliver Langford.

He began his refereeing career at age of 15 in 1995. His career progressed via the Midland Combination and Midland Football Association leagues. He was a member of the PGMO team that refereed in the Dallas Cup 2008

Mr Langford, who is in his second season as a League referee, will be making his second appearance at Priestfield. His first visit, our game against Brentford last season, will be remembered for the dismissal of Nathan Elder and Barry Fuller.

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Howe, 23, is a big, strong, mobile frontman with a good goalscoring record. He was one of the division’s more impressive forwards last season while on loan at Morecambe.

He arrives to bolster the Gills squad ahead of the weekend’s League One match with Colchester United and is more than likely to walk straight into the starting lineup.

Stimson is known to be in the market for another defender and we believe he is on the verge of securing the signing of a young centre half from a Premier League side.

It’s also possible that we could still be looking to bring in Scott Vernon to add even more power to our forward line, but that move is unlikely to happen until after we play his parent club, Colchester United, this weekend.

Remarkably, Gillingham could be playing one of THREE different teams, from THREE different divisions.

And it all hinges on the result of tonight’s FA Cup match at Accrington Stanley.

Here are the possible scenarios…

SCENARIO 1: Gillingham DRAW with Accrington tonight

If the Gills draw with Accrington in their FA Cup Third Round clash tonight, the FA have ordered the replay to take place on Saturday.

SCENARIO 2: Gillingham BEAT Accrington tonight

If the Gills defeat Accrington at The Crown Ground this evening, they’ll go through to the Fourth Round of The FA Cup and will face a money-spinning tie with Premier League side Fulham at Priestfield on Saturday.

SCENARIO 3: Gillingham LOSE to Accrington tonight

It’s the match we DON’T want to be playing this weekend. If the Gills were to be knocked out of the FA Cup by Accrington tonight, they’ll return to League One action against Colchester United.

Vernon made an impressive start to his initial loan spell with the Gills, linking up well with Simeon Jackson during the first half of his debut (and only) appearance, against MK Dons in October.

But an awkward fall saw the striker turn over his ankle, damaging his ligaments in the process and ruling him out of action for three months.

But Vernon is back in full training and once the target man returns to full fitness, Gills boss Stimson wants to bring him back to Priestfield.

Speaking to BBC Radio Kent, Stimson said, “If he gets fit this month we can bring him back.

“He proved to be a different type of centre forward and we were looking forward to working with him. Unfortunately that only lasted 41 minutes.”

Vernon joined the Gills earlier in the season and impressed in the first half against MK Dons before turning his ankle and rupturing his ligaments, ruling him out for for three months.

The former Blackpool striker has now recovered from his injury, is back in training and hopes to feature in a reserve team game soon.

And if Vernon gets through that game without incident, Gillingham manager Mark Stimson is keen to bring him back to Kent on loan.

“I’ve spoken to his representative to see if Scott would still like to come back because we’d take him,” he told Kent News.

“He’s quite interested but we’re going to let him get through the reserve game and see what happens.”

He added: “I think he was very good in the time we had him and is experienced at this level. Hopefully by the middle of the month he would’ve played some football.”

Former Blackpool and Oldham striker Vernon scored twice for the U’s reserves in midweek and arrives at Priestfield looking to get back to full match fitness following a spell out injured.

Colchester boss Aidy Boothroyd said, “Scott will go to Gillingham to get himself fit.

“We hope he can score a few goals for them and if he comes back in a month’s time having done that we will hopefully have a fit player.

“We will re-assess it after a month and if Gillingham are keen to keep him and Scott is happy to stay, it may be extended.”

Matt Fry arrives from the West Ham reserve side after the Gills initially failed to agree a loan deal with the London club earlier in the season.

The left-sided defender is expected to be thrown straight into the Gills side at left back for Saturday’s game at Milton Keynes, while Vernon is a near-cert to start up front, alongside Simeon Jackson.