The Swindon Town and Gillingham rivalry is an unusual one considering the distance between in miles, yet the events of a meeting at Priestfield in March 1979 set the tone for future years.

With the sides seeking promotion from Division Three, Swindon’s visit culminated in a fiery encounter. Gillingham scored two in the opening 25 minutes, only for Town to make it 2-2 before half time and take the draw. Gills fans were incensed when goalscorer Westwood was sent off for foul and abusive language, then later by the antics of Town defender Ray McHale, which culminated in a Gills fan running ont the pitch to punch and knock out the referee.

A few weeks later Gillingham visited the County Ground and McHale was centre of attention again after a tackle on him earned a red card. Then with Town 3-0 up Gills players turned on McHale for some retribution. The game eventually finished 3-1 and as the players returned to the dressing room, there was a fracas in the tunnel. Swindon coach Wilf Tranter was hospitalised with facial injuries after being punched. Two Gills players ended up in court over the incident, both were acquitted – and the season ended with both teams missing out on promotion – the Gills by a single point, which the Kent side blamed on Swindon.

Some 33 years on from those two matches that started the rivalry, Gillingham FC have still yet to confirm next Saturday’s League Two match against Swindon will go ahead. This is despite days of talks between the club, Kent Police and Medway Council to remove the prohibition notice issued for the 21st April game due to “serious concerns” over public order at Priestfield Stadium. Kent Police are seeking the costs for the additional policing from the club, who are reluctant to pay, hence the prohibition notice.

Regulation 32.1 of the Football League specifically prohibits matches behind closed doors where the public are excluded from the ground.

32.1 Behind closed doors. Save with the consent of the Executive or as a consequence of any disciplinary or regulatory proceedings, no Club may play any League or Cup Match behind closed doors so that the public are excluded from the ground.

However, the regulation enables the public to be excluded as a consequence of any regulatory proceedings, such as those undertaken by Medway Council. So without an agreement between the parties, there does remain a real possibility supporters can be excluded from the ground and the match proceeding as scheduled behind closed doors.

Matches between Swindon and Gillingham have frequently seen violence between small sections of the supporters. This isn’t the first time the issue of extra policing has effected the fixture, with Swindon previously covering the costs of the larger than usual police presence at matches at the County Ground back in 2007 to ensure public safety. However, any violence has subsided in recent meetings, whether this is because of the large police presence or a natural decline in animosity given the time since the original inflammatory events in the 1970/80s…

Quite why Gillingham see fit to make an example – by refusing to meet the police costs – for the second time this season is beyond me. After initially refusing to cough up more than £5,800 prior to their FA Cup Third Round tie with Stoke City back in January, the Club had to back down the day before the match and pay the reported £8,800 to cover the additional policing costs.

Many football clubs up and down the country have to regularly support the extra policing costs for high profile ties and derbies, which bring out bigger attendances and unfortunately some trouble-makers. The increase in attendances at these games benefits the clubs through increased revenue, so why quibble over a few thousand pounds – judging by the reported costs for the Stoke game – to contribute towards the costs of ensuring the safety and comfort of all supporters…

*notes on the rivalry are courtesy swindon-town-fc.co.uk