There were unsavoury scenes as Gillingham and Colchester managers, staff and players took to clash at full time on Monday night.
The match played out to a 1-1 draw, Colchester’s Arthur Read snatching a draw with a penalty in the 87th minute after Andy Smith fouled Jack Tucker.
The goal cancelled out Robbie McKenzie’s 74th minute opener for the hosts, who also saw Sam Gale have an effort strike the post. Colchester were also denied a number of times by goalkeeper Jake Turner.
But following the game, players and staff from both sides confronted each other after the whistle, referee Matthew Russell issued no cards despite the melee, having only shown two yellows during the game.
The FA is likely to review footage and the referee’s report, especially given Gillingham’s prior retrospective punishments this season (bans for McCleary and Little).
Scuffles between the players at FT. No cards seen. pic.twitter.com/1onzNE0to5
— Matt on Gills (@MJPhippsy) December 29, 2025
The arguing continues. pic.twitter.com/xT4zHmS9ey
— Matt on Gills (@MJPhippsy) December 29, 2025
Gareth Ainsworth making an absolute tit of himself again, there’s a shock #ColU pic.twitter.com/uK3DShPSL8
— Sears11GOAT (@sears11GOAT) December 29, 2025
Reckon another min or two, with no one else there, Nevitt sparks him out.
Just saying #Gills pic.twitter.com/cxb3NUsC1n
— Brad Passey (@BradPassey) December 29, 2025
#colu pic.twitter.com/cO79u7qACR
— Simon Humphrey (@simonhumphrey72) December 29, 2025
Gareth Ainsworth said, per Kent Online: “Words were exchanged at the end, as they often are, and then I think both players have got involved.
“I’d rather not speak about it. Passions of football, it’s spilling out onto the touchline.
“We’ll have to wait for that, as always.
“But we’re together. We’re a real together group. It’s just the passion of the game.”
Opposition boss Danny Cowley was asked about the incident, but said: “I’d rather talk about the football – because I thought we were magnificent.”
He added: “Two team were fighting really hard to try and win and it boiled over.
“I don’t think it should have done, I don’t think it was necessary, I don’t think it was good, but we as Colchester United have to stand up and be counted and we did that on the pitch.
“The boys are a close group, they look after each other, and sometimes in football you have to do that.”
Danny Cowley said, per Gazette News:
“The melee at the end, I think it’s two teams fighting really hard and trying to win.
“It boiled over; I don’t think it should have done and I don’t think it’s necessary or good.
“But we, as Colchester United, have to come here and stand up and be counted.
“We did that on the pitch; we took the ball off them and looked a really good team and then at the end, the boys are a close group and they look after each other and sometimes in football, you have to do that.”
“We were magnificent – we played so well.
“We took the ball off a really physical, direct Gillingham team.
“We created so many chances in the first half and just couldn’t quite find that final action.
“We came out in the second half and I thought we stamped our authority on it.
“When you miss as many chances as we did, they then find a goal, a good goal from them and your team are then tested in that moment.
“It’s very easy, having played as well as we did to feel sorry for yourself but they didn’t.
“They came again and the boys came off the bench and impacted it.
“The equaliser was the very, very least that we deserved – it was a performance that deserved all three points, for sure.
“We got into lots of good areas and probably didn’t quite execute it in those moments, which is fine.
“They’re a team that want to steamroll you; they want to beat you up and they want to bully you and we had to stand up and I was proud of the group.
“I was proud of the football club really, the supporters, the players – we stood up.
“We’re a team that can be really good with the ball but when you come away, you have to first and foremost earn the right.
“It’s an old cliché in football but there’s a reason why it stands the test of time – it’s a very important one.
“Teddy Bishop, Jack Payne and Ready in there I thought were really, really good.
“When we played them earlier in the season, we didn’t quite have that option available to us and we knew we had to be brave coming here, because it’s such a hard place to come, with a really difficult crowd.
“It’s not easy but I was so proud of the way the boys played.
“They got a good goal and they’re a team that try to play for territory and put the ball in the box and you have to defend that.
“We can’t always defend with the power and physicality but there are other ways of defending – sometimes, you have to be intelligent defenders and I thought we did that on the whole.
“We knew that if we could take the ball, we could take some of that sustained pressure away from them and I thought that’s how it played out.”
On Jack Tucker was brought down by Andy Smith in the area: “There was such a melee and I couldn’t honestly give you a fair opinion on it.
“Credit to the referee, because it’s not always easy when you’re away from home.
“Arthur has missed some but we do lots of penalties because we miss a lot of penalties [in training] and we practise it a lot!
“Every time we practise them in training he always wins; we had Payney and Micah who might have taken it as well but they’d gone off the pitch.
“It was good on him to step up and have the courage and also the conviction to be able to score.”
Twitter users gave their reaction to the unsavoury scenes as Gillingham and Colchester managers, staff and players clash at full time…
@Dee_WkdCreative: Anyone actually know what triggered the scuffles at the end of @TheGillsFC v Colchester tonight? Smith and Galey looked to be on the pointy end of it. Colchester’s #9 is a right shithouse tho, he was during the away a few weeks back. Saw their #9 start on him. Nev’s probably the one man in the squad I wouldn’t want to start on, but fairly sure it was these two who had a bit of argy bargy at Col away.
@Jamie_Hudson_: Cowley had a few words there for Ainsworth. All kicked off on the bench after FT. Smith seemed to be well involved. Pretty much everyone was. Then Cowley seemed to have a few words to Ainsworth, looked annoyed with it but can’t be sure.
@RyanMann15: Cowley had ainsworth there the bloke has always been a knob he was also the same a couple of weeks ago at our place #colu
@_joeb0501: All down to the referee, and he’ll be the only one who doesn’t get a fine
@JamesCruttwell: Apparently the ref stood away saying he doesn’t want to do anything about it and will just report it to the FA. Sums up his spineless performance!
@Staceywestblog: Watching DC and GA square up is tough. As City fans it’s like choosing which of your lungs you want to keep. Controversially, I’d want DC to win. If I came home to find him stealing my camper van, I’d stop him to give him diesel money.
@NathanRef96: Ainsworth starts on Cowley seems like why kicks off & one of their own fans racist to Edwards I’m guessing also another reason ! Fair play to Gillingham fan who reported the person making the comments 👏🏼🫡 #Colu
All kicked off at full time #gills pic.twitter.com/RSLpiqSf45
— Andrew Crowther (@AndrewCrowther) December 29, 2025
