Bradley Dack, John Egan and Cody McDonald came out unscathed after playing in today’s Development League game against AFC Wimbledon, as they continue their recovery from injuries.
The Gills took the lead through a deflected Dack free-kick, but found themselves 2-1 down with just five minutes remaining. After piling on late pressure, the Gills turned it round thanks to goals from Jermaine McGlashan and Finn O’Mara, both from Jake Hessenthaler deliveries.
Egan and McDonald were unused substitutes against Coventry at the weekend, but Dack hasn’t been in the squad since he limped off against Chesterfield in February.
“It’s good for me and the boys to get some minutes under our belt and it’s always nice to win a game. As a player you want to win every game,” said Dack.
None of the returning trio played the full 90 minutes and Dack didn’t want to get ahead of himself going into the Sheffield United match at the weekend.
“I felt good after coming off, but it’s back to training tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes from there,” he added.
Since being sidelined, Dack has been working hard to recover and has been praised by Justin Edinburgh for his eagerness to get back to match fitness. He has been warming up with the players before home matches and even made the trip to Southend in March, where he sat in the away end alongside the Gills faithful.
He said: “It’s tough to watch the boys. You feel like you can’t help them, especially when things aren’t going well. Hopefully when I come back I can add an extra dimension to the team.”
Dack praised Andrew Crofts, Adam El-Abd and George Williams, who have come into the side while the playmaker has been on the sidelines.
“They have pulled us out of a bad run. We were on a poor run before they came but they have helped changed the tide and were now unbeaten in five,” he said.
“We have to try and carry on that run and hopefully get a few more goals as we’ve had a couple of 0-0 draws.
“We look solid at the back, but we haven’t created as much as we would like going forward. Hopefully that will change starting this weekend and can continue for the rest of the season.”