Gills suffer defeat at Stadium MK.
Goals in either half condemned Gillingham to a first league defeat on the road in eleven months as MK Dons ran out comfortable 2-0 winners on Saturday.
Cameron Jerome and Carlton Morris both struck for MK, who picked up their first win of the season in the early kick-off. Steve Evans’ side huffed and puffed but couldn't find a way back into the game.
Evans welcomed back club captain Kyle Dempsey and Scott Robertson for the trip to Stadium MK with both the midfielders returning to the starting line-up after a spell on the sidelines through injury. New signing, Cameron Jerome, came straight into the starting line-up for the hosts.
Indeed, it was Jerome who had the first chance of note, shooting softly towards Jack Bonham in the Gills goal. The forward had time on the edge of the box but failed to connect properly. For the visitors, Dominic Samuel came close on the ten-minute mark, but the number nine dragged his shot wide from a tight angle.
In the 19th minute MK Dons took the lead. The hosts' built the play nicely down the right-hand side before cutting the ball back from the byline; Jerome was again on hand, this time to take a touch and finish clinically past Bonham. A good move from the free-flowing hosts. 1-0.
The goal certainly struck Gills into life with crosses and territory starting to build up. The pressure didn’t produce any clear-cut chances, but it did see Gillingham have a strong penalty claim waved away when Dominic Samuel was tripped in the box by Dean Lewington, the referee pointed for a free-kick the other way though.
The pressure continued to build and both Drysdale and Samuel had efforts on the goal, with the latter coming within inches of flicking in a Kyle Dempsey cross. The Gills had grown in to the game in the first half and were penning in their hosts.
H/T: 1-0
Despite being behind at the break, Gillingham would have felt like a positive result would have been on the cards, but a second goal early in the half put the game to bed. Some more good football from the hosts saw Morris have plenty of time to slot low past Bonham, it was a soft goal for the Gills to concede with the forward allowed a lot of time in the box. 2-0.
John Akinde was introduced almost immediately after the goal, but it was his strike partner Vadaine Oliver who had perhaps the Gills best chance of the game. Dempsey crossed delightfully to the far-post, but Oliver couldn’t quite sort his feet out as the chance went missing.
The attacking changes certainly opened the game up for both sides and had it not been for Bonham in the Gills goal the scoreline could have been worse. The impressive keeper denied both Mason and Jerome on a couple of occasions before Morris was denied again.
Jordan Graham fired a free-kick over the bar and Connor Ogilvie headed over the bar in the dying minutes but for the first time in nearly a year, Gills lost out on the road in League One.
F/T: 2-0
MK Dons: Nicholls, Williams, Lewington, Keogh, Poole, Kasumu, Morris, Fraser (Houghton 78), Harvey, Thompson, Jerome (Mason 69)
Unused subs: Cargill, Gladwin, Walker, Sorenson, O’Hora
Gillingham: Bonham, Jackson, Tucker, Medley, Ogilvie, Dempsey, Robertson (Eccles 67), Drysdale (Akinde 49), Graham, Oliver, Samuel (Coyle 67).
Unused subs: Walsh, Maghoma, McKenzie, Macdonald.
Referee: Mr Neil Hair