Gills put in excellent performance on the road to see off Cambridge in terrible conditions at the Abbey Stadium.
Goals from Vadaine Oliver and Danny Lloyd helped earn Gills their first away win of the season against Cambridge at the Abbey Stadium on Tuesday night, sealing a 2-0 victory.
Oliver had initially given Gills the lead thanks to a great flick on by John Akinde. Akinde’s header allowed Oliver to run onto the loose ball in plenty of space before knocking it underneath Dimitar Mitov and finding the back of the net.
Lloyd scored the second with an incredible strike. He ran into the area without any pressure before rifling a fierce effort from a tight angle. It flew past Mitov who could do nothing about it.
Gills defended brilliantly in the second half, putting their bodies on the line as Cambridge went in search of a goal and preserved their first clean sheet of the season.
Steve Evans made three changes to the side that drew to Oxford on Saturday. David Tutonda, Dan Adshead and John Akinde all came in for Jack Tucker, Olly Lee and Gerald Sithole.
Gills came close to taking the lead in the opening minutes. Danny Lloyd’s corner was dropped by Dimitar Mitov and fell to Rhys Bennett. Bennett managed to direct it goalward, but a Cambridge defender was on the line to clear away.
Vadaine Oliver put Gillingham in front in the 26th minute. Robbie McKenzie played a long ball towards the edge of the box, and Akinde did brilliantly to flick it on. Oliver latched onto the loose ball and knocked it underneath Mitov and into the back of the net from a difficult angle.
Jamie Cumming did well to deny Paul Digby in the 38th minute. The ball into the box by Shilow Tracey was won by Digby, who glanced his header at the goal. Cumming did well to get down to it and push it out for a corner.
HALF-TIME: Cambridge United 0-1 Gillingham
Shortly after the break, Cumming did magnificently to prevent Sam Smith from equalising for the hosts. Smith met a cross towards the back post with his head and tried directing it back across the goal. It looked destined for the back of the net, but the Chelsea loanee did incredibly to get a fingertip on it to push it over the bar.
On the hour, Lloyd put Gills two goals to the good against the run of play with an emphatic strike. He ran into the penalty area untroubled before blasting a shot at goal from a tight angle. It had way too much power for Mitov to get near it as it flew into the roof of the net.
Smith had a chance for Cambridge in the 74th minute, but it was a speculative one. The ball was played to him and bounced up high. He tried his luck on the half-volley from the edge of the area, but it flashed wide of the post.
Jack Lankester almost found a late consolation goal, but his volley went wide.
FULL-TIME: Cambridge United 0-2 Gillingham
Cambridge United: Mitov, Williams, Iredale, Digby (May 76’), Jones, Brophy (Lankester 67’), O’Neil, Ironside, Smith (Weir 76’), Tracey, Masterson
Unused Substitutes: McKenzie-Lyle, Dunk, Okedina, Knibbs
Gillingham: Cumming, McKenzie, Bennett, Ehmer, Tutonda, Adshead, Dempsey, MacDonald, Lloyd, Akinde, Oliver (Kelman 63’)
Unused Substitutes: Chapman, Lee, Reeves, Akehurst, Sithole
Referee: James Bell
Attendance: 4019 (326 Gills)