A goal in either half gives Harrogate the win at Priestfield.
Harrogate scored in either half as they came away from the MEMS Priestfield Stadium with a 2-0 win against the Gills.
Hakeeb Adelakun made his full debut as he came straight into the starting line-up after signing on loan from Lincoln on Monday. Club captain Stuart O’Keefe made his first start of the season, having come on as a substitute in the loss to Tranmere.
In the third minute, Ben Reeves had a good chance to open the scoring. Ryan Law’s ball into the box was headed down into the path of the midfielder by Mikael Mandron. Reeves did well to bring it under control before striking on the volley, but it went over the crossbar.
Reeves was at the heart of the action again moments later. He did well to get beyond his defender before drilling a low ball across the six-yard box. Unfortunately, no one was there to convert as the ball flew across without a touch.
Jaheim Headley forced Glenn Morris into a save in the 12th minute. Harrogate managed to go forward on the counter-attack where Headley was in acres of space on the left. He shot from 20 yards with a low-driven effort, but Morris did well to get down to it and push it wide for a corner.
Joe Mattock’s effort from a difficult angle curled wide of the target just after the quarter of the hour mark. He did a one-two from a corner and had the chance to try and curl it towards the far corner. He did exactly that and looked like it could cause Morris problems, but fortunately, it went wide of the target.
Jordan Green had a great chance to break the deadlock in the 20th minute. Adelakun’s cross into the box was not cleared, and Green managed to steal the ball off the Harrogate defender. He tried to slot it beyond the oncoming Mark Oxley, but the goalkeeper did well to save with his feet.
Adelakun had a good chance moments later, but his speculative volley went wide of the post.
The action did not stop there as Alex Pattison came close from 10 yards out. He should have hit the target but put it over the crossbar.
Matty Daly gave the visitors the lead in the 25th minute. Harrogate managed to get a two-on-one down the left, and a low ball was played towards the six-yard box. Daly was the one to get on the end of it and prod it through the legs of Morris from close range.
Pattison had a great opportunity to double the visitors' lead in the 40th minute. Harrogate won possession inside their half and managed to break forward. A ball was played through for Pattison, who was one-on-one with Morris. He tried to slot it beyond the oncoming goalkeeper, but he produced a great save to deny him.
HALF-TIME: Gillingham 0-1 Harrogate Town
Kayne Ramsay missed a guilt-edged opportunity in the early stages of the second half. Pattison played the ball across the box to the midfielder inside the area with the entire goal to aim at. However, he somehow missed the target.
Just short of the hour, Morris did brilliantly preventing it from becoming two. A cross-field pass found Headley inside the penalty area, and his effort was denied by the oncoming goalkeeper. The second ball fell perfectly for the Harrogate forward to score, but the Gills keeper did well to get a foot on the ball to take it off of him.
Mandron had a great chance to equalise in the 84th minute. Reeves’ corner into the six-yard box saw the forward leap the highest, but he could not keep his header down as it cleared the crossbar.
Moments later, Pattison doubled the Harrogate lead. He received the ball inside the penalty area and after some clever footwork, he shot goalward. It appeared to take a deflection before hitting the inside of the post and going in.
FULL-TIME: Gillingham 0-2 Harrogate Town
Gillingham: Morris, Wright (Alexander 65’), Ehmer, Baggott, Law (Walker 81’), O’Keefe (Kashket 65’), Lee, Green, Reeves, Adelakun (MacDonald 75’), Mandron
Unused Substitutes: Turner, Tutonda, Macarthur
Harrogate Town: Oxley, Welch-Hayes, Pattison, Austerfield, Mattock (Richards 73’), Ramsay, Headley, Dooley (Thomson 63’), Daly (Muldoon 80’), Ferguson, Armstrong
Unused Substitutes: Giles, Burrell, Frost, Ilesanmi
Referee: Lee Swabey
Attendance: 3931 (63)