AFC Wimbledon take their chances to clinch victory at Plough Lane.
Goals from Ethan Chislett and Jack Currie saw AFC Wimbledon beat Gillingham 2-0 at Plough Lane on the opening day of the season.
Neil Harris started Glenn Morris in goal after he returned to the club on loan on Friday morning. Will Wright, Elkan Baggott, Ryan Law, Shaun Williams, Dom Jefferies, Jordan Green and Scott Kashket all made their competitive debuts for the club.
Williams was named Captain on Saturday with Stuart O'Keefe unavailable. Lewis Walker didn't feature after not receiving international clearance in time to be eligible.
In the 15th minute, Ethan Chislett rifled AFC Wimbledon in front with a fierce effort. A corner into the box was headed away by Baggott, but only as far as the forward who unleashed a powerful effort into the back of the net, giving Morris no chance.
Mikael Mandron had a good opportunity to bring the scores level on the half hour. Williams’ corner into the box looped over the head of a leaping AFC Wimbledon defender, which allowed Mandron to direct his header goalward. However, he could not reset himself and the resulting effort went over the bar.
Chris Gunter came close to making it two but was denied by Morris. Chislett’s cross into the box evaded everybody before falling to the Welsh defender at the back post. He tried to catch Morris out at his near post as he looked like he was shaping to shoot across the keeper. However, the 38-year-old did well to get down and deny the former Charlton man.
HALF-TIME: AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Gillingham
Gills almost found an equalizer in the opening minutes of the second half. Ben Reeves, who replaced Jefferies at half-time, curled a ball towards Mandron. The forward diverted it into the path of Green, who could not make clear contact with the ball and it went wide of the goal.
Just short of the hour, Reeves forced Nik Tzanev into a save. Gills had a free-kick 25 yards from the goal towards the left side of the area. The midfielder’s curling effort was at a good height for Tzanev but almost wrong-footed the Wimbledon man. However, the goalkeeper managed to reset himself and make the save before a white shirt could follow up.
Jack Currie made it two for the hosts as he rose the highest to thump Will Nightingale’s cross at the back post beyond Morris.
FULL-TIME: AFC Wimbledon 2-0 Gillingham
AFC Wimbledon: Tzanev, Gunter, Nightingale, Pearce, Brown, Marsh, Maghoma, Currie, Assal, Chislett (Bendle 88’), Davison (Hudlin 87’)
Unused Substitutes: Broome, Young-Coombes, Adjei-Hersey, Kalambayi, Ogundere
Gillingham: Morris, Wright (Alexander 68’), Ehmer, Baggott, Law (Tutonda 82’), Williams, Jefferies (Reeves 46’), Green, Lee, Kashket (Gbode 82’), Mandron
Unused Substitutes: Turner, MacDonald, Macarthur
Attendance: 7752 (1172 Gills supporters)
Referee: Simon Mather