Mika Mandron on target against his former side as Gills seal a point in Cheshire.
Gillingham earned a well-deserved point as they drew 1-1 against Crewe at the Mornflake Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Gills took the lead in the 12th minute but it was unclear, at the time, as to who the goal scorer was. Mikael Mandron headed Shaun Williams’ corner goalward, and Scott Kashket was stood in front of Arthur Okonkwo as he attempted to backheel the ball. The ball found the back of the net, but there was doubt as to who got the final touch. It was later revealed Kashket had not touched the ball.
Dan Agyei equalised seven minutes later as his shot from outside of the box nestled into the bottom corner, leaving Glenn Morris with little chance of keeping it out.
Neil Harris made one change to the starting XI that beat Sutton in the club’s previous league fixture. Match winner Alex MacDonald came into the line-up in the place of Jordan Green, who recovered from an ankle knock in time to be on the bench.
Josh Chambers, who made his second debut for the club in midweek, was named in the matchday squad for a league fixture for the first time since re-signing.
Will Wright forced Arthur Okonkwo into a save in the 11th minute. Gills won a free-kick 25 yards from the goal, and it was in Wright’s range. He did well to curl the ball over the wall, and his effort dipped as it was going goalward. Okonkwo did well to get across and push it behind for a corner.
Moments later, Gillingham took the lead. Shaun Williams curled a corner into the box towards Mikael Mandron. The striker rose the highest as he headed goalward. As the ball bounced towards the goal, Scott Kashket attempted to backheel it in. However, it was unclear as to whether he made direct contact with the ball as it went beyond Okonkwo.
Dan Agyei equalised for the hosts in the 19th minute. He latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area and curled his shot towards the bottom corner. It had too much power and pace, and it was out of the reach of Glenn Morris as it nestled into the back of the net.
MacDonald had a good opportunity to regain the lead for the visitors. A diagonal ball towards the penalty area was headed in the direction of the midfielder, who had plenty of time. He did well to bring it under control before shooting the ball on the half volley. Unfortunately, he could not hit the target as it went wide of the post.
Robbie McKenzie was the next man to come close. Williams played the ball through to McKenzie in a gap inside the penalty area. He was in a good position to cut the ball back but opted to shoot at Okonkwo’s near post. It had plenty of power, but he could only rifle his shot into the side netting.
In the 33rd minute, Courtney Baker-Richardson almost gave Crewe the lead. A corner was curled towards the back post, and Baker-Richardson managed to get his head on it. Fortunately, McKenzie was on hand to get his body in front of the ball to deny the host’s top scorer.
Agyei almost scored his second five minutes before the break. Morris came to claim the ball, but could only palm it away. The ball fell to the Crewe forward, who tried to lob the Gillingham goalkeeper from outside the penalty area. Max Ehmer was on the line to cover, but Morris did well to push the chip behind for a corner, which came to nothing.
HALF-TIME: Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Gillingham
It was a quieter start to the second half but Gills bossed possession in attacking areas.
In the 73rd minute, the visitors made a double substitution as Lewis Walker and Jordan Green replaced Mandron and MacDonald.
Gillingham had a penalty appeal as Adelakun believed he was brought down by contact from Kevin Mellor. However, the referee confidently pointed for a goal kick as he ignored the appeals.
Gills had another penalty appeal in stoppage time as Dom Jefferies’ shot hit a Crewe defender. There were shouts for a handball, but Robert Madden ignored the claims.
FULL-TIME: Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Gillingham
Crewe Alexandra: Okonkwo, Mellor, Offord, McDonald, Adebisi (Finney 53’), Conor Thomas, King (Leshabela 78’), Uwakwe, Sambou (Tabiner 70’), Agyei, Baker-Richardson
Unused Substitutes: Richards, Williams, Griffiths, Sass-Davies
Gillingham: Morris, Alexander, Wright, Ehmer, Law, Adelakun (Jefferies 88’), McKenzie, Williams, MacDonald (Green 73’), Kashket, Mandron (Walker 73’)
Unused Substitutes: Turner, Mnoga, Baggott, Chambers
Referee: Robert Madden
Attendance: 3809 (211)