Mark Hughes' Bradford leave Priestfield with all three points.
Richie Smallwood and Andy Cook were the goal scorers for Bradford on Tuesday night as Gillingham were beaten 2-0 at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium.
Neil Harris made three changes to the starting XI that beat AFC Wimbledon at the weekend. Timothee Dieng missed out due to a head injury and was replaced by Shaun Williams, while Aiden O’Brien started in attack, with Tom Nichols being fit enough to be named among the substitutes. Alex MacDonald was not involved due to illness, meaning club captain Stuart O’Keefe would start in the midfield.
Dom Jefferies had the first opportunity of the game in the seventh minute. David Tutonda took the ball inside with the crowd encouraging him to shoot. However, the ball was on his right foot, so he opted to play the ball to Jefferies. He struck a low-driven effort, but it was too central as Harry Lewis got down to make a comfortable save.
Dara Costelloe forced Glenn Morris into a similar save in the 12th minute. Andy Cook received the ball 30 yards from the goal and carried it towards the penalty area before playing it to Costelloe, who was inside the box. He struck a low effort from the right, but it was straight at Morris, who got down to make the save.
Tutonda had a half chance in the 24th minute. The ball was played to the left-back, who was in a central position. He opted to shoot from 25 yards out, but his effort cleared the crossbar.
Three minutes later, Richie Smallwood gave Bradford the lead. A ball was crossed into the box from the right by Brad Halliday, and Smallwood managed to squeeze his header into the bottom corner beyond Morris.
Jamie Walker had a good chance in the 42nd minute. A long ball forward from a goal kick eventually took a favourable bounce for the Bradford man, who made his way towards the goal. Walker then unleashed a powerful strike from 25 yards, which forced Morris into a diving save as he leapt across to push it away.
HALF-TIME: Gillingham 0-1 Bradford City
In the 49th minute, Cook doubled the Bradford advantage. The forward managed to win the ball on the byline and made his way into the penalty area, where he dinked the ball over the oncoming Morris.
George Lapslie had a half-chance in the 52nd minute. Shaun Williams’ low free-kick into the box from the left bounced at the feet of the midfielder, who could not set himself, as the ball went wide of the post.
Lapslie came close again as he was denied by Lewis. Cheye Alexander’s cross found the midfielder, who looped a header goalward. It had Lewis backpedalling before tipping it over the bar.
Gills almost found a way back into the game from the resulting corner, as the ball to the back post took a bounce off a Bradford man before going just wide of the post.
In the 67th minute, O’Brien came inches away from scoring. He did well to glance a header towards the far post, which beat the Bradford keeper. Unfortunately, it beat the post as well, as it went inches wide.
Morris did well to get down and deny Costelloe with a little over ten minutes remaining. The ball was played back to the forward, who curled an effort towards the far corner with a first-time shot. The Gills keeper did well to palm it away from danger.
Cook came close to adding a second a couple of minutes later. He held the ball away from Alexander inside the penalty area before turning and striking a powerful effort goalward. Morris did well to react with his view obstructed as he palmed the shot away.
FULL-TIME: Gillingham 0-2 Bradford City
Gillingham: Morris, Alexander, Ehmer, Masterson, Tutonda, Williams (Coleman 71’), Jefferies (Adelakun 71’), O’Keefe (Nichols 55’), Lapslie, Hawkins (Abrahams 87’), O’Brien
Unused Substitutes: Turner, Wright, Gbode
Bradford City: Lewis, Halliday, Platt, Stubbs, Ridehalgh, Gilliead (Osadebe 82’), Clayton, Smallwood, Walker (Crichlow 71’), Costelloe (Banks 90’), Cook
Unused Substitutes: Doyle, East, Chapman, Kelly
Referee: Alan Young
Attendance: 6276 (363 away supporters)