Gillingham fell to a 3-0 home defeat against Bromley in their opening fixture of 2025 at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Thursday night.
Mark Bonner made six changes to the starting XI that lost at AFC Wimbledon on Monday night, with Shad Ogie, Tim Dieng, Jack Nolan, Jonny Williams, Joe Gbode and Josh Andrews coming into the XI.
Sam Gale, Armani Little, Jayden Clarke and Elliott Nevitt were named among the substitutes, while Conor Masterson and Bradley Dack missed out.
Gbode's positive play led to a couple of half-chances in the opening minutes. He got beyond a Bromley defender down the left wing before making his way into the penalty area. He cut it back to Dieng, who aimed his shot towards the near post. The ball was blocked and came to Ethan Coleman on the edge of the box, who saw his shot go well wide of the target.
In the seventh minute, Louis Dennis gave Bromley the lead. Michael Cheek made his way into the box before being upended by Ogie. The loose ball came out to Jude Arthurs, who tried his luck with a low-drilled effort. Glenn Morris got a strong hand on it to push it away. However, the rebound came straight out to Dennis, who found the back of the net.
Danny Imray’s low cross across the Gills goal was begging for a touch to double the visitor’s advantage. Arthurs could not make clear contact with the effort before the ball fizzed out of play at the back post.
Arthurs doubled Bromley’s lead on 26 minutes. A long throw into the penalty area was not properly dealt with before dropping to the midfielder inside the six-yard box. With his back to goal, the former Gillingham academy player volleyed the ball over his head and into the top corner, leaving Morris with little chance of keeping it out.
In the 39th minute, Cheek headed over the crossbar. A cross from the left was floated deep into the penalty area in the direction of the forward. He managed to get an effort away, with Max Clark applying pressure, as Cheek sent his header looping over the crossbar.
Idris Odutayo nearly made it three. Cheek did well to keep the ball in play on the byline before cutting it back in the direction of Odutayo, who did well to create space for himself inside the box before shooting. He tried squeezing his shot through the legs of Morris, who did well to react in making the save.
Nolan nearly pulled a goal back directly from a corner, curling it towards the goal line. It appeared to be dipping underneath the crossbar before Grant Smith punched it over the crossbar.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Clark forced Smith into a save. A free-kick towards the penalty area was cleared as far as the left-back, who struck a half-volley goalward. He got good height on the ball towards the top right corner, but Smith got across and plucked it from the air.
HALF-TIME: Gillingham 0-2 Bromley
Gillingham made three changes at the break, introducing Remeao Hutton, Little and Clarke. Clark, Dieng and Nolan made way.
In the 55th minute, Nevitt replaced Coleman, as Gillingham went with two up top.
Smith pulled off a superb save to deny Andrews. Ogie looped a cross into the box in the direction of the big striker, who headed down into the ground. The Bromley goalkeeper got down to it and scooped the ball away from the goal.
Kamarl Grant put the game to bed on 76 minutes. Ben Thompson used quick thinking to play a free-kick into the space down the right-hand side. Corey Whitely latched onto the ball before playing it across the six-yard box for Grant to thump into the back of the net.
Nevitt had a good chance to pull a goal back soon after. Clarke got down the right by the byline before cutting it back to the forward, who directed a low-driven effort towards the far bottom corner. However, a Bromley defender was on hand to provide an important block, taking all of the momentum from the ball before Smith gathered.
Morris did well to deny Thompson. Gills could not clear their lines before the midfielder took the ball out into the space on the right side of the box before shooting towards the near post. Morris got down to push it behind for a corner, which came to nothing.
In the 86th minute, Gillingham were awarded a penalty from a corner after Ogie and Omar Sowunmi collided inside the penalty area.
Nevitt took the spot kick, but could not hit the target, shooting over the crossbar.
FULL-TIME: Gillingham 0-3 Bromley
Gillingham: Morris, McKenzie, Ehmer, Ogie, Clark (Hutton 46’), Coleman (Nevitt 55’), Dieng (Little 46’), Nolan (Clarke 46’), J. Williams (E. Williams 77’), Gbode, Andrews
Unused Substitutes: Ashby-Hammond, Gale
Bromley: Smith, Elerewe (Reynolds 80’), Sowunmi, Cheek (Olomola 90’), Dennis (Amantchi 71’), Grant, Whitely, Arthurs (Charles 80’), Imray, Odutayo, Thompson
Unused Substitutes: Long, Webster, Congreve
Referee: Ben Atkinson
Attendance: 7454 (963 away fans)
