Elliott Nevitt came off the bench to score his first competitive goal for the club but it proved to be too late as Gillingham lost 2-1 to Peterborough United in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The visitors led the game 2-0 thanks to a goal in either half. Ricky-Jade Jones scored after 12 minutes before an unstoppable Bradley Ihionvien strike doubled Peterborough’s advantage with a little over 15 minutes remaining.
Deep into stoppage time, Nevitt opened his account for the Gills, glancing a header into the far bottom corner.
Bradley Dack was named in the starting XI, making his second debut for the Football Club. Harry Webster made his professional debut, with Ethan Coleman returning to the side after missing pre-season with an injury.
Luca Ashby-Hammond made his Gillingham debut after signing on loan from Fulham on deadline day.
Dack had the first opportunity in the fifth minute. Max Clark’s corner was cleared as far as the midfielder who struck a speculative left-footed effort goalward. Unfortunately, Dack dragged it well wide of the target.
Having started the brighter of the two sides it was the Gills who found themselves behind in the 12th minute. Chris Conn-Clarke got down the left hand side before playing a low ball towards the six-yard box. Ricky-Jade Jones got on the end of the cross, squeezing a shot past Ashby-Hammond. There were appeals for offside by the Gillingham players, but the flag stayed down.
Alex Giles nearly found an immediate response for the hosts. Dack curled a free-kick into the penalty area, which was headed goalward by Giles. The ball took a deflection on its way to the goal, as it went just wide of the post for a corner, which came to nothing.
In the 24th minute, Webster forced Nicholas Bilokapic into a save. He linked up with Gbode down the right before Webster was set away with acres of space to run into. The right-back carried it goalward before shooting from 20 yards, with his low-driven effort towards the far corner parried away by Bilokapic.
The keeper had to be alert to deny Gbode shortly after. Following some positive build-up play, Dack curled a cross into the box which was cleared away. The ball was played to Gbode, who was right of centre to the goal before shooting. His strike took a slight deflection towards the near post, but Bilokapic had it under control, tipping it wide of the goal.
During stoppage time, Conn-Clarke nearly set up Jones for his second goal. Some fancy footwork allowed the forward to get away from Coleman before he played a defence-splitting pass for Jones to latch onto. Ashby-Hammond was quick off his line to close down the angle to save Jones’ effort.
HALF-TIME: Gillingham 0-1 Peterborough United
Mark Bonner made two changes at half-time as Nevitt made his competitive Gillingham debut, replacing Andrews. Jack Nolan came on for Dack, who had been booked at the end of the first period.
Malik Mothersille, who replaced Abraham Odoh at half-time, should have done better with a chance seconds into the second half. A ball in from the right bounced into the path of an unmarked Mothersille, who could not make clear contact with his shot as it bounced wide of the target.
Gills had a penalty shout when Gbode got beyond Jack Sparkes before going down inside the area. However, the referee did not believe that there was sufficient contact to award the foul as play continued.
It took a last-ditch challenge from Giles to prevent Peterborough from scoring a second. Cian Hayes played a low pass towards the near post, which Mothersille aimed to meet. However, Giles was on hand, sliding in to put the ball out of play for a corner.
On the hour, there were two more Gillingham changes, as Armani Little and George Lapslie replaced Coleman and Jayden Clarke respectively.
In the 72nd minute, Gbode had a huge chance to score. A long ball in behind the Peterborough defence saw Nevitt and Bilokapic in a race to the loose ball. Nevitt latched onto it first, taking it around The Posh goalkeeper before cutting the ball back to the edge of the box for Gbode.
There were multiple players on the line for the visitors, forcing the forward to try and squeeze his shot into the bottom corner, with the effort going just wide of the post.
Moments later, a Ihionvien stunner doubled Peterborough’s advantage. Kwame Poku played the ball into Ihionvien, who was 20 yards out. The striker shifted the ball onto his left foot before drilling an unstoppable effort into the top right corner, leaving Ashby-Hammond with no chance.
Lapslie had a great opportunity to pull a goal back in the 80th minute. The visitors attempted to play out from the back, with Nevitt pressing. His press forced a misplaced pass into the path of Lapslie, who had the time and space to shoot. However, his low-driven effort towards the bottom corner was saved by Bilokapic.
Gills came close again after fine work by Gbode. The forward did well in creating space down the left before a cross field pass found Nolan. The winger cut inside onto his left foot before shooting towards the bottom right corner from over 20 yards out. Unfortunately, his effort fizzed just wide of the post.
Nevitt scored a debut goal in the dying seconds. A cross from the left was directed to the centre of the penalty area, with Nevitt rising the highest to glance his header into the far bottom corner of the net.
FULL-TIME: Gillingham 1-2 Peterborough United
Gillingham: Ashby-Hammond, Webster, Ehmer, Giles (Ogie 79’), Clark, Coleman (Little 60’), J. Williams, Clarke (Lapslie 60’), Dack (Nolan 46’), Gbode, Andrews (Nevitt 46’)
Unused Substitutes: Morris, Wyllie
Peterborough United: Bilokapic, Dornelly, Fernandez, Katongo (Rose 76’), Sparkes, O’Brien-Brady, Collins, Hayes (Poku 60’), Conn-Clarke (Randall 67’), Odoh (Mothersille 46’), Jones (Ihionvien 60’)
Unused Substitutes: Blackmore, Ajiboye
Referee: Craig Hicks
Attendance: 1657 (263 away fans)
