Jayden Clarke came off the bench to score twice as ten-man Gillingham beat Tranmere Rovers 3-0 at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium.
Gillingham scored all three goals in the second half, with Armani Little giving them the lead on 48 minutes. His accurate effort was enough to beat Luke McGee in the Tranmere goal.
On the hour, Gills were reduced to ten men when Ethan Coleman was sent off for a second bookable offence after a foul on Saidou Khan.
However, it was the hosts that took advantage of the situation, and with Tranmere committing men forward, it allowed Mark Bonner’s side to catch them on the counter.
Clarke scored his first after Jacob Wakeling played a pass down the left wing for Marcus Wyllie, who brought the ball forward before passing the ball towards Clarke, who had made the bursting run to his right. The attacking midfielder found himself one-on-one before slotting beyond McGee.
In the final seconds of normal time, Clarke scored his second after timing his run in behind the Tranmere defence perfectly. He found himself through on goal with acres of space. Despite seeing his initial attempt saved, the rebound fell straight to Clarke to slot into the back of an empty net.
Mark Bonner made three changes to the starting XI that lost at Doncaster Rovers in the previous league fixture. Elliott Nevitt made his first league start after coming off the bench at Doncaster.
Max Ehmer returned from suspension, while Joe Gbode made his first league start of the season. Oli Hawkins, Jayden Clarke and Marcus Wyllie were named among the substitutes. Euan Williams returned to the squad following his three-game suspension and stint on international duty with Northern Ireland Under 21’s.
Gillingham started the game on the front foot, putting some early crosses into the penalty area, which they could not create a chance with. Tranmere cleared the ball away before Gills regained possession, and Max Clark tried his luck from distance. His effort had plenty of power, fizzing wide of the post.
Elliott Nevitt saw an effort blocked in the 28th minute. Remeao Hutton’s corner towards the back post was headed clear before Tranmere tried to bring the ball forward. George Lapslie’s sliding challenge was perfectly timed, allowing Nevitt to latch onto the loose ball before striking a low-driven effort from outside of the box. A defender stood the shot up, sending it out for a corner.
The striker had another opportunity five minutes later when Shad Ogie’s throw into the box bounced before falling to Nevitt. He swung a boot at the ball, sending it over the crossbar.
Omari Patrick had Tranmere’s first opportunity after 36 minutes. He latched onto a loose touch before driving into the open space in front of him down the left. Patrick cut inside onto his right foot before shooting. However, it was a tame effort straight at Glenn Morris.
Brave defending from Ogie prevented the visitors from potentially taking the lead. A cross into the box found Tom Davies, who brought it down before passing it to Connor Jennings on the edge of the box. He had the time and space to strike goalward, which Ogie blocked. The ball rebounded into the path of Kieron Morris, who saw his follow-up blocked. The ball went out for a corner, which the Gills dealt with.
HALF-TIME: Gillingham 0-0 Tranmere Rovers
Armani Little gave Gillingham the lead three minutes into the second period. Gbode went on a bursting run forward before laying it off to Lapslie, who passed inside to Jack Nolan. He spotted the run of Remeao Hutton down the right side.
The right-back made his way into the box before cutting the ball back to Little, who had peeled away to the edge of the box. Little did not make the best contact with his effort, but it was enough to find the bottom corner, leaving Luke McGee rooted to his spot.
The visitors nearly found a quick response when an attempted clearance deflected into Patrick’s path. He did well to bring the ball under control before curling a shot goalward. It was at a comfortable height for Morris, who palmed the ball away before Gillingham cleared their lines.
On the hour, Ethan Coleman was sent off for a second bookable offence after a challenge on Saidou Khan.
In the 66th minute, Jacob Wakeling and Clarke replaced Nolan and Gbode respectively.
Khan tried his luck from 20 yards after 71 minutes. He received the ball before shifting it onto his left foot and shooting. His effort had some movement, but Morris was alert as he pushed the shot away from the goal. The follow-up fell to a Tranmere player, who failed to get his shot on target.
Ehmer made a goal-saving clearance moments later. A cross towards the back post was headed towards the far bottom corner with Morris beaten. However, Ehmer recovered to make it back to the line before clearing away.
In the 82nd minute, another change was made, with Hawkins replacing Lapslie. That saw a formation change, with Hawkins slotting into the defence to make a back five.
Moments later, Clarke doubled Gillingham’s advantage. Wakeling did well to win the ball in the corner before playing it up the line for Wyllie to bring forward. Clarke made a bursting run through the middle, which Wyllie spotted, playing the attacking midfielder through on goal. Clarke remained composed, slotting it beyond the oncoming McGee.
Clarke scored his second and Gillingham’s third in the final moments of normal time. Wyllie did well to hold the ball up on the halfway line before Clarke made a run between the Tranmere defence, timing his run perfectly to stay onside. He found himself one-on-one with nobody around him. McGee did well to make the initial save, but the rebound made it advantageous for Clarke to slot into an empty net.
Harvey Saunders had a good opportunity to score a consolation goal during stoppage time. He had a free header at the back post but could not keep his attempt down, sending it over the crossbar.
FULL-TIME: Gillingham 3-0 Tranmere Rovers
Gillingham: Morris, Hutton, Ehmer, Ogie, Clark, Coleman, Little, Nolan (Wakeling 66’), Lapslie (Hawkins 82’), Gbode (Clarke 66’), Nevitt (Wyllie 71’)
Unused Substitutes: Ashby-Hammond, Giles, E. Williams
Tranmere Rovers: McGee, Norman, Davies, Turnbull (Bradshaw 90+1), Wood, Patrick (Saunders 57’), Hendry, O’Connor (Khan 57’), Morris (Dennis 76’), Jennings, Davison (Norris 57’)
Unused Substitutes: Murphy, Merrie
Referee: Will Finnie
Attendance: 6660 (281 away fans)
