Gillingham succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Fleetwood Town on Tuesday evening after an early Kyle Vassell penalty proved to be enough to separate the two teams.
Gillingham had chances in the game but didn’t really get out of the blocks. Here are our ratings for their players performances.
FT: Fleetwood Town 1-0 Gillingham. #Gills pic.twitter.com/fsazKUehPK
— Gillingham FC (@TheGillsFC) March 9, 2021
Goalkeeper
Jack Bonham - 5
Unlucky with the goal as penalties are a lottery, but almost conceded a second in disastrous fashion when he came out his box and cleared poorly, allowing Jordan Rossiter to hit the bar from the half-way line. Sliced a couple of kicks, too, but saved well from Paddy Madden late on.
Defenders
Ryan Jackson - 6
Long-throws were again vital but picked up a knock and was subbed at half-time. Crossing seems to be improving too, which is beneficial for when he has the ball in wide areas.
Robbie Cundy - 7
Pretty much error free in defence and continues to get better and better each game. Has really benefitted the Gills since his arrival, but wasn’t tested too often here.
Jack Tucker - 5
Sporting a headband after taking a blow to the head in midweek, he wasn’t as dominant as previous games but didn’t face as much of a challenge as he did against Ipswich Town. Was robbed by Madden late on, but a decent enough performance.
Connor Ogilvie - 6
Harshly penalised for the foul for the penalty and had a bit to do with Fleetwood’s flying wing-backs. Was back on long-throw duty after Jackson went off, but another solid game from Gillingham’s number six.
Midfielders
Kyle Dempsey - 5
Struggled against his former side, but played most of the game out of position. Should probably have scored when played through late on. A frustrating night for the captain.
Stuart O’Keefe - 6
Got stuck in and protected the defence well, as we have come to expect. Was his normal vocal self, and had one shot deflected going forward.
Jordan Graham - 5
Subbed early on a tough night out for Gillingham’s talisman. Didn’t manage to get many, if any, crosses into the box, and didn’t have any opportunities to score either. Looks much more effective on the right rather than the left.
Olly Lee - 4
Almost a passenger apart from missing a golden opportunity to equalise just before half-time when it looked simple to score. Gillingham’s style of play won’t always get the best out of him, and this was one of those nights.
Tom O’Connor - 6
Put in some threatening deliveries and was probably one of Gillingham’s better players. Covered the left side well when defending and unfortunate to be subbed as early as he was.
Forward
Vadaine Oliver - 6
The form man for Gillingham was feeding off scraps in the first-period and didn’t find the ball at his feet too often in the second. Had one opportunity in the second-half that he volleyed over and won his headers, but didn’t have much of an opportunity to run in behind.
Substitutes
Robbie McKenzie - 6
Is more comfortable with the ball than Jackson but not as attack-minded. Put some decent deliveries in, but, although not his fault, the lack of threat from Jackson’s long throw was noticeable.
John Akinde - 5
Simply had to score when played through not long after coming on. Had a couple of opportunities but looks like he needs game time to get any sort of rhythm. But if he can’t provide the rhythm, he can’t get game time.
57' 1-0 Good save by Cairns to deny Akinde. A first effort is blocked and the ball is bouncing around, it falls for the striker on his left foot. The shot is well saved by the keeper, Ogilvie now goes down inside the box. No penalty is the decision.
— Gillingham FC (@TheGillsFC) March 9, 2021
Ogilvie now with a throw.
Matty Willock - 5
Had the chance to remind Gillingham fans why he was signed but struggled to make an impact on the game. Definitely rusty.
Alex MacDonald - 6
Hard to remember him touching the ball in a 20-minute cameo. Unfortunately just doesn’t offer the same sort of threat as the man he replaced in Jordan Graham.