A late, late strike from Robbie McKenzie gave Gillingham the perfect start in the Papa Johns Trophy with the only goal of their tie at Colchester United.

With penalties looming to seemingly decide the points in this group game, McKenzie picked the ball up from Mustapha Carayol’s pass before drilling the ball low into the home side’s net to seal the win for Steve Evans’ side as they played their first game in ten days.

The manager though wasn’t in North East Essex to see the game after laid low with illness – a bug that also side-lined skipper Kyle Dempsey meaning that Paul Raynor and Craig Stone took charge of the side which included Deadline Day signing Charlie Kelman who made his first start and the absent manager would have been delighted to be see Alex MacDonald in the starting line up for the first time this season.

Early on Aaron Chapman made a wonderful save to deny Noel Chilvers’ long range drive as the home side set the tone for the opening half – a lot of the ball, but without that early chance, the Gills keeper wasn’t really called upon as the red wall in front of his goal held firm, although Armando Dobra should really have broken the deadlock in first half stoppage time from the angle of the six-yard box.

Gills finally created a chance of any note as MacDonald tested home keeper Jake Turner three minutes into the second half, before Kelman was denied a debut goal just past the hour (from MacDonald’s pass) by a terrific Turner save low to his left.

McKenzie, MacDonald, Danny Phillips and Ben Reeves then all had efforts that failed to trouble the Colchester goal as chances came and went at both ends as the game headed into the final ten minutes.

Dobra was denied by Chapman’s second top drawer save of the night before headers from Kelman and Jack Tucker were both blocked by the home defence, before with penalties looming McKenzie hammered home just his second goal for the club – the first coming in the 4-1 win at Rochdale last December – as the Gills went top in the competition’s first game in Group I – which in case you missed it includes Ipswich Town and the under 21s of West Ham United.

COLCHESTER UNITED – Turner, Coxe, Tchamadeu, Beadle, Eastman, Kenedy, Jasper (Hanant), Sarpong-Wiredin (Judge), Chilvers, Dobra, Nouble (Sears).

Subs – George, Kazeem, Tovide.

GILLINGHAM – Chapman, Tucker, Ehmer, McKenzie, Lintott (Reeves). Tutonda, MacDonald (Carayol), Phillips, O’Keefe, Lloyd (Sithole), Kelman.

Subs – Cumming, Bennett, Adshead, Akehurst.

Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.