“There was plenty of huff and puff but nothing to blow the door down!” Gillingham boss Mark Bonner’s frank assessment of the Gills second defeat of the week as they followed up Tuesday’s defeat to Grimsby Town by slipping to a two-nil defeat at the hands of Crewe Alexandra. 

Despite the defeat, the Gills returned home still second in the table after ten games as the top of SKYBet League Two became a log jam that could last all season, as just a point separates the top six and four points across the top ten. 

A goal in each half at Gresty Road left the boss a very annoyed manager; “I’m fuming,” he told reporters after the game. “It is not a game we should come and lose two nil. We have come away from home and been beaten by two counter attacking moments. We did not create enough and there as not enough creativity in our attacking half play at all. In the games that we have played this week there has been a lack of sharpness in our play.” 

The Gills started on the front foot with Elliott Nevitt (twice) and Jack Nolan having sights of the Alex goal without really threatening keeper Filip Marschall. 

Shilow Tracey put the home side in front as a quick break saw Jack Lankester beat a defender before rolling the ball to Tracey, who gave Glenn Morris no chance. 

Morris then produced a fine brave save to deny Tracey a second before Nolan was left shaken up after having the Gills best chance of the half – a shot from a Jayden Clarke shot that was blocked. 

Tracey added his second and Crewe’s second on the hour with a low strike beyond Morris in off the post. The home side were well on top, and Morris had to be at his brilliant best to keep out Joel Tabiner’s thirty-yard free kick which almost crept in at the post. 

Morris pulled off a stunning reflex save to keep out Adrien Thibaut’s outrageous backheel as the Gills were really pushed more and more onto the back foot. 

Clarke had a late shot into the ground that looped over the bar and Nevitt was denied by keeper Marschall in the closing stages, but there would be nothing for the five hundred travelling to have to cheer.  

So, the Gills have now been joined on 19 points by Walsall, Barrow and Doncaster with Notts County and Port Vale just a further point behind. 

CREWE ALEXANDRA – Marschall, Knight-Lebel, Demetriou, Williams, Cooney, Connolly, Tabiner (Agius), Conway (Holicek), Breckin (Lunt), Lankester (Thibaut), Tracey (Billington) 

Subs – Booth, Sanders  

GILLINGHAM – Morris, Hutton (Gbode), Ehmer, Ogie, Max Clark, McKenzie (Coleman), Little (Dieng), Nolan (Wakeling), Lapslie (Hawkins), Jayden Clarke, Nevitt 

Subs – Ashby-Hammond, Jonny Williams 

REFEREE – Mr. Backhouse 

Image courtesy of Gillingham FC