A second minute Kyle Vassell penalty sank Gillingham by the Irish Sea as Fleetwood Town completed the double over Steve Evans’ side for just the second time.
Highbury Stadium has never been a happy hunting ground for the Gills and this defeat means it’s just one win in eight trips to the Fylde coast as they slipped to their first defeat in four matches as possibly the tough schedule in this craziest of seasons began to catch up with the men from Priestfield.
For the third game running, the Gills boss named an unchanged side after back-to-back home wins over MK Dons and Ipswich Town sent Gillingham to the North West full of confidence.
But they made a disastrous start when Connor Ogilvie brought down Gerard Garner inside the opening one hundred and twenty seconds and Vassell (who played a couple of games for Dover Athletic a decade ago) drove the spot kick into the bottom corner.
It seemed that the Gills had left their legs on the team bus as the home side were quickest out of the blocks as Garner and Vassell both had chances but – fortunately for the visitors – both went wide.
It took Gillingham half an hour to really threaten home keeper Andy Cairns’ goal and when they eventually did ten minutes from half time, Tom O’Connor’s shot was too high.
Ironically, the visitors had their best chances of the opening forty-five minutes in stoppage time as Olly Lee was denied by Cairns after Robbie Cundy’s cushioned header and Stuart O’Keefe then had an effort blocked by a last gasp challenge.
The home side were again on top on the early stages of the second half before substitute John Akinde (on for O’Connor) finally forced a save out of Cairns with a shot.
Callum Camps then forced Jack Bonham into a smart save and just moments later, the Gillingham goal bore a charmed life when Jordan Rossiter’s shot came back off the bar.
Akinde was then denied again – this time from Vadaine Oliver’s headed pass – as the Gills huffed and puffed in search of what seemed to be an increasingly elusive equaliser that wouldn’t come meaning a very long pointless trip home.
Steve Evans’ side now head West for their weekend date with old adversaries Swindon Town for what is certainly to be another bruising battle with the Wiltshire side languishing in the lower reaches of the division.
A game and a rivalry that means more to the older Gills supporters – will the 2021 trip to the County Ground reach the same “heights” as some of those encounters it follows?
This defeat sees The Gills drop to 13th place in League One, just five points outside the play-off places, but crucially having played more games than most of the clubs above them.
FLEETWOOD TOWN – Cairns, Hill, Connolly, Holgate, Donacion, Batty (Biggins 83), Camps (Finley 83), Rossiter, Andrew, Garner (Madden 66), Vassell.
Subs not used – Coleman, Burns, Rydel, Morris.
Goal: Vassell (pen 2).
Booked: O’Keefe (93).
GILLINGHAM – Bonham, Jackson (McKenzie 45), Tucker, Cundy, Ogilvie, O’Keefe, Dempsey, Graham (MacDonald 69), Lee (Willock 66), O’Connor (Akinde 51), Oliver.
Subs not used – Bastien, Morton, Johnson.
Booked: O’Keefe (93), Oliver (95).
REFEREE – Mr Marc Edwards
Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.