Goals either side of half time from Trey Coyle and Vadaine Oliver sealed Gillingham’s first win in this season’s Football League Trophy.

However, League Two Crawley Town made it a tough night at a deserted Priestfield for Steve Evan’s much changed side.

The Gills boss, who has confessed that he doesn’t like the competition, made the promised wholesale changes from Saturday’s Carabao Cup win over Southend United.

With just Jack Bonham, Ryan Jackson, Chris Maghoma, Zech Medley and John Akinde retaining their starting places which meant first starts for Coyle and Jacob Mellis and a full debut for Jordan Graham following his summer signing after last season’s successful loan spell.

The Gills got into their stride early on and Crawley keeper Tom McGill produced a terrific early save to deny Coyle inside the opening minutes after a fine through ball from Mellis.

It was just as well because the visitors though they were ahead on ten minutes, Ricardo German clean through and he beat Bonham only to see his shot come back off the Gills bar.

The Gills enjoyed the possession early on and Mellis was coming more and more into the game tucked in just behind Akinde, but just as the visitors were getting a foot hold in the half Coyle did break the deadlock, drilling home from the edge of the box giving McGill no chance.

At the break, the Gills introduced Oliver for Akinde and within five minutes the former Northampton man netted his first goal for the club. But the Gills could have been even further ahead by then as Matty Willock’s shot was blocked after being set up by Coyle.

The lead was doubled on fifty-one minutes and the striker’s header, from Graham’s corner, was buried in the corner after the substitute used his strength to meet the set piece.

Crawley’s own sub Tyler Frost almost made a dramatic entrance as his header grazed the frame of Bonham’s goal.

It seemed to kick start the visitors as the piled forward and the Gillingham goal was fortunate to stay intact on 55 minutes as a cross pin balled around the home box, but despite the scares Bonham’s clean sheet remained.

The Gills almost made it three with nineteen minutes left on the clock but Medley’s left footed drive beat the diving McGill but also the far post, before Crawley finally got the goal that their pressure arguably deserved when Nathan Ferguson drove home.

That though was as close as the visitors got despite a mad scramble in stoppage time, Bonham wasn’t beaten again and the Gills had beaten their Sussex rivals by a two one score-line for the fourth meeting running (one League game and three matches in this competition).

So, Gillingham win in the competition the boss doesn’t like, lets hope the boss gets his third win in eight days in the competition that really matters when League One starts on Saturday.

GILLLINGHAM – Bonham, Jackson, Tucker, Maghoma, Medley (Ogilvie 80), Woods, Mellis, Willock, Graham (MacDonald 82), Akinde (Oliver HT), Coyle

Subs – McKenzie, Walsh, Dempsey, O’Keefe

CRAWLEY – McGill. Doherty, Adebowale (Frost 52), McNerney, Tunnicliffe, Davies, Ferguson, Francomb (Ashford 70), Allarakhia (Hessenthaler 70), German, Nadesan

Subs – Dallison, Powell, Jones, Sesay

Image courtesy of Gillingham FC