Another dominating home performance saw Gilingham ease past Fleetwood Town and that bit further away from the bottom of SKYBet League One.

It was an unchanged team for the first time since the first two games of the season and an opportunist effort from Brandon Hanlan and a couple for top scorer Tom Eaves either side of half time earned the comfortable points for Steve Lovell’s side – indeed the only disappointing aspect of the day was the size of the Priestfield gate.

But then with five home games in sixteen days across three different competitions it is perhaps understandable if the faithful pick and choose.

But for those who chose Priestfield this Saturday afternoon looking for the fireworks of the Bradford home game seven days before to continue, they didn’t have to wait long – eleven minutes in fact as it was then that Hanlan took advantage of a suicidal back pass from halfway as he raced clear to round keeper Alex Cairns with some aplomb to roll the ball into the empty net.

One became two within seven minutes and again it was down to another wonder ball from youngster Darren Oldaker who was starting just his second game of the season.

Last weekend, Oldaker hit a defence splitting pass for Eaves to curl home a beauty; this week it was a driven ball that the talismanic striker magnificently controlled on his chest before hammering his tenth goal of the season past a hopelessly exposed Cairns.

Indeed, with skipper Gabby Zakuani and Max Ehmer outstanding at the heart of the Gills defence, the only disappointing side of the day for Lovell was Billy Bingham’s failure to appear for the second half after getting a knock in the closing stages of the first half.

Not that substitute Connor Ogilvie let Fleetwood get any sort of foothold as after the visitors had three tame efforts at Tomas Holy in the opening five minutes of the second period.

Ogilvie picked up the ball and sprinted down the left before brilliantly centring for Eaves and the Gills number nine did the rest with a fine header.

With the Rainham End in full voice, the Gills could have had more as Mark Byrne and Oldaker combined brilliantly for Oldaker to shoot just wide before Dean Parrett’s first touch (on as a substitute for the impressive Regan Charles-Cook) saw Cairns make a smart save to his left.

Fleetwood had arrived at Priestfield just four points off the Play Off places after last weekend’s derby win over Blackpool, and their best chance saw Paddy Madden acrobatically loop a shot onto the angle of Holy’s right post and bar.

But their afternoon was summed up in stoppage time when somehow Madden nearly cleared the back of the Brain Moore stand from just three yards.

Back to back League wins for Lovell and the Gills – game three of this run of five on the bounce comes on Tuesday when Blackpool are the visitors…

 

GILLINGHAM – Tomas Holy, Luke O’Neill, Gabriel Zakuani, Max Ehmer, Brandon Hanlan (Elliott List 69), Tom Eaves, Regan Charles-Cook (Dean Parrett 76), Barry Fuller, Billy Bingham (Connor Ogilvie H/T), Darren Oldaker, Mark Byrne

Subs not used: Tom Hadler, Aaron Simpson, Navid Nassei, Noel Mbo.

Goals: Hanlan (11), Eaves (18), (55).

Booked: Byrne (30), Eaves (88).

FLEETWOOD TOWN – Alex Cairns, Lewis Coyle, Jason Holt (Kyle Dempsey 69), Ashley Eastham, Ched Evans (Chris Long 67), Wes Burns, Craig Morgan, Ross Wallace, James Husband (Paddy Madden 34), Nathan Sheron

Subs not used: Paul Jones, Cian Bolger, Gethin Jones, Harrison Biggins.

Booked: Coyle (76).

Referee: Mr Charles Breakspear

Attendance:

Picture supplied by Kent Pro Images.