The Mark Bonner era at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium began in explosive style on League Two’s opening day and just got better and better for Gillingham as they thrashed relegated Carlisle United 4-1.
CRASH – the home side were ahead inside two minutes through Tim Dieng to give the new manager the ideal start.
BANG – the second half began as the first with Jacob Wakeling netting a second within two minutes of the restart.
AND WALLOP – two super strikes from Jack Nolan and Jonny Williams in the final fifteen minutes sealed a start for Bonner that the manager can only have dreamed of!
The season was not two minutes old when the Gills struck. Conor Masterson beat Carlisle keeper Harry Lewis to the ball and Aaron Rowe had a shot that was blocked. The ball ran for Dieng who was able to roll the ball home.
The Cumbrians responded well with dangerous balls into Jake Turners box and then went close with a diving header from Davies that whizzed wide. They continued to search for a leveler before half-time and almost got it when Wyke rattled Turner’s crossbar, but the home side held on to lead at the break.
A goal after two minutes of the start and a second within two minutes of the restart and a debut goal for Wakeling as the on-loan Peterborough man reacted quickest to a loose ball and buried the shot across the keeper and into the bottom corner.
The visitors finally got on the board halfway through the half when Mellish beat Turner low into the corner and for a couple of minutes the home faithful became anxious.
Enter Nolan who was to cap off a great debut in Gillingham blue with the goal of the game. Picking the ball up down the right, the winger was away and after riding a couple of Carlisle lunges, he gave the keeper no chance from an acute angle hammering the ball high into the net.
The two-goal cushion regained; the visitors challenge was effectively over. Nolan was unlucky to see an effort cleared off the line after he had skipped round Lewis before, with three minutes left, Williams gloriously drilled a low shot beyond a despairing Lewis into the corner to send the faithful home happy
Whilst this start is amazing, remember last year when the Gills won their first five games of the season? It is just good to remember things like that, but like the glorious weather that this game was played it, it would be wrong if the faithful were to bask in the result and the performance this weekend. Bonner and his troops now hit the road for successive away games – Fleetwood in the League on Saturday after a Cup trip to Championship Swansea on Tuesday.
THE GILLS – Turner, Hutton, Ehmer, Masterson (Ogie), Clark, McKenzie, Dieng (Jonny Williams), Nolan, Little, Rowe (Clarke), Wakeling (Gbode)
Subs – Morris, Hawkins, Euan Williams
CARLISLE UNITED – Lewis, Davies, Thomas, Hayden, Wyke (Kelly), Adu-Adjei (Armstrong), Vela, Neal, B. Williams (Ellis), Mellish, Barclay (Butterworth)
Subs – Breeze, Lavelle, Allan
REFEREE – Mr. Atkinson
Image courtesy of Gillingham FC