Phil Parkinson made a number of changes for the visit to Priestfield, where a Chris Maguire penalty and Lynden Gooch’s last-minute effort sealed a hard-earned win in the rain.
Lee Burge (7/10): Looked comfortable if untested but proved his worth with a good penalty that effectively won us the match.
Luke O’Nien (7/10): Got up and down the line well and put a few good crosses in. Caused chaos in the box from set pieces and was actually unlucky to have a header ruled out.
Conor McLaughlin (7/10): Managed to attack from centre half, similar to how Willis usually overlaps. Looked much more comfortable than at wingback.
Bailey Wright (6/10): Solid again from Wright, as we’ve grown to expect. Good in the air and kept things simple on the ball.
Tom Flanagan (6/10): Gave away a sloppy pass moments before clumsily bringing down a Gillingham player for their missed penalty.
Denver Hume (6/10): Didn’t manage to get forward as much as usual or get involved in play. Hume could have gotten into some better positions against ten men as we tried to stretch the pitch.
Grant Leadbitter (6/10): Couldn’t control the game like he’d like to, possibly due to the poor conditions. Improved in the latter stages when we put the pressure on the Gills.
Josh Scowen (6/10): Took a lot of impressive set pieces throughout but missed three golden chances to take the lead. Covered a lot of ground in order to make up for Power’s absence.
Lynden Gooch (6/10): Struggled to control the ball against some terrible weather. That being said, the American was our brightest attacker at times as we tried to counter attack. The best example of this being in the last minute with an impressive run and finish to win the game.
Aiden O’Brien (4/10): Abysmal first touch which stopped our attacks on a number of occasions. Did well when dropping deeper but does not look like a striker.
Charlie Wyke (7/10): Got into the right positions and didn’t stop working hard all game. Linked up with the midfield and did well to win our winning penalty.
Subs:
Danny Graham (6/10): Showed some decent headed flicks to relieve the pressure, but nothing outstanding. In these short cameos, Graham still seems to be building up match fitness in preparation for a more prominent role in the future.
Chris Maguire (7/10): Came on and won the game within minutes. Took his penalty very coolly, showing Parkinson he’s got that match-winning mentality and quality that makes him undroppable.
