The Gills took the lead minutes after the interval as Remeao Hutton received the ball wide from Jack Nolan; the right-back cut into the box before finding Armani Little, who finished into the bottom corner.
Ethan Coleman was given his marching orders in the 61st minute as he was shown a second yellow card, putting the Gills down to 10 men for the second consecutive home match.
However, it proved no problem for the hosts when substitutes Jacob Wakeling, Marcus Wyllie and Jayden Clarke combined to score a blistering goal on the counter-attack, with the latter scoring his first-ever professional league goal.
Gillingham extended their lead to three as Clarke perfectly timed his run to get on the end of a Wyllie through ball. Rovers shot-stopper Luke McGee saved Clarke’s initial shot but couldn’t get to the follow-up attempt.
Here are four things to take away from Gillingham’s three-goal win.
Injury woes continue
Despite the resolute performance on Saturday, Mark Bonner‘s injury concerns continue, with eight players being made unavailable, including Conor Masterson, Tim Dieng and Aaron Rowe. Robbie McKenzie and Bradley Dack also missed out after failing fitness tests.
The Gills boss will be thankful that no more injuries were picked up during the victory, although Ethan Coleman will miss next Saturday’s trip to Notts County through suspension.
On a brighter note for Gillingham, Elliott Nevitt made his first start after returning from an injury picked up in pre-season following his move from Crewe Alexandra. Euan Williams returned from a mixture of suspension, injury and international duty with Northern Ireland U21s.
Bonner putting trust in the youth
The injuries in the squad have opened up opportunities for some of the younger players in the group to get minutes, namely Joe Gbode, Alex Giles and Harry Webster.
Gbode was rewarded with his first start of the season against Tranmere, playing on the left flank. The 19-year-old impressed the Priestfield crowd with his pace, creativity and raw talent.
Gills fans were calling out for a Jorge Hurtado-type player in the summer; it seems they have just that in the homegrown forward.
Alex Giles, who has made appearances in the Carabao Cup and Bristol Street Motors Trophy, was also in the squad as an unused substitute.
Gills are making their home advantage count
Gillingham kept their impressive home streak alive, making it maximum points at Priestfield in League Two this season. The Gills are only one of three sides to not lose a home league game in the top four divisions in 2024, the other two being Manchester City and Norwich City.
Bonner’s side have scored eight goals on their home patch this term in three games, with 4-1 and 1-0 wins against Carlisle and Chesterfield before Saturday.
Despite not losing at Priestfield since December 2023, Stephen Clemence‘s tenure brought too many draws and not enough goals at home. Although it might be early days, it seems that Bonner and his backroom staff are bringing a high-scoring team back to Priestfield, which the team has lacked since the 2021/22 season.
With tough home fixtures coming up against Barrow and Grimsby, the form at Priestfield could be a key factor in deciding those games.
Jayden Clarke and Marcus Wyllie are off the mark
After receiving criticism online after last week’s defeat to Doncaster, winger Jayden Clarke responded brilliantly with a late brace to kill off the game.
The pair of strikes were the 23-year-old’s first professional league goals following his move from Dulwich Hamlet in January 2023. Clarke spent time in the Tottenham Hotspur academy before impressing in non-league for Hendon and Dulwich.
Marcus Wyllie picked up his first assist of the season after his transfer from Enfield Town this summer.
Wyllie, 25, netted 34 times last term for Enfield as they sealed promotion to the National League South, earning a move to the EFL in the process.
The striker hadn’t been given a lot to feed off in his appearances so far this year but made a great impact off the bench, setting up two goals for Clarke on the counter-attack.
Clarke and Wyllie are two players who have had similar journeys in their careers so far and should thrive off the confidence. As more players come back from injury, Bonner will have a selection headache if the fringe players can keep making key contributions.
