Jake Turner was the hero as Gillingham maintained their one hundred percent record with a hard fought and backs to the wall win at Crawley that also set a new Club record.
Turner’s first half penalty save backed up with a series of stunning saves and a defence still to concede a League goal as the Gills won their fourth League game in a row by the only goal to stay the only side in the Division still with a one hundred percent record after four games.
And the three points which sealed the Clubs fifth straight win since the start of the season is amazingly the first time that feat has been achieved in the Clubs one-hundred-and-thirty-year history!
Neil Harris made a couple of changes to his starting side with the two Williams’, skipper Shaun and Jonny, returning to the eleven.
Crawley made the brighter start and Turner saved early on from Ronan Darcy before they were awarded a penalty on fifteen minutes when Cheye Alexander was adjudged to have handled and as Dom Telford stepped up, Turner not only superbly saved the spot kick, but he also recovered brilliantly to keep out Danilo Orsi’s follow up.
Former Gill Will Wright was the next to be denied by Turner before Dom Jeffries curled and effort just wide in the Gills first attack of any note.
Just before the break, the Gills got a stroke of luck and took the lead. Skipper Williams played the ball wide to Shad Ogie after the defender’s throw has been half cleared, and as Ogie hammered a ball low into the box looking for Tom Nichols, home defender Harry Ransom only succeeded in drilling the ball into his own net to send the travelling 1,300 fans wild!
Orsi did beat Turner with a low drive at the start of the second period, but the shot also beat the post as the home side continued going forward at the start of the second half before Scott Malone almost doubled the lead as his shot brought a magnificent save out of Crawley keeper Corey Addai as he latched onto Nichols’ knock down.
The Gills were enjoying their best spell of pressure and when Ogie saw a glancing header from Shaun Williams’ corner cleared off the line only the width of the crossbar prevented Ashley Nadesan returning to Crawley with a goal, the ball cannoned off the underside of the bar and was deemed not to have crossed the line.
Home sub Klaidi Lolos was next and as it turned out the last to test and to bring the best out of Turner, and it was certainly the very best as his shot, which seemed destined for the top corner was magnificently tipped over the bar by a flying Gills keeper.
Four League games played, four League games won. Say it quietly but Gillingham are clear leaders of SKYBet League Two, and if you believe the old adage of needing forty points to survive, the Gills “only” need twenty-eight points from forty-two games to stay up!
CRAWLEY TOWN – Addai, Tsaroulla, Conroy, Ransom, Wright, Campbell (Henry), Kelly, Williams (Forster), Darcy, Telford (Lolos), Orsi
Subs – Ashby-Hammond, Mukena, Swyer, Khaleel
GILLINGHAM – Turner, Alexander, Ehmer, Ogie, Malone, Shaun Williams (Dieng), Jonny Williams (Clarke), Jefferies (McKenzie), Coleman, Nadesan (Lapslie), Nichols (Bonne)
Subs – Morris, Masterson
REFEREE – Mr Duckworth