Gillingham used Tuesday night’s EFL Trophy match to get valuable minutes into some of their players and performed well despite being beaten.
Peterborough took the lead against the run of play through Ricky-Jade Jones and led 1-0 at the break after an impressive first 45 from the Gills. A super strike from Bradley Ihonvien doubled the lead with 15 minutes left. Elliott Nevitt scored a deserved stoppage-time goal for the hosts.
Gillingham manager Mark Bonner made nine changes to the team which started their weekend league game, using the match to bring players back from injury and others who needed game-time.
There were welcome starts for Bradley Dack and Ethan Coleman – both making their first appearances of the season. Fulham loan keeper Luca Ashby-Hammond was also in the team for the visit of Trophy holders Peterborough.
Teenager Alex Giles lined up at the back alongside Max Ehmer, the Gills captain permitted to play despite his weekend dismissal. He’ll serve his suspension in the league game at Doncaster on Saturday.
Ehmer had youth player Harry Webster on the other side of him, at right-back.
Last season’s winners named seven changes from their League 1 weekend starting XI.
Dack floated around upfront alongside Josh Andrews and didn’t take long to try his luck, firing over from 25 yards with five minutes on the clock.
Dack was in the thick of most things, taking free-kicks and corners too.
Despite a positive start from the Gills they found themselves a goal down after 12 minutes as a decisive move forward saw Chris Conn-Clarke cross to the near post where Jones finished past Ashby-Hammond.
Webster forced visiting keeper Nicholas Bilokapic into a save on the stretch midway through the half after linking up well with Joe Gbode. The Posh keeper was forced into action again to deny Gbode with a shot from outside the box.
Elliott Nevitt was introduced after the break for his first minutes since pre-season, having recovered from a hip injury. In a change of the front-two both Dack and Andrews made way with Jack Nolan also getting a half.
It had been an encouraging opening half for the Gills, looking a threat and putting together some good passages of play in a much-changed side which included a number of players working their way to match fitness.
Nevitt and Nolan combined to create an opening early in the second half for Gills, meaning more action for Bilokapic.
Hayes was finding plenty of space down Gillingham’s left side in the early stages of the second half as Peterborough came close on several occasions to extending their lead.
Gbode had a great chance to level with 72 minutes on the clock. Bilokapic had raced out to clear but was beaten to the ball by Nevitt and when the Gills man crossed, the keeper was still in no man’s land. Unfortunately Gbode missed the target with his effort.
A second Peterborough goal came from nothing, Ihonvien picking his spot from 25 yards with a rising shot into the roof of the net, doubling their lead with 15 minutes left.
Gillingham deserved at least a goal and Lapslie had a shot saved moments before Nolan fired a low shot just the wrong side of the upright.
That goal finally came in the last minute of stoppage-time when Gbode’s cross was met by Nevitt, a glancing header that hit the back of the net.
Gillingham: Ashby-Hammond, Webster, Clark, Ehmer, Giles, Coleman (Little 60mins), J Williams, Clarke (Lapslie 60mins), Gbode, Dack (Nevitt 46mins), Andrews (Nolan 46mins). Subs not used: Morris, Ogie, Wyllie.
Peterborough: Bilokapic, Dornelly, Sparkes, Katongo, Fernandez, O’Brien-Brady, Collins, Hayes (Poku 60mins), Conn-Clarke (Randall 68mins), Odoh (Mothersille 46mins), Jones (Ihonvien 60mins). Subs not used: Blackmore, Ajiboye, Rose,.
Referee: Craig Hicks
Attendance: 1,657 (263 away)
