Goalkeeper Lennon MacLorg seized his chance to shine as Gillingham beat Championship side Millwall at Priestfield.
With newly signed first-choice keeper Ollie Wright still out injured and fellow keeper Taite Holtam missing the Millwall game with a knock, boss Gareth Ainsworth placed his trust in the 20-year-old to keep guard against the visitors.
Summer signing MacLorg lasted 88 minutes before he had to go off with a tightening of the thigh muscles.
A trialist goalkeeper, drafted in as emergency cover, saw out the closing moments to preserve the clean sheet. Sutton Athletic’s Jack Glassborrow was the keeper who was called upon to assist – a former Millwall youth player.
“Lennon’s done fantastic,” said the Gills boss. “He made some real crucial saves, and I thought he commanded really well and kicked really well.
“Modern-day football is that you roll [the ball] out to everybody, don’t you, at youth level. You have to kick in the pro game. I don’t think he’s kicked that many balls before, and so he was cramping up on his thighs and the young trialist got a go.
“I’m really pleased and being totally honest. I thought to myself, ‘Is this a big step for Lennon?’ But he’s full of confidence. He’s a great kid. That will do him the world of good.
“He definitely soaked up the applause when he came off, but it was a definite cramp in his thigh; it wasn’t staged.”
It was a fitting end to the evening for lifelong Gills fan MacLorg, and Ainsworth believes the display was another important step in MacLorg’s development.
He said: “He was here when he was young, went away and then came back. I know that journey.
“There are opinions and timings and things like that. I think we’ve got a real good timing of getting Lennon back, because I think he’s matured into a really good keeper, with what I’ve seen so far.
“He’s made a couple of fingertip saves, which are great. There’s a punch in the first half. He’s got to obviously be thankful to his defenders in front because they were blocking and they were making it difficult.
“But he did his job, and he kicked really well, which I was really pleased at, until he couldn’t kick and then we had to replace him. But he almost got the 90. A good kid and plenty to learn.”
Explaining the late substitution, Ainsworth said: “It wasn’t planned. If he has planned it, then fair play to him, but I think his thigh was cramping up but he’s a great kid.
“He’s part of a trio of goalkeepers and we’re just trying to get them on the pitch at the moment but I think come that first league game, we’ll have them all back and they’ll all be ready to go.
“Ollie’s not far away and if we need Taite to do another game, he can do that.
“Ollie Wright’s coming in to be our number one this season. I’m very, very positive and sure that he’s going to be a great keeper for us.
“He had just picked up a knock training in his first week, so it’s nothing serious. But we will not risk it.
“Taite’s okay; he picked up a knock from the game the other day. Ollie got a knock in training; that leaves us with Lennon and the young trialist.”
