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After Gillingham’s first team had lost 2-1 against Ebbsfleet United At Stonebridge Road On The Tuesday Night, and A Gillingham XI Side which also included first team midfielder’s Jack Nolan and Nelson Khumbeni lost 1-0 against Chatham Town at The Bauvill Stadium the night before The Dartford Match on The Friday Night, Gillingham’s first team were back in action for the final pre-season friendly before the start of the season, as Gillingham traveled to Princes Park to take on Dartford on Saturday The 26th Of July, as Gareth Ainsworth looked to give as many first team players game-time to make sure that there match fitness and match sharpness level’s were at there peak, in preparation for our opening away league game of the season against Accrington Stanley On The 2nd Of August.

Princes Park is always a great ground to go to in pre-season, and there are plenty of car parking spaces at the stadium, but I was traveling to Dartford Football Club via train and via bus, so I paid £13.30 for a return train ticket to Dartford, and I also got The Fast-Track B Bus from Dartford Train Station to Princes Park, and that return bus journey only cost me £2.80, so Dartford Football Club is very easy to travel to, even if your relying on public transport to get to the ground.

I paid £3 for a printed match-day programme and also got a printed team-sheet for the friendly, and I also queued up at the food and drink bar for A 500ML Bottle Of Coca Cola, also, a few of us Gillingham Supporters were talking about the last time an attacking player had won The Player Of The Season Award, And I then Posted The Following On Social Media….. Got an interesting Gillingham Stat Question for all Gillingham Supporters to try and answer, Name the last attacking player to be awarded The Gillingham Player Of The Season Award??? Because Goalkeeper Glenn Morris has won the main award twice in the last three seasons, and I then checked The Gillingham Player Of The Season Award Winner’s later on in the evening, Kyle Dempsey won the award in 2020 / 2021, Bradley Dack in The 2015 / 2016 Season, but the last striker to be named Gillingham Player Of The Season Was Cody McDonald In The 2010 / 2011 Season.

This is how Gillingham lined up against Dartford in our final Pre-Season Friendly…….

STARTING LINE UP: Glenn Morris (GK), Sam Gale, Conor Masterson, Shadrach Ogie, Max Clark, Robbie McKenzie, Armani Little, Jonny Williams, Bradley Dack, Seb Palmer-Hoiulden, Joe Gbode

SUBSTITUTES: Jake Turner (GK), Andy Smith, Ethan Coleman, Marcus Wyllie, Elliott Nevitt, Josh Andrews

Remeao Hutton was not involved for the first team against Dartford, and looking at the starting line up on social media, and having the printed team-sheet in my hand, Gillingham could be lining up with a 4-4-2 diamond midfield formation, and I mentioned to one or two Gillingham Supporters I was speaking to how Steve Lovell loved a diamond midfield when he was Gillingham Manager, and that formation worked really well at the time as well, and with the midfielders in the starting line up for Gillingham, all four players in Robbie McKenzie, Jonny Williams, Armani Little and Bradley Dack like to play centrally, so this formation could work with the central midfielders that Gillingham have got available for selection in the first team squad.

Brad Galinson and Shannon Galinson were both in attendance for Dartford V Gillingham, sitting in the main seated stand which went down the side of the pitch, and prior to kick off, we were waiting on Match Referee Joe Dann-Pye to decide on which ends both teams will be kicking towards in the first half, and I was standing on the terrace that went down the side of the pitch, and was going to move closer to the goal Gillingham were kicking towards in the first half, and once which end was chosen that both team’s were kicking towards, I moved closest to the goal Gillingham were attacking in the first half, But I stood on the terrace down the side of the pitch and not directly behind the goal in the first half.

But here are the five talking points to take away from Gillingham’s 2-0 Away Win Against Dartford At Princes Park……….

ONE: GILLINGHAM’S MAN OF THE MATCH AND BEST PLAYER WAS JOE GBODE - One player stood out in Gillingham’s 2-0 away win against Dartford at Princes Park, he was the goal-scorer of both goals in this 2-0 away win and that was Joe Gbode, who if you include the superbly well taken individual goal for Gillingham against Ebbsfleet United, it is three goals in two appearances for Joe Gbode in two pre-season friendlies, and Joe Gbode had chances both against Ebbsfleet United and Dartford to add to that goal tally as well.

And for the opening goal of the game, Sam Gale, who was playing at Right Back with Remeao Hutton not in the squad, whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross which Dartford are able to clear towards the edge of there own penalty area, and Armani Little is on to the loose ball before evading the challenge from Ikechi Eze, and Armani Little passes the ball out-wide to Joe Gbode down the left side of the pitch in Dartford’s Final Third, and Joe Gbode gets the ball under control before using his pace to run inside Dartford’s Penalty Area in possession of the ball, and Joe Gbode fires a low effort on target into the bottom corner of the net past Dartford Goalkeeper Jonny Henley, who perhaps thought that Bradley Dack was going to get the final touch to divert Joe Gbode’s effort on goal into the bottom corner of the goal, but it was Joe Gbode who opened the scoring for Gillingham with a well taken finish - DARTFORD 0-1 GILLINGHAM

Joe Gbode also created a decent goal-scoring opportunity for Armani Little ten minutes into the match, with Joe Gbode passing the ball inside to Armani Little, and Armani Little goes on a fine individual run, going past one player and running in possession of the ball towards the edge of Dartford’s Penalty Area, And Armani Little’s driven effort towards goal curled wide and away off target, but it was a promising attempt on goal from Armani Little, which started from a decent pass from Joe Gbode.

Joe Gbode had another chance to add to the goal he already scored in the first half when Gillingham created another goal-scoring opportunity, Robbie McKenzie wins an aerial challenge to header the ball on towards Seb Palmer-Houlden, And Seb Palmer-Houlden gets the ball under control and plays a return pass back into Robbie McKenzie’s path, and Robbie McKenzie whips in a low dangerous cross which takes a deflection off a Dartford Defender, and that deflection takes the ball into Joe Gbode’s path inside Dartford’s Penalty Area, And Joe Gbode’s first time effort on goal beats Dartford Goalkeeper Jonny Henley, but covering defender Michael Olarewaju clears the ball off the goal-line with an exceptional clearance.

Joe Gbode had another goal-scoring opportunity to add to his and Gillingham’s Goal Tally Twenty Minutes Into The Match, Gillingham had a free kick right on the edge of Dartford’s Penalty Area, and from the resulting free kick, Max Clark clips in a dangerous in-swinging cross which Dartford header partially clear towards the edge of there own penalty area, and Jonny Williams headers the ball square towards Armani Little, who gets the ball under control, and Armani Little passes the ball square towards Shadrach Ogie, and Shadrach Ogie gets the ball under control before whipping in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Joe Gbode’s looping header towards goal goes over the crossbar.

But it was only a matter of time before Joe Gbode added to the score-line, because thirty minutes into the match, Joe Gbode doubles Gillingham’s Lead To 2-0, Max Clark plays a fantastic pass down the channel for Joe Gbode to run on to, And Joe Gbode gets the ball under control before running inside Dartford’s Penalty Area in possession of the ball, and Joe Gbode’s low effort towards goal takes a slight deflection off A Dartford Defender and the ball deflects into the back of the net past Dartford Goalkeeper Jonny Henley, and all be it with a deflection, Joe Gbode has doubled Gillingham’s Lead to 2-0, with two almost identical goals - DARTFORD 0-2 GILLINGHAM

There was a chance second half where Joe Gbode could have scored a hat-trick, Andy Smith threads a pass through to Joe Gbode, who has possession of the ball outside of Dartford’s Penalty Area, And Joe Gbode uses his pace to go past a defender a fire a fiercely driven effort towards goal which goes narrowly wide.

All in all, A Man Of The Match Performance from a player who is starting to add goals to his all-round game, and Joe Gbode’s pace is drawing fouls from defender’s, winning corner kick’s with defender’s forced to make last ditch defensive clearances, but most importantly, Joe Gbode is scoring goals, and you can see how effective players with pace are in causing defender’s so many problems, and Joe Gbode’s pace will be a threat in the final third, I just wished Gillingham had two more players like Joe Gbode in the squad, because pace creates space for creative and attacking players to thrive in, and Gillingham would benefit greatly from having, A Myles Weston type player who can either start along with Joe Gbode, or, be an impact player on the substitutes bench, so that tiring defenders have to go up against another winger with pace who can come on as a substitute and make an impact off the bench.

TWO: EXCELLENT DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE FROM SHADRACH OGIE - One player who also put in a commendable performance, but maybe went unnoticed due to the goal-scoring contributions of Joe Gbode was Shadrach Ogie, who was outstanding in defence for Gillingham against Dartford, Shadrach Ogie made several recovery interceptions with his pace allowing Ogie to get back to intercept the ball, or stop Dartford from hitting Gillingham on the counter attack.

And Shadrach Ogie had the chance to score for 3-0 right at the end of the first half, Max Clark whips in a dangerous cross from a free kick towards the far post and Conor Masterson was able to get the ball under control before teeing Shadrach Ogie up inside Dartford’s Penalty Area, and Shadrach Ogie’s driven effort towards goal goes over the crossbar.

And when you look at Gillingham’s four options at centre back, Andy Smith, Conor Masterson, Shadrach Ogie and Sam Gale, Shadrach Ogie starts, he deserves to start based on his performances for Gillingham in pre-season and the only question is, do Gillingham line up with a back four, or a back five, and the formation that Gillingham look to line up with has been an on going debate throughout pre-season, and I think with the number of options that Gillingham have got to call upon at centre back, I am perhaps leaning towards a back five, and Conor Masterson and Shadrach Ogie will start, and it depends on the fitness levels of Sam Gale and Andy Smith to see which one of these two will start in a back three, but Shadrach Ogie has impressed enough, and his performance in defence for Gillingham against Dartford was a noteworthy performance which makes me think that Shadrach Ogie will start in defence for Gillingham against Accrington Stanley on the opening day of the season.

THREE: HAMSTRING INJURY FOR SEB PALMER-HOULDEN - The big negative to come from the 2-0 away win against Dartford at Princes Park was Seb Palmer-Houlden having to be substituted with a hamstring injury, and the most important thing to mention about the injury is that Seb Palmer-Houlden went off injured straight away and didn’t attempt to play on through the injury.

And the injury is such a devastating blow, because Seb Palmer-Houlden had one effort on goal saved by Dartford Goalkeeper Jonny Henley in the first half, his pace and movement stretched Dartford’s Defence and the way Seb Palmer-Houlden can force Dartford back to there own goal is not something that Gillingham have got in Josh Andrews or Marcus Wyllie for example, and that injury means that Seb Palmer-Palmer-Holden could be out injured for the first few weeks of the season, and with Sam Vokes recovering from a broken arm, it means that Gillingham are light of attacking options for the opening day of the season away against Accrington Stanley, and I do think Gillingham need to sign another striker, and with the injures Gillingham have got in the final third, maybe Gillingham will sign another striker in the transfer window in the next few weeks.

FOUR: ROBBIE MCKENZIE, ARMANI LITTLE, JONNY WILLIAMS AND BRADLEY DACK - The Midfield quartet worked well together in midfield, and Robbie McKenzie was the player out-wide on this occasion with Jonny Williams, Armani Little and Bradley Dack in the centre of the pitch, although it has to be said that this was a four man midfield against Dartford and Gillingham are going to be playing against better team’s and have much tougher test’s in League Two, but these four together in central midfield as a diamond midfield can work, and this formation gets Jonny Williams and Bradley Dack into the starting eleven together at the same time, rather then the assumption that it’s one of Bradley Dack or Jonny Williams starts, and the other player is named on the bench, the formation also allowed Armani Little to get further forward and be more attack minded, with one effort on goal in the first half curling wide and away off target, and pre-season is the opportunity for Gareth Ainsworth to try things out tactically, and these four together in central midfield can work in certain situations.

FIVE: ENDING PRE-SEASON WITH A WIN - Performances and results in pre-season do not determine what your football club is going to achieve one way or another throughout the season, and after the defeat against Ebbsfleet United, there are still some concern’s on where Gillingham need to strengthen the first team squad, and those concern’s still remain, but just ending pre-season with a win, a clean sheet, most of the squad playing the entire match to ensure that they build up match fitness and match sharpness levels before the start of the season is so important, and the only big negative from the win against Dartford is the injury to Seb Palmer-Houlden.

You want the players to go into the start of the new season with confidence of winning a few matches, scoring a few goals to boost confidence and belief, and your ready for the start of the season, and it was important for Gillingham to get this win against Dartford, Joe Gbode has scored a few goals, Gillingham have had additional chances to add to the score-line, but Gills at least end pre-season with a win, and now we can look ahead to the start of the season against Accrington Stanley.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

TRAVEL SUGGESTION: BUS SERVICE VERY USEFUL - The next time Gillingham are away against Dartford at Princes Park in a pre-season friendly, if your someone who is traveling to that match via train then I would recommend using The Fast-Track B Service that gets you to the football stadium, a return bus ticket only cost me £2.80 and getting the bus meant that I was able to get back to Dartford Train Station for the earlier train back to Medway.

This bus service is especially useful if your running a bit late and the walk from the train station to Princes Park means that your cutting it close in-terms of making it in time for kick off, but the bus I was on didn’t have the voice over telling which bus stop was which, and thankfully, I have been to Princes Park via bus before, so knew which stop I needed to get off the bus for the football ground, but if your someone making that journey for the first time, you might be unsure on which stop you need to get off the bus for Dartford Football Club.

CONOR MASTERSON HIT THE CROSSBAR - Bradley Dack’s cross found Conor Masterson inside Dartford’s Penalty Area, and Conor Masterson’s header on target hits the crossbar and somehow stays out, Conor Masterson only scored one goal for Gillingham last season, which was the winning goal against Bradford City, where as in the 2023 / 2024 season, Conor Masterson scored, six goals, and whilst we will be hoping that Conor Masterson will score more goals for Gillingham this coming season, hopefully, our centre back’s are not Gillingham’s top goal-scorers and our strikers start scoring more goals throughout The 2025 / 2026 Season.

Dartford was not really a match where Gillingham were going to be severely tested defensively, and whilst Dartford had there chances to score, and there were more goal-scoring opportunities first half then second half, Conor Masterson did play the entire match for Gillingham against Dartford and got important minutes to build up match fitness and match sharpness level’s before the start of the season, but Accrington Stanley Away is going to be a much sterner test then Dartford in pre-season, and Conor Masterson is very likely to start in defence for Gillingham on the opening day of the season.

The Dartford Crossing bridge has been closed going southbound after a crash between a HGV and a car on Thursday. Emergency services are currently on the scene after the crash in which one person sustained minor injuries. Traffic is being diverted away from the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge due to the collision at 11:05am, with the closure expected to continue into the evening. National Highways said…

I arrived at Rainham Train Station at 16.20PM and paid £12.70 for a return train ticket to Dartford before getting on the train already situated on Platform Zero, which was going to leave from Rainham at 16.30PM, and this train was going directly to Dartford so I didn’t need to change at Gravesend or Strood for the train to Dartford, and I had already stopped off at Tesco’s to buy A Ham And Cheese Sandwich which I can eat on the train, and I was checking a few messages as the train left from Rainham Train Station.

And I put the following status update on to Social Media….. On My Way To Princes Park As Gillingham Take On Dartford In A Pre-Season Friendly This Evening, New Signing Marcus Wyllie Should Be In The Squad For Gillingham, And It Should Be An Interesting Game Against Dartford Tonight - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!! - I sent off three messages to a few Gillingham Supporters I know, asking if they are going to Dartford V Gillingham and how they are traveling to the game, two replied mentioning that they unfortunately could not make it Dartford and are giving the friendly a miss, with the third person mentioning that they are traveling via car to Princes Park.

I knew quite a few people who were going to Dartford V Gillingham at Princes Park, because they were also not going to Southend United or Woking which are Gillingham’s two first team pre-season that supporters can go to, Gillingham have also arranged a behind closed doors friendly against Southampton’s U21’s for the following Tuesday as well, But when the matches were scheduled for Woking and Southend United Away in pre-season, I knew instantly I was going to give both matches a miss, such a shame that Gillingham have not got an XI Match scheduled on the same-day as The Woking Friendly and supporters who could not make it to Woking could go to The Gillingham XI Game instead, Steve Lovell used to do that when he was Gillingham Manager and organised two friendlies on the same-day so that players could build up there match fitness and match sharpness levels before the start of the season.

I arrived at Dartford Train Station at 17.12PM, got off the train and I headed for the exit at Dartford Train Station, put my train ticket through the barrier, left Dartford Train Station before walking down the flight of stairs on the near side of the bridge, and it was good timing that the bus heading towards Dartford Football Club was already parked at the bus stop, and I queued up to get on the bus before paying £2.80 for a return ticket, sat down in one of the empty seats on the bus, which was heading towards Dartford Football Club, and that was very good timing.

And six stops later, I arrived at Dartford Football Club and I had arrived outside Princes Park at 17.35PM, And I was not expecting the bus to be there when I made the short walk from Dartford Train Station to the bus stop, so it was good timing that the bus I needed to travel on to get to Dartford Football Club was already stationed at the bus stop, and I made my way to the ground and there were already quite a few people at the ground already, and I did wonder given that Dartford V Gillingham is the only first team pre-season arranged against Kent Non League Opposition, and with Southend United and Woking Away as the other two first team pre-season friendlies, will we see an increased attendance for this fixture ???

I got speaking to Matt who was also at Princes Park, and we got speaking about the up and coming friendly against Dartford as well as looking back on the impressive 2-0 home win against Watford with the trial player Euan Williams scoring for Gillingham and Jack Nolan scored the second goal, Matt mentioned that he might be looking to go to Southend United on Saturday, but I mentioned that I won’t be going to either Southend United or Woking, but had A Gillingham XI Game been arranged on the same-day as those two friendlies, I would have looked to have gone to those games instead, I mentioned that the turnstiles should be opening soon for Dartford V Gillingham and we will be able to get food and drink inside the stadium once the turnstiles opened.

Matt spoke with me about the possibility of Jorge Hurtado coming back to Gillingham on loan, and Hurtado didn’t play for Watford against Gillingham and I think a six month loan deal would be a move that suits all parties, I don’t see Jorge Hurtado playing for Watford’s First Team, Jorge Hurtado needs to be playing competitive first team football, he has become a bit of a fans favourite at Gillingham, I think supporters would like to see Hurtado come back to the club, and Jorge Hurtado might want to come back as well, thinking that he might have some unfinished business having only made three sub appearances for Gillingham in the second half of the 2023 / 2024 season.

And with the ground now open, Me and Matt headed round to the entrance for the turnstiles, and I paid £10 cash on the turnstiles, there was no match-day programme seller inside the ground just yet, and I walked down the main stand side of the pitch before catching up with Jim and Eddie, who were speaking with Phil about the new Gillingham Book, which will have over 400 pages and the extensive work that went into the book and all the details and going through the archives for interesting tid bids that will go into the new book, because this new Gillingham Book will be looking back on the last thirty years of history, and Jim, Eddie and Phil were all talking about the new book.

I have already pre-ordered a copy of the book for myself, and I am sure that Home Of The Shouting Man Two will be very popular, Jim and Eddie were speaking about England, because they were both there watching the final live, whilst I mentioned that I was watching England V Spain on TV, And Spain were the better side, just a real shame that England didn’t kick on once Cole Palmer scored for 1-1, it just looked like England took a step back, wanted to defend for extra time, and once Spain scored, England had that one chance for 2-2, but it was back to back Euro’s Finals Losses For England.

I also got speaking with Phil, about the new verification code needed for Gillingham Supporters that need to log into the new ticketing website, and Phil mentioned that if there were any problems with the verification system, then to let him know, because there might be some teething problems with the new system to begin with.

I Re-tweeted a few tweets that Gillingham had posted, and Gillingham will be wearing our Yellow Away Kit for Dartford V Gillingham, Me and Jim were on the look-out for programme sellers and a printed match-day programme, I was asked by someone online is there A Team Sheet for the game tonight, and I mentioned that I am on the look out, but whilst I was waiting, I decided to queue up at the kiosks to buy something to eat and drink, and I brought A Cheese-Burger and two bottles of Coca Cola for £9.

Gillingham play Dartford in pre-season a lot, and Princes Park is also a decent stadium to go to and it’s quite easy to travel to via public transport as well, and given that Dartford V Gillingham is the only Kent Non League Friendly that the first team are playing, and the lack of interest I have seen from regular supporters from going to Southend United and Woking, there could be a decent sized attendance for this match between Dartford V Gillingham.

Once I had finished my burger, I found where the programme seller was situated inside the ground and paid £2.50 for a match-day programme, and I did ask the staff selling the programmes, if there was a printed team-sheet, and I was told that there should be some by reception, and I headed back round to the main stand side of the pitch, Jim had also brought four programmes himself, and he was also on the lookout for a printed team-sheet.

Eventually, Gillingham’s Team-Sheet Appeared On Twitter, And Gillingham Lined Up As Follows……. Glenn Morris (GK), Remeao Hutton, Oli Hawkins, Conor Masterson, Max Clark, Tim Dieng, Stan Skipper, Jack Nolan, Euan Williams, Jayden Clarke and new signing Marcus Wyllie starts in attack for Gillingham, and on the bench are the following….. Jake Turner (GK), Harry Webster, Max Ehmer, Shadrach Ogie, Sam Gale, Robbie McKenzie, Harry Waldock, Joe Gbode, Harry Bridle, Aaron Rowe and Ashley Nadesan is on the bench.

But it is the players not included in the squad which is a concern, Ethan Coleman, Jonny Williams, Alex Giles, and Arman Little were not in the squad at the weekend, and now strikers Josh Andrews and Elliott Nevitt are not in the squad either and Gillingham are looking particularly worse for wear, and positions in the squad that need to be strengthened are starting to look quite obvious based on the players not named in the match-day squad for Dartford V Gillingham.

One player still not named in the squad is midfielder George Lapslie who must be close to completing a move to another club, and one thing that Gillingham got away with against Watford on Saturday was substituting a player back on to the pitch who had already been substituted in Joe Gbode, so I did think that Gillingham might bring a few players like Jimmy Heasman and Cruz Beszant with them to Princes Park just to provide additional squad depth, and also, with Lordswood V Gillingham XI postponed - a match which was supposed to be played on the same night as Dartford V Gillingham - we could have taken a few young players to provide additional depth to the squad and the young players could have gained experience being in and around the first team squad for a pre-season friendly.

Colin caught up with me inside the ground, and I mentioned that Gillingham will be wearing there Yellow Away Kit against Dartford, and Colin mentioned his thoughts about George Lapslie and how he probably has the high profile big name recognition to earn himself a move to another club, Ashley Nadesan is in the squad due to injuries to Josh Andrews and Elliott Nevitt and Ashley Nadesan is a player who you can see getting a move elsewhere because additional signings in attack will push Ashley Nadesan further down the pecking order.

And Colin asked me for my thoughts on Bradley Dack and the constant speculation, Colin mentioned that he can see Bradley Dack and Jonny Williams rotating in that central attacking midfielder role, one starts for sixty minutes and the other plays for thirty minutes and then vice versa, because Mark Bonner confirmed that he had spoken with Bradley Dack after the 2-0 home win against Watford, and my own thoughts on Bradley Dack comes down to this, If Gillingham can strengthen the squad in area’s of the pitch that need strengthening and we can sign Bradley Dack, then signing Bradley Dack is a good idea, if signing Bradley Dack means that Gillingham do not have the funds to sign a left back and another central midfielder, then the move to sign Bradley Dack is not a good idea, I don’t think Gillingham can go into the 2024 / 2025 season short in a few positions because we have used the bulk of our transfer revenue signing Bradley Dack, and there are question marks regarding Dack’s fitness as well.

I had re-tweeted the team-sheet that had been posted online, and Charlie caught up with me, and I showed Charlie the team-sheet and the one player I know playing for Dartford is Ben Allen who used to play for Gillingham, whilst Ade Pennock and Roland Edge are both manager and assistant manager at Dartford, and when Ade Pennock was Gillingham Manager, you can see what he was trying to do with Luke O’Neill, Alex Lacey, Ben Nugent, Gabriel Zakuani, Connor Ogilvie, Conor Wilkinson and Tom Eaves all signing for Gills, Pennock was trying to make Gillingham a physical and combative side and try and make us hard to beat and harder to score against, But Gillingham were cut adrift at the bottom of League One and we were looking relegation bound until Gillingham went on an incredible run of form under Steve Lovell, who managed to keep Gillingham in League One in the 2017 / 2018 season.

And we got speaking about new signing Marcus Wyllie from Enfield Town, a signing that came out of no-where on Monday Morning, But Marcus Wyllie scored thirty four goals for Enfield Town and he scored against Chatham Town in the playoff final to earn Enfield Town promotion, and as the old saying goes - the goal-post do not move - granted, it is a massive jump from the seventh tier of English Football into League Two, and Marcus Wyllie has to adapt to full time professional football, but it’s the type of signing that Gillingham have missed out on far too many times, Charlie mentioned that obviously comparison’s will be made with Jamie Vardy, who developed late before achieving what he has been able to achieve at Leicester City, but there have been plenty of strikers who have come from non league and progressed into The Football League and done well, and even if Marcus Wyllie is someone on the bench who plays fifteen / twenty minutes, he could be a unknown quality that takes opposition sides by surprise, or, it may well take Marcus Wyllie time to adapt to the league and it could be more of a slow burner, but as a squad signing, and someone who can provide additional depth in attack to Elliott Nevitt and Josh Andrews, this is a good signing, and we get that first opportunity to see how Marcus Wyllie plays for Gillingham against Dartford.

But the injuries to Elliott Nevitt and Josh Andrews are concerning, and then add the injuries to Ethan Coleman, Jonny Williams, Alex Giles, and Armani Little, and the squad is looking very thin in the final third of the pitch, and there are area’s of the squad that clearly do need to be strengthened and left back is one option, I mentioned a defensive midfielder who can drop in and cover at Centre Back so we got a utility squad player who can cover a few position’s, because Ethan Coleman is not likely to be fit before the start of the season, Left Back needs strengthening and we can do with signing one, possibly two wingers, to make sure that Gillingham have got depth in that area of the pitch, so that we do not replicate what happened last season, where one or two injuries saw Gillingham have few attacking players available on the bench, and that cannot happen again this season, and the wingers in question could be like when Gillingham signed Ethan Coleman and Jayden Clarke, players signed more for the longer term, who could be sent out on loan to play first team football, or, if Gillingham need the two wingers in and around the first team squad then we can keep them at the club as additional squad depth.

We also got speaking about players who could be leaving Gillingham Football Club who are not transfer listed, and I mentioned Conor Masterson, who is out of contract in a year’s time, and Gillingham might need to get promoted into League One to keep Conor Masterson at the football club, because there is no-way that Conor Masterson will want to be playing League Two Football in The 2025 / 2026 Season, and there will be clubs looking at Ethan Coleman and Shadrach Ogie, if both players play really well for Gillingham for this coming season and promotion doesn’t happen, both players could be snapped up by clubs in League One.

Me and Charlie took our position on the terrace on the side of the pitch, and with the teams switching ends, we moved to the goal that Gillingham were kicking towards for the first half, and both Dartford and Gillingham are ready for kick off for this keenly contested pre-season friendly at Princes Park, and hopefully, Gillingham can build on the results against Millwall and Watford and win against Dartford - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FIRST HALF: Before the match began, I made to screen-shot the team-sheet, I tried to get a printed team-sheet for The Dartford V Gillingham Friendly, But I made sure to save the photo of the team-sheet on my mobile phone, because that will be particularly useful throughout the match.

And the first noteworthy moment of the match happened whilst I was walking along the terrace side of the pitch at Princes Park to get close to the end that Gillingham were attacking in the first half with Glenn Morris having to gather a long ball down-field, we can do with the ball going out of play whilst we took up our position on the terrace close to the side of the pitch and close to the goal that Gillingham were attacking in the first half, with the majority of Gillingham Supporters taking up position’s on the terrace behind the goal.

But the first noteworthy attacking opportunity went to Gillingham when Stan Skipper passes the ball out-wide to Remeao Hutton, and Remeao Hutton took a touch to control the ball before whipping in a fantastic cross which Jacob Marsden was able to save in goal for Dartford, but after that early chance from Gillingham, it is Dartford who are putting Gillingham under a lot of pressure when Sam Odaudu tries to pick out Callum Jones with a diagonal cross-field cross inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, But Glenn Morris was in the right place at the right time to gather the high and hanging cross, and moments later, Glenn Morris again has to save another dangerous in-swinging cross as Dartford are putting Gillingham under considerable pressure.

Five Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham created a half chance to open the scoring, Remeao Hutton whips in a cross towards the far post and Jayden Clarke chests the ball under control before passing the ball back to Tim Dieng, who plays a first time pass back out-wide to Jayden Clarke, and Jayden Clarke gets the ball under control before playing a pass through towards Tim Dieng on the over-lap, and Tim Dieng’s cross from the byline almost picks out Marcus Wyllie, but the ball bounced awkwardly in-front of Dartford Goalkeeper Jacob Marsden, who was able to gather the ball with some difficulty.

A  minute later, and Max Clark tries to pick out Euan Williams with a long pass down the line which goes out of play for A Dartford Throw On, But Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring with the next passage of play, Remeao Hutton passes the ball through to Jack Nolan on the over-lap, and Jack Nolan works his way into a crossing position, and Jack Nolan’s cross aimed towards the far post goes out of play for A Dartford Goal-Kick.

But Twelve Minutes Into The Match, Callum Jones takes on Remeao Hutton and down our right side and Callum Jones whips in a dangerous low cross which takes a big deflection and Max Clark cleared the deflected cross out of play for a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Dartford had a great chance to open the scoring, Olly Box’s dangerous in-swinging cross for Dartford required Glenn Morris to finger tip the ball wide and away from goal at the expense of conceding another corner kick, and Glenn Morris was at full stretch as well, and from the resulting corner kick, a dangerous cross towards the back-stick is headed partially clear by Conor Masterson, Jack Nolan then gets the ball clear and away from goal and pressure from Euan Williams forces Dartford to pass the ball back to there goalkeeper.

However, Fifteen Minutes Into The Match, Gillingham capitalise on a defensive error from Luther Williams, and Marcus Wyllie is through one on one with The Dartford Goalkeeper, And Marcus Wyllie’s effort on goal is saved by Dartford Goalkeeper Jacob Marsden, best chance of the match so far for either side, and Marcus Wyllie believes he should have scored for Gillingham with that chance as well.

And the next attacking opportunity went to Gillingham, and Jayden Clarke went on a fantastic run down the left side of the pitch in Dartford’s Final Third, and Jayden Clarke’s cross is charged down at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Jayden Clarke’s in-swinging cross aimed towards the far post see’s Oli Hawkins header the ball down inside Dartford’s Penalty Area and Euan Williams could not keep the ball in play, and the ball goes out of play for A Dartford Goal-Kick.

Nineteen Minutes Into The Match, Stan Skipper passes the ball through to Remeao Hutton on the over-lap, and Remeao Hutton runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball inside to Jack Nolan, and Jack Nolan works his way into a shooting position and Jack Nolan’s driven effort on goal goes narrowly wide and Jack Nolan was close to scoring again for Gillingham - Charlie and Myself mentioned that we can see Remeao Hutton having space out-wide and Jack Nolan is going to be a player who cuts inside and shoots from the right side and Gillingham could be lining up with a winger who likes to cut inside on the right, with Hutton over-lapping on the attack, and these two are going to link up very well for Gillingham.

Dartford start to grow into this match more and win a free kick in a promising position on the pitch , and from the resulting free kick, an dangerous in-swinging cross is headed clear by Oli Hawkins who is always going to do well to win the ball in the air when Gillingham need to defend set plays, However, Twenty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Jayden Clarke see’s his cross cleared by George Whitefield, and Gillingham have won themselves another corner kick, and from the resulting corner kick, Jayden Clarke whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Josh Hill headers the ball clear for Dartford and Conor Masterson shields the ball out of play for A Gillingham Throw, however, from the re-start, Jayden Clarke is penalised for a foul and all the attacking momentum for Gillingham is gone, and Dartford have been awarded a defensive free kick.

Twenty Five Minutes Into The Match, And Max Clark does well to block a dangerous cross and the ball ricochets off Max Clark and off The Dartford Player, and the ball goes out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, It is worth noting that Max Clark has had to do a lot of defensive duties in the opening twenty five minutes of the half so far, and Max Clark has done his defensive work very well.

But In The Twenty Sixth Minute Of The Match, Dartford had a great opportunity to open the scoring, when the hosts managed to intercept the ball in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Jez Pinder’s driven effort towards goal only just about clear’s Gillingham’s Crossbar, and that was a great opportunity for Dartford to take the lead, best goal-scoring opportunity that Dartford have created in the first half so far.

A Minute Later, And Remeao Hutton whips in a fantastic cross and Dartford just about clear there defensive lines, and Remeao Hutton and Jack Nolan continue to link up very well down the right side of the pitch, and those two are causing Dartford a lot of problems, whilst Jayden Clarke is playing very well on the left wing and using his pace to get through by the byline on a number of occasions.

Gillingham are now putting Dartford under considerable pressure, Jayden Clarke’s cross had to be cleared by the hosts, and in the second phase of the same attack, Max Clark’s diagonal cross-field cross was over-hit, and the ball goes out of play for A Dartford Goal-Kick, Gillingham continue to put Dartford under pressure, and this time, Jayden Clarke is offside from Remeao Hutton’s cross, and in a separate attacking opportunity, Jayden Clarke’s pass through to Marcus Wyllie took a big deflection that took the ball away from the newly signed Gillingham Striker, and Dartford Goalkeeper Jacob Marsden makes a crucial save to gather the loose ball.

And despite all of the attacking pressure from Gillingham, Dartford created a decent half chance when Max Clark had to header a dangerous cross to the far post away from goal and Max Clark was able to complete the clearance by kicking the ball long-field into Dartford’s half of the pitch, But Gillingham had another chance to take the lead, this time with a throw on down the terrace side of the pitch, and Remeao Hutton hurls in a long throw and Oli Hawkins wins the aerial battle to flick the ball on and Dartford Goalkeeper Jacob Marsden punches the ball clear and wide and away from goal, and Remeao Hutton allows the ball to go out of play for A Gillingham Throw On, and from the resulting throw, Remeao Hutton hurls in a long throw which Dartford manage to get partially clear, and Tim Dieng passes the ball out-wide to Jayden Clarke, and Jayden Clarke passes the ball back to Max Clark, and Max Clark whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post, but Oli Hawkins was flagged for offside and the chance was gone for Gillingham.

But Dartford had a half chance to open the scoring after thirty seven minutes, Sam Odaudu passes the ball inside centrally to Jez Pinder, and Jez Pinder takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Dean Nayler, and Dean Nayler skips past the attempted challenge from Jayden Clarke, cuts inside centrally before whipping in a cross which is comfortable for Glenn Morris to save in goal for Gillingham.

Thirty Eight Minutes Into The Match, And George Whitefield is penalised for Dartford for a foul on Jack Nolan, and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, and I mentioned to Charlie, Jack Nolan had one effort wide against Millwall, and an effort on goal saved against Watford, can Jack Nolan score with this free kick against Dartford ??? - The answer is no, as Jack Nolan fired an effort towards goal which comfortably cleared Dartford’s Crossbar.

A Minute Later, And Marcus Wyllie intercepted the ball only to be penalised for a foul, which clearly was not a foul, and before that poor refereeing decision, Jack Nolan had whipped in a very good cross which Dartford managed to clear, but the next passage of play see’s Gillingham on the front-foot again and Marcus Wyllie threads a pass down the line for Remeao Hutton to run on to, and Remeao Hutton’s cross is saved by Dartford Goalkeeper Jacob Marsden.

And In The Forty Third Minute Of The Match, Gillingham had a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, and Max Clark whips in a fantastic cross and there was Marcus Wyllie to rise highest and header the ball into the back of the net with a brilliant finish, but the celebrations were cut short when The Linesman had his flag raised for offside, and I was right in line with that effort on goal from Marcus Wyllie and he was offside, great header though, but the goal doesn’t count and the score-line remains at 0-0.

And the final noteworthy moment of the first half was Remeao Hutton working his way through to the byline but Dartford Defender Sam Odaudu manages to shield the ball out of play for A Dartford Goal-Kick, It is worth noting that only forty four minutes were played in the first half and The Referee blew his whistle for half time far too early.

HALF TIME: DARTFORD 0-0 GILLINGHAM

But Gillingham have had more then there fair share of chances, with Marcus Wyllie having a one on one effort saved, and Marcus Wyllie was correctly flagged for offside, all be it that was a well taken goal with a brilliantly timed header, Jack Nolan has had one effort on goal going over the crossbar, and a free kick which comfortably cleared the crossbar, Tim Dieng’s cross by the byline aimed towards Marcus Wyllie was saved, and Gillingham have had there chances to score, but Dartford have had a few corner kicks and Jez Pinder’s driven effort towards goal only just about clear’s Gillingham’s Crossbar.

I mentioned to Charlie that with the way that Gillingham are set up formation wise, Gillingham are going to playing on the counter attack for the 2024 / 2025 season, and that works more successfully against Watford and Millwall with Gillingham having players behind the ball, but against Dartford, who perhaps know they are going to be on the defensive, that might not work so well, but Gillingham have created chances against Dartford, but we have not taken them, and Marcus Wyllie will think that he needs to do better with that one on one opportunity.

The queue’s for food and drink at half time were well and truly packed, I had already got A Cheese-Burger and two Bottle’s Of Coca Cola when I arrived at the ground, but anyone queueing up at half time, looks like they were going to be in the queue for a while, Charlie and Myself were going to stand down the side of the pitch where Gillingham were attacking in the second half, but opted to move behind the goal, just in-case anyone stood in-front of us and blocked our view of the pitch.

We spoke about Oli Hawkins and how Oli Hawkins might stay at Gillingham Football Club because of his versatility to play Centre Back and Centre Forward, and with Josh Andrews injured and not knowing the extent of the injury, Gillingham might need to keep hold of Oli Hawkins and make sure that we have cover and competition for Josh Andrews, also, Gillingham do not want to be in a position where Oli Hawkins is sold, Josh Andrews is injured, and Gillingham have no target-man striker available, and Gillingham need two players with those qualities in the squad, maybe Gillingham can look to find a 6’5’ striker who is happy to be a squad player who doesn’t earn as much as Oli Hawkins, but Oli Hawkins is a good player, and does what he does very well and very effectively, and also, with the plantar fasciitis injury, and the wages that Oli Hawkins is earning, it will be difficult to see clubs signing Oli Hawkins from Gillingham, but also, Gillingham might need to keep Hawkins as part of the squad, especially with Josh Andrews injured.

But looking at the first half as a whole, Remeao Hutton and Jack Nolan were combining very well down the right, Jayden Clarke was causing Dartford problems with his pace down the left wing, and Gillingham have had the chances to be 1-0 or 2-0 up-front, but Dartford have tested Gillingham defensively on a few occasions, and Marcus Wyllie has had one effort saved, and he did score with a well timed header, but was flagged for offside, and this is our first look at our new signing to see what Marcus Wyllie can do, and he needs to be playing at the moment with the uncertainty regarding Josh Andrews and Elliott Nevitt’s injuries.

Both teams were out on to the pitch at the start of the second half, Harry Waldock coming on for Stan Skipper, and Dartford have also made a few substitutions themselves, which included a change in goal for the hosts as Dartford had a look at a few players as they are looking to make preparations for The Ryman Premier League, because Dartford were relegated into The Seventh Tier Of English Football, And Ade Pennock needs to prepare a squad who can challenge for promotion back into The Conference South again.

SECOND HALF: 

And the first noteworthy moment of the second half see’s a threaded pass through to Tim Dieng saved by The Dartford Substitute Goalkeeper, and the next goal-scoring opportunity of the match went to Gillingham after forty eight minutes, when a long ball down-field from Remeao Hutton manages to pick out Jack Nolan who does very well to get the ball under control, and Jack Nolan cuts inside and works his way into a shooting position, only for Jack Nolan’s effort on goal to be a mis-kicked effort which is comfortably saved by The Dartford Goalkeeper - A Cleaner Strike, And Jack Nolan would have scored for Gillingham.

The chances kept coming for Gillingham, and Remeao Hutton’s threaded pass through to Jack Nolan is saved by The Dartford Goalkeeper, and in the next passage of play, Jayden Clarke just about manages to keep the ball in play for Gillingham right by the byline, and Jayden Clarke lays the ball back to Euan Williams, and Euan Williams checks to turn back on himself inside Dartford’s Penalty Area, and Euan Williams crosses the ball towards Tim Dieng and Marcus Wyllie, But Dartford managed to clear there defensive lines.

And the chances kept coming for Gillingham, because in The Fifty First Minute Of The Match, Gillingham work the ball wide down the right side of the pitch in Dartford’s Final Third, And Remeao Hutton’s cross was over-hit, but the ball goes out of play for A Dartford Goal-Kick, And Gillingham have come out fast in the second half, Jack Nolan’s mis-kicked effort on goal is saved, Euan Williams in-swinging cross is cleared and Dartford have been on the defensive for pretty much the entirety of the second half.

But In The Fifty Third Minute Of The Match, all that pressure told in the end and Gillingham finally took the lead, Remeao Hutton plays a long pass down-field, and Jayden Clarke lobs the ball over the advancing Dartford Goalkeeper to stick the ball into the back of the net with a well composed first time finish, The Dartford Goalkeeper is not the tallest, but Jayden Clarke’s well taken goal has given Gillingham the lead - DARTFORD 0-1 GILLINGHAM

And from here onwards, the chances kept coming for Gillingham, there was a penalty appeal for a foul on Jayden Clarke waved away which was very fifty / fifty, and in a separate passage of play, Jack Nolan was fouled, but play continued as Remeao Hutton won a corner kick for Gillingham, but the resulting corner kick didn’t result in a meaningful goal-scoring opportunity for The Gills.

But In The Fifty Seventh Minute Of The Match, Gillingham were able to double there lead to 2-0, Tim Dieng gets on to a long ball down-field and whips in a dangerous high and hanging cross which Dartford were able to header clear and away from danger, and Dartford have the ball in there own defensive final third, but a terrible squared pass see’s Marcus Wyllie intercept the ball off The Dartford Defender, And Marcus Wyllie works his way into Dartford’s Penalty Area, taking on one then two players, and Marcus Wyllie’s initial effort on goal is blocked by A Dartford Defender, Marcus Wyllie’s second effort on goal is also blocked, but the ball ricochets across the six yard box to Jayden Clarke, who is there to stick the ball into the bottom left corner of the net to double Gillingham’s Lead, and Gillingham are winning 2-0, and Jayden Clarke has scored both goals - DARTFORD 0-2 GILLINGHAM

And 2-0 to Gillingham almost became 3-0, when Marcus Wyllie’s effort on goal goes narrowly wide and that was the chance for Gillingham’s New Signing to try and get himself on the score-sheet, Gillingham have dominated the second half and we have been more clinical in-front of goal and Dartford have really struggled to get going, granted, Dartford have made some changes, but Gillingham are moving the ball about more quickly, and Dartford have struggled with the increased levels in tempo and intensity.

Marcus Wyllie then had two opportunities to try and get himself on the score-sheet, Marcus Wyllie’s first effort on goal flashes wide of the far post, and the second effort on goal from Marcus Wyllie comfortably clears The Dartford Crossbar, but the new striker is keen to get a shot off on goal, keen to make an impression and it would have been nice to have seen Marcus Wyllie get himself on the score-sheet before he had to be substituted.

Because In The Sixty Second Minute Of The Match, Gillingham made nine substitutions and this is how Gillingham will line up for the final thirty minutes of the match….. Glenn Morris (GK), Harry Webster, Max Ehmer, Shadrach Ogie, Sam Gale, Robbie McKenzie, Harry Waldock, Joe Gbode, Harry Bridle, Aaron Rowe and Ashley Nadesan - Harry Waldock came on at half time and Glenn Morris remained in goal and was going to play the entire ninety minutes of the match.

After the nine substitutions from Gillingham, Gabe Campbell earns Dartford a free kick in a very promising position on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, and from the resulting free kick, Gillingham were able to clear there defensive lines and this is the first time that Dartford have put some kind of pressure on to Gillingham’s Goal.

Sixty Five Minutes Into The Match, And Joe Gbode has possession of the ball on the right wing in Dartford’s Final Third, And Joe Gbode takes on The Dartford Defender and fires in a brilliantly low cross across the six yard area, and Ashley Nadesan on the stretch diverts the ball over the crossbar, and that was a great chance for Gillingham to score for 3-0, and maybe on the wing is a position that best suits Joe Gbode now, With Elliott Nevitt, Josh Andrews, Oli Hawkins and Marcus Wyllie as our striking options, and possibly more incoming signings as well, maybe Joe Gbode is better placed to play out-wide where is not going up against physical League Two Centre Backs as often.

Sixty Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had the chance to score for 3-0, Aaron Rowe has possession of the ball for Gillingham down the left side of the pitch, And Aaron Rowe cuts inside centrally before looking to pass the ball out-wide, only for Aaron Rowe to work his way into a shooting position, And Aaron Rowe’s effort on goal is saved and parried by The Dartford Goalkeeper and Harry Bridle can only fire the re-bound over the crossbar - huge chance for Gillingham to score for 3-0, and with Aaron Rowe cutting inside on the left, It looks like Mark Bonner wants both wide players to cut inside and shoot and get efforts on goal with the full backs in Remeao Hutton and Max Clark to provide the width for Gillingham.

Harry Webster continue’s to impress at Right Back, granted, not as much defensive work as on Saturday against Watford, But Harry Webster put in a strong challenge and cleared the ball away from goal, Seventy One Minutes Into The Match, And Sam Gale is penalised for a foul, and from the resulting free kick, Dartford look to work the ball wide with a shortly taken free kick, and Aaron Rowe is in the right place at the right time to not only intercept the ball, but clear the ball away from danger, Dartford have done very little offensively in the second half and Gillingham have been on the attack for the vast majority of the second half.

Seventy Five Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had a great chance to score for 3-0, Ashley Nadesan runs down the right flank in possession of the ball and picks out Harry Bridle within pass on the edge of Dartford’s Penalty Area, And Harry Bridle spins past A Dartford Defender and Harry Bridle’s low effort on goal was comfortably saved by The Dartford Goalkeeper.

But A Minute later, and Gillingham did score for 3-0, Dartford look to play the ball out of defence and Harry Waldock intercepts the ball and Harry Bridle takes the ball past George Whitefield, and Harry Bridle sticks the ball into the back of the net with a composed finish, it has taken a few attempts, But Harry Bridle has eventually got his goal for Gillingham - DARTFORD 0-3 GILLINGHAM

After that goal, Dartford tried to make something happen with a long ball down-field which was comfortably saved by Glenn Morris, and in a separate passage of play, Dartford are penalised for a foul, and Aaron Rowe is down on the deck requiring treatment, and thankfully, Aaron Rowe is OK to continue.

Dartford have two half chances to try and score a consolation goal, the first of the chances was self inflicted by Gillingham when a mis-communication between Max Ehmer and Shadrach Ogie is almost capitalised on and Glenn Morris has to boot the ball clear and away from goal, I suppose that is something that will happen when you have come on for the final thirty minutes of the game, and a game that has seen Gillingham on the offensive for the vast majority of the second half, and the second chance from Dartford was a long ball down-field which was comfortable for Glenn Morris to gather, but Dartford have not got the pace to cause Gillingham problems on the counter attack.

But Eighty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had the chance to score for 4-0, Joe Gbode does really well to create the chance for himself, spinning past George Whitefield and Joe Gbode’s low effort on goal is saved and parried by The Dartford Goalkeeper and The Dartford Defender chests the ball back to The Dartford Goalkeeper who gathers the ball almost on the goal-line..

And Gillingham were looking to create another goal-scoring opportunity a minute later, and only a crucial interception and a well timed challenge on Aaron Rowe prevented Aaron Rowe from scoring for 4-0, and the chances kept coming when Gillingham were awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Ashley Nadesan passes the ball short to Joe Gbode, who gets the ball under control before passing the ball through to Robbie McKenzie on the over-lap, and Robbie McKenzie whips in a fantastic cross and Harry Bridle can only header the ball over the crossbar from close range, and that was the chance for Gillingham to score for 4-0.

And Gillingham had another chance to add to the goal tally, Ashley Nadesan gets on to a long pass down the left channel, and Ashley Nadesan evades the challenge from The Dartford Defender and passes the ball back to Aaron Rowe, and Aaron Rowe works his way into a shooting position before seeing his effort on goal blocked by George Whitefield, Sam Gale is then on to the loose ball and passes the ball down the line towards Ashley Nadesan, and Ashley Nadesan threads a pass through to Aaron Rowe by the byline, But The Dartford Defender does enough to shield the ball out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

Harry Bridle then puts in a strong challenge to intercept the ball, and the young striker has done well playing against Ryman Premier League Opposition, and Harry Bridle was involved in the final noteworthy moment of the match, as the young striker scored the fourth goal to give Gillingham a 4-0 win, Sam Gale passes the ball square to Joe Gbode who takes a touch to control the ball before clipping a pass down the line for Harry Webster to run on to, and Harry Webster skips past the challenge from The Dartford Full Back, works his way to the byline and Harry Webster pulls the ball back to Harry Bridle, who takes a touch to control the ball before placing the ball into the back of the net with a well taken finish, and that was the final noteworthy moment of the match, and Gillingham win 4-0 against Dartford with two goals for Jayden Clarke and two goals for Harry Bridle - DARTFORD 0-4 GILLINGHAM

FULL TIME: DARTFORD 0-4 GILLINGHAM

What was particularly nice about the final goal, which was not completely noticed at the time is that all four young players in Sam Gale, Joe Gbode, Harry Webster and Harry Bridle all combined for that goal, a good moment for all four young players and with Gillingham having a depleted squad in pre-season due to injuries and needing to sign more transfer targets, some of our young players are getting an opportunity to play for Gillingham’s first team in pre-season, and they are putting in some impressive performances at this moment in time.

1008 was the attendance at Princes Park for this friendly, a decent turnout and I think quite a few supporters are not going to anymore pre-season friendlies until the start of the season, Charlie said that he won’t be going to Southend United or Woking, and I mentioned that I am not going to either game, and I am going to Sheppey United and Herne Bay, but Dartford 0-4 Gillingham is the final first team pre-season friendly I am going to, and I said to Charlie that I will see him at Priestfield Stadium for the opening league game of the season against Carlisle United.

I headed for the exit at Princes Park, and saw Ben and Gary as I was making my way to The Bus Stop, and Ben mentioned that he wasn’t going to go to Southend United either, and we are just looking forward to the season starting now, and I mentioned that I won’t be going to Southend United, but I will be going to Sheppey United instead on Friday Night, and Me and Ben were at Sittingbourne in pre-season a year ago when Harry Bridle scored twice that night, and Harry Bridle was on the score-sheet for Gillingham’s First Team against Dartford, and good thing we didn’t queue up for food and drink at half time, because those that did missed a good twenty five minutes of the second half.

Ben and Gary headed off in a different direction, whilst I walked to the bus stop, and I said c ya to Ben and Gary before looking on social media whilst waiting for the bus, two Dartford Supporters were talking about the result and how they have to get used to Dartford being A Ryman Premier League Side now and how Dartford won’t be playing against sides like Gillingham on a week in, week out basis, but one thing Dartford will have to get used to for this coming season is the fact that Dartford will be considered one of the biggest clubs in the seventh tier, and there will be teams who see Dartford as a bit of a fallen giant and they might raise there levels when playing against Dartford at Princes Park, so Dartford might have to prepare themselves for that for this coming season.

I mentioned the following on Twitter…… FULL TIME: DARTFORD 0-4 GILLINGHAM - Jayden Clarke and Harry Bridle both scored a brace as Gillingham scored four goals in the second half to win 4-0. Rowe had a effort on goal saved, And Bridle headed the ball over from McKenzie's cross, and Gills also kept another clean sheet - I had re-tweeted a few match reports from Dartford 0-4 Gillingham and James mentioned that winning breeds confidence and two wins out of three and no goals conceded against Millwall, Watford and Dartford is a very good start to pre-season.

Andrew sang the praises of Harry Bridle’s performance for Gillingham against Dartford, mentioning that the young striker has recovered from a serious injury and is someone very good getting himself on the score-sheet, and I responded with the following…. Almost scored a hat-trick for Gillingham Tonight, Because Bridle headed McKenzie's cross over the crossbar as well - Harry Bridle is a young player to watch out for, a regular goal-scorer for the youth team who is starting to score goals and make appearances for Gillingham’s first team in pre-season.

The bus then arrived at the bus stop outside Princes Park, and I got on the bus and sat down, before posting the following tweet……. Dartford 0-4 Gillingham - Feel Free To Ask Me Any Questions You Have About Gillingham's 4-0 Away Win Against Dartford Tonight #Gillingham #Gills - and I was asked the question about Marcus Wyllie’s performance for Gillingham against Dartford, and I replied mentioning…. One on one effort saved in the first half, created a great goal-scoring opportunity for himself in the second half, and although Marcus Wyllie's effort was blocked, Jayden Clarke was there to score the re-bound for 2-0 - And I then saw another comment from A Gillingham Supporter praising Joe Gbode’s performance on the wing and talking about how Gillingham are going to set themselves up under Mark Bonner’s management, and I mentioned the following….. I think Mark Bonner is going to set Gills up to be more of a counter attacking side with Nolan on the right, Rowe on the left and Nevitt up-front, But Jayden Clarke is certainly doing himself no harm in forcing himself into the Starting Line Up with his performances in pre-season.

The bus I was on then arrived outside Dartford Train Station, and I got off the bus, thanked the driver, then made my way to Dartford Train Station, and asking a member of staff for what platform I needed to get back to Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, and I was told I needed to go to Platform’s Three and Four, I thanked staff for help, before making my way to Platform Three and Four, and one of the trains about to arrive at Platform Four was heading to Gravesend, but the second train arriving afterwards was the train I needed to get on.

Once I got on the train I needed to get on, on Platform Four, I re-tweeted one tweet from A Gillingham Supporter praising the performances from Sam Gale and Joe Gbode, and both young players look like they could be in and around the first team in different position’s this season, Joe Gbode on the wing, and Sam Gale is currently playing at Left Back at Gillingham due to necessity because we have no-one other then Max Clark who can play in that position, and Harrison Dunk is one player constantly linked with a move to Gillingham, and that signing could be done and Harrison Dunk would add valuable experience to the squad, and he would be providing squad depth to a position which needs strengthening as well.

I re-tweeted Gillingham’s tweet praising Jayden Clarke’s performance, and we are talking about how pre-season is an opportunity for players to force there way into the first team, and well, Jayden Clarke has certainly impressed in pre-season, was probably Gillingham’s best player on the pitch in the first half against Millwall, was causing Watford problems on Saturday, now has scored two goals for Gillingham against Dartford, and it looks like it is between Jayden Clarke and Aaron Rowe for that left wing spot, and I have got to say, Jayden Clarke might start ahead of Aaron Rowe based on his performances in pre-season, I think Jayden Clarke has put in the performances to suggest that he could start against Carlisle United on the opening day of the season.

One Gillingham Supporter had praised Marcus Wyllie in his first appearance for Gillingham, and I mentioned the following…. I was in line for Marcus Wyllie's header and he was indeed offside, still a great header though, and as I said to someone else inside Princes Park, the goal-post do not move, and Gillingham have signed a striker who was a goal-scorer from Enfield Town, and Marcus Wyllie has to adapt to professional football and the step up into League Two, but there have been so many examples of players stepping up and making the step up, it will take Marcus Wyllie time, and only time will tell if he can step up, but we are signing a player who really wants to be at Gillingham and wants to play professional football, and we have signed a player who strengthen’s an area of the squad that does need strengthening as well.

Tom posted a pre-season lookout thread for all the friendlies posted on Tuesday Night, and I mentioned the following…. DARTFORD 0-4 GILLINGHAM - Both Jayden Clarke and Harry Bridle scored two goals each as Gillingham won 4-0, Wyllie almost scored, But his effort was blocked before Clarke score the re-bound. Hutton and Nolan are going to combine very well down the right for Gillingham this season, and I was also asked a question about the young players and how well they played against Dartford and I responded mentioning…. Harry Bridle scored twice and was unlucky not to score a third, heading McKenzie's cross over the crossbar. Gbode is playing on the wing and Sam Gale at Left Back, and both players have put in very solid performances, considering that they are having to play out of position.

One Gillingham Supporter asked about Euen Williams performance in midfield for Gillingham against Dartford, and I mentioned…. One effort on goal wide in the second half, Williams should be in the squad for Gillingham for The Southend United Friendly at the weekend, I would like to see Gillingham take there time, give Euen Williams another forty five or sixty minutes against Southend United, find out the extent of the injuries for Jonny Williams, Armani Little and Ethan Coleman, and depending on the extent of the injuries will depend on if Gillingham might offer Williams a contract.

I was asked questions about Oli Hawkins performance at centre back, and the injury crises, and I mentioned the following…… I think Hawkins has been OK at centre back, and he is going to win the aerial challenges heading crosses clear. But with Andrews unavailable against Dartford due to injury, we may need Hawkins to play up-front as a target-man option. AND: Yes very much so, Little, Coleman, Jonny Williams, Giles, Nevitt and Andrews all not in the squad for The Dartford Friendly. Highlights the areas of the first team squad that Gillingham need to strengthen in the transfer window.

I got off the train at 23.55PM, and was back home at 12.15AM, all in all, a very good result for Gillingham, Harry Bridle and Jayden Clarke were on the score-sheet, Aaron Rowe had an effort on goal saved, Marcus Wyllie scored but his header was flagged for offside and Marcus Wyllie was determined to score before he was substituted and this was our first look at Gillingham’s Latest Signing, who had played well for Gillingham against Dartford, young players like Sam Gale, Harry Webster and Joe Gbode are putting in performances which means that they will be in and around the first team for this coming season, I still think Gillingham need additional signings in key position’s, after all, the aim is promotion for this coming season, but those three look like they could be in and around the first team for this coming season, and Joe Gbode and Sam Gale might get opportunities with the first team playing in different position’s as well.

The one concern was Conor Masterson picking up a shoulder injury, which he played through without having to be substituted due to injury, hopefully, there are no major concerns, because if Conor Masterson is out injured, then Gillingham will need to sign another centre back, and I did mention to Charlie that one potential signing that Gillingham could look at is A Defensive Midfielder who can play Centre Back, someone physical who can play in both position’s, something to think about between now and the start of the season.