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  • Kick-off: 15:00
  • Venue: Priestfield Stadium
  • Attendance: 6568
  • Referee: Hall, A

Live Commentary

90mins

The ref has blown his whistle for full time.

86mins

Gillingham are replacing Steve Claridge with Moses Ashikodi.

80mins

Andy Hessenthaler is being taken off, Danny Spiller has come on in his place.

74mins

The referee has booked Stephen Cooke.

70mins

The referee has booked Andy Hessenthaler.

68mins

Alan Pouton is replaced by Brent Sancho.

67mins

Eddie Howe is booked for unsporting behaviour.

65mins

Andrew Surman is replaced by Stephen Cooke.

56mins

Steve Fletcher is being taken off, Dani Rodrigues has come on in his place.

46mins

The second half is under way with the score currently at 1 v 0.

46mins

Bournemouth are replacing Shaun Maher with Josh Gowling.

45mins

Half time whistle is blown by A Hall

39mins

Own goal, Marcus Browning has put it in his own net.

16mins

Alan Pouton is booked for unsporting behaviour.

0mins

It's 3pm on Saturday, August 20th, the match has kicked off.

Match Report

Gillingham lived up to their billing as one of the promotion favourites with a comfortable 1-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Priestfield Stadium this afternoon.

After a scrappy opening, the game came to life on nine minutes. Andy Hessenthaler, an inspirational figure throughout, broke down the right before pulling the ball back across the penalty area, only inches away from the outstretched boot of Matthew Jarvis.

Steve Claridge almost opened the scoring on 24 minutes on his Gills debut. Looking suspiciously off-side when picking the ball up just past the half-way line, the veteran striker was allowed to continue before rounding Neil Moss and somehow stroking the ball against the inside of the post.

Claridge did find the net two minutes later, but this time the referee's assistant raised his flag to deny him.

Gillingham eventually made their dominance pay and took the lead on 30 minutes. Michael Flynn struck a free kick from the edge of the box that took a wicked deflection off the wall, leaving Moss totally stranded.

Josh Gowling replaced Shaun Maher at the start of the second half, allowing James O'Connor to push up into midfield.

Bournemouth seemed to seize the initiative and forced a succession of corners from which they were unlucky not to make a breakthrough. After the Gills had weathered the storm they gradually began to reassume the ascendancy and turned the screw on their visitors.

On 67 minutes Gillingham could have sealed the game when Matthew Jarvis's pace took him clear of the Cherries' back line, before he was crudely brought down by Eddie Howe, who was lucky to escape with only a booking.

Gillingham were good value for the three points, Bournemouth, for all their endeavour, struggled to match their host's extra quality on the ball.

Gillingham

Bournemouth

Corners

64

Fouls

1413

Goal attempts

119

Shots off target

57

Offsides

42

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