Gillingham Ease to Pre-Season Win at Dover Athletic
Gillingham secured a comfortable 3-0 win over Dover Athletic in their pre-season friendly match, but concerns over injuries to key players have been raised. The Gills' new signings shone, but Bradley Dack limped off with 27 minutes played.
What Happened?
The match saw Gillingham dominate possession for much of the opening half, but Dover Athletic's goalkeeper, Mitch Walker, was not overly troubled. Kadeem Harris scored the opener in the 14th minute, cutting in from the flank and beating his man before bending a shot beyond Walker's reach.
Why it Matters for Gillingham
The win is a boost for Gillingham ahead of the new season, but the injuries to key players, including Bradley Dack and Armani Little, are a concern. The Gills' new signings, including Liam Gordon and Garath McCleary, showed promise, but more needs to be seen from them.
What Comes Next?
Gillingham will look to build on this win and continue their preparations for the new season. They will face another pre-season friendly match soon, and it will be interesting to see how they perform against a different opponent.
As Gillingham currently sit 17th in League Two with 53 points, 13 wins, 14 draws, and 19 losses from 46 games, recent form WLLLD, they will be looking to improve their league position. They have scored 53 goals this season and conceded 72, resulting in a -19 goal difference. They are 34 points behind leaders Bromley in the title race. Their last result was a 1-0 win over Shrewsbury on May 2, 2026.
Gillingham's new signings were on show at Crabble, with six of the seven summer additions involved in the match. However, goalkeeper Ollie Wright was missing after picking up an injury. Garath McCleary, Cameron Antwi, Ethan Coleman, and Remeao Hutton were also absent. Dack started but limped off with 27 minutes played, to be replaced by second-year apprentice Sullivan Booth. The one trialist playing in midfield for the Gills during the opening half was former Shrewsbury Town man Nick Freeman, playing an advanced role and getting around the pitch well. New signing Liam Gordon captained the Gills in the opening half, lining up as a vocal and proper physical presence in a back three, alongside Andy Smith and Logan Dobbs. Harris and Damien Theodore started as wing-backs.
It was a fine run and finish from Harris to open the scoring on 14 minutes, cutting in from the flank and beating his man before bending a shot beyond the reach of Walker. Gillingham dominated possession for much of the opening half, but Walker wasn't overly troubled. He saved comfortably from Zane Albarus and watched Damien Theodore's strike go wide. Seb Palmer-Houlden had a shot turned over the bar late in the half and substitute Booth forced Walker into a save from a header. Palmer-Houlden found the net after meeting Freeman's corner with his head but the linesman's flag ruled it out for offside.
It was all-change at the break with a different Gills eleven named for the second half. Robbie McKenzie lined up as one of the three centre-backs in the second half while up top Ronan Hale was paired with newly signed striker Will Goodwin. Six minutes after the restart Dayal made it 2-0 with a near-post finish past the Dover keeper. Dover made their first changes with an hour gone, Euan Williams coming on to face his former team. He got in the way of a defensive clearance from McKenzie, which left him wincing. Kola Salami curled a shot wide for Dover after getting away from Gills defender Omar Beckles while at the other end Ronan Hale went wide when well positioned.
The Gills made it 3-0 from a free-kick on 79 minutes after Dayal had been fouled. Armani Little played the free-kick in and Gale met it well on the volley to find the net. One of Dover's trialists came close to a goal late on, the same player who twice beat Gillingham players with decent touches went narrowly wide with his shot. Gillingham's injury woes were hit again late on with Armani Little limping off after a heavy challenge.
