Mark McCammon scored Gillingham's second in 3-0 win Picture: Martin Apps

by Luke Cawdell

Folkestone 0 Gillingham 3

Gillingham opened their 2009 pre-season campaign with a comfortable victory over a hard-working Folkestone side at Cheriton Road.

The Gills fielded 22 players against their Ryman League opponents and goals from Luke Rooney, Mark McCammon and Chris Palmer sealed the win.

Folkestone had their moments, with strikers Jimmy Dryden and James Everitt both coming close, but they were unable to breach Gillingham’s unfamiliar looking defence.

Gillingham manager Mark Stimson fielded two separate sides in each half with only former Reading and Yeovil trialist Aaron Brown playing both halves.

Central defender Brown played 90 minutes and he was joined by fellow out of contract trialists Chris McCready, Sam Long, Rashid Yussuff and Jordan Parkes.

McCready, another centre back, was released by Crewe this summer, while full-back Long and midfielder Yussuff were surplus to requirements at Charlton. Left-back Parkes is looking for a new club after leaving Watford.

Scoring Gillingham’s opener was Luke Rooney as he made space form himself on the edge of the box and curled in a low shot past keeper Jack Delo.

Just a minute into the second-half the lead was doubled after Yussuff played a great forward ball to Gills’ new signing Chris Palmer and his cross was tapped home from two yards by McCammon.

Palmer, who made a promising start on the left flank for his new side, tucked away the third after beating keeper Kieron Mann to the ball and guiding the ball home with 70 minutes gone.

Gills: (First half) Julian, Long, Nutter, Brown, Richards, Lewis, Maher, Weston, Pugh, Rooney, Barcham. (Second half) Royce, Fuller, Parkes, Brown, McCready, Oli, Payne, Miller, Yussuff, Palmer, McCammon. Subs not used: Cumbers Essam.

Folkestone: Delo (Mann 46mins), Yanni (Swallow 54mins), Burchell, Friend, Chappell, Dickson (Henson 54mins), Smith, Sommerville, Dryden, Everitt (Driscoll 80mins), Jackson.