Gills players ask what went wrong after conceding a goal during the 4-1 defeat at Leeds

by Luke Cawdell

Gillingham suffered a heavy defeat to high-flyers Leeds at Elland Road in League 1 on Saturday.

The Gills had it all to do in the second half, after finding themselves two goals down, and a goal 34 seconds after the break from Leeds just about finished them off.

Andy Barcham pulled one back for the Gills on 50 minutes but any hopes of a fightback were ended as Jermaine Beckford made it 4-1 late in the game.

Bradley Johnson struck twice for the home side in the opening half hour as Gillingham looked a shadow of the side who comfortably beat Millwall last weekend.

With 14 minutes gone winger Robert Snodgrass swung in a corner and Johnson was there to power home the header.

Johnson scored the second on 28 minutes, when he was put through by Jermaine Beckford and, despite close attention from Barry Fuller, he found a way past Simon Royce with an angled drive.

Gillingham had a golden opportunity to get back into the game just before half-time but Curtis Weston could only drag his shot well wide after Dennis Oli played him in.

Hopes of a second half fightback looked over as Jonathan Howson struck a third for the hosts at the start of the second half.

Barcham swept home to pull a goal back for Gillingham on 50 minutes and that goal finally woke them up.

Leeds found themselves under pressure for the first time in the match but the margin still made it an uphill task for the Gills, especially with the home side still looking a threat themselves.

Simeon Jackson headed an effort narrowly over on 78 minutes, before Leeds’ fourth came from Beckford as he nodded the ball into an open net on 80 minutes after Michael Doyle’s effort crashed back off the bar.

Gillingham manager Mark Stimson was pleased with his players' efforts but admitted Leeds and two goal scorer Johnson were in a different class.

He said: "We had a go but unfortunately we bumped into the best team we’ve played by a long way in Leeds and unfortunately for me it’s my mate Bradley Johnson again.

"I had him on loan at Stevenage and I was about an hour away from signing him for a very small fee. When I went to Gillingham I think everyone is aware that we offered the £200,000 that Leeds paid for him on my first day in charge. He chose Leeds.

"He undid us early on with a fantastic header and he showed some pace and power down the left hand side.

"Full credit to our team, though, they gave it their best shot, but unfortunately we came up against a real strong football team in this division.

"Sometimes quality shows and that was the difference."

Gills: Royce, Fuller, Maher (Payne 83mins), Bentley, Palmer, Jackson, Barcham, Gowling, Jackman, Oli (Erskine 81mins), Weston (Rooney 88mins). Subs not used: Nutter, Richards, Miller, Julian.

Leeds: Higgs, Crowe (Kilkenny 67mins), Kisnorbo, Doyle, Beckford, Becchio (Grella 80mins), Howson, Johnson, Hughes, Snodgrass (Michalik 67mins), Bromby. Subs not used: Ankergren, Prutton, Robinson, Showumni.

Attendance: 21,026