Gillingham goalkeeper Jake Turner grateful for the support from Glenn Morris as he resumes place in the team – League 2 play-off chase remains alive after win over Barrow
Published: 05:00, 15 April 2024
Jake Turner’s delighted to be back in goal for Gillingham but has acknowledged the support he’s had from the man he replaced.
Turner’s been the no.1 choice for the Gills this season but was sidelined for a match at the end of February because of injury and then had to sit and watch for over a month before reclaiming his place in the team from experienced stopper Glenn Morris.
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Saturday’s shutout against Barrow in a 3-0 win was Turner’s 14th clean sheet from 38 appearances.
He said: “Personally, it is great to be back, that is why I play football, to play games.
“Glenn is a great goalie and a great guy and I have learned so much from him over the last two years, even when I was on the bench recently I can pick up things from his games.
“We work so well together and try to help each other when we can. He probably helps me more with his experience but on a personal note it’s great to be back playing.”
Saturday’s win was vital for the Gills as they kept their play-off hopes alive but Turner said: “We can’t worry about the play-offs and getting into them or not, it is the aim, but we have to look to the next game and try and win that one.
“Wins are the main thing, it’s not been going our way for the past few games but we’re buzzing with that win and the clean sheet topped it off.
“It is one game at a time and onto Mansfield away at the weekend, they are in the top three and they play on Tuesday where they may be promoted, but whatever their scenario is it’s always a tough place to go.”
The win over Barrow came after back-to-back defeats but it wasn’t easy against a defence-first side. The visitors retreated further once they went down to 10 men early on at Priestfield but the Gills found a way through.
Turner said: “We played them not so long ago (losing 2-0 last month) and we knew what they were going to do, with 10 men it can be more difficult to break them down because they go into a deep block, but we did it excellently.
“Two of the goals came from runs in behind which we’ve been working on, they were finished very well, it was a good win.
“We kind of needed the win and to get the clean sheet and more importantly the win, we’re all pleased.”
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Luke Cawdell