Lille 3 Gillingham 1

GILLINGHAM have returned from France relieved that pre-season friendlies are a notorious bad guide to league form.

Having conceded six goals in three days, they will also be aware that defensive frailties need ironing out, even at this early stage, so that confidence is not undermined.

Coach Wayne Jones, deputising for player-manager Andy Hessenthaler who was indisposed, was quick to emphasise that there is no better way of fine tuning new formations than in friendly fixtures.

With forthcoming games against Southend (tomorrow), Gravesend & Northfleet, Canvey Island and Dover, there is sufficient time to return to the drawing board and decide whether the team are best suited to playing three at the back or retaining a flat back four.

Against Lens in Le Touquet on Wednesday, Hessenthaler quickly abandoned three at the back and switched to a flat back four when the former French champions threatened to overrun the side early on.

Against Lille in Montreuil's College Complex Sportif on Friday, Gillingham had no time to catch their breath, let alone change formation, as the home side rattled up three goals without reply inside the opening 14 minutes.

Jones and Gillingham also know that it is highly unlikely that they will encounter two strikers as quick and elusive as Vladimir Manchev and Hector Tapia in the Nationwide League, Division 1.

Manchev is a Bulgarian international while Tapia partners the great Marcele Salas up front for Chile. They were nimble, deft of touch and would have given a Premier League defence a hard time.

Gillingham's back three of Barry Ashby, Chris Hope and Ian Cox had no answers to this dynamic duo.

Manchev gave Lille a fifth minute lead with an angled drive after holding off the challenge of John Hills. Tapia made it 2-0 in the 12th minute after Phillipe Brunel's pass had split the Gillingham defence.

It was game over in the 14th minute when the scintillating Tapia turned provider for Manchev to make it 3-0. It would have been more had goalkeeper Jason Brown not twice saved well from Gregory Tafforeau.

And Lille were allegedly the weaker of Gillingham's two French opponents.

As the visitors sought to find a way back into the game, some of Lille's players decided to indulge in the theatrical with blatant diving that infuriated Gillingham and another large following of their supporters.

Ashby, Gillingham's most potent force when going forward, saw a header from Danny Spiller's corner hit a post before this friendly erupted in a 39th minute free-for-all.

In following up after seeing Lille goalkeeper Gregory Wimbee save his close range header, Hope collided with Wimbee and immediately apologised.

This was insufficient for the goalkeeper's team-mates who piled in while Gillingham's Jason Brown ran the length of the field for a piece of the action.

Once order was restored, Hope became the first of four Gillingham players to be cautioned by a referee who tended to turn a blind eye to offences committed by the home side.

Though Tommy Johnson produced a smart turn and shot that whistled narrowly wide, Gillingham were again unconvincing up front without the likes of Marlon King and Rod Wallace.

Half time substitutions saw Gillingham revert to a flat back four with the newly introduced Mark Saunders being yellow carded in the opening seconds for a challenge on Tapia.

Cox then became the third player to be cautioned by the over zealous referee who declined to give his name afterwards.

Spiller, who had been riding his luck all afternoon, was eventually cautioned before Eric Abidal became the first and only Lille player to be booked after seeking retribution on Spiller.

Ashby again went close to reducing the arrears in the 88th minute with a shot that struck the bar following Nicky Southall's free kick before Saunders headed home a consolation from another Southall cross a minute from time.

Gillingham: Brown (Bartram 62 mins); Ashby, Hope (Beckwith 71 mins), Cox; Southall, Spiller, Perpetuini, Hills (Rose 62 mins); Shaw (Saunders 46 mins), Sidibe (Shaw 71 mins), Johnson (Jarvis 62 mins).