Jake Turner’s penalty save for Gillingham proved crucial at Crawley on Saturday and he wasn’t short of advice on which way to go.

The Gills keeper had already decided dive right if Dom Telford was to take a penalty after doing his pre-match homework - but when his team-mate and former Crawley striker Tom Nichols pointed which way to go he was well prepared to make the save.

Nichols played together with Telford at Crawley last season, before his move to the Gills, and the two were also at Bristol Rovers together.

When Telford stepped up to take a 15th-minute penalty, Turner had all the information he needed and the skills to make the save, before then getting up to also deny Danilo Orsi with the follow-up.

“I didn’t really think it was a penalty,” he said, after Cheye Alexander was penalised for handball. “It was a bit harsh, it was close to Cheye, his arm was close to his side, it did hit his hand and with the new rules these days anything can be given.

“Nico has played with Dom before and he gave me a little point and I went with him, luckily I went the right way and kept it out.

“We had done a bit of video analysis on it with Des (Deren Ibrahim the goalkeeper coach) who showed me the previous ones, which we do for every game, so I just picked that way, luckily I got to save it.

“I was going to go to my right, you take in little things like the position of his feet and stuff like that when he steps up to it, but when Nico said go right as well, then I was always going to go that way.”

Turner is currently first-choice for the Gills, having played second-fiddle to Glenn Morris last term. He was, however, in goal for the club during their impressive run in the cups.

He enjoyed penalty shoot-out wins over Exeter City and Premier League Brentford in the League Cup and Colchester United in the EFL Trophy.

Turner’s helped the Gills to a remarkable four clean sheets from their first four league games this season. His shutout at Salford on the last game of the 2022/23 campaign makes it five in a row for the former Newcastle United stopper.

He had a busy day on Saturday as his side rode their luck to win the game.

He said: “The performance wasn’t where we wanted it to be but the most important thing is the three points.

“Everyone dug in well, we’ve got a clean sheet mentality and we have managed to get four in a row (in the league).

“It’s good, not just for me, but all the lads.

“The back four has been pretty solid to be fair, I think that was the busiest I have been as the last few games I have not really done much, credit to the back four, to all eleven, we defend as a team and we attack as a team.”

It wasn’t just the penalty that he saved. Crawley had 17 shots, seven on target, and a header from former Gills defender Will Wright - who played well for his new team - almost crept in. Turner denied his mate.

Tuner said: “He is a great player, he has got great qualities and is a good friend of mine.

“I am happy to see him playing now, it is best for him and I had a nice chat with him afterwards.

“I didn’t want him to score, obviously, but he has great delivery and we know that.”

Wright left the Gills after falling down the pecking order once Shad Ogie arrived. He seems at home with Crawley and is getting the game-time he craved.

Turner’s big saves at the weekend came infront of over 1,300 Gillingham fans behind the goal and he loved having their backing.

“It was quality,” he said. “The support has been unreal since the start of the year, even towards the end of last year it was really good.

“I didn’t really know what to expect this year but then they all rocked up at Como! It has been quality.”

The Gills top League 2 after 12 points from their four league outings so far but Turner isn’t getting carried away, just like the rest of the dressing room. It’s one game at a time.

“It is still so early,” he said. “We have had a great start but we need to continue this form now.

“It is only four games in, still very early. Everyone is happy, and everyone is doing well, but it is so early.

“We need to keep grinding it out game by game, and we’ll see where it takes us.”

Turner’s certainly been repaying the faith shown in him by manager Neil Harris, who has selected him to keep goal ahead of last season’s fans’ player-of-the-year Morris, in a reverse of the roles.

He said: “I play football to play. Although I didn’t think so when I was doing it, last year was good for me to build in, being on the bench. I wanted to play but it was good to watch and learn from Cat (Morris) and see him train. He is a great goalkeeper.

“We have two no.1s now, we keep pushing each other every day, and come Saturday either one of us could play.”