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Gillingham clinched their first away win of their League 1 season at Cambridge United on Tuesday night.
Vadaine Oliver put Gillingham infront before Danny Lloyd crashed home a second goal after a run from inside his own half.
Gillingham boss Steve Evans made three changes for the trip to Cambridge, including a return to the starting eleven for striker John Akinde.
Centre-half Jack Tucker missed his first league game of the season through suspension which meant Rhys Bennett lining up alongside Ehmer in the heart of Gillingham’s defence.
Some Gills fans had to give up their tickets for the match at the Abbey Stadium because of issues getting fuel.
Those 326 away fans able to make the trip watched as Gills made a bright start to the game with plenty of early pressure. George Williams cleared off the line from Bennett after Lloyd’s inswinging corner was dropped by keeper Dimitar Mitov.
Norwich loan man Dan Adshead was one of the three changes to the XI and he was a key man as the Gills dominated early on, with much of the play going through him.
Cambridge offered little going forward in the opening stages but early yellow card for David Tutonda and Max Ehmer meant those Gillingham defenders had to play with caution for the majority of the match.
Gillingham took a deserved lead in the 26th minute as the two strikers combined, Akinde flicking the ball on for Oliver and he finished well with a deft touch past the keeper after losing his marker, to claim his fifth goal of the season.
Gills keeper Jamie Cumming had to make his first real save on 38 minutes, when he turned Paul Digby’s glancing header wide off a Shilow Tracey cross, and the visitors reached the break a goal up without been really troubled.
Cambridge were denied an equalising goal shortly after the restart when Cumming had to be at full stretch to tip Sam Smith’s looping header over the bar.
Digby also put a long range effort into the arms of the Gills keeper.
A challenge from Ehmer on James Brophy led to penalty calls from the home side but referee James Bell waved away the protests.
Cambridge continued to go close and Robbie McKenzie saw a defensive header go just wide of his own goal. The home side had done more in the opening 10 minutes of the second than they did in the whole of the first.
The good work from Cambridge was all undone on the hour when Digby played a loose ball that was picked up by Lloyd inside his own half before racing towards goal and firing a shot into the roof of the net. Not a bad way to convert your 100th career goal.
It wasn’t all good news for the Gills as Oliver was taken off with a rib injury.
Alex MacDonald was denied a goal by keeper Mitov with 15 minutes left while at the other end United kept trying their luck with the referee. Bell was again uninterested as Jack Lankester went to ground with minimal contact from Adshead.
The match ended amid torrential rain as Lankester put a late chance wide. Cumming had objects thrown at him with time almost up and got booked by the referee at the full time whistle as he turned to the home end to celebrate the win.
Cambridge: Mitov, Williams, Iredale, Digby (May 77mins), Jones, Brophy (Lankester 66mins), O'Neil, Ironside, Smith (Weir 77mins), Tracey, Masterson. Subs not used: McKenzie-Lyle, Dunk, Okedina, Knibbs.
Gillingham: Cumming, McKenzie, Tutonda, Bennett, Ehmer, Adshead, MacDonald, Dempsey, Lloyd, Akinde, Oliver (Kelman 63mins). Subs not used: Chapman, Lee, Reeves, Akehurst, Sithole.
Attendance: 4,019 (326 away)
Referee: James Bell
Gills reaction;
Keeper's message to Cambridge fans after coin throwing claim
