Fleetwood review – promise, frustration and Harris setback

Gills find resolve but still wait for the breakthrough and suffer another injury blow

David Tickner writes regularly about Gillingham Football Club on Substack. You can read, follow or subscribe for free at Gills Journal | David Tickner | Substack.

Fleetwood Town  0

Gillingham          0

An entertaining goalless draw showed a welcome defensive improvement from Gillingham, even if the search for a first goal of the season goes on.

Gillingham left the Fylde coast with a point, a clean sheet and renewed reassurance following a disciplined 0-0 draw with Fleetwood Town. After the late collapse at home to Walsall, this was a sturdier showing from The Gills, who were perhaps unfortunate not to take all three points. The lack of a first goal still frustrates, though Fleetwood have yet to concede this season. Manager Gareth Ainsworth saw it as another step forward, saying: ‘Performance-wise, I have the same feeling as after 80 minutes last week. Performance was good enough.’

This was not a drab stalemate. Fleetwood had more of the ball and more attempts but failed to register a shot on target. Gillingham, by contrast, hit the woodwork twice and created the clearer openings.

Changed Gills side digs in

The previous weekend’s injuries meant that Logan Dobbs came in for his first league start in place of injured captain Liam Gordon, while Robbie McKenzie replaced Armani Little. There were also places on the bench for Sully Booth, the Harrys – Waldock and Webster, and summer signing Sheldon Kendall. The home side were unchanged.

Fleetwood started the brighter of the two sides in the sunshine. Much of their early threat came down Gillingham’s right, an area that had already shown vulnerability in previous games. Mark Helm saw a long-range effort deflected behind by his own teammate, Will Davies. Lewis McCann shot over from an angle and Davies looped a header over the bar. Helm later pushed a left-footed effort wide.

Gillingham’s defence did its job. Fleetwood were kept to efforts from distance and awkward angles, with Omar Becklesmarshalling the back line and Dobbs looking assured on the left of the three. ‘That’s how you defend your box,’ said Ainsworth afterwards, summing up the collective resistance that had been missing in the final stages against Walsall.

Goodwin offers first-half threat

It took until the 33rd minute for Gillingham to produce their first real effort, but when it arrived it was a reminder that they could hurt Fleetwood when they moved the ball with purpose. James Brophy turned neatly before finding Nick Freeman in space on the right. He stood-up a cross for Will Goodwin centrally. The header was on target but lacked the power to trouble Jay Lynch, who gathered comfortably.

Freeman and Goodwin linked up again shortly afterwards as Gillingham began to find rhythm in attack. Freeman won a free kick on the right touchline and, following good build-up play from the set piece, another dangerous delivery was swung into the box. This time, Goodwin met the cross at the near post and headed the ball down towards the goal, but the outcome mirrored the earlier chance.

Woodwork denies Gillingham again

Gillingham’s best chance came after the interval. On 54 minutes, Ronan Hale latched onto a ball forward from Freeman and struck a right-footed volley that clipped the outside of the post. Ainsworth later called it a ‘fantastic shot’ and described Hale as ‘dynamite in front of goal’, but it was also another entry on Gillingham’s early-season list of near misses.

Hale then had another sight of goal after being played in by Goodwin, only for Finley Potter to do well in a one-on-one defensive situation, holding up Hale long enough for help to arrive and his shot to be blocked. At the other end, Fleetwood came closest through McCann, whose diving header from substitute Danny Andrew’s corner struck the post in the 73rd minute. 

Harris injury adds to Gills’ misfortune

The afternoon’s sour note came in the 70th minute when Kadeem Harris was stretchered off. Initial concern from Ainsworth has since been confirmed as justified, with Gillingham announcing that Harris ruptured his ACL and will face a lengthy spell on the sidelines. As one of the club’s key summer additions, Harris’ absence represents a significant setback for both player and team. Conor McManus making his League debut replaced Harris on the afternoon.

Ainsworth’s side kept pushing. Kendall, introduced along with Cameron Antwi in the closing stages, showed good pace and was not far away with a left-footed shot after being released by Waldock, who had replaced McKenzie. Then, in the 90th minute, Goodwin stretched to meet Waldock’s cross and could only touch the ball against the post. Ainsworth’s verdict on Goodwin remained bullish: ‘Once he gets one, he’s going to get ten!’

There was still time for Helm to head over from substitute Crispin McLean’s right-wing cross, but by then the shape of the game had been set. Fleetwood had enjoyed volume without precision. Gillingham had defended with resolve and carried the greater threat when the chances arrived.

A point to build on

This was not the attacking breakthrough Gillingham wanted, but it was a performance with foundations. They became the latest side unable to score against Fleetwood, yet, at times, they also made Matt Lawlor’s side look uncomfortable defensively.

Two efforts against the woodwork, three shots on target from nine attempts and a clean sheet away from home all suggest there was more to take from the afternoon than the final scoreline. Ainsworth felt Gills had ‘the best chances of the game’ but admitted: ‘We have to score some of these chances. We could have won the game today.’

Andy Smith’s 50th league appearance for the club added a small milestone to an afternoon defined by defensive resilience rather than celebration. The wait for a first goal goes on, but after the Walsall collapse, this was at least a Gillingham side that looked harder to beat, more compact and capable of taking something from difficult away days.

Dobbs, on his full league debut, called it ‘a very challenging’ afternoon against experienced forwards, but also said he had ‘learned a lot’ from it. Ainsworth was just as impressed, saying: ‘To say that’s his full league debut, I think we’ve got to give Logan a lot of credit.’

There was a broader academy thread running through the day. Ainsworth described his bench as ‘a real Gillingham Academy bench that the club’s got to be proud of’, namechecking Dobbs’ full league debut, Kendall’s debut and McManus’ first League appearance. Dobbs spoke of the young players as ‘a tight group’ who want to ‘show what we can do this season’, while Ainsworth balanced that optimism with the need for senior bodies to return, admitting: ‘I do need my experience back.’

That is why the remainder of the transfer window now feels so significant. Ainsworth said he is ‘trying to get two maybe three more faces in before the window closes’ and that Gillingham have ‘identified a few’ targets.

However, what appeared on the day to be another injury concern has since become a major blow, with Harris ruled out long term. His absence may increase the urgency of Gillingham's recruitment plans as Ainsworth looks to bolster a squad already hit by injuries.

His strongest line may be: ‘No matter how many injuries we get, I’m still going to stay a glass half full. We’re going to do this.’

Teams

Fleetwood Town (6.58) 3-1-4-2 J Lynch 6.9 – S Rooney 7.1, R Bennett 6.6, F Potter 6.2– H Neal 7.1, R Cirino 7.0 (D Andrew 72, 6.4), A Cannon 6.5 (C McLean 73, 6.4), M Helm 6.2, L McCann 7.1 – C Evans* 6.2, W Davies 6.2 (A Loupalo-Bi 73, 6.1)

Booked Bennett

Gillingham (6.80) 3-4-2-1 A Maynard-Brewer 6.5 – A Smith 7.0, O Beckles* 7.7, L Dobbs 8.0 – N. Freeman 7.1, Z. Albarus 7.1, R McKenzie 7.4 (H Waldock 88, 6.3), K Harris 6.1 (C McManus 70, 6.4) – R Hale 6.5 (S Kendall 84, 6.0), J. Brophy 6.7 (C Antwi 84, 6.1) – W Goodwin 7.4

Booked Harris, Brophy

Referee Dale Baines Attendance 2,675 (336)

Player ratings by WhoScored.com