Three goals in a 12 minute spell saw the Gills open their Youth Alliance Cup Group 4 games with a victory at Beechings Cross, writes Richard Day.
Although it may look one sided on paper, this game was far from it and was keenly contested by both teams throughout the 90+ minutes.
Early on Dean Rance drove a near post effort wide while Alex Brown fired another shot over the top. Then came a great chance to open the scoring in the 30th minute. Tom Murphy ran onto a ball over the top and steadied himself before aiming a low shot goalwards. Posh keeper Sam Cole palmed the effort straight into the path of Liam Geering who saw his goalbound effort blocked on the line by Carl Piergianni and the ensuing scramble saw the ball cleared.
Rance put another shot narrowly wide before Mark Patterson's side opened the scoring in the 45th minute. Literally a second had passed after the immortal words "this has got 0 - 0 written all over it" had been muttered, Connor Essam played Rance in to lift the ball over Cole from an acute angle.
It was two-nil in the 54th minute, this time Rance tried his luck from long range but mishit his shot however the ball ran kindly for the alert Charlie Stimson to poke it just inside the keeper's left-hand post.
Two minutes later the scoring was completed when the Gills were gifted a third. Left-back Arthur Lee's back-pass bobbled badly as Cole looked to hack clear and rolled into the back of the empty net.
To their credit David Oldfield's United side kept going and began to put the Gills under pressure. As the visitors piled forward Gills keeper Daran Hawkes pulled off a double save. First he denied Edward Adjei by saving with his feet but was up quickly to collect Joe Newell's follow-up.
Then shortly afterwards he again thwarted Adjei at close range but this time when the ball ran loose the goal-bound follow-up was blocked by a defender.
Geering had another great chance late on when he ran onto a ball over the top but Cole was quickly out to block his low shot.
Gillingham - Daran Hawkes, Ollie Bartrum, Jack Evans, Tom Brunt, Connor Essam, Callum Davies, Liam Geering (Ryan Benniman 79), Dean Rance, Charlie Stimson (Aaron Beckles 79), Alex Brown, Tom Murphy (Josh Sargeant 79).
