Gillingham fell to a 5-0 defeat against Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium on Saturday.
Gareth Ainsworth made five changes to the side that lost against MK Dons, as Glenn Morris, Travis Akomeah, Lenni Cirino and Nelson Khumbeni came into the starting XI. Harry Waldock started the fixture, making his league debut for the Football Club after returning from his loan at Cray Wanderers.
Jake Turner and Remeao Hutton dropped to the bench, while Ethan Coleman, Shad Ogie and Euan Williams missed out. Garath McCleary, Armani Little, Bradley Dack and Omar Beckles returned to the matchday squad as substitutes.
Dom Ball opened the scoring for Cambridge in the second minute. A free-kick into the Gillingham penalty area was headed across the box, where it dropped to Louis Appere, who prodded it in the direction of Ball, who curled a first-time shot into the top corner from around eight yards out.
Appere had a great opportunity to double the hosts' lead soon after. A header forward put Appere through on goal, with just Glenn Morris to beat. However, the Gillingham goalkeeper was quick off his line to close the angle before preventing the Cambridge forward from rounding him.
Liam Bennett forced Morris into a good save in the seventh minute. Ben Knight spotted the run of the Cambridge right-back, and he laid it off to him before he struck the ball across the goal towards the far top corner. However, Morris did well to get across at full-stretch to push it away before the visitors cleared their lines.
Cirino cleared a chance off the line in the 27th minute. The ball was released for Appere to get onto on the left side of the box, and he laid it back to Sullay Kaikai, who dinked the ball across the box. Bennett came diving in, heading goalward, but Cirino was there to clear.
The visitors had a huge let-off when James Brophy curled a corner towards the back post. It appeared to be going out of play, but James Gibbons kept it alive, sending it towards the goal. It seemed like it could sneak over the line until the ball was put behind for another corner.
From the resulting set piece, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu doubled the Cambridge advantage. Kell Watts won the first contact at the back post, as he prodded it back towards Mpanzu, who sent a shot goalward. Morris saw it late due to a crowd of bodies in front of him, and the shot squeezed past the goalkeeper.
Knight nearly added a third on the stroke of half-time. He intercepted a wayward pass before entering the penalty area with just Morris to beat. He tried slotting the ball into the bottom left corner, but it trickled inches wide of the post.
HALF-TIME: Cambridge United 2-0 Gillingham
Gills made a change at half-time, with Sam Vokes replacing Khumbeni.
In the 50th minute, Kaikai added a third for the hosts. The ball was cleared as far as the forward, who made his way into the box unchallenged before shooting from a tight angle. His effort took a deflection on its way to the goal, as it snuck its way into the back of the net.
Kaikai made it four soon after. He got away from his marker, and Ball slipped a pass in for Kaikai to get on the end of before lofting it over the oncoming Morris and into the far bottom corner.
Gills made a triple substitution just after the hour, as Little, Dack and Beckles replaced Jonny Williams, Seb Palmer-Houlden and Cirino respectively.
Ball had a huge chance to extend the Cambridge lead. A long throw into the Gills box was flicked on by Knight into Ball’s path, and he had acres of space. Fortunately, he drilled his shot well wide of the near post.
In the 76th minute, Gillingham made their final change, as McCleary replaced Aaron Rowe.
Ronan Hale had a half-chance late on. He received the ball on the left side of the pitch and did well to cut inside, evading a couple of challenges, before going towards the right side of the penalty area. He finally got a shot away from a tight angle, but it went over the crossbar.
Shane Lavery made it five in stoppage time. Knight brought a header down before playing a through ball for Lavery to chase. He got in behind the Gills defence and slammed his shot into the far corner.
FULL-TIME: Cambridge United 5-0 Gillingham
Cambridge United: Eastwood, Bennett, Ball (Kouassi 80’), Watts, Brophy (Purrington 66’), Appere (Lavery 66’), Kaikai (K. Smith 66’), Knight, Mpanzu, Jobe, Gibbons (Raggett 73’)
Unused Substitutes: Hughes, McConnell
Gillingham: Morris, Rowe (McCleary 76’), A. Smith, Akomeah, Clark, Cirino (Beckles 61’), Waldock, Khumbeni (Vokes 46’), J. Williams (Little 61’), Palmer-Houlden (Dack 61’), Hale
Unused Substitutes: Turner, Hutton
Referee: Michael Barlow
Attendance: 7490 (1034 Gillingham supporters)
