Gillingham fell to a 5-1 defeat against a clinical MK Dons at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Tuesday night.
Gareth Ainsworth made two changes to the starting XI that drew with Fleetwood, as Jonny Williams and Aaron Rowe came into the team. Robbie McKenzie and Sam Gale missed out.
Academy players Michael Luxton and Louie Dayal were both named among the substitutes, while Nelson Khumbeni made the matchday squad for the first time since suffering his shoulder injury.
Gillingham had the first chance of the game when Seb Palmer-Houlden came close. Aaron Rowe got down the left and floated a cross towards the back post, which Palmer-Houlden did well to keep in play. It then went to Jonny Williams, who could not keep hold of possession. However, Palmer-Houlden did well to react quickly and dispossess an MK Dons player on the edge of the penalty area before entering the box. He got a shot away towards the far left corner, but Craig MacGillivray did well to push it away from the danger.
In the 16th minute, Alex Gilbey put MK Dons in front. Aaron Collins was played through on goal and looked to be one-on-one with Jake Turner. However, Shad Ogie did brilliantly to recover and hold the forward up, but Collins managed to shield the ball away before laying it off to the oncoming Gilbey. The Milton Keynes captain brought the ball into the box before slotting the ball into the far bottom corner.
Ogie produced a fantastic last-ditch challenge to deny Collins from making it two. There was some indecisiveness at the back from the hosts, which allowed the MK striker to go through on goal. Fortunately, Ogie recovered in time to get across and put a perfectly timed sliding tackle in to win the ball.
Remeao Hutton tested MacGillivray when the ball came out to him on the right side of the box, and he had space around him. The right-back struck it first time, but it was straight at the MK goalkeeper, who got down to gather.
In the 26th minute, Gethin Jones doubled the visitors’ advantage. Ben Wiles received the ball 25 yards from the goal and was able to carry it forward. He spotted the run of Jones to his right, who was making his way into the penalty area, and he laid it off to him, where Jones made no mistake in slotting his shot into the far bottom corner.
Turner denied Wiles when the ball dropped to him just inside the box, but his low drive was gathered by the goalkeeper, who got down to his left to make the save.
Marvin Ekpiteta made it three when he got on the end of Liam Kelly’s free-kick directed towards the penalty spot. The visiting defender managed to get to the ball unchallenged, heading into the bottom corner.
Jonny Williams had a half-chance when he curled a shot towards the right corner, but it went wide of the post.
Ronan Hale was the next man to try his luck when the ball bounced to him on the left side of the penalty area. The striker tried to loop a half-volley towards the opposite far corner, but it bounced just wide of the post.
Gilbey smacked the crossbar on the stroke of half-time. Milton Keynes were playing the ball around the edge of the Gills box before the ball was set back to the visiting captain, who struck a first-time shot goalward from 25 yards. It appeared to be heading towards the top right corner, but smacked the face of the woodwork.
HALF-TIME: Gillingham 0-3 MK Dons
Ben Wiles made it four in the opening minutes of the second period. Gills were temporarily down to ten men as Ogie received treatment, and Collins tried his luck from the edge of the box. Turner did well to get across and make the save, but Wiles was the quickest to react and fired home on the rebound.
The MK midfielder nearly scored his second when he received the ball on the edge of the penalty area, and he was allowed the time and space to set himself before curling goalward, with his attempt hitting the post. The rebound came to Kelly, who sent it wide.
In the 55th minute, the hosts made a double substitution with Sam Vokes and Travis Akomeah replacing Hale and Hutton.
Gills made two more changes when Lenni Cirino and Khumbeni replaced Max Clark and Euan Williams.
The hosts thought that they pulled a goal back when Jonny Williams’ free-kick into the box found Vokes, who looped a header past MacGillivray and into the back of the net. Unfortunately, the linesman’s flag was raised for offside.
In the 76th minute, Gillingham were forced into a final substitution, as Ethan Coleman could not continue due to an injury. He was replaced by Luxton, who made his professional debut.
Palmer-Houlden pulled a goal back moments later. Cirino got down the left-hand side before floating a cross into the box. That found Vokes, who saw his header beat MacGillivray. A defender had got back to clear off the line, but Palmer-Houlden was first to meet the rebound, squeezing his header in inside the post.
Liam Kelly added a fifth for the visitors with less than five minutes remaining. The visitors broke forward, and Wiles did well to keep the ball in play, sending it down the line. Scott Hogan met it before slipping a pass for Connor Lemonheigh-Evans to latch onto, and he squared it for Kelly, who slotted into an empty net.
FULL-TIME: Gillingham 1-5 MK Dons
Gillingham: Turner, Hutton (Akomeah 55’), A. Smith, Ogie, Clark (Cirino 69’), J. Williams, Coleman (Luxton 76’), Rowe, E. Williams (Khumbeni 69’), Palmer-Houlden, Hale (Vokes 55’)
Unused Substitutes: Morris, Dayal
MK Dons: MacGillivray, Jones (Nemane 90’), Kelly, Crowley (Hogan 46’), Gilbey, Collins (Lemonheigh-Evans 62’), Offord (Tomlinson 79’), Ekpiteta, Mellish, Wiles (Leko 90’), Sanders
Unused Substitutes: Trueman, Burke
Referee: Harry Wager
Attendance: 4786 (186 away)
