Luke hits two to end away day blues
GILLINGHAM boss Peter Taylor had Stuart Nelson and Luke Norris to thank as the Gills snatched their first away win of the League One season against Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium.
Paul Dickov’s Rovers side failed to capitalise on a dominant first-half performance, with Gills goalkeeper Nelson delivering a string of saves to keep the score level at the break.
But Nelson’s fine firsthalf provided the platform for a smash-andgrab performance from the visitors in the second, with centre-forward Norris turning in Michael Doughty’s low ball to the far post from close range five minutes after the restart.
Rovers skipper James Coppinger came closest to equalising for the hosts, shooting a whisker wide of the post on the hour.
But Dickov’s side were unable to find a way past Nelson before Norris capped a Gills counterattack with a fierce long-range strike into the top-right corner.
Curtis Main stepped up to convert a penalty for Rovers deep into stoppage time, but it was scant consolation for the hosts, as they slumped to their fifth home league defeat.
“Doncaster played some very good stuff,” Gillingham boss Taylor said.“Of course, if they all of a sudden go and score, it’s a different game.
“But then the longer it goes on, maybe they get a touch nervous that they’re not going to break us down.”
The Gills’ first away win of the league season sees them extend their unbeaten run to six matches, and Taylor insisted that their first victory on the road was overdue.
“It was very important to get the first away win. We haven’t been that far away to be honest.We’ve played a few games where we should have got something and we haven’t.”
Gillingham have struggled for goals, but Norris’s counter-attacking brace came from the Gills’ only two shots on target, and Taylor’s opposite number Dickov was left to rue a host of missed opportunities as Doncaster’s miserable run continues.
“The little things at the minute, especially at home, aren’t going for us,” Dickov reflected.
“We’ve had over 20 attempts on goal, we’ve got into double figures in attempts on target, we’ve hit the bar. Gillingham have had two shots on target all game, and end up scoring two goals.
“We should have been out of sight by half-time. Their goalkeeper has made six decent saves in the first half, but we should score.
“We have been creating, we probably created more chance at home today than we have all season. But when you get chances, you have to score.”