Gillingham 1-2 Bristol Rovers
Sky Bet League Two, Priestfield Stadium, Saturday 21 March 2026
Bristol Rovers came from behind to beat Gillingham 2-1 at Priestfield Stadium to secure their fifth victory in seven matches.
The Gills took the lead in the first half after they were awarded a penalty for handball against Riley Harbottle, with Ronan Hale taking responsibility from the spot and driving a low shot into the bottom left corner.
However, a quadruple substitution from Steve Evans at half-time changed the momentum of the fixture. Ryan de Havilland, one of the four introduced, lifted a cross towards Alfie Kilgour, who beat Jake Turner with a header seconds after the restart before Ellis Harrison netted to give Rovers the advantage.
The hosts pushed hard in the late stages to find an equaliser, but after captain Armani Little was sent off in the final few minutes, all three points were confirmed for the Gas.
The Pirates made one change to the team that beat Shrewsbury Town in midweek, with Harrison replacing Joe Quigley in the attack. The forward looked to make an immediate impact, dragging an ambitious shot from range well wide of the left post.
Joel Senior, a consistent performer in recent weeks, looked to net his first goal for the Pirates after racing inside from the right, but also drilled a strike off target.
Rovers seemed to be in the ascendancy before the Gills were awarded a penalty. Riley Harbottle handled the ball in the air when Omar Beckles pushed the defender in the back, but the referee pointed to the spot immediately, with Hale narrowly beating Brad Young with his spot-kick.
The visitors looked to respond, with Tommy Leigh at the heart of the action. With four goals in three games, the midfielder looked to add an assist to his name with a powerful cross towards Harrison, but Turner pushed away his header.
Kofi Balmer had a great chance presented to him, striking the ball on the volley just inside the box. However, the effort was blocked by a Gillingham defender.
Steve Evans, known for making a triple change in recent weeks, made four switches at half-time, introducing De Havilland, Yususf Akhamrich, Luke Thomas and Kane Thompson-Sommers.
It was a perfect start to the second half for the Pirates, who levelled inside a minute. De Havilland's clever cross from the right was angled towards Kilgour, whose header hit the right post and crossed the line before an incoming defender could clear.
A huge block from Balmer prevented Bradley Dack from cutting the ball back to Josh Andrews, who would have had a tap-in before Rovers turned the score around.
A misplaced header from Gillingham found Harrison behind the defence. His original effort is saved by Turner as well as the follow-up from Luke Thomas, but the forward was there again to scramble the ball over the line to give the Gas the lead.
With ten minutes of additional time, Rovers had to stay strong defensively to retain their advantage. Gills captain Little saw red in the final moments of the game as the Pirates picked up a vital three points on the road.
Gillingham: Turner, Hutton, Clark (Houlden 77), Smith (Ogie 59), Little, Andrews (Vokes 77), Dack, Waldock (McCleary 78), Gale, Hale, Beckles
Bookings: Waldock, Little, Hutton
Red cards: Little
Goals: Hale
Unused subs: Morris, Rowe, Williams
Bristol Rovers: Young, Senior, Sparkes (Thomas 46), Kilgour, Mola, Balmer, Harrison (Quigley 81), Leigh (Akhamrich 46), Harbottle (Thompson-Sommers 46), Cavegn (De Havilland 46), Smallwood
Bookings: Leigh, Kilgour, Young
Goals: Kilgour, Harrison
Unused subs: Southwood, Lockyer
Attendance: 5764 (444 away)
