The start Rangers made could not have been much better with Shabazz Baidoo giving them the lead in some style after barely two minutes. Pat Kanyuka played an incisive ball into the path of Baidoo and he fooled everyone by taking it first time and sending a glorious lob over the keeper from fully forty yards.

The game settled down after this and Gillingham were being well shackled by Kanyuka and Jonathan Munday. Big Pat was going up against Iwan Roberts and that can only do him the power of good. Roberts is a dogged campaigner and knows all the dirty tricks experience can bring.

The young R’s side was putting some lovely passing moves together and Bailey, Donnelly and Baidoo could be found at the heart of most of them. Scotty D has certainly bulked up since last season but has managed to retain his exceptionally quick feet. Bailey also looks a far more complete player than the raw youngster we saw plunged into the first team last year. One such move ended with Gills defender Leon Johnson producing a brilliant block to deny Donnelly a certain goal.

The first half ended 1-0 and it could certainly have been more had Gillingham not produced some vital last gasp interceptions. Soon after the restart the men from Kent were level in contentious circumstances.

A corner from the right was only half cleared and the ball was eventually headed back into the box where Roberts received the ball whilst at least two yards offside. The flag never came though and he had an easy task to fire past the exposed Cole. It was an awful decision by a linesman that had managed to end up five yards off the play without the ball leaving the penalty area. Quite an achievement!

Rangers didn’t take long to regain the lead courtesy of a brilliant move rounded off by Adam Miller. Donnelly and Baidoo combined on the edge of the box before Donnelly slipped the ball to Miller. He stepped calmly inside the Gills right back before bending the ball past Danny Knowles. He took a slap round the chops in the process but didn’t allow this to put him off. It was a flash of what he can do but seldom produces on the bigger stage.

As the half progressed Munday and Miller were replaced by Yelland and Howell as the team had a reshuffle. Ugo (or Ugochukwu to give him his full handle) Ukah moved to centre back with Yelland on the right. Howell and Hislop interchanged on the left whenever one of them found themselves in an advanced position.

Jake Cole produced a brilliant save from a piledriver of a freekick from West Ham loanee Moses Ashikodi before Rangers scored a third with almost the last kick of the game. Yet another ball from the back from Kanyuka saw Baidoo pressuring the Gills left back. As the keeper advanced he headed the ball and managed to send it bouncing into his own net. Baidoo must take huge plaudits though for not giving up a lost cause so late in the day on a blistering afternoon.

This was a good showing from the young R’s. Kanyuka and Ukah looked a good partnership at the back and in midfield Donnelly and Bailey were always on the move. Alongside them Marcus Bean turned in a tremendous display and may well have played himself into contention for the Coventry game.

Up top Baidoo and Townsend linked up well on several occasions and had Baidoo had a slightly less hard time from the ref he may well have added to the one he scored. He seemed to be unfairly penalised for shirt pulling when he was really only giving as good as he was getting.