Dartford 0 Gillingham 2 - Pre-season friendly from Princes Park

Joe Gbode scored twice for Gillingham at Dartford but there was an injury concern over fellow front-man Seb Palmer-Houlden.

Gbode’s goals came on 4 and 35 minutes and Conor Masterson also struck the crossbar with a header in the opening half.

Palmer-Houlden was forced off early in the second half, pulling up with a muscle injury. The early indication was that it isn’t as bad as first feared.

Gillingham were playing in their final pre-season game ahead of their League 2 season.

Gareth Ainsworth named a 17-man squad, missing only right-back Remeao Hutton (ill) from what’s expected to be a first-team squad that takes on Accrington next weekend.

Sam Gale took over right-back duties against for the Gills.

Winger Aaron Rowe wasn’t fit enough to make the final weekend of pre-season, while striker Sam Vokes remains on the way back from an arm injury.

The Gills boss split his squad with a senior team up against Dartford after a fringe/youth group played at Chatham the night before, a side that included Jack Nolan and Nelson Khumbeni.

Ady Pennock’s Dartford still have games at Faversham (Tuesday) and local rivals Ebbsfleet United (next Saturday) to play ahead of their Isthmian Premier Division campaign starting at Dulwich Hamlet.

Gbode - subject to transfer speculation in the week and goalscorer in the defeat at Ebbsfleet on the Tuesday - got the Gills off to a great start with a fourth-minute opener, running into the box from off the wing before picking out the far corner with a low drilled effort.

His second goal half an hour later was pretty similar, again cutting in from the flank, but there were numerous other chances prior to that.

Masterson had a header come off the bar from Bradley Dack’s corner and Gbode had a goalbound