Watford loan defender Travis Akomeah was substituted five minutes into the second half as Gillingham struggled against Oldham Athletic

Gillingham loan defender Travis Akomeah had an experience he won’t forget on Saturday.

Manager Gareth Ainsworth described it as a “good learning day” for the 20-year-old Watford defender after his return to action didn’t go well.

Akomeah miscued a clearance that almost led to a goal within the opening minutes of Gillingham’s game against Oldham, but from a subsequent corner, the visitors took the lead.

Oldham striker Mike Fondop was a proper handful, and Akomeah was booked for a challenge on him early in the second half, leading to a free-kick on the edge of the Gills box.

Gillingham’s wall blocked the free-kick, but Ainsworth removed Akomeah from the action moments later, with Sam Gale replacing him.

Ainsworth said: “Once Travis got booked, I thought that they would probably target him and try to get him sent off.

“A tough day. A good learning day for him. A really good learning for someone so young but once the yellow card came, I made the decision to take him off the pitch.”

Winger’s injury is a 'real big blow for us' said the #Gills boss…
More here: https://t.co/lSghRjqM6C pic.twitter.com/dE52Fe1RbV

Akomeah joined the Gills at the start of the season but he didnt make his league debut until coming off the bench to face Barnet on November 22.

He made a trio of starts in December and opted to extend his loan period for the rest of the season.

Akomeah has Gale and Andy Smith as competition for the central defensive role.