Shrewsbury

Gillingham were ahead before Shrewsbury had settled at the Croud Meadow, and they were ahead again when it mattered, in front of 5,255. Andy Smith's close-range finish ten minutes from time gave the Gills a 2-1 win, and gave Gareth Ainsworth a happy return to the club he left for Gillingham in March last year, with Shrewsbury bottom of League One and nine games of the season left.

It took them less than three minutes. Conor McManus found space down the left and picked out Harry Waldock, who finished clinically from six yards.

Brook and Wright earn their keep

Shrewsbury had plenty of the ball and plenty of crosses, most of them from Tom Sang. Josh Davison headed two wide, Ollie Wright saved from Sang, Kian McMahon-Brown and Sam Stubbs, and Josh Ruffels nodded another wide. At the other end Will Brook had to be just as alert, saving from Ronan Hale twice and from Waldock before half-time.

The pressure kept building after the break. Wright saved Ruffels' header from another Sang cross, and Will Boyle missed from inside the six-yard box after a corner. Then, on 58 minutes, Sang was brought down in the area by James Brophy. George Lloyd, back in the squad after being taken to hospital with a neck injury in last weekend's draw, sent Wright the wrong way, then went off four minutes later. Both sets of supporters paid tribute around then to Richard Green, who played for both clubs and died recently.

Dack off the bar, Smith on the spot

Gillingham changed things. Tom Eaves, Armani Little and Bradley Dack all came on, and it was Dack who made the difference. On 80 minutes he hit the bar from the left side of the box, and Smith was there to turn in the rebound.

Shrewsbury threw on Joseph Gbodé and Arkell Jude-Boyd and had three shots from outside the box blocked in a minute. Eight minutes of added time weren't enough to find an equaliser.

"Only one team"

Gavin Cowan was proud of the performance and baffled by the result.

When it went to 1-1, there was only one team that was going to win it. And that team didn't.

Gavin Cowan, Shrewsbury Town head coach (Shropshire Star)

As you can see today, we're really scraping the barrel, in terms of when you look at their bench and you look at our bench and what they can bring on and what we can bring on.

Gavin Cowan

Ainsworth credited the bench that won it.

I told the boys not to worry about getting beat. I just wanted them to show how good they are so I was willing to lose today. At times some of them looked 10 feet tall.

Gareth Ainsworth, Gillingham manager (PA)

Credit to the experienced boys I [brought] on because I know what it's like to sit on the bench in your 30s, it's not nice, you want to be amongst it. All four of them played a huge part to get us over the line.

Gareth Ainsworth