Clarke | “We have got a lot of fight in us”

Gillingham’s 3-0 win against Tranmere Rovers was a memorable one for Jayden Clarke, who scored his first two league goals for the Football Club.

Clarke came off the bench for ten-man Gillingham, as he and fellow substitute Marcus Wyllie linked up for both goals. The attacking midfielder praised Wyllie for the timing of his passes for both goals, with Clarke perfectly executing his defence-splitting run for his second.

It was another victory for the Gills, who had to hang on to a lead with ten men, something the 23-year-old believes will grow the spirit within the team.

Joe Gbode made his first league start of the season, impressing everyone at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium. His substitution during the second half was met with a standing ovation. Clarke was delighted for Gbode, believing that he deserved all the adulation he received.

Scoring his first two league goals…

It’s the first two Football League goals of my career, so it’s a good day.

It was great play from Marcus [Wyllie], to be fair. He held it up well, and then it was good timing on the pass. I’m thankful to him for assisting both of them.

I could actually hear them [the supporters for the first goal] as I am going through shouting, but I am trying to shout above them. In the end, he got it to me, and I managed to score.

[Whether the miss at Fleetwood was on his mind] – The first one was quite quick. I didn’t have a lot of time to think, but for the second one, I had quite a bit of time. It did flash through my brain. It wasn’t the best finish, but sometimes you need a bit of luck. I finally got it, and I am happy with the two goals.

On the win…

It’s a massive result. We went down to ten against Chesterfield and showed that we could hold on. We did the same against Tranmere. It’s good. It is going to build spirit, and it shows that we have got a lot of fight in us. It is not going to be easy for teams to come here and get three points.

 

On Joe Gbode…

I thought that he was the man of the match. I thought he was the best player on the pitch. He was a constant threat, and he definitely had the better of their right-back. I am happy for him. He’s a young boy at only 19, but he is definitely ready to play at this level.

He’s one of the ones that you stay away from in training. He’s too strong!

[On the applause from the supporters] – He deserved it! I was really happy for Joe to be starting and playing as well as he did.