Gillingham 0 Stevenage 1

Gillingham kicked off their pre-season programme on Tuesday night with a home defeat to Stevenage.

Steve Morison settled the match with a second half strike as Mark Stimson gave his squad their first summer test.

The first half ended goalless but it wasn’t for the want of trying as Gillingham had a succession of chances – the closest being Andrew Crofts’ shot which came off the post.

Former Stevenage players Barry Fuller, Adam Miller, Alistair John, Stuart Lewis, John Nutter and keeper Alan Julian were among the Gillingham players facing their former club.

Gillingham manager Mark Stimson named two completely different teams for each half as did the visitors.

Stevenage made a bright start to the second half and duly took the lead when striker Steve Morison lobbed keeper Julian from the edge of the box on 54 minutes.

It was a quieter second half for Gillingham but they came close to equalising when youngster Rory Hill tested keeper Ashley Bayes from distance. The Gills showed promise in the latter stages of the second half but couldn’t find the net.

Gills manager Stimson said: "I won't be losing any sleep over the defeat but I don't like losing. I don't like losing to my kids at cards let alone a football match.

"The most important thing is that we came away with no injuries and we played the game at a good tempo.

"We controlled the first half and should have been two or three goals ahead. In the second half Stevenage put out a more senior side and they took their chance and we didn't."

Gillingham: First half: Royce, Fuller, King, Richards, Wynter, Crofts, Maher, Howard, Mulligan, Jackson, Miller.

Second half: Julian, Walder, Nutter, Roget, Bentley, Lewis, Thurgood, Oli, Pugh, Thomas (Bailey 83mins), Hill (John 83mins). Subs not used: Kiely, Sainsbury, Daniel.

Attendance: 825