Gillingham striker Joe Gbode enjoyed a weekend battle against a former team-mate and is relishing another on Tuesday night.

Gbode came up against former Gills left-back David Tutonda on Saturday and a more generous referee might have awarded the hosts at least one penalty after the striker was felled several times in the box.

Thankfully the Gills weren’t reliant on the referee as Robbie McKenzie’s late strike clinched the points.

On his battle with Morecambe defender Tutonda - who played 54 games for the Gills over a two-year period - Gbode said: “I loved it. Dave's a family friend of mine. Me and him go way back. I enjoy playing against Dave.

“Whenever I see Dave, it's always, ‘How's the family, how's everyone?’ Even during the game, me and him were talking. There was a bit of antics between us, because me and him were very close and very tight. I enjoy always talking to Dave and being around him.

“There was a bit of a friendly banter between me and him. There was one time where I think he's driven into the box and he's gone for the slide tackle. It was a good challenge, to be fair. He said to me, ‘You know, you still can't get past me!’ I laughed it off. I enjoyed the challenge against David, he's a very good player.”

Asked it he deserved at least one penalty, Gbode agreed.

“Oh yeah, 100%,” he said. “He (Tutonda) even admitted that himself. Even though I wasn't going to take (the kick), I deserved one at least.

“The second one, it was definitely a penalty. On another day the ref’s giving it. But it is what it is.”

It was McKenzie’s 79th minute goal that sealed the points.

Gbode saluted the goalscorer.

He said: “What a man. What a player. He's just an amazing guy. An amazing player.

“Everything he does is just so clean, so good.

“Robbie, what a guy, man! He's everyone's favourite.

“He's just that guy. He produces in big moments. He's everywhere. What can't he do?

“I'm delighted for Robbie. We're all delighted for him.”

The Gills ended a run of 13 games without a win on Saturday and now hope to double up with victory at Newport on Tuesday night.

Gbode could come up against another former Gills player - Matt Baker.

Defender Baker was released by the Gills after a decade in the club’s youth system, initially signing for Stoke City before heading to Newport, and he scored at Priestfield in a win for the Welsh side in October.

Gbode hopes to get the better of the defender in the midweek clash.

He said: “He was about two years above me. I was under-16 and he was a second-year scholar, but I did play with him a couple of times.

“It'll be nice to see him again on Tuesday.”

He was grinning as he added: “I'm ready for it, 100%. I'm going to give him a good couple of bruises! A couple of cuts. I'm not messing about.”

Gbode picked up the man-of-the-match champagne against Morecambe and was pushed towards the Rainham End by fellow former academy player Sam Gale after the final whistle went, leading the celebrations.

“I didn't really want to do it,” he joked.

“I just wanted to clap the fans and go home and eat some food, play some PlayStation.

“He just pushed me to the crowd. The fans were just like, ‘oooh’. So I was like, fine, I'll do it. And I did it.”

Gbode had been criticised by some for being part of a midweek leaked video that showed players dancing in the gym – coming out after the loss to Fleetwood.

He said: “I understand, we’re not winning, the video comes out and it looks very bad.

“The video was recorded on a Monday (before the Fleetwood game), and it was leaked by someone else on a Wednesday.

“It wasn't that I intentionally posted it on a Wednesday, especially after a loss. That's something I'd never do. I love the club.

“I understand the seriousness of the situation that we were in, and we still are in. It's something that I'd never do a couple of hours after a loss.”

Gbode wasn’t planning anything strenuous on the Saturday night after the Morecambe win.

“I’ll just read a book,” he said. “I love reading books.

“Sit at home, feet up, watching football, reading a book. You know, chilling.

“Then I’ll take a shower with some Dove soap and then once I get out of the shower, just watch some TV and just chill with my parents at home, enjoy the sunshine and the Gillingham sky.”

Gbode spoke about the relief that came with a weekend win but also of a changing-room spirit that hasn’t been dented by a poor run of form.

He said: “There was relief. More so relief than happiness because it's been a long time coming.

“The fans played a big part in that. It did get discouraging at times, especially in my head. I started questioning ‘are we were going to get the goal?’ but it happened.

“When we got in the changing room, there was relief on the boys' faces and especially the manager's face.

“Him and Jimmy Bell, the assistant, have been working hard to try and get us up to speed. It's not been the best of starts, but it's been an improvement in the last few games. To get the result meant a lot to the boys.

“You could tell the game meant a lot (to the manager). He was very passionate. Not just about the fact that he has links to Morecambe, but more so because we really wanted to win, especially because of the situation that we're in.

“We knew that if we didn't win there would have been a lot of pressure.

“The atmosphere in the changing room and the spirits are always high. Regardless of how games are going, I'd say in the league we probably have one of the best changing rooms.

“There's characters, there's personalities, there's always happiness, there's always a strong, tight-knit bond in the changing room.

“I feel like that's what's going to help us going into the next couple of games. This win as well has just further amplified our spirits.

“We're confident going into that (Newport) and hopefully it’s the same again.”