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Bradley Dack went from villain to hero at Priestfield on Saturday.
He gave away the penalty which led to Oldham getting back into the game from 2-0 down.
But at 2-2, Dack then fired into the top corner in the second half, to win it for the Gills.
For Gillingham coach Steve Lovell, it was a great response.
“We thought a chance would come for him and it did,” said Lovell.
“He took it well, it got a bit of a deflection, but it was a great goal and great finish.
“He has a great strike on him. If we can get him in and around the box, in central areas, he will produce something like he did.”
Gills were 2-0 up when Dack tripped James Wilson in the box, and although Stuart Nelson saved the spot-kick, Liam Kelly followed up to make it 2-1.
They scored an equaliser soon after.
“Bradley is 100% committed and sometimes a bit of that boils over,” said Lovell.
“Sometimes you have to be a bit patient, especially in the area.
“Sometimes you get them for you, sometimes you don’t. Bradley gave the penalty away and he has to be a bit more careful in those situations.”
Dack’s winner made it back-to-back wins for the Gills and lifts them up to 16 in the table.
Lovell said: “The boys put in a shift and overall, with the ball, it wasn’t our best performance in the last five games but we worked hard defensively.
“A couple of breaks went against us but the boys dug in and showed character in the second half to get the three points.”
Oldham’s second goal had also come from a mistake, as keeper Nelson misjudged a back-pass.
But Lovell wasn’t playing the blame game.
He said: “Nels tried to control it and it bobbled up and these things happen. Stuart had been brilliant all year and he is disappointed with that.
“He made the penalty save but nobody reacted to the second ball. Things like that go for you and go against you. As a goalkeeper if you make a mistake, more often than not it’s in the back of the net.”