Defender Max Clark was the surprise penalty taker for Gillingham on Saturday after taking over spot-kick duties just a day before the match.

Clark converted a second-half penalty to clinch a point for the Gills at Harrogate after new boss Gareth Ainsworth chose the left-sided defender to take over the responsibility.

Report: Harrogate 1 Gillingham 1

Gillingham’s only other penalty this season was taken by striker Elliott Nevitt. He missed the target in a 3-0 home loss to Bromley in the first game of 2025.

Nevitt said recently that he’d be willing to take another if he had the chance but Ainsworth picked out Clark as the man to take them after the team’s pre-match meeting before the weekend game.

“I'm very proud to say I picked it before the game,” said the new Gillingham manager.

“They said, ‘Gaffer, we've had one penalty all season and that didn't go well’. I said: ‘Right, Clarkey is on penalties.

“I like my left-backs on penalties. You ask Joe Jacobson at Wycombe. I made the decision. They're always quite technical players, your left-backs.

“Clarkey is solid, there's never really bad connections when he hits the ball.

“It was nice for him. I'm glad I did announce it before the game because they'd have been scrapping over that one, wondering who was in charge. I gave him the honour.”

Speaking more about how the decision went, Ainsworth said: “ It was a quiet pull in the pre-match meeting at the hotel.

“As a manager, you talk about everything else, and then you forget and you think, ‘Have I actually nominated someone for penalties?’

“You see it so many times that they're scrapping over balls. Who takes it? Is he really confident?

“I just pulled him and said, ‘Clarkey, fancy penalties?’ He said yes straight away. That made my mind up. I said, ‘You're on them’. And he went, ‘Brilliant’.

“He's got a goal but he may have to change up next time (where he places it). He slotted it home in the corner. I thought it was a great penalty.”

Clark had a stitched up eyebrow on Saturday following a collision the week before.

“He's all in,” said Ainsworth, who has spoken of team unity as a big thing going forward.

“I think he'll be the first one to say, ‘Look, I'm really happy that we want this together attitude, all of us’. He's that kind of person and it was good to see his penalty go in.”