By kickspoll 
Gillingham manager Mark Bonner felt his team deserved to take something from their game at Bradford.
The Gills went ahead against Bradford but conceded twice in the first half, resulting in a 2-1 defeat—the club’s fourth straight loss in League 2.
“We warranted something from the game,” said Bonner, who made six changes to his team after last weekend’s home defeat against Accrington.
“I thought it was a fairly balanced and even game. We were excellent in the first 25-30 minutes. We started well, scored a great goal, and had one or two similar moments. One effort hit the post and was cleared before Hawks could tap it in.
“We picked a big, physical team to be robust against a physical opponent.”
The early signs were promising, with Bradford having a goal ruled out for offside and Jayden Clarke scoring for Gillingham after just 11 minutes. However, Bradford responded with two late first-half goals to secure the win.
Bonner described the match as “a good, aggressive English football match,” but expressed frustration with the number of yellow cards, which disrupted the game’s rhythm. He also lamented the two goals conceded from set-pieces, which could have been defended better.
“We’re frustrated we didn’t defend those moments. Both goals came from set-pieces,” Bonner said. Bradford’s equalizer came from a Jamie Walker corner, and their second goal, just before halftime, was from Richie Smallwood’s free-kick.
Bonner was critical of the soft free-kick given against Jaydon: “Oli Hawkins gets dragged down and doesn’t get free-kicks, but things like that get given. It’s frustrating.”
Despite the physical lineup, Bonner admitted frustration with the team’s defensive lapses. He warned his players at halftime that ill-discipline would cost them, emphasizing the importance of keeping 11 players on the pitch.
“We lost the game because we didn’t defend our box properly,” he added.
In the second half, Gillingham had more possession but failed to create enough clear chances. Bonner made changes with 20 minutes remaining, shifting to a more technical approach.
“We had lots of the ball but didn’t create enough quality moments or test the goalkeeper enough. But I liked the committed nature of the team.”
Bonner praised the 400 fans who supported the team throughout the game, despite the frustration of not getting a result they felt they deserved.