Speaking to West Ham’s in-house TV channel WHUTV, Fry said, “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed going out and playing first-team football.

“It’s what every young player wants to do, and the manager at Gillingham has given me that opportunity.”

The young centre-half made a total of 13 appearances for the Gills while on loan from the Hammers, and explained how playing first-team football, albeit in a lower division, has helped him develop.

“Playing reserve-team football is good, but when you go out and you get the taste of first-team football, that’s what you want to keep doing,” he said.

“It’s especially nice when you get praise from your manager as it relaxes you and calms you down a little bit. It was good for me and definitely helped me settle in.

“Also, playing on a Saturday and on a Tuesday has given me a taste of first-team football and what it’s all about.”

Fry was forced to return to West Ham after requiring knee surgery on New Year’s Eve but said he’d love to return to Priestfield to continue his football education.

“I did enjoy going to a team that is in a battle because the games meant a little bit more,” he said.

“It’s always nice when the three points is so special at the end of the day.

“I’ll get myself fit and see what’s happening here. I’d like to go back and play first-team football and hopefully help Gillingham climb the table.”

The West Ham defender, who has proved an able deputy for the sidelined Simon King, picked up the injury at the end of 2009 and underwent surgery to fix the knee problem.

He is expected to be out for four to six weeks and will now return to West Ham United.

Matt has been a great addition to our squad since his arrival and we here at Gills365 wish him a speedy recovery.

Let me be more specific.

What on Earth drives 372 Gillingham fans to take to the road, eat up 342 miles and watch another inept display? As the full-time whistle was blown and I trudged out of Bristol, weighing four times my normal weight because of two hours of solid rain, I tried to script together an answer. All I could come up with is: it’s a habit. Every single one of those 372 has just become immune to seeing the team limp to defeat.

We all clapped the players off, we replayed the key moments to each other – where we had gone wrong, where the game may have changed – but what unfolded was just a standard fare on an away fixture. Watching the referee point to the penalty spot was almost fitting – how dare we, the supporters, believe we could return back home with a point? Christmas had arrived early? A draw would require some kind of celebration – a win, perhaps, an open-top bus parade around the Medway Towns?

If you ignore the sarcasm, there is quite a serious point. One point from 27 – a record only matched by Darlington who find themselves bottom of the Football League – is woeful. If there was a word slightly more negative than woeful, it would be paired with our away record this season thus far. Defeat at Leyton Orient next Tuesday may require a trip to the thesaurus.

Mark Stimson has done a decent job since taking over from Ronnie Jepson – the team is fresher, younger, plays a better style of football and promotion last year was a remarkable achievement. I still believe he is best to lead this team in the coming years and so this piece will not be calling for his head, saying it’s time for a new face. But this is the toughest spell of his reign and something has got to change away from home because as it stands we’re heading towards the trap door quicker than Gordon Brown is to electoral defeat.

Stimson has preached about attractive football, bringing in Febian Brandy instead of a target man and sounding positive about attacking football. Yet there were three problems up front on Saturday – we went with 4-5-1 and left our leading goalscorer on the bench – not so attacking. Andy Barcham’s brilliant finish was a rare attempt at goal and in horrific conditions it was barmy not to have tried long-range efforts.

Lastly, there is no variation in our set-pieces to the point where getting a corner becomes a threat on our own goal as the opposition counter-attack. Our team isn’t big, granted, but memories of the Andy Hessenthaler corner-Paul Smith dummy-Nicky Southall shot need to be resurrected if we’re going to look like scoring in that way again.

Those are just ideas. We have the talent in the squad to take points away from home and it’s concerning that arriving at an away ground is like walking into the Headmaster’s office and spotting a cane in his hand. What is more concerning is the sight of Matt Fry, Chris Palmer and Mark MaCammon walking down the tunnel at the end without any acknowledgement of those standing under that rain cloud. Because whatever it is that makes 372 people head out to watch another disappointing display, the players owe them for their unreserved loyalty.

Maybe Fry thought that the wrestling match with Andy Williams, that had seen the central defender go to ground, was going to lead to a free kick in his favour, but why he dragged the ball back with his hand is completely beyond me.

What was the worse that was going to happen, a corner to Bristol Rovers? As it was Jeff Hughes sent Royce the wrong way and stroked home the winner.

This was the culmination of a horrible day for the travelling support, especially the hardy souls stationed on the open terrace. It might look like a large market stall but at least the tarpaulin roof offered some respite from the elements for the seated section of Gills support, including yours truly! The rain was torrential and relentless and driven by a fierce wind, making playing conditions also very difficult.

My pre-match consideration had centred around the comparison that could be made between the striker that we didn’t get, Chris Dickson matched up against the one we did, Febian Brandy. It was also going to be a first look at Brandy in an away game with an opportunity to see how his partnership with Simeon Jackson was developing. As it was, neither striker impressed, not surprising given the conditions, and manager Stimson decided not to go with the diminutive pairing from the off.

Gillingham played into the wind in the first half and whilst Royce’s kicks struggled to make the half way line, opposition keeper Mikkel Andersen was kicking it the length of the field. There was not much in the way of chances for either side before the 17th minute when Rovers took the lead. An overhead kick from Dickson was palmed away by Royce but Danny Coles retrieved the ball, laid it back to Chris Lines who fired in from inside the box.

Gillingham struggled in the conditions to get any forward momentum and it came as a bit of a surprise five minutes before the break when Andy Barcham fired in a spectacular equaliser from the best part of 25 yards. A kicked clearance from Royce was headed on in the centre circle by Stuart Lewis and picked up just inside Rovers half by Barcham who ran into his shooting position and lobbed keeper Andersen to the delight of the travelling faithful.

During the break my fateful comments were that now the conditions were in our favour I would’nt take the draw, this game was for winning. Unfortunately, Gillingham disappointed badly and failed to use the wind to their advantage. After a beginning to the half in which they played the ball along the ground, the tactic somehow got lost and the long balls in the air were all too often carried by the wind into harmless territory. Perhaps the ground was becoming so saturated that the passing game was impossible, but one way or another, any advantage the visitors had was being wasted.

Royce was called into action to make a good save from Joe Kuffour, one that the keeper indicated had been made with the side of his face, such was the swirling nature of the wind.

Fry and Josh Gowling had suffered a testing afternoon at the hands of a bustling strike force, but it was not Dickson that had caused the real problems. On his substitution with 25 minutes remaining there were more than a few cheers as his number was held up suggesting that he has not won the hearts of the Memorial Stadium.

Following the penalty Gillingham pressed forward in search of an equaliser and Jackson, on as a 65th minute substitute, rather surprisingly for Curtis Weston, saw a goal bound effort cleared away by Byron Anthony.

So another disappointing day on the road for Gillingham and their faithful, just where this elusive first win on the road is going to come, goodness only knows, but with hope in our hearts, it is at the Orient next Tuesday.

Milton Keynes Dons had made today a family day with tickets available for just £10 for adults. Outside of the stadium all manner of events were happening to encourage Mum, Dad and the kids to be a part of the youngest, and arguably most controversial, club in the Football League.

Whatever your opinion might be with regards to the franchising of Wimbledon to Milton Keynes, Pete Winkleman has taken this club a very long way in a very short time. The stadium might be unfinished but it is potentially a very fine arena. The second tier needs the seating installed for it to be complete, but they have are huge, padded seats and ample leg room. There are high-tech bar reading entries to wide concourses where rather expensive food and drink are served. The view is, of course, unobstructed and the rake of the seating is excellent. One criticism would be the reasoning behind positioning the away support into a corner of stadium and leaving the area directly behind the goal completely unused, a diagonal view across the length of the pitch is not the best.

Conspicuous by their complete absence were Adam Miller and Garry Richards, scapegoats for the midweek defeat at Brighton.

Gillingham started the stronger and forced MK keeper Willy Gueret into a couple of saves in the first ten minutes. He failed to hold a Curtis Weston shot, but smothered the rebound and then dealt more comfortably with an Andy Barcham effort.

After 18 minutes Matt Fry became a firm favourite with the travelling support with an immaculate challenge on Jermaine Easter. The striker had been sent clear when he looked a mile offside but as he was set to pull the trigger, Fry had made up the ground and made an impeccable tackle from behind to clear the danger. It was the highlight of a very good debut for the 19 year old.

Gillingham enjoyed their fair share of the possession and territorial advantage but lacked a cutting edge that was diminished further by the departure of Vernon. Simeon Jackson got very little service and created nothing of note for himself, failing to muster an effort on goal all afternoon.

The Milton Keynes faithful might be a little too comfortable in their seats as the noise levels of their support was a good deal quieter than they received at the Hockey Stadium. But they finally found their voice on the hour when Jason Puncheon benefited from a lucky rebound off Gills’ skipper Barry Fuller leaving him in the clear to cross to Easter who scored from close range.

The Dons now held the upper hand and Simon Royce was called on to make several good saves to keep the game at just the one goal. He was finally beaten for a second time when Aaron Wilbraham struck with an angled drive from the right hand side of the box.

This wasn’t one of Gillingham’s lay down and die away performances of late but it was rather toothless upfront. Who knows what the difference might have been had Scott Vernon lasted the course because the visitors lacked any real threat once he had departed. Let us hope that his Gillingham career is not restricted to just 44 minutes.

The Gills’ club captain, who has filled in admirably at centre half in the absence of Simon King, is likely to be deployed in midfield for tomorrow’s match at stadium:mk.

Talking at the pre-match press conference, manager Mark Stimson explained the reason for signing West Ham youngster Matt Fry – and with the new arrival set to start at centre half for tomorrow’s match, Stimson made a point of confirming Bentley’s importance to the side.

Speaking about the situation, Stimson explained, “If we bring these boys in, we’ve got to play them – and if we take someone out of the team who is playing reasonably well, for a month, then ask them to come back in, it’s hard. But now we’ve had a look at that position of the pitch and I think we need to improve it.

“Mark Bentley’s done a fanastic job for us in that area, and he was one of our positives fthe other night so he doesn’t have to worry about his position in the team on Saturday.”

When asked if Bentley would be played, “but possibly not at centre back,” Stimson nodded.

That may see him return to his previous role on the right hand side of the Gills midfield, with Dennis Oli – who has disappointed in recent weeks – likely to drop to the bench.

Former Blackpool and Oldham striker Vernon scored twice for the U’s reserves in midweek and arrives at Priestfield looking to get back to full match fitness following a spell out injured.

Colchester boss Aidy Boothroyd said, “Scott will go to Gillingham to get himself fit.

“We hope he can score a few goals for them and if he comes back in a month’s time having done that we will hopefully have a fit player.

“We will re-assess it after a month and if Gillingham are keen to keep him and Scott is happy to stay, it may be extended.”

Matt Fry arrives from the West Ham reserve side after the Gills initially failed to agree a loan deal with the London club earlier in the season.

The left-sided defender is expected to be thrown straight into the Gills side at left back for Saturday’s game at Milton Keynes, while Vernon is a near-cert to start up front, alongside Simeon Jackson.