 Gooden was then signed by Gillingham manager Peter Taylor for £100,000, in a deal that saw Swindon teammate Iffy Onuora join the Kent club as well.Later that year Gooden won promotion to the First Division with Gillingham, after they beat Wigan Athletic 3–2 in the Division Two play-off Final at the old Wembley Stadium.During the game Gooden provided a cross to Andy Thomson for him to score the winning goal.