Gills striker Adebayo Akinfenwa in the thick of the action against Cheltenham on Sunday. Picture: Barry Goodwin

By Luke Cawdell

Assistant manager Ian Hendon praised the ‘Herculean’ effort that Gillingham’s players showed in turning Sunday’s game around.

The Gills were staring defeat in the face after conceding an early goal but with just five minutes left Cody McDonald struck twice to bag maximum points.

"There is a belief in those players now and it most definitely showed," said Hendon.

"We went away from home again, started slowly and this time we got punished. We didn’t do what we said we were going to do for probably half an hour and the goal rocked us back on our feet.

"We finished the first half very strongly though and (then) dominated the second half from start to finish. If it wasn’t for their goalkeeper it could have been six or seven."

While McDonald claimed the headlines, Hendon was keen to acknowledge the part played by the entire squad. Hendon said: "He had a little mid-season break when he went four or five games without scoring.

"But, while we talk about him, he will be the first to say that a lot of the things he gets are down to the graft and guile of Bayo (Akinfenwa), without a doubt.

"They complement each other and have a great partnership there."

Can Gills push on and claim a top three spot after the win at Cheltenham? Have your say in our comments section below.