Deon Burton scores for Gills at the Memorial Stadium. Picture: Barry Goodwin

Gillingham maintained their lead at the top of League 2 with victory at Bristol Rovers on Saturday.

The Gills went two up at the break thanks to well-taken goals from Chris Whelpdale and Deon Burton.

Those strikes proved to be enough to keep Gills two points clear of Port Vale in the race for the title. It was Gillingham's second successive away win.

Manager Martin Allen stuck with an unchanged starting XI for the trip to Bristol, with new signing Steven Gregory starting on the bench.

On New Year’s Day the Gills beat Southend 1-0, courtesy of a Whelpdale third-minute goal, and it was déjà vu at the Memorial Stadium as the same player pounced in the same minute.

Whelpdale picked up the ball on the edge of the box, after good build-up play, and struck a shot across keeper Steve Mildenhall.

Rovers had plenty of possession in the opening half and John-Joe O’Toole hit the inside of a Gills post before seeing the ball roll across the goal line and miraculously out of play. More chances followed for the hosts, but an equaliser failed to materialise.

Gillingham, who had been defending for much of the half, showed their class in front of goal just before the break as Whelpdale flicked the ball on for Burton. He turned his defender with a great first touch before smashing the ball past Mildenhall.

Allen made a change in attack with an hour gone as both Adam Birchall and Burton were replaced. The first 15 minutes of the second half had seen neither team really threaten. A speculative long-range effort from Myles Weston wasn’t enough to trouble Mildenhall.

Fabian Broghammer came a lot closer for the hosts, with a low free-kick which went through a crowd of players and took a deflection, before bouncing just wide.

With 10 minutes left Rovers were growing more desperate and from 20 yards O’Toole found row z with a long shot as Gills keeper Stuart Nelson finished the half untroubled.

Gillingham: Nelson, Fish, Martin, Legge, Barrett, Frampton, Payne, Whelpdale, Weston (Allen 73mins), Birchall (Gregory 57mins), Burton (Kedwell 57mins). Subs not used: Forecast, Lee, Jackman, Davies.

Bristol Rovers: Mildenhall, Smith, Kenneth (Norburn 45mins), McChrystal, Brown, Parkes, Clucas, O’Toole, Ayinsah (Hitchcock 46mins), Broghammer (Harding 78mins), Richards. Subs not used: Gough, Woodards, Harrison, Lockyer.

Attendance: 6,088.

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