Gills players celebrate their League 2 success Picture: Barry Goodwin

by Luke Cawdell

Gillingham secured their first Football League title in 49 years at Priestfield on Saturday.

A 2-2 draw against AFC Wimbledon was enough to claim the League 2 championship.

Strikers Deon Burton and Danny Kedwell scored the goals to put Gillingham two up at the break.

But the Dons improved after the break and levelled the scores with goals from Jack Midson and Jonathan Meades.

Andy Frampton took over at left-back for the Gills, in the absence of injured Joe Martin, while Steven Gregory returned to the side to face his former club in midfield.

Leon Legge was a pre-match doubt, with a hip injury, but he started Saturday’s game in the centre of defence. He blocked Wimbledon’s only shot of the first half, from Mat Mitchel-King.

The visitors were backed by over 1,000 fans inside a packed Priestfield but the Dons produced little sparkle going forward until after the break.

Gillingham, who had won their last four games at home, knew that just one more point would see the League 2 title heading to Priestfield.

And the Gills took just 12 minutes to get their noses infront as Burton (pictured above) slammed the ball home from just inside the box, after Chris Whelpdale’s cross had been cleared.

Whelpdale supplied the cross for the second goal of the game, as Kedwell (below) guided a header past keeper John Sullivan, with 23 minutes played.

Midfielder Charlie Allen was the closest to making it three in the first half but he lashed his effort narrowly wide.

A change early in the second half saw Myles Weston replace Whelpdale on the left of Gills’ midfield.

Wimbledon’s Luke Moore smashed a speculative long range effort wide and Chris Hussey put a chance over, shortly after the break, but Stuart Nelson remained untroubled in the Gills goal. It was a bright restart by the visitors but went unrewarded.

Gillingham fans knew all about Wimbledon fight-backs. The last time the Dons were In Kent the Gills threw away a 3-1 lead, to lose 4-3. But as Jack Midson fired another chance over the visitors were still unable to find the target.

At the other end Weston was doing his best to put the nail in Wimbledon’s coffin. An effort just before the hour grazed the top of the bar.

But Wimbledon’s pressure paid off with just over 20 minutes to go as Gillingham failed to clear Meades’ cross and Midson pounced to half the deficit.

Wimbledon continued to boss the second half, needing points for Football League safety, and they levelled the scores with nine minutes left when Meades found himself in space and tucked the ball home.

Gillingham hung on at the end to claim the point they needed.

Gillingham: Nelson, Fish, Legge, Barrett, Frampton, Gregory, Allen, Whelpdale (Weston 47mins), Lee, Kedwell, Burton (Birchall 77mins). Subs not used: East, Davies, Dack, Forecast, Muggleton.

AFC Wimbledon: Sullivan, Balkestein, Mitchel-King (Osano 60mins), S Moore (Alexander 80mins), Midson, L Moore, Pell, Prior (Strutton 60mins), Meades, Bennett, Hussey. Subs not used: Long, Sainte-Luce, Antwi, Jaimez-Ruiz.

Attendance: 11,172