Macclesfield 0 Gillingham 1

Gillingham ended a run of five away games without a win in the league on Saturday at Macclesfield.

The away win was Gillingham�s second of the season and it came with an early goal claimed by Adam Miller.

That goal came from John Nutter�s 17th minute corner kick. Miller�s powerful header was blocked on the line by Macclesfield�s Izak Reid but cannoned off his own player and into the net.

The Gills had the majority of the first half possession but in first half injury time they nearly conceded when home striker Francis Green turned in the area and struck an effort against the base of the post.

Seconds later Terry Dunfield shot over but Gillingham hung onto their lead at the interval.

Making a return to the side towards the end of the first half was Andrew Crofts, who replaced injured Curtis Weston. The deposed captain hadn�t featured in the squad since the visit to Exeter a month ago.

Matthew Flynn wasted a good opportunity early in the first half for Macclesfield as he shot well over.

At the other end Adam Miller came close to extending Gills� lead, as he slid in on keeper Jonathon Brain and won the ball, but stabbed the ball against the post.

The home side dominated the second half but continued to be wasteful and even the club�s leading scorer Simon Yeo couldn�t find the target, with a run at goal finishing with a wild shot wide.

Nicky Southall put one wide for Gillingham on a rare break forward and Miller had a low shot saved. The Gills finished strongly and Barcham also struck the wrong side of the post while Macclesfield�s Green did likewise at the other end.

Manager Mark Stimson was delighted to end the club�s run of poor form on the road.

�It�s been too long,� he said. �We haven�t won away from home for a while, but it was important to take the lead, because last time we did that away from home was Darlington and we went onto win that game. �After Tuesday night�s poor performance it was important that we rolled our sleeves up, as we knew it was going to be a hard game here because of the conditions, and it wasn�t helped by Simon Royce becoming unwell overnight.

�Looking at the starting team we were probably without four first team starters in Dennis Oli, Mark McCammon, Simeon Jackson and Royce. But full credit to the players who took part � every single one of them put a great shift in.

�The supporters who travelled up must be proud of them. Every single one of them put every ounce of effort in and it was nice to keep a clean sheet and also good for Miller to score the winning goal.�

Gills: Julian, Fuller, Nutter, Richards, King, Bentley, Mulligan, Southall, Miller, Weston (Crofts 44mins), Barcham (Jarrett 90mins). Subs not used: Royce, Cumbers, Mills.

Macclesfield: Brain, Reid, Brisley, Hessey, Flynn, Bell (Harvey 84mins), Dunfield, Deen, Gritton (Yeo 60mins), Thomas (Rooney 78mins), Green. Subs not used: Walker, Hadfield.

Attendance: 1,635