Gillingham 0 Charlton 0

GILLINGHAM rounded off their pre-season with an impressive performance in their goalless draw against Charlton at Priestfield.

With just a week to go until the season opener, Gills gave the home supporters a glimpse of what is to come with some promising football.

Darren Byfield managed to shrug off his knee injury to line up for the Gills for the first time on home soil as he partnered Iwan Roberts in attack. Another injury concern, Nicky Southall, made a welcome return late on following an ankle injury sustained in the friendly two weeks earlier against Hastings.

Player-manager Andy Hessenthaler again utilised the substitutes at his disposal, with 20 players getting a run out. Keepers Steve Banks and Jason Brown were again swapped at the interval, suggesting the management have still to make their minds up as to who is the first choice in goal.

Addicks boss Alan Curbishley chose to rest some of his biggest stars, including new signing Dennis Rommedhal and Italian showman Paulo Di Canio.

This was Hessenthaler's last chance to assess his squad before the start of the season and for those fringe players to try and make big impressions. Iwan Roberts showed the home crowd plenty of promise as he cause problems in the box against experienced defenders Mark Fish and Chris Perry, while Patrick Agyemang and Byfield proved another plus point with their pace and trickery.

Although the strikers were causing plenty of problems, it was Perry who almost netted Gills opener as he headed back towards his own net but was fortunate to see Stephan Andersen scurry back and stop the goal bound header.

Chances continued to fall to the home side, with Agyemang prodding a tame effort that failed to trouble Andersen, before Danny Spiller saw his chip fall inches wide of the post having beaten the keeper.

The visitors were failing to click, and showed little of the spark that took them to the brink of UEFA Cup qualification last season. Charlton's closest effort of the half came in the dying seconds as South African Shaun Bartlett beat Steve Banks with an audacious back heeled shot which struck the cross bar.

Gills came out with almost the same side for the second period, with Roberts having a fresh supply route with a lively-looking Mamady Sidibe and Matt Jarvis coming on. Jason Brown in goal, Gills other sub, made an immediate impression as he turned Matt Holland's long range shot over the bar.

Matt Jarvis, who has looked promising throughout the pre-season, was again looking to make a name for himself and had several chances to put his side ahead.

Firstly he tested Andersen with a low shot which the keeper saved. Another effort flew over before having yet another attempt, this time beating the keeper but not the post.

Gills continued to look the more dangerous and saw another flurry of activity in the Charlton box, with Matt Holland taking the ball off Roberts' foot just as he looked like firing in a shot.

Brown was again at his best, this time denying Kevin Lisbie, as his header was brilliantly saved from close range. With the match drawing to a close Gills almost snatched a late and deserved winner as Tommy Johnson, on for Roberts, volleyed wide.

It was the first pre-season game in which the Addicks failed to score but Curbishley was pleased to see half his first-team squad make it through a full 90 minutes. After worrying about the condition of his players following the win at Wycombe two days earlier, he felt the Priestfield stalemate was just what his side needed.

He said: "It was really tough going but we made it through."

Gillingham: Banks (Brown 46), Nosworthy (Southall 80), Hills, L Johnson (Beckwith 82), Hope, Smith (Crofts 74), Spiller (Perpetuini 55), Saunders (Hessenthaler 60), Roberts (T Johnson 74), Byfield (Sidibe 46), Agyemang (Jarvis 46).

Charlton: Andersen, Young, Hreidarsson, Hughes, Perry, Fish (Turner 64), Thomas, Holland, Lisbie, Bartlett, Konchesky. Subs Not Used: Royce, Sankofa, Long, Fuller, McCafferty, Sam, Campbell-Ryce.

Attendance: 4,372