Cody McDonald will only get better, says Gillingham boss Justin Edinburgh.

The 30-year-old striker opened his account for the season on Tuesday night with the equaliser against Southend.

He played the full 90 minutes and Edinburgh was delighted to see him on the scoresheet.

The manager said: “I was pleased for Cody to get off the mark and that will be a big boost for him because his general play has been good.

“Goalscorers are always judged on their goals and I am pleased he got off the mark and got us back into the game.”

McDonald was hindered by injury last season, missing a large chunk of the campaign with a broken foot.

Edinburgh said: “We need to keep Cody fit. He had a good pre-season, in terms of game time, in work and training ground sessions and he will only get better.”