Gillingham continued their promising pre-season campaign with a win over Championship side Ipswich Town.

Tom Eaves put Gillingham ahead from the penalty spot early in the opening half.

Scott Wagstaff scored with a super strike to double the lead before Danny Rowe pulled one back.

Gillingham were facing their toughest test of the pre-season against second-tier side Ipswich.

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The visitors certainly had their chances during a lively opening half but the Gills had their fair share too.

Jordan Spence had a shot held by keeper Tomas Holy while Kevin Bru saw an even better effort blocked by Luke O'Neill. Freddie Sears put the follow-up wide.

Eaves had Gillingham’s best chance of the half. His lob was palmed wide by keeper Bartosz Bialkowski after he had dumped Ipswich captain Luke Chambers on the deck after challenging for Mark Byrne’s up and under.

Chambers also found himself on his backside when Josh Parker chased a super ball forward by Lee Martin. Ipswich’s defence eventually managed to put the Gills man off.

It has been a promising half for the Gills, benefiting by the quality of Billy Bingham infront of the defence, playing the holding role in midfield for the first time this summer.

Chambers’ afternoon didn’t get much better when he was adjudged by referee Craig Hicks to have tripped Martin in the area. Eaves stepped up for the penalty and struck the ball low past Bialkowski in the 53 minute.

It was Eaves’ third goal of the pre-season so far, scoring in each of his three appearances.

Ipswich winger Bersant Celina – a loan signing from Manchester City – pinged an effort against the woodwork after making a chance for himself on the edge of the box.

Gills’ Wagstaff showed the Premier League man how to do it soon after, finding the top corner from the edge of the box to put the hosts 2-0 infront.

Ipswich pulled a goal back with ten minutes left when Rowe arrived at the far post, behind Gills’ defence, to head home an inch-perfect Conor McKendry cross.

McKendry tried his luck late on to level the scores but sub keeper Stuart Nelson got behind the shot.

Gillingham: Holy (Nelson 76mins), O’Neill, Zakuani, Ehmer, Ogilvie (Garmston 76mins), Wagstaff (O’Mara 81mins), Martin (Wright 76mins), Byrne, Bingham (Chapman 76mins), Parker (Nash 76mins), Eaves (Cundle 76mins).

Ipswich: Bialkowski, Spence (McKendry 70mins), Chambers (C Smith 70mins), T Smith (Webster 70mins), Knudsen (Morris 70mins), Ward (Rowe 65mins), Bru (Iorfa 70mins), Downes (McDonnell 70mins), Celina (Nydam 70mins), Garner (Kenlock 70mins), Sears (McGoldrick 70mins).