Cody McDonald (unsighted) heads Gillingham ahead against Burton Albion. Picture: Barry Goodwin.

by Luke Cawdell

Cody McDonald netted the winner for Gillingham with a second half header against Burton Albion.

The striker struck with 50 minutes gone to hand Gills their second win of the season in League 2.

With less than a minute gone Burton striker Shaun Harrad struck the bar from a free-kick and the visitors tested keeper Lance Cronin twice more early on, with shots from Russell Penn and Harrad being saved inside the opening 10 minutes.

A stop-start first half was littered with free-kicks and from one of these Gillingham almost scored after 24 minutes. Chris Palmer sent the ball deep to Adebayo Akinfenwa and he dragged an effort just wide.

Curtis Weston, back in the starting eleven for the first time since the opening day of the season, blasted a shot just wide on the half-hour.

Cronin was kept busy and did well to tip Harrad’s lob wide of the goal and with seconds left of the first half Cody McDonald smashed a header against the bar from a Palmer corner.

Just five minutes had gone when McDonald headed in Palmer’s corner and later in the half Danny Spiller came close with a couple of efforts.

Jacques Maghoma sent an over-head kick narrowly wide but the Gills did enough to bag the three points.

Gills: Cronin, Fuller, Palmer, Gowling, Lawrence, Bentley, Payne, Weston (Inkango 73mins), Spiller, McDonald (S Payne 83mins), Akinfenwa. Subs not used: Julian, Maher, Sinclair, Rooney, McCammon.

Burton: Legzdins, Corbett, Austin, Moore, Webster, Maghoma, McGrath, Penn, Walker (Young 59 mins), Harrad, Phillips (Pearson 59 mins). Subs: Poole, James, Boertien, Ellison, Dyer.

Attendance: 4,823

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