Cody McDonald celebrates his first goal against Aldershot in front of the Rainham End with Luke Rooney. Picture: Barry Goodwin.

by Luke Cawdell

Cody McDonald displayed a killer instinct to see off a resilient Aldershot side at Priestfield on Saturday.

McDonald’s goal early in the second half handed the Gills the advantage and he smashed home the second in a game that saw little goal-mouth action.

Aldershot rarely threatened, but Gills needed a great stop from Alan Julian to keep them ahead, moments before McDonald scored his second goal on 90 minutes.

With five minutes of injury-time gone Aldershot pulled one back, through substitute Alex Rodman, but it was too little too late for the visitors.

The game started lively enough, on a bitterly cold afternoon at Priestfield, with Alan Julian seeing out Peter Vincenti’s powerful first minute effort.

It was the closest Aldershot got in the first half and they didn’t see much of the goal in the second half either.

The Gills dominated possession early on, with Luke Rooney looking to make things happen on his first league start this season.

Danny Jackman came close to opening the scoring for the Gills after nine minutes, from a set-piece, but his curled effort went an inch wide of Jamie Young’s goal.

The last meeting between these sides ended in a 4-4 draw at Priestfield but the opening half showed little sign of a repeat.

With eight minutes of the second half gone the breakthrough finally came and it was McDonald on hand to slot home.

Curtis Weston whipped in a cross, the ball took a slight deflection off Adebayo Akinfenwa before falling to McDonald. The striker controlled and finished well with a shot low past Young.

McDonald’s 53 minute effort failed to fire the game into life and the Gills had a scare midway through the second half. Danny Hylton rolled the ball across the face of goal but Jermaine McGlashan was unable to connect as he slid in at the far post with the goal at his mercy.

McDonald had a half chance with 10 minutes left but his low effort, only the second on-target shot of the match for the Gills, was easily dealt with by Young.

A great reflex save from Julian kept the Gills ahead when he blocked Anthony Charles’ close-range header and a minute later McDonald picked up the ball in the area, left two defenders on the floor, and struck the ball into the roof of the net.

It wasn’t quite all over as Rodman picked up the ball and smashed in a low shot from 25 yards but the Gills still took maximum points.

Gills: Julian, Fuller, Gowling, Lawrence, Nutter, Rooney (Bentley 67mins), Weston (J Payne 62mins), Maher, Jackman (Martin 79mins), McDonald, Akinfenwa. Subs not used: Cronin, Richards, S Payne, Miller.

Aldershot: Young, Vincent (Straker 79mins), Herd, Charles, Vincenti (Sills 67mins), Jones, Guttridge, Harding, Small (Rodman 49mins), McGlashan, Hylton. Subs not used: Panther, Grand, Morris, Clement.

Attendance: 4,810

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