Andy Barcham celebrates after scoring on Monday Picture: Barry Goodwin

By Luke Cawdell

Andy Barcham scored late on for Gillingham to bag a crucial victory at Rotherham on Monday.

Both teams were desperate for points as they targeted the League 2 play-offs but it was the Gills who claimed all three.

Barcham, who scored both of Gillingham’s goals in the 4-2 defeat to Barnet on Saturday, made it three goals in three days with a 79th-minute strike.

The Gills defended frantically in the dying seconds and deservedly clinched the win to keep their promotion hopes very much alive.

Gillingham should have gone into the break ahead, after having the better of the first half efforts, most of which came towards the latter stages of the opening 45 minutes.

Gills striker Cody McDonald had the majority of those opportunities and in first-half injury-time he was denied by a fantastic double save from keeper Jamie Annerson. McDonald’s first shot was blocked by the keeper’s feet and the second by a diving save.

McDonald headed the resulting corner over the bar as the Gills ended the half in the ascendancy.

Moments before that Barcham could, and probably should, have put the Gills ahead when McDonald threaded a ball through, leaving him with just the keeper to beat. A bad touch saw the chance wasted.

Boss Andy Hessenthaler made seven changes to the Gillingham starting line-up, with captain Barry Fuller among those dropped to the bench. Those included in the starting line-up were injury-plagued defender Simon King and Mark Bentley, recently back from a loan stint at Cambridge.

Taking the captain’s armband was defender Garry Richards, back in the side having missed the last three games.

There were a few nervy moments at the back in the first half, but keeper Alan Julian was able to mop up most of the danger and the sides went into the break goalless.

A good early interchange between McDonald and Barcham led to the latter taking a shot from distance, but the keeper got behind the effort. At the other end Tom Pope flashed a shot across the face of goal from an acute angle.

Gillingham weren’t devoid of chances themselves but Annerson continued to frustrate and he came out to save at the feet of McDonald after Adebayo Akinfenwa had laid the ball into his path.

Rotherham introduced their 21-goal leading scorer Adam LeFondre with 20 minutes left and he came an inch away from converting Tom Newey’s cross. The striker’s glancing header from in front of goal went just wide.

The Gills took the lead 11 minutes from time when Barcham cut into the box and beat the keeper with a deflected shot.

Gillingham then had to hang on as Rotherham, who needed a win themselves to remain in the play-off hunt, attacked in numbers. The Gills had to survive a further four minutes due to injury time. They did just that to clinch a vital win in their quest for a play-off place.

Gills: Julian, King (Fuller 69mins), Richards, Maher, Bentley, McDonald, Barcham (Spiller 81mins), Jackman (Lawrence 90mins), Akinfenwa, Sinclair, Martin. Subs: Nutter, Rooney, Cronin, J Payne.

Rotherham: Annerson, Tonge, Cresswell, Fenton (Warne 81mins), Newey, Marshall (Henderson 46mins), Harrison, Taylor, Green, Pope, Thomas-Moore (Le Fondre 66mins). Subs: Ashworth, Bradley, Randall, Warrington.

Attendance: 3,455.