The half-time switch in attack paid off for Gills caretaker boss Steve Lovell on Saturday.

Lovell was keen on injecting a more physical approach up top against Bury, replacing Elliott List with Conor Wilkinson.

It helped turn the game on its head, as the Gills began to get the upperhand over their rivals in the League 1 drop-zone.

Explaining the switch, Lovell said: “I needed another physical presence up front and Elliott is more of a quick man. He is very good in the 4-2-3-1 but because their three (central defenders) sat very deep there was no space to hit balls over the top for him.

“With Conor on, he and (Tom) Eaves going up for the balls allowed our midfield players to take a gamble and get the second balls. Those two were a threat and we looked decent when the ball was up their end.”

Gillingham got their equaliser with five minutes left but Wilkinson’s arrival was the only time Lovell looked to use his substitutes.

He said: “I didn’t want to make any more subs in the second half because what’s the point when you are on top?

“You could put another forward on and the whole shape goes out the window because you want to go and win the game. We could have won the game with the personnel on the field.

“In the second half it was one of the best performances in a half that we have had this year, without killing the team off.”