Gillingham chairman Paul Scally wasted no time in thanking boss Justin Edinburgh for achieving their No.1 target.

The Gills reached the 50-point mark on Saturday after beating Bradford 3-0 at Priestfield.

Mr Scally, on a break abroad, texted his manager congratulations after the club achieved their minimum target with just over half of the season completed.

Edinburgh said: “The chairman is away and he sent me a text to say that was our first milestone to reach; that was the first thing we spoke about, to hit that 50 points.

“To do it as quickly as we have is a fantastic effort from everyone at the football club.”

Fifty points is regarded by many as being the figure needed to avoid relegation, even if the real tally is generally a few points more - not that the Gills have any worries on that score.

The chairman’s next objective is claiming a play-off place and the Gills are well on course, sitting 10 points ahead of the team currently occupying the final spot.

“We have given ourselves a good opportunity to carry on what we started in 2015,” said Edinburgh, whose side were the third-best performers in the Football League last year.

The Gills will top League 1 if they can avoid defeat at Wigan during Thursday night’s live TV game on Sky Sports.