Gills boss Andy Hessenthaler was delighted with the way his side dispatched Bristol Rovers at Priestfield on Saturday afternoon.

Two Danny Kedwell penalties along with goals from Lewis Montrose and Danny Jackman ensured The Gills went on to beat the Pirates 4-1 and maintain the home sides eight game unbeaten run.

Having watched on as Gillingham showed more attacking flair than they had in their past two league games against Bradford City and Macclesfield, Hessenthaler spoke after the game about how pleased he was with his side:

“It was a good performance with great tempo and desire,” Hessenthaler said. “I thought we started well and got the crowd going.

“The third goal was a great strike from Jacko and after that, for me, the game was over. Danny Jackman was man of the match and rightly so. He’s such a clever player and he’s a pleasure to work with. His performances have been superb over the last few weeks.

“I think they (Rovers) were a bit disappointed in the first half but it was clearly a trip and a penalty. Paul (Buckle, Rovers boss) might say differently but I’ve freeze-framed the DVD and it’s a definite penalty and they can’t grumble.

“I’m delighted with the performance and it’s a great start to Christmas for the fans. I’ve already had the chairman on the phone and it’s a nice Christmas present for him to start the holidays.”

Meanwhile, Rovers boss Paul Buckle was less than impressed with the first penalty decision and the referee’s performance in general:

He said: “We knew we’d have to withstand some pressure from Gillingham, they’re in the play-off positions for a reason. They added one goal for their troubles in the first half and then we get a decision that goes against us, which I don’t think was a penalty, and that changed the game.

“Decisions change games and everything that could have gone for Gillingham went for them. I’m not taking anything away from their performance but sometimes in football they call it a bad day at the office and that’s what we had.

“We take strength from the heart the players showed, we played some incredible football and the result wasn’t a fair reflection of the game. It was a good game of football between two good sides, but we didn’t deserve that result.”

Hessenthaler was right in saying that the sponsors had given the man of the match award to the right man. Danny Jackman stole the show in the centre of the park, whilst delivering a quality ball in for the first goal.

His tenacity alongside the ever impressive Jack Payne enabled the likes of Curtis Weston and Lewis Montrose to bomb forward and take risks.

In what could be his last game in a Gills shirt, Frank Nouble showed why Hessenthaler will be back on the phone to both Sam Allardyce and Ian Hendon at West Ham pleading to keep the striker until the end of the season.

With the next game now over a week away, The Gills can enjoy Christmas knowing they are just seven points off third placed Cheltenham now and only eleven behind Crawley who they face next on Boxing Day.

Charlie Lee will miss both the Crawley and Dagenham games after picking up his tenth booking of the season. Who will replace him at right back will give Hessenthaler something to chew over along with his turkey.