Gillingham extended their unbeaten run to nine games as they eased to victory over struggling Bradford City.
Kevin Ellison had the chance to put the visitors ahead but keeper Alan Julian pulled off a stunning save.
The Gills broke the deadlock before half-time, Curtis Weston crossing for Adebayo Akinfenwa to nod in.
They doubled their advantage after the restart when Weston fired home from 25-yards, and Julian preserved their lead by saving Tom Adeyemi's late effort.
Gillingham manager Andy Hessenthaler told BBC Radio Kent: "Bradford are a big side, they played quite direct and made it awkward for us in the first half. The only real bit of quality in the first 45 minutes led to our goal.
"We had a great start to the second half with Curtis Weston's goal. He's getting fitter every game, had a terrific match for us again and scored a fantastic goal.
"I thought it was a really good team performance, but adding Andy Barcham to the team allowed us to get a bit of width that we haven't had in the last few games."
Bradford City interim manager Peter Jackson told BBC Radio Leeds: "You could see I really enjoyed it. I didn't enjoy the result but I felt the performance was good.
"The goals killed us at just the wrong times, just before and after half-time, but the comittment and the passion and the desire that I'm looking for, they gave me.
"I'm obviously disappointed with the defeat but there are a lot of good things to come out of this."
Live text and stats
Saturday, 5 March 2011
Npower League Two
Home Team
Score
Away Team
Time
Gillingham
2-0
Bradford
FT
(HT 1-0)
Akinfenwa 43
Weston 46
Gillingham
01 Julian
03 Nutter
06 Richards
15 Lawrence
02 Fuller yellow card
04 Weston (Oli 77)
07 Maher yellow card
28 Payne
10 McDonald
11 Barcham (Martin 77)
27 Akinfenwa (Rooney 82)
Substitutes
26 Cronin,
18 Jackman,
29 Sinclair,
08 Bentley,
14 Rooney,
32 Martin,
21 Oli
Bradford
40 Pidgeley
03 O'Brien
06 Oliver
12 Williams
15 Hunt yellow card
04 Flynn
19 Worthington (Adeyemi 35)
26 Ellison (Dobie 68)
09 Evans
10 Speight
17 Hanson
Substitutes
01 McLaughlin,
28 Threlfall,
14 Osborne,
20 Adeyemi,
22 Bullock,
23 Syers,
11 Dobie
Ref: RushtonAtt: 5,019
GILLINGHAM
BRADFORD
Possession
Gillingham52%
Bradford48%
Attempts on target
Gillingham8
Bradford6
Attempts off target
Gillingham3
Bradford8
Corners
Gillingham8
Bradford9
Fouls
Gillingham20
Bradford15
Final Result
Full Time
90:00+3:21 The referee signals the end of the game.
90:00+2:57 Lewis Hunt fouled by Joe Martin, the ref awards a free kick.
90:00+2:27 Foul by Steve Williams on Dennis Oli, free kick awarded. Free kick taken by Kevin Maher.
90:00+1:26 Tom Adeyemi is penalised for handball and concedes a free kick. Alan Julian takes the direct free kick.
89:22 Luke O'Brien produces a cross, clearance by John Nutter. Scott Dobie takes a shot. Clearance by Cody McDonald. Floated corner taken from the right by-line by Gareth Evans. Inswinging corner taken by Gareth Evans from the left by-line, clearance by Kevin Maher.
88:04 Cody McDonald gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Steve Williams. Lenny Pidgeley takes the indirect free kick.
86:52 Steve Williams is ruled offside. Free kick taken by Alan Julian.
86:35 Joe Martin gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Gareth Evans. Gareth Evans takes the free kick.
84:53 Dennis Oli gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Lewis Hunt. Lenny Pidgeley restarts play with the free kick.
84:14 Gareth Evans takes a outswinging corner from the right by-line played to the near post, save made by Alan Julian.
82:56 The ball is delivered by Luke Rooney, save by Lenny Pidgeley.
81:58 Substitution Adebayo Akinfenwa leaves the field to be replaced by Luke Rooney.
80:57 Foul by Garry Richards on James Hanson, free kick awarded. Luke O'Brien restarts play with the free kick.
79:07 Effort from inside the area by Gareth Evans misses to the left of the goal.
77:58 Header from deep inside the area by Steve Williams goes over the bar.
77:14 Kevin Maher gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Tom Adeyemi. Gareth Evans takes the free kick.
76:10 Substitution Joe Martin replaces Andy Barcham.
76:10 Substitution Dennis Oli comes on in place of Curtis Weston.
75:58 Shot by Jack Payne from outside the area goes high over the crossbar.
74:41 Cody McDonald takes a shot. Blocked by Steve Williams. Corner from the right by-line taken by John Nutter, Garry Richards takes a shot. Luke O'Brien gets a block in. Inswinging corner taken by Kevin Maher from the right by-line, Steve Williams makes a clearance.
74:26 Michael Flynn takes a shot from 30 yards. Blocked by Matthew Lawrence.
72:12 Garry Richards fouled by James Hanson, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Alan Julian.
70:39 Adebayo Akinfenwa takes a shot. Save made by Lenny Pidgeley. A cross is delivered by Andy Barcham, clearance by Steve Williams. Inswinging corner taken by Kevin Maher, Cody McDonald takes a shot. Lenny Pidgeley makes a save. Corner taken by Kevin Maher.
70:02 Andy Barcham concedes a free kick for a foul on Lewis Hunt. Lenny Pidgeley takes the free kick.
69:35 Gareth Evans crosses the ball, clearance by Kevin Maher.
68:42 Barry Fuller sends in a cross, clearance by James Hanson.
67:12 Substitution Kevin Ellison goes off and Scott Dobie comes on.
66:30 Kevin Maher delivers the ball, clearance by Luke O'Brien.
65:24 Corner taken by Gareth Evans, James Hanson produces a header from deep inside the six-yard box which goes wide of the right-hand upright.
Correction - 64:11 The ball is delivered by Curtis Weston, Steve Williams makes a clearance.
64:11 Centre by Curtis Weston, clearance by James Hanson.
62:42 Curtis Weston produces a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area and misses left.
61:59 The offside flag is raised against Jake Speight. Alan Julian restarts play with the free kick.
61:23 The referee blows for offside. Free kick taken by Steve Williams.
59:47 Adebayo Akinfenwa is ruled offside. Free kick taken by Lenny Pidgeley.
57:58 Curtis Weston takes a shot. Save made by Lenny Pidgeley. Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Garry Richards by James Hanson. Alan Julian takes the direct free kick.
51:47 Jake Speight takes a shot. Blocked by Kevin Maher. Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Gareth Evans from the right by-line, Alan Julian manages to make a clearance.
50:30 Kevin Maher challenges Michael Flynn unfairly and gives away a free kick. Lenny Pidgeley takes the direct free kick.
49:36 Inswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Gareth Evans, Garry Richards fouled by Luke Oliver, the ref awards a free kick. Alan Julian takes the direct free kick.
48:34 Matthew Lawrence challenges James Hanson unfairly and gives away a free kick. Luke O'Brien takes the direct free kick.
47:01 Tom Adeyemi takes a shot. Save made by Alan Julian.
46:45 Centre by Curtis Weston, clearance by Lewis Hunt.
45:32 GOAL - Curtis Weston:Gillingham 2 - 0 Bradford Curtis Weston scores a goal from just outside the box to the top right corner of the goal. Gillingham 2-0 Bradford.
45:01 The second half begins.
Half Time
45:00+3:07 The referee calls an end to the first half.
42:05 Assist by Curtis Weston.
42:05 GOAL - Adebayo Akinfenwa:Gillingham 1 - 0 Bradford Adebayo Akinfenwa finds the net with a headed goal from close in. Gillingham 1-0 Bradford.
41:17 Andy Barcham fouled by Lewis Hunt, the ref awards a free kick. Indirect free kick taken by John Nutter.
41:17 Booking Booking for Lewis Hunt.
39:20 Shot by Kevin Ellison. Alan Julian makes a save. Inswinging corner taken by Luke O'Brien from the left by-line, Luke Oliver takes a shot. John Nutter manages to make a clearance. Luke O'Brien produces a right-footed shot from just outside the penalty area that goes harmlessly over the target.
38:00 Booking Lee Bullock receives a caution.
36:38 The ball is sent over by Kevin Ellison, Unfair challenge on Garry Richards by Jake Speight results in a free kick. Alan Julian takes the direct free kick.
35:18 The ball is sent over by Curtis Weston, clearance by Lewis Hunt. Corner taken by John Nutter played to the near post, free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Lenny Pidgeley by Adebayo Akinfenwa. Free kick taken by Lenny Pidgeley.
34:14 Substitution Tom Adeyemi on for Jonathan Worthington.
32:13 Unfair challenge on Andy Barcham by Jonathan Worthington results in a free kick. Alan Julian restarts play with the free kick.
31:41 The assistant referee flags for offside against Curtis Weston. Lenny Pidgeley takes the free kick.
31:19 Shot from long distance by Luke O'Brien goes wide of the left-hand upright.
27:35 Barry Fuller gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on James Hanson. Luke O'Brien takes the direct free kick, Garry Richards takes a shot.
27:35 Booking Barry Fuller is given a yellow card.
26:54 Unfair challenge on Cody McDonald by Lewis Hunt results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Matthew Lawrence.
26:01 Foul by Kevin Maher on Michael Flynn, free kick awarded. Free kick taken by Lenny Pidgeley.
24:43 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Garry Richards by Jake Speight. Matthew Lawrence takes the indirect free kick.
22:36 Corner taken right-footed by Gareth Evans, Luke Oliver concedes a free kick for a foul on Barry Fuller. Alan Julian takes the direct free kick.
21:58 Matthew Lawrence challenges Jake Speight unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Lewis Hunt.
20:27 Effort on goal by Jake Speight from just inside the area clears the bar.
19:47 Kevin Maher concedes a free kick for a foul on James Hanson. Indirect free kick taken by Lenny Pidgeley.
19:47 Booking Kevin Maher shown a yellow card.
17:00 Free kick awarded for a foul by Michael Flynn on Kevin Maher. Strike comes in from John Nutter from the free kick, Michael Flynn gets a block in.
15:50 Foul by Adebayo Akinfenwa on James Hanson, free kick awarded. Lenny Pidgeley restarts play with the free kick.
15:19 Jake Speight challenges Matthew Lawrence unfairly and gives away a free kick. John Nutter takes the free kick.
14:00 The ball is swung over by Andy Barcham, Jake Speight makes a clearance. Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Luke Oliver by Cody McDonald. Direct free kick taken by Lenny Pidgeley.
13:25 The assistant referee flags for offside against Jake Speight. Alan Julian takes the free kick.
12:42 Outswinging corner taken by John Nutter from the right by-line, save made by Lenny Pidgeley.
12:16 James Hanson gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Garry Richards. Free kick taken by Garry Richards.
11:00 Unfair challenge on Jonathan Worthington by Garry Richards results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Luke O'Brien.
7:56 Outswinging corner taken left-footed by John Nutter from the left by-line, Lewis Hunt manages to make a clearance. Inswinging corner taken by John Nutter from the right by-line played to the near post, clearance by Michael Flynn.
7:17 Adebayo Akinfenwa gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Steve Williams. Lenny Pidgeley restarts play with the free kick.
6:24 Luke Oliver challenges Adebayo Akinfenwa unfairly and gives away a free kick. Indirect free kick taken by Barry Fuller.
5:04 Foul by Jack Payne on Kevin Ellison, free kick awarded. Free kick crossed by Luke O'Brien.
4:14 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on James Hanson by Cody McDonald. Free kick taken by Lenny Pidgeley.
3:43 Foul by Luke Oliver on Adebayo Akinfenwa, free kick awarded. John Nutter takes the free kick.
3:17 Gareth Evans crosses the ball, clearance by Matthew Lawrence. Gareth Evans has an effort at goal from the edge of the area that misses to the right of the target.
1:06 The ball is swung over by Luke O'Brien, Curtis Weston makes a clearance. Gareth Evans takes the inswinging corner, Headed effort from inside the area by Gareth Evans misses to the right of the target.
0:11 Adebayo Akinfenwa is ruled offside. Lenny Pidgeley takes the direct free kick.
0:00 The referee gets the game underway.
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