First birthday gift for boy

Football: Guy gift to birthday boy Andy

GUY IPOUA'S second goal in three games fired the Gills clear at the top of the First Division.

It was no more than the home side deserved as Andy Hessenthaler's battlers looked hungrier and fitter than Millwall on a torrid afternoon at Priestfield.

Poor Millwall never looked like getting their first goal of the season apart from an early flurry as the Gills defence kept their clean sheet for the season.

In a lively opening Millwall attempted to improve on their terrible start to the campaign with Paul Ifill seeing his shot blocked by the legs of Jason Brown and Andy Roberts' long-ranger was held by the keeper.

But at the other end Darren Ward's back pass almost let in Ipoua and Mamady Sidibe's flying volley flew wide.

The best chance of the first half fell to Gills defender Barry Ashby but his blast from inside the box was beaten away by Tony Warner.

Gills turned up the heat after the break with Paul Shaw's 25-yard sizzler crashing against the bar.

Millwall briefly rallied but on 61 minutes Gills deservedly went ahead. Ashby floated in a free kick that drifted over the Millwall defence and Ipoua was at the far post to slot home.

Shaw could have made it safe but the ex-Millwall man's shot was blocked by the legs of the busy Warner.

It was a happy 37th birthday for player-boss Hessenthaler as his team maintained their 100 per cent record for the season.MAN OF THE MATCH PAUL SHAW

Terrorised ex team-mates and had one effort that smashed the bar.

GILLINGHAM: Brown 6, Edge 6, Smith 6, Ashby 7, Nosworthy 7, Hessenthaler 7 (Saunders 6) Ipoua 7, SHAW 8, Hope 6, Osborn 6, Sidibe 7 (Johnson 6).

MILLWALL: Warner 7; Lawrence 6, Cahill 6, Nethercott 6, Ifill 6, Livermore 6, Harris 6, Ward 7, Roberts 6 (Sweeney 6), Bull 5 (Ryan 6), May 5 (Claridge 6).

MANAGER RATINGS: Hessenthaler 8, McGhee 6.

REFEREE: R Beeby 6.