Gillingham were unable to hang onto their first half advantage and had to settle for a point at Burton.

Vadaine Oliver put Gillingham ahead in the opening half but shortly after the restart Kane Hemmings equalised for Burton. Both teams had chances to win it but the match ended all-square.

Captain Kyle Dempsey returned for the Gills along with striker Vadaine Oliver, having both missed the midweek EFL Trophy match.

Manager Steve Evans was back on the touchline too after a couple of days off with illness.

Opponents Burton Albion started the day sitting third in the table but the Gills had the better of the opening half.

Gillingham were knocking on the door before their opener with Dan Adshead and Charlie Kelman both going close.

Oliver’s opener came in the 18th minute with his lively new strike-partner Kelman the creator. On-loan QPR man Kelman beat one man before finding Oliver and he took a touch before firing into the bottom corner.

Burton put a few efforts into the away end before Jamie Cumming was seriously tested, saving with his feet to deny Hemmings, his chance coming following Harry Chapman’s burst forward.

Cumming made a couple more routine saves, as Burton got more into it, while Dempsey and Kelman went close at the other end.

Burton were level within seconds of the restart, Hemmings lashing home after Michael Bostwick had nodded on a Tom Hamer long throw into his path.

Charlie Lakin put a shot wide for the hosts as they looked to build on a positive start to the second half but Mustapha Carayol came close to putting Gills back infront on the hour, a shot from an acute angle forcing Garratt into a save, getting enough on it to send it across the face of goal.

Gillingham’s wide-man Carayol repeated his run and shot trick moments later but again Garratt blocked the effort. The Gills had started to take charge again and made a switch upfront with John Akinde replacing Kelman for the latter stages.

Oliver put a header wide after beating the keeper to a ball forward supplied by his newly introduced partner.

Jonny Smith had a couple of shots saved by the Gillingham goalie and needed Max Ehmer to head another off the line as Burton rallied late on. Lakin had another half-chance that Cumming held onto.

It needed a great low save from Cumming to deny Burton a last-minute winner, saving low from home substitute Daniel Jebbison after he had raced clear of the Gills defence.

Stuart O’Keefe volleyed over for Gills in stoppage-time as the match ended level.

Gillingham: Cumming, McKenzie, Tutonda, Ehmer, Tucker, Adshead (O’Keefe 89mins), Dempsey, MacDonald, Carayol, Kelman (Akinde 66mins), Oliver (Lloyd 90mins). Subs not used: Chapman, Lee, Reeves, Bennett.

Burton: Garratt, Borthwick-Jackson, Bostwick, Shaughnessy, Lakin, Chapman, Blake-Tracy (Morris 81mins), Hamer, Smith (Powell 90mins), Akins, Hemmings (Jebbison 71mins). Subs not used: Balcombe, Patrick, Amadi-Holloway, Gilligan.

Referee: Carl Boyeson

Attendance: 2,555