Gillingham played half an hour with ten men but managed to protect their early lead against Chesterfield to claim another win.
Chesterfield twice hit the woodwork in the opening half and again in the second but the Gills held onto a lead that had come through Robbie McKenzie’s eighth-minute header.
Gillingham had captain Max Ehmer sent off for a second bookable offence shortly after George Lapslie headed against the post after an hour. The visitors finished with 10 men themselves as Chey Dunkley picked up two yellow cards in three minutes during stoppage-time.
Manager Mark Bonner made four changes to his Gillingham starting eleven.
An injury to goalkeeper Jake Turner meant a start for 40-year-old Glenn Morris, who will now fight for the shirt with Fulham loanee Luca Ashby-Hammond.
Marcus Wyllie was preferred upfront to Jacob Wakeling, making his first Football League appearance. George Lapslie replaced the absent Tim Dieng.
Aaron Rowe’s return to the starting line-up didn’t last long as he went off injured with a muscle strain, after just 20 minutes.
Named among the subs was summer signing Bradley Dack and big striker Josh Andrews. Neither had featured previously in the current season.
The Chesterfield teamsheet showed the quality Gills were up against, the visitors having the luxury of Will Grigg leading their attack. Former Gillingham midfielder Darren Oldaker returned to Priestfield, a place where his career never took off despite much promise and undoubted talent.
Both teams were unbeaten ahead of the early kick off, the Gills starting the weekend top of the table.
It was Chesterfield who came closest to an early breakthrough as Oldaker smashed a 30-yard free-kick against the underside of the bar. Wyllie was on hand to clear as the ball just about stayed out.
The visitors went close again when Vontae Daley-Campbell’s cross was cut out by Shad Ogie but ran loose for Dilan Markanday. He blazed the super opportunity over from 12 yards.
The Gills had ridden their luck and took the lead after just seven minutes when Jack Nolan’s free-kick was met at the back post by MacKenzie, unmarked to dive in and head home.
Wyllie had a great chance to open his league account, with just the keeper to beat from an angle, but Ryan Boot saved.
A goal had given the Gills a real lift and they looked good for a second. Referee Charles Breakspear waved off appeals for a penalty after Nolan had been cleaned out a few yards inside the area.
Chesterfield’s luck was certainty out as they hit the woodwork again. Markanday’s low cross ran for Armando Dobra but he dragged a shot against the post.
The Gills took a lead into the break but knew they had plenty of work to do in the second 45.
Chesterfield had a goal disallowed early in the second half. Daley-Campbell ran in from the right and his low shot beat Morris, aided by a deft touch from Markanday, and the linesman’s flag went up for offside.
It was Gillingham’s turn to hit the woodwork with an hour gone when Max Clark’s deep cross was met by Lapslie and his header bounced off the upright.
There was controversy moments later when Gills captain Ehmer was booked for a second time, for a foul on James Berry out near the touchline, just five minutes after a caution for tripping Dobra.
Goalscorer McKenzie dropped into defence for a Gills team lacking in defensive cover as they reverted to a 4-4-1 formation for the last 20 minutes.
Gillingham were up against it, as Chesterfield penned them in, but the home side defended well.
Morris gathered a few crosses and scooped up a weak shot from Jenson Metcalfe as he was largely untroubled.
Chesterfield hit the crossbar on 90 minutes through Tom Naylor and Berry fired the loose ball wide ahead of six minutes of stoppage-time.
Dunkley twice fouled Josh Andews in stoppage-time, leading to two yellow cards and a dismissal for him.
Gillingham: Morris, Hutton, Clark, Ehmer, Ogie, McKenzie, Little, Rowe (Clarke 20mins), Lapslie (J Williams 82mins), Nolan, Wyllie (Andrews 82mins). Subs not used: Ashby-Hammond, Giles, Dack, Wakeling.
Chesterfield: Boot, Berry, Gordon, Naylor, Dunkley, Banks (Williams 90mins), Oldaker, Markanday (Metcalfe 80mins), Daley-Campbell (Jacobs 75mins), Dobra, Grigg (Drummond 80mins). Subs not used: Thompson, Grimes, Jones.
Referee: Charles Breakspear
Attendance: 6,954 (330 away)
