Marlon King spared Jason Brown's blushes as Gillingham came from behind to take three points against Nottingham Forest.

Goalkeeper Brown gifted Forest an early lead after making a hash of a regulation clearance, but was grateful for a brace from the effervescent King and Marcus Browning's late strike.

The result did not flatter Andy Hessenthaler's side, and the only surprise was that it took 83 minutes for them to make the game safe.

Brown's moment to forget arrived in the 10th minute, when he chose to control Paul Smith's backpass instead of making what should have been a regulation clearance.

He succeeded only in standing on the ball, falling over and presenting the ever-alert Jack Lester with an open net.

The sides may have been separated by a solitary point before the start of play - Gillingham, in 13th place, were marginally the better off - but the hosts' dominance was such that the uninitiated could be forgiven for thinking they were witnessing a top-versus-bottom clash.

King struck an audacious volley just over the bar from Roland Edge's centre, and the defensive wall was called into action when Guy Butters and then Ty Gooden powered free-kicks towards goal.

Iffy Onuora and Gooden, again, wasted chances as the first half drew to a close, but Gillingham found the back of the net within three minutes of the restart.

Brennan's foul on Browning allowed Gooden to deliver a teasing centre from the right flank, and King latched on to Onuora's cushioned header to dispatch a low drive past Ward from 18 yards.

King, brimming with confidence, brought a stunning save out of Ward with another piledriver, although Gillingham's penchant for long-range strikes looked likely to cost them any chance of victory.

Those fears were extinguished by King nine minutes from time courtesy of another marvellous finish from just outside the area.

And Browning made a late bid for 'goal of the day' with a fizzing 25-yard drive that nestled in the bottom-left corner of an overworked Ward's net.

Teams:

Gillingham: Brown, Edge (Perpetuini 51), Butters, Nosworthy, Hope, Smith, Gooden (Saunders 85), Browning, King, Shaw, Onuora (Ipoua 72).

Subs Not Used: Bartram, Ashby.

Booked: Onuora.

Goals: King 49, 81, Browning 83.

Nottm Forest: Ward, Louis-Jean, Brennan, Hjelde, Kevin Dawson, Scimeca, Williams, Prutton, Gray, Reid (Westcarr 79), Lester.

Subs Not Used: Jones, Formann, Edds, Michael Dawson.

Booked: Kevin Dawson, Gray, Scimeca.

Goals: Lester 10.

Att: 8,928

Ref: W Jordan (Tring).