First-half goals by Marlon King and Paul Shaw helped Gillingham stretch their unbeaten home record to seven games against disappointing Portsmouth at Priestfield.

Watched by their biggest crowd of the season - 10,447 - Gillingham recovered from a quiet start to claim the points and bounce back from the 4-1 defeat at Barnsley at the weekend, their first reverse in eight games.

Pompey boss Graham Rix was forced into a late change when Kevin Harper went down with flu and his replacement Jason Crowe almost fired the visitors in front, forcing Gillingham goalkeeper Vince Bartram into an early save.

Then Gillingham went close when Robert Taylor cut in from the by-line and fired just wide.

Portsmouth captain Robert Prosinecki then fired over the bar from the edge of the area but the Gillingham fans came to life soon afterwards when King put them in front.

The Gills top scorer netted his 12th goal of the season aided by a deflection which wrong-footed Pompey keeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi.

It was King's first goal for five games having returned to the side following a one-match ban.

Gillingham stretched their lead eight minutes later when Nayron Nosworthy combined well with Taylor and his cross found Shaw who had the easy task of netting his fourth goal in three games from just a yard out.

Croatia international skipper Prosinecki again went close for Pompey but fired over the bar and Peter Crouch and Steve Lovell were given little room by Gillingham's central defensive pairing Barry Ashby, playing for the first time since late November, and Chris Hope.

Gillingham could have gone 3-0 up early in the second half but King's downward header was well kept out by Kawaguchi as he threw himself to his left.

Portsmouth's best spell of the game came when they won four corners in quick succession but apart from a couple of headers by 14-goal Crouch they rarely troubled Bartram.

The Pompey fans shouted for a penalty when Lovell went down in the box but nothing was given with Surrey referee David Crick keeping a firm control on the game.

The only booking was a yellow card for Portsmouth defender Linvoy Primus for a foul.

Rix sent on Gary O'Neill with just over 20 minutes left and then made a late double change sending on Courtney Pitt and Rowan Vine in place of Jamie Vincent and Crowe - but Gillingham held on to record their 10th win of the season.

Teams:

Gillingham: Bartram, Nosworthy, Perpetuini, Ashby, Hope, Osborn, Smith, Browning, King (Ipoua 70), Taylor, Shaw (Gooden 78).

Subs Not Used: Patterson, Butters, Saunders.

Goals: King 22, Shaw 29.

Portsmouth: Kawaguchi, Tiler, Buxton, Primus, Crowe (Vine 81), Vincent (Pitt 81), Prosinecki, Quashie, Barrett (O'Neil 67), Lovell, Crouch.

Subs Not Used: Tardif, Hiley.

Booked: Primus.

Att: 10,477

Ref: D Crick (Worcester Park).