Gillingham kept their hopes of staying in the first division a real boost with victory over fellow strugglers Rotherham at Priestfield.
The Kent club had been alarmingly inconsistent in front of their own fans this season. However this win was a second at home in a row, ahead of two difficult games - both away - at Sunderland and West Ham in the next week.
Boss Andy Hessenthaler left himself on the bench after completing a two-match ban. He urged his team to score quickly and they carried out the instructions perfectly, netting twice in four minutes just past the quarter hour.
The first came from a most unlikely source. Defender Barry Ashby, sent off at Norwich on Tuesday was well forward for Nicky Southall's kick. It was swung in perfectly and Ashby met it with a perfect right-foot volley, only his ninth in 292 games for the club.
Then Mamady Sidibe should have made in 2-0. However Mike Pollitt blocked his effort, but the Mali international was soon celebrating.
His partnership with new boy Patrick Agyemang continues to blossom. The former Wimbledon youngster's strong run into the box saw him set up Kevin James, his shot was blocked but fell nicely for Sidibe who rammed home a low right-foot effort.
Danny Spiller went close to adding a third, heading another well-flighted Southall free-kick over the bar and Gillingham were comfortably placed at the break.
However things changed in the second half. Rotherham playing against the howling gale began to create problems and it was only two excellent saves by Steve Banks that kept Gillingham ahead.
The first was low down at the feet of Martin Butler and then Banks got his angles right again to keep out another effort from Andy Monkhouse.
Michael Proctor also saw his wind assisted corner clip the crossbar, but Gillingham held on in a game of six bookings.
One of them was handed out to Jody Morris, as the former Leeds and Chelsea midfielder made his Rotherham debut as a second-half substitute.
The three points pushes Gillingham up four places in the table and means Rotherham are now 20th.
Both Hessenthaler and opposite number Ronnie Moore are united in the belief that it's a real dogfight. Neither manager knows his team are safe from the drop.