A stoppage time equaliser from centre half Baily Cargill meant that the Gills headed back to Kent with a point from their Boxing Day fixture against Peterborough United.
The Gills went into the game on the back of victory over MK Dons last time out, and manager Justin Edinburgh brought back into the side the fit again Ryan Jackson. He slotted back into his regular right back birth, with Scott Wagstaff moving back into midfield, with Frank Nouble dropping out of the starting eleven and onto the bench.
As the game got underway, it was the away side that could have taken the lead, Bradley Dack was the man on the end of a Wagstaff pass, but his shot was saved by Luke McGee in the Posh goal.
It was again the Gills who created the next chance of the match, just five minutes later Jay Emmanuel-Thomas went close, cutting in from the left after Dack’s cross, and forcing a save from McGee.
The home side’s first chance came in the 9th minute, from a short corner. The ball found its way to Andrew Hughes, who was just inside the box, but the left-back fired over when he could have hit the target and force Stuart Nelson into making a save.
Posh could and probably should have gone ahead in the 14th minute. Gwion Edwards played Tom Nichols through on goal, however he fired his effort wide from 15 yards, with only Nelson to beat.
Nicholls did well on 25 minutes when he nicked the ball off Max Ehmer, the Gills centre half was trying to see the ball out of play, but Nicholls wasn’t having any of that. He raced then through on goal, but Ehmer did well to get the ball back and clear the ball, atoning for his error.
The Gills were then on the attack again just before the half hour mark, Emmanuel-Thomas and Jackson combined well down the right hand wide. Jackson then fed the ball to Captain Josh Wright, the skipper then fired a cross into the far post where Cody McDonald and Dack were both queued up waiting the cross. McDonald let the ball go for Dack, who smashed his shot goalwards, but it was blocked on the line by Michael Smith.
As the second half got back underway it was the home side who came out of the traps faster, than their counterparts. It was a case of Nelson to the rescue, as he saved Edwards shot with the Posh player then unable to convert the rebound.
With the game approaching the final quarter, both sides were looking for the all-important goal that could be the one that won the game for either side.
The Posh went close in the 71st minute when, substitute Lee Angol had the chance to score, but he dragged his shot from 25-yards wide of Nelson’s goal, but he was just getting his sights in.
He was to get on the scoresheet just seven minutes later however, he was played into the Gills area and was left one-on-one with the Gills keeper, Nelson did well to save Angol’s initial shot. He did then show great composure to slot home from a tight angle, to make it 1-0 to the home side.
With injury time upon the Gills, they were having all of the possession and were looking for an equaliser, and in the 92nd minute the goal duly came.
Cargill was in the right place to fire home an excellent volley, to open his account for the Gills, connecting with Wagstaff’s cross to leave McGee well beaten and the Gills heading back to Kent with a deserved point.
Peterborough: McGee, Amith, Hughes, Bostwick, Tafazoli, Edwards, Forrester, Maddison (Moncur, 68), Coulthirst (Angol, 61), Lopes. Nichols (Oduwa, 90+1)
Subs not used: Tyler, Santos, Inman, Binnom-Williams
Gillingham: Nelson, Jackson, Ehmer, Wagstaff, Hessenthaler, McDonald (Nouble, 74), Konchesky, Cargill, Dack, Wright, Emmanuel-Thomas
Subs not used: Hadler, Oshilaja, Donnelly, Knott, Oldaker, Byrne