Gillingham snapped their five-game losing streak, but were still denied a much needed three points by a ninety-third minute equaliser from the ten men of Swindon Town at the County Ground.
The home side had Grant Hall sent off early on for a cynical challenge on Tim Dieng, and ironically it was the Frenchman who put the Gills ahead on sixteen minutes after Conor Masterson and Jacob Wakeling combined.
Against ten men it looked as if the Gills would gain their first win since beating Barrow at the end of September, however former Sittingbourne and Folkestone Invicta stirker Harry Smith rose to meet Tunmise Sobowale’s deep cross and powered the header home past Jake Turner.
Dieng certainly was heavily involved in the games start, as he had an effort in the opening minutes which went just wide before with the click not even showing ten minutes, the Frenchman was hoed down by Hall in a high and late challenge, leaving the referee little choice but to reach for the red card.
Swindon, with new boss Ian Holloway watching on, had 81 minutes to hold out, and they duly did for six! Masterson played a delightful ball for Wakeling to run onto and as keeper Jack Bycroft tried to narrow the angle, Wakeling rolled the ball into Dieng’s path to open the scoring.
Really the Gills should have already been in front – Oli Hawkins brilliantly adjusted header (from a Remeao Hutton cross) beat Bycroft but crashed against the bar. Wakeling couldn’t convert and then Hawkins blazed wide.
On the stroke of half time, Bycroft pulled off a stunning save to keep out Dieng again as the visitors finished the half well on top and came out in the second looking to protect what they had.
Even though both sides probed and pressed, there really wasn’t the goal action that there was in the first period as the half turned into a real war of attrition. Hutton snatched at a shot when having Wakeling and Hawkins waiting for a pullback whilst Euan Williams had a half chance that he couldn’t connect properly with and the chance was gone.
Just as the eleven hundred Gills fans were about to celebrate the points, Smiths header crept in and the points were shared as the Gills at least stopped the losing run but will be desperately disappointed not to have got back to winning ways ahead of the FA Cup First Round tie next weekend with Blackpool.
SWINDON TOWN – Bycroft, Sobowale, Hall, Wright, McGregor (Freckleton), Clarke (Minturn), Kilkenny, Cox (Longelo), Butterworth (Cotterill), Drinan (Tshimanga), Smith
Subs – Barden, Ofoborh
GILLINGHAM – Turner, Hutton, Masterson, Ehmer, Ogie, Jayden Clarke, Coleman, Euan Williams (Little), Dieng (Jonny Williams), Wakeling (Wyllie), Hawkins (Andrews)
Subs – Ashby-Hammond, Nolan, Gbode
REFEREE – Mr. Backhouse
Image courtesy of Gillingham FC