Fleetwood missed the chance to give Graham Alexander his first win in charge after letting a two-goal lead slip at Gillingham.
By Sam Gilliland Fleetwood missed the chance to give Graham Alexander his first win in charge after letting a two-goal lead slip at Gillingham.
The new manager saw Junior Brown and Alan Goodall fire Town 2-0 up in a fantastic first half at the league leaders, but goals either side of half time by Charlie Lee and Myles Weston denied them all three points.
Fleetwood took a 19th minute lead through Brown, who slid in at the far post to divert an effort by David Ball into the back of the Gills net.
And less than ten minutes later, Barry Nicholson’s corner from the left was met by Goodall at the near post, who rose unmarked to put Town 2-0 up against the team at the top.
Gillingham took more than half an hour to create their first opening, before Romain Vincelot hit a left foot strike harmlessly wide of Scott Davies’ post in the 35th minute.
The Gill did pull themselves back into the game on 41 minutes. Charlie Allen’s corner from the right was flicked on to the far post, where the unmarked Charlie Lee was waiting to halve the deficit before halftime.
The league leaders came out strongly in the second half, and created numerous chances before finding an equaliser.
Allen’s corner from the right was headed over by Vincelot in the 58th minute, before Danny Kedwell fired a half-volley just wide of Fleetwood’s post three minutes later.
Steven Gillespie could have put the Cod Army further ahead against the run of play, when he stole the ball of goalkeeper Stuart Nelson, but couldn’t quite angle the ball into an empty net. Brown was denied the winner by the off-side which the midfielder strongly protested.
And Gillingham made the miss count when substitute Myles Weston rifled home from six yards on 64 minutes, after a ball into the Town box found its way through to the striker.
Danny Kedwell could have won it for Gillingham in added time, when headed Weston’s cross wide of the right post, but it finished 2-2.
Attendance 8,571 (63 Fleetwood)
Gillingham Stuart Nelson, Matt Fish, Joe Martin, Andy Frampton, Adam Barrett, Jack Payne, Charlie Allen (Ben Strevens 90+1), Charlie Lee (Lewis Montrose 87), Romain Vincelot, Danny Kedwell, Deon Burton (Myles Weston H/T)
Subs not used: Tommy Forecast, Callum Davies, Danny Jackman, Adam Birchall
Fleetwood Town Scott Davies, Shaun Beeley, Dean Howell, Jamie Milligan (Damien Johnson 64), Barry Nicholson, Junior Brown, Alan Goodall, Steven Gillespie (Jamie McGuire 75), Rob Atkinson, David Ball (Alex Titchener 88), Alex Marrow
Subs not used: Steve McNulty, Chris Maxwell, Tom Barkhuizen, Curtis Obeng
Referee Craig Pawson
