Gillingham ended their losing run at Swindon but there was no smiles at the final whistle.
The Gills, who had lost their last five, were leading 1-0 after 93 minutes but conceded against 10-man Swindon when big striker Harry Smith headed in a cross.
Report: Swindon 1 Gills 1
Manager Mark Bonner said: “It feels like a defeat when we’re so close to taking three points from the game, which I think we deserved.
“It’s a hard one to take for us, a hard one to take for supporters, a hard one to take for players and a really hard one to sum up straight after the game.”
Tim Dieng had put the Gills ahead on 16 minutes against 10 men. Swindon had already seen defender Grant Hall sent off for a reckless challenge after just nine minutes.
But the Gills couldn’t score a second to make the points safe and were made to pay.
“I thought we controlled the first half well,” Bonner said.
“Obviously the early red card for them, we didn’t execute enough of the attacks that we had because we had some really good moments on the break or even in control of the game.
“We probably got a little bit too slow in our own half at times and didn’t penetrate or get enough bodies high up the pitch.
“We had chances and we didn’t get the second goal, which is the killer in the game. If you don’t kill that beast, they’ll come back and bite you, and they did right at the end there.
“We had some breakaway moments second half. We had some controlled moments second half. We had some set play moments second half.
“We haven’t connected with the ball properly or we’ve lost our footing, things like that. They’re the moments where we’ve got to bring the game to life a bit more and do more to get the second one because there’s always one chance then away from it. We were never really under huge threat in the game either.
“We had good control. We controlled Harry Smith quite well, quite far away from our goal. But that’s what it does. That’s the dimension that he gives them and then in the last moment where they’re chasing it and we don’t quite get it right.
“They get the goal and we go home with a point, which is a positive from ending a losing run but not when you’re 94 minutes in and leading, for sure.
To drop the points and to drop that chance right at the end that makes it a point, that makes it feel like a loss. That’s tough for us to take.
“When you get yourself ahead, you’re playing against 10 for so long, you need to get the second one and take the three points from the game.
“You just have to see out every moment they throw at you in the last dying stages. We’ve done it relatively well all afternoon and then didn’t at the very last moment of the game. And then it goes like that.
“It’s a kick in the nuts for us and it’s a real tough one to take.”
