Gillingham missed out on maximum points at home after conceding in the final minute of normal time against Fleetwood Town.
Seb Palmer-Houlden scored his first league goal in five months to put Gillingham ahead after 61 minutes but it wasn’t enough.
Will Davies and Mark Helm both hit the woodwork for Fleetwood before Shaun Rooney headed in an equaliser.
There were a few surprises in manager Gareth Ainsworth’s team selection, with central defender Shad Ogie back in from nowhere.
Ogie replaced the absent Omar Beckles and was named ahead of loan man Travis Akomeah. It was his first appearance in three months.
Ainsworth had been confident that two of the three injured players in the win at Barrow would feature. None did. Cameron Antwi, Armani Little and Bradley Dack were all missing.
Another seemingly forgotten player, Jonny Williams, came off the bench in the second half.
Gillingham started the afternoon 12 points adrift of the playoffs – seemingly too far away now to challenge.
Fleetwood were a few points better off before the weekend clash, but they too were faced with two long months of scrapping to finish in a respectable League 2 position this season.
Gills’ late win at lowly Barrow the week before came after a 3-0 loss to Oldham last time out at Priestfield, home fans jeering them off after a disappointing afternoon.
The Gills looked lively from the off, hoping to unsettle the visitors with the pace and movement of Seb Palmer-Houlden and Ronan Hale in attack.
Euan Wiliams was making his first start of the season and went close to an opener. He got on the end of Remeao Hutton’s ball in but keeper Jay Lynch saved.
Fleetwood grew into the game and came closest to scoring in the opening half. Ethan Ennis was getting some joy down the flank, and his cross hit Andy Smith and sat up nicely for Esapa Osong, but Gills keeper Jake Turner blocked his close-range effort.
Williams was again denied just before the break. Robbie McKenzie found Max Clark in space, and he found Williams, but keeper Lynch was quick to react and made a timely block.
The game needed something special to spark it into life, and Fleetwood’s Mark Helm showed good footwork on the edge of the Gills’ box to put a few defenders on their backsides before Elliot Bonds fired over the bar.
With an hour played, the deadlock was broken. A crossfield ball from Clark was picked up by Palmer-Houlden and he squeezed a shot between the legs of defender Finley Potter and into the net.
Will Davies went close to an equaliser on 79 minutes when he slid onto a cross, meeting it at the near post, but his effort struck the upright.
Turner saved from Mark Helm’s free-kick and the same Fleetwood player hit the woodwork from distance late in the game.
Gillingham had penalty appeals waved away by the referee after Jonny Williams went down in the box.
Fleetwood made it 1-1 on 90 minutes when Helm whipped in a cross, met by Rooney at the far post where he headed home.
Gillingham: Turner, Hutton (Rowe 63mins), Clark, A Smith, Ogie, Gale, Coleman, McKenzie (Cirino 84mins), E Williams (J Williams 68mins), Palmer-Houlden (Andrews 84mins), Hale (Akomeah 84mins). Subs not used: Morris, Vokes.
Fleetwood: Lynch, Potter, Bonds (Davies 68mins), Osong (McLean 68mins), Helm, Ennis, Evans (Devenport 76mins), Neal, Clark, Rooney, Haughey. Subs not used: Hewitson, Powell, Morrison, Hughes.
Referee: Lewis Sandoe
Attendance: 5,297 (69 away)
