Gillingham striker Seb Palmer-Houlden admitted the dressing room was “devastated” after a late equaliser denied Gillingham victory on Saturday.
Palmer-Houlden’s second-half strike looked set to earn all three points for the Gills before Fleetwood struck deep into stoppage time to rescue a point, the game ending 1-1.
The forward said it was hard to take after the effort his team-mates had put into the match.
“It’s disappointing, obviously, to not come away with three points,” he said.
“Especially after I think we grinded out and gave everything for 90-plus minutes. To concede right at the death is not nice.
“We’ve got to look at the positives, and we’ve got a point from the game. We’ve got to move on to Tuesday [at home to MK Dons]. There are a lot of games coming up, and we’ve got to take opportunities when they come.”
The visitors pushed forward late on and eventually found a way through as Gillingham dropped deeper under pressure.
“It’s football, isn’t it?” Palmer-Houlden said.
“We started dropping deeper, and they started applying pressure. Eventually, someone loses their man in the box, and he gets a free header. It happens.
“I know every player on that pitch gave their all. Some boys were dead on their feet.”
Palmer-Houlden’s 61st-minute finish was his first league goal since October and his first at Priestfield.
“I just hit it,” he said. “I wanted to get the shot off as quickly as possible and fortunately it found the corner.
“For myself, it’s really good to score. I haven’t scored in ages, so it’s nice to get that feeling back. It’s my first goal at Priestfield as well, so hopefully there’s more to come.
“But it’s bittersweet. Three points are what we mostly need.”
With several first-team players missing through injury, Palmer-Houlden felt those drafted in performed well.
He singled out returning pair Shad Ogie and Jonny Williams after their appearances against Fleetwood.
“I thought Shad was brilliant today and Jonny was brilliant when he came on,” he said.
“They haven’t played in a long time, but it shows the strength and depth we’ve got in this squad and how together we are.
“They could easily down tools, but they’ve worked hard in training and shown what they can do.”
The Gills face another busy week in League Two with a tough fixture coming up against Milton Keynes Dons at Priestfield on Tuesday night.
Palmer-Houlden said the focus must now quickly switch to the next game.
“Everyone’s devastated because it feels like two points lost,” he said.
“But the boys will get back up for it. We’ll be ready for Tuesday and try to get a positive result.”
