Bradford 2 Gillingham 2

Simeon Jackson struck a second half brace as 10-man Gillingham came from two goals behind at Bradford to earn a point.

After going two goals behind at the break, Gillingham got right back in the match with a goal from Simeon Jackson at the start of the second half, but a straight red card for Mark Bentley left them with plenty to do.

Despite the man disadvantage Jackson struck a second with just seven minutes to go ? levelling the scores at 2-2.

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Bradford went ahead on 20 minutes, despite Gillingham bossing the opening minutes, when Paul McLaren?s free-kick was headed onto the post by Dean Furman and Peter Thorne smashed in the follow-up.

Gillingham continued to make Bradford work hard but a minute into injury time the second goal came when McLaren?s pass unlocked the door through the defence and Joe Colbeck struck past Simon Royce.

Curtis Weston missed a golden opportunity minutes into the second half but he shot wide after he and Gary Mulligan had carved open the Bradford defence.

Gillingham needed an early second half goal and they got one when Jackson made the most of some indecision in the area and netted from close range on 51 minutes.

Hopes of a comeback looked less likely when on 58 minutes Bentley was dismissed after a heavy challenge on McLaren.

Royce did well to save a one on one with his feet when Thorne broke through on 66 minutes ? a save which kept the Gills in the game.

The Gills had a player less but were causing plenty of problems and Jackson came an inch from scoring after curling a shot just wide. On 83 minutes he found the target when he ran onto Southall?s through ball and planted the shot past keeper Rhys Evans.

Seconds before full-time Gillingham had a scare as Graeme Lee hit the bar with a header and Willy Topp fired just over.

Gillingham manager Mark Stimson was delighted with the performance and plans to launch an appeal against Mark Bentley?s dismissal.

?I thought we were very, very good,? he said. ?We started off the game really brightly. In the first 20 minutes we created a lot of half chances, the football was good and we played at a good tempo and maintained that.

?How we went in 2-0 down at half time baffled me and I said to the players there?s no way we should be 2-0 down. I said to them, ?do we cave in and have another Shrewsbury or Exeter, or go and play the way you did first half and maybe play a little higher, don?t drop too deep and play on the front foot and be positive.?

?Full credit to the players. In the second half they were brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

?We?ll definitely be appealing against Mark Bentley?s red card. Stuart McCall (Bradford manager) was good at the end I asked him if he would back me on it and he said definitely.

?If we get something in writing from him then that might help us.?

Gills: Royce, Fuller, Nutter, Mills, King, Bentley, Southall, Barcham, Mulligan (McCammon 75mins), Jackson (Richards 86mins). Subs not used: Lewis, Julian, Jarrett.

Bradford: Evans, McLaren, Lee, Daley, Thorne (Topp 83mins), Clarke, Boulding (Conlon 77mins), Colbeck, O?Brien, Moncur, Furman. Subs not used: Arnison, Heckingbottom, Nix.

Attendance: 12,432.