Gills let three goal lead slip
Published: 22:25, 26 September 2006
Leyton Orient 3 Gillingham 3
GILLINGHAM threw away a three goal lead and maximum points against Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road.
The Gills finished with just a point despite dominating the match against the struggling London side after looking to have victory sewn up.
It was one-way traffic for 77 minutes until a rash challenge from keeper Scott Flinders handed the hosts a lifeline, with Matt Lockwood smashing home from the spot, and within 11 minutes he had completed a hat-trick and undone all of Gillingham's hard work.
Up until that point there seemed like only one winner as Gillingham tore the home side apart.
Mark Bentley had opened the scoring on 43 minutes when he headed home Danny Jackman's cross, following Clint Easton's corner.
And the Gills went into the break two up, when in injury time Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu stroked the ball past Glyn Garner after Matt Jarvis had pulled the ball back.
Jarvis was the man to make it three, 12 minutes after the break, when he scored a deserved goal after Ndumbu-Nsungu split the Orient defence.
That goal should have sealed the points but Lockwood's spot-kick started the comeback for the hosts.
A shot out of nothing by Lockwood from outside the area made it 3-2 on 85 minutes, and the 1,030 travelling fans were left in shock three minutes later, when he and Daryl McMahon danced through the defence and Lockwood netted the leveller.
Gillingham: Flinders, Jupp, Jackman, Cox, Johnson, Flynn, Crofts, Bentley, Easton, Nsungu-Ndumbu, Jarvis.
Subs not used: Spiller, Collin, Pouton, Clohessy, McDonald.
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