Gillingham 1 Leeds United 1

GILLINGHAM ended Leeds' hundred per cent start to the season with an injury time winner on an action-packed afternoon at Priestfield on Saturday.

The visitors had two players and their manager sent off before Ian Cox's header late in the game earned the Gills a deserved point.

Joint-caretaker boss Iffy Onuora said: “We went to sleep on the set-piece but it took a deflection, that goal did unsettle us but we got ourselves together and started making chances.

“The sending off doesn’t actually help you, it does make it harder. I was pleased with the way we went about it and the way we kept going.”

The equaliser finally came a minute into injury time, when defender Cox headed home Barry Cogan's corner from close range, to send the home fans wild.

“He missed a better chance five minutes earlier,” said fellow caretaker boss Mick Docherty. “He’s capable and he’s got a bit of presence about him. At 1-0 down with a few minutes to go, you are throwing everything forward and hoping you get a little break and fortunately we got it.”

Leeds had opened the scoring on 27 minutes when Sebastien Carole headed in after Jonathan Douglas's free-kick had been knocked back across goal by Matt Heath.

It was harsh on the Gills who had already seen David Graham, Adam Nowland and Andrew Crofts go close.

The home side received a boost five minutes before half-time when Leeds striker Tresor Kandol was sent off after picking up two unnecessary bookings for dissent.

And hope turned to expectation in the 57th minute when Jermaine Beckford became the second visiting forward to be dismissed after his late challenge on Sean Clohessy was deemed worthy of a second caution. His first had come minutes earlier, also for dissent.

It was Leeds’ third sending off, as their manager Dennis Wise revealed after the game that he too had been sent off, after swearing at the referee.

Gary Mulligan and Chris Dickson were introduced to join Delroy Facey and Graham up front but it was a defender that finally earned Gillingham a share of the points.

Gillingham: Royce, Clohessy, Cox, Sodje, Hamilton (Dickson 70), Nowland, Lomas (Mulligan 61), Crofts, Cogan, Graham, Facey.
Subs Not Used: Stillie, King, Stone.
Attendance: 8,719.