Gillingham were held to a 1-1 draw by Conference Premier Welling in their third pre-season friendly on Saturday.

They were pegged back after leading at half-time and would have lost but for a dreadful late penalty that cleared the bar.

Gills went in front in the ninth minute when Adam Barrett's ball was flicked on by Danny Kedwell into path of Antonio German, who finished neatly.

It was a funny half for German. His goal and workrate were decent but he could easily have had four goals.

Before his opener, he fired wide when through one-on-one with Lee Butcher.

He later missed the target again after a decent run from Josh Stanford's ball down the line, then his sidefoot strike from a Jermaine McGlashan pass lacked conviction when well placed.

A nasty late tackle by Harry Beautyman on Jake Hessenthaler upset Gills and would easily have been a booking in a league match.

It was soon the Wings' turn to feel aggrieved when last defender Gary Borrowdale's manhandling of Afolabi Obafemi on the edge of the box went unpunished.

Welling had more about them than Tuesday night's opponents Bromley.

Several times they got in decent crossing positions without an end product. The best ball in came from Obafemi in the early stages but nobody gambled at the back post.

Gillingham changed all 11 players at the break.

Doug Loft worked Butcher from a Luke Norris pass, while Aaron Millbank screwed a first-time effort wide from Brennan Dickenson's centre when he had time to take a touch.

Welling levelled on 59 minutes with an overhead kick by Joe Healy after Gills didn't clear a corner.

A quiet spell followed before Loft had a fierce drive beaten over after Millbank intercepted a poor ball from Hamilton De Bunga down in the left corner.

Devante McKain's header from a Bradley Dack corner hit the bar before Welling missed the chance to grab a winner with four minutes left, Kieron St Aimie sending a penalty way over the bar following a foul by Callum Davies on Malachai Hudson.

Gillingham (first half): Nelson, Fish, Borrowdale, Hessenthaler, Barrett, Egan, McGlashan, Linganzi, Kedwell, German, Stanford. Second half: Morris, Romeo, Hare, Loft, Davies, McKain, Millbank, Dack, McDonald, Norris, Dickenson.