MATCH REPORT: Swindon (3) Gillingham (3)

Charlie Austin’s second half brace saw Swindon fight from two goals down to salvage a point after a 3-3 draw with Gillingham. Total Sport’s Joe Acklam reports from the County Ground.

Swindon took the lead after 58 seconds through Jonny Williams, but inside fifteen minutes Timothee Dieng, Will Wright, and Tom Nichols all scored to leave Town behind at the break.

Charlie Austin put home a penalty to give Swindon hope in the second half and then levelled the game up with ten minutes to go.

Despite fighting back to get a draw Swindon remain sixth in the table on goal difference after Salford City scored a late goal against Scott Lindsey's Crawley Town.

Gavin Gunning made two changes to the side that beat Grimsby Town two weeks ago as Marcel Lavinier and Luke Jephcott came in to replace Angus MacDonald and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy.

Swindon took the lead with their first venture forwards as Remeao Hutton tried to find Austin in the middle, he was beaten to the ball, but the clearance went straight to Williams, who volleyed home.

The lead did not last long as barely two minutes later Tom Nichols whipped in a cross and found Timothee Dieng in the middle, who headed beyond Sol Brynn.

The Gills completed a rapid turnaround when they were given a penalty for a supposed handball against Frazer Blake-Tracy and Will Wright stepped up and dispatched the spot kick off the post and in.

After 13 minutes Gillingham won a free-kick halfway inside the Swindon half and it was hit with space towards the far post, and Nichols nudged it on and into the far corner to get a quick-fire third.

Swindon took a while to regain their composure after this, but did manage to take control and after half an hour a Williams corner found Austin at the near post, but his header was cleared off the line.

In first half stoppage time Hutton again beat his marker and played in a cross that found Austin, the striker hit it on the volley but it went wide of the mark.

Swindon halved the deficit just before the hour mark as Jacob Wakeling’s shot struck an arm and the referee pointed to the spot. Austin stepped up and just about squeezed his penalty underneath Glenn Morris to get his second goal in as many matches since returning.

As they searched for an equaliser Swindon pinned Gillingham back, but were struggling to break Gillingham down, as a series of crosses from Remeao Hutton were dealt with in the middle.

After 71 minutes Blake-Tracy drove forwards and sent an early cross towards the back post, where Austin had arms all over him but managed to win the header, although it didn’t have enough power to trouble the goalkeeper.

With ten minutes remaining Swindon got back on level terms as Rushian Hepburn-Murphy drifted out to the left and sent a dream of a cross into the middle, Austin stole a march on his marker and powered a header into the net.

Minutes later Swindon were reduced to ten as Saidou Khan received a second yellow for stopping a counter attack with a foul on the halfway line.

Hepburn-Murphy could have won it with seconds to go as Marcel Lavinier played him through one-on-one, but his effort was saved by the body of Morris.