The match started slowly, but Gillingham shaded possession and, six minutes before halftime, Nicky Southall's free kick rebounded up off the wall and Gary Mulligan leapt highest to bundle home from close range.
Gillingham picked up the pace in the second half and doubled their lead on 63 minutes after a superb flowing team move culminated in Nicky Southall's clinical finish.
At that point Gillingham were totally in control and should have seen the game out but, crucially, the team switched off immediately after the restart and allowed County a route back into the game. Some indecisive defending saw the Gills repeatedly fail to clear their lines before Richard Butcher fired through a ruck of players and beat Simon Royce at his near post. It was the visitors' first serious effort on target in the entire match.
Gillingham could and should have gone straight back to the approach that took them into a two goal lead, but instead they did the worst thing any side could do. They panicked.
You could clearly see the fear spreading through the team as the back four dropped deeper and deeper, giving the midfield ever-increasing expanses of space to cover, while leaving our forwards isolated up front. County began to dominate possession, with the Gills looking increasingly shaky.
An equaliser looked inevitable, and the scorer was the most predictable of the day. Delroy Facey, inconsistent and oft-criticised during his time at Gillingham, produced a lung-busting charge down the right flank, outstripping the otherwise solid Leigh Mills and producing a stunning finish with the outside of his right foot. It was an absolute cracker of a goal - and despite having plenty of critics at Priestfield, Facey showed remarkable restraint when celebrating the goal.
That goal finally stung the Gills back into action and the home side battered County in search of a winner. Numerous chances came and went, but a combination of poor finishing, superb defending and one or two decent saves by Russell Hoult meant the match finished in a draw.
Had Gillingham continued playing at 2-0, the match would have been wrapped up easily, possibly even with a bigger scoreline. But the team nodded off, conceded immediately, then collectively lost their bottle. They eventually regained their composure, but it was too late to rescue the extra points.
This team, including a number of young players, showed a little inexperience by allowing the situation to get the better of them, but hopefully that game will prove to be a valuable learning experience for them and they'll be better equipped for such situations in the future. Losing Simon King at halftime was a blow, as was the absence of top scorer Simeon Jackson, but the team played some very good stuff in parts, with Nicky Southall, Andy Barcham and Curtis Weston looking particularly good going forward.
Hopefully they won't let this result affect them as they head into the weekend's match with Chester City, who were thrashed 6-1 at Rochdale. There's absolutely no reason why the Gills can't bounce straight back from a disappointing draw and claim another valuable home win on Saturday.
AND STILL THEY BOO…
The performance wasn't a bad one overall, yet some fans still felt the need to boo after the final whistle. Yes, we dropped a two-goal lead, but we didn't lose, and given a bit more luck in front of goal in the final stages, we may still have won. They were clearly gutted, and clearly busted their you-know-whats in a bid to retrieve the situation, so why boo them?
There was one so-called fan in the Medway Stand, near to the dugouts, who decided to stand and berate Mark Stimson after the final whistle. There's nothing wrong with being disappointed, but why he saw fit to scream at the manager, only he knows. Perhaps he's more used to watching Premier League and Champions League players on TV, who don't make mistakes quite as often as League Two players. Perhaps he'd be better off in his armchair next weekend…
GILLS SHORTS
Albert Jarrett has been handed another one-month deal after impressing Mark Stimson during his first month at the club.
Stimson hopes to arrange an extended stay for on-loan striker Andy Barcham. Stimson is in talks with Tottenham and hopes to confirm an extended loan deal before the weekend.
Delroy Facey wasn't the only ex-Gill in Notts County colours on Tuesday night. Former loanee Adam Nowland played the full 90 minutes in the Magpies' midfield, while former Gills striker Tommy Johnson was on the Notts County bench in his new role on the Magpies' coaching staff.