Luke Rooney celebrates his equaliser with assistant manager Ian Hendon Picture: Barry Goodwin

by Luke Cawdell

Gillingham assistant manager Ian Hendon was delighted to see the side walk away with a deserved share of the spoils from Torquay.

The Gills dominated the first half, but were left chasing an equaliser after conceding a silly goal early on.

“The balance of the game was quite strange,” said Hendon. “They scored early on with a sloppy goal on our part, but then after that we settled down and had chances.

“We could have been two or three goals to the good. Second half we came out and Torquay played the better football than we did at times and they could have extended their lead but the boys hung in, dug in.”

The Gills snatched an equaliser with 87 minutes on the clock through Luke Rooney to ensure the game ended in a draw.

“Rooney came on and he looked dangerous, as he does, and we got something from the game which, on balance, was deserved,” said Hendon.

And the way the Gills fought back to claim a draw was testament to the renewed belief in the side, claimed the Gills number two.

He said: “If that had happened to us two or three months ago then we would have probably lost the game.

“That’s the feeling and that’s the belief the players now have among themselves which, from a coaches point of view, is nice to hear.”