Danny Cowley: Colchester’s late leveller ‘the very, very least that we deserved’

Danny Cowley saluted his “magnificent” Colchester team after they fought back to claim a 1-1 draw at Gillingham.

The Gills had taken a 74th-minute lead when Robbie McKenzie side-footed a shot past goalkeeper Matt Macey after Aaron Rowe had done well to advance forward and pick out his team-mate.

But Colchester claimed a share of the spoils in the 87th minute through Arthur Read’s penalty after Jack Tucker had been fouled by Gillingham defender Andy Smith in the area.

U’s boss Cowley said: “We were magnificent. We played so well.

“We took the ball off a really physical, direct Gillingham team.

“We created so many chances in the first half and just couldn’t quite find that final action.

“We came out in the second half and I thought we stamped our authority on it.

“When you miss as many chances as we did, then they find a goal, a good goal from them and your team are then tested in that moment.

“It’s very easy, having played as well as we did, to feel sorry for yourself. But they didn’t.

“They came again and the boys came off the bench and impacted it.

“The equaliser was the very, very least that we deserved – it was a performance that deserved all three points, for sure.

“We got into lots of good areas and probably didn’t execute it in those moments, which is fine.”

Colchester were the better side in the first half, with Gillingham goalkeeper Jake Turner denying Harry Anderson, Teddy Bishop and Micah Mbick.

But the Gills improved in the second half and after Sam Gale’s header from Bradley Dack’s free-kick into the box had hit a post, they went ahead through McKenzie’s strike.

Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth was pleased with his team’s display after the break.

Ainsworth said: “Fair play to Colchester, they gave us a tough first half and there were some great saves by Jake Turner.

“We had a couple of chances but not enough but then in the second half, we changed shape after five minutes and I thought we were definitely the better side.

“We’re disappointed with conceding. I haven’t seen the penalty back so I can’t comment on it either way.

“Smithy (Andy Smith) said ‘no chance, that happens in every single box in every single game’ so frustrating there but we scored a really good goal.

“Robbie McKenzie took it really well and Aaron Rowe great ball in, so I was really pleased with that second half.

“We’ve got one of the best defensive records in the league, if not the best in the league.

“It’s just can we make it count when we are on top and find that goalscoring edge.”