BBC SPORT | Football | Eng Div 1 | Palace peg back Gills

Crystal Palace 2-2 Gillingham

Crystal Palace twice came from behind to salvage a point against a gritty Gillingham side.

Andy Hessenthaler's side went ahead through a cool finish from David Perpetuini midway through the opening half and an own goal from Hayden Mullins on 70 minutes.

Palace drew level for the first time just after the restart when full-back Danny Granville nodded home teenager Wayne Routledge's cross.

Still only 17, Routledge's vision and technical abilitiy illuminated the game throughout and he capped a fine performance with an equally fine goal moments after Mullins's error.

Palace's other full-back Danny Butterfield also caught the eye and was unlucky to see his speculative shot hit the bar in the opening half.

Like Granville, Butterfield got forward at every opportunity from his defensive position and on 55 minutes another of his shots flashed just past Vince Bartram's right-hand post.

Already without suspended player-manager Hessenthaler, Kevin James and Mark Saunders, Gillingham lost goalkeeper Jason Brown within the opening quarter of an hour.

The keeper limped off after injuring his leg in seemingly innocuous circumstances as he cleared the ball.

Brown's replacement Bartram was immediately called into action twice saving from Dougie Freedman efforts.

Bartram was soon back in the thick of the action as Dele Adebola sent a header just over the bar.

Gillingham's captain Paul Smith runs away from Aki Riihilahti of Crystal Palace
Palace have now drawn six games this season

Gillingham had barely entered the Palace half, let alone tested Nikolaos Michopoulos, who has moved to Selhurst Park on a month's loan from Burnley, before their opening goal.

Guy Ipoua crossed for Rod Wallace, whose shot Michopoulos could only parry into the path of Perpetuni, who tucked the ball away.

Ipoua and Wallace's understanding grew as the match went on, even though they only saw the ball infrequently.

Midway through the second half Wallace intelligently nodded the ball across the goal and Mullins under pressure from Ipoua headed into his own net.

This time Palace took rather less time to restore parity and on 71 minutes Routledge's beautifully executed half-volley arrowed past Bartram.

Palace continued to look the more threatening side and Tony Popovic also had a header that hit the bar.

Crystal Palace: Michopoulos, Granville, Butterfield, Popovic, Powell, Gray, Riihilahti, Mullins, Routledge, Freedman, Adebola.
Subs: Scheuer, Derry, Black, Rubins, Austin.

Gillingham: Brown, Nosworthy, Ashby, Hope, Leon Johnson, Smith, Pennock, Shaw, Perpetuini, Wallace, Ipoua.
Subs: Bartram, Rose, Spiller, Tommy Johnson, Crofts.

Referee: P Taylor (Hertfordshire).