Gwion Edwards scored his fourth goal in five games as Crawley drew 1-1 at Gillingham.

The Welsh winger fired Reds into the lead in the 29th minute and the visitors nearly doubled their lead when Matt Harrold hit a post.

Gillingham levelled just before the break when Leon Legge headed home from a corner and that goal seemed to change the momentum of the game.

Crawley were on the backfoot for much of the second half and were relieved to see a shot from Bradley Dack skim the bar and Legge head narrowly wide.

The result kept Crawley in 13th spot while Gillingham dropped into the relegation zone.

Gillingham made a bright start as they looked for their first win in seven games with John Egan putting a header straight at Jamie Ashdown from a corner and Brennan Dickenson shooting over following a counter-attack.

Reds were looking bright going forward themselves and Edwards stung the palms of Stuart Nelson with a deflected shot before giving the visitors the lead in the 29th minute.

Josh Simpson slid a ball into the run of Edwards whose shot was only partially saved by Nelson as the ball rolled inside the far post.

The goal lifted Crawley who twice went close to doubling their advantage, Matt Harrold hitting the post after good work from Edwards and then Nelson tipping a header from Joe Walsh over the bar.

Reds were posing more of a threat going forward than they had for much of the season but their attacking approach did leave them vulnerable to the counter attack.

They were caught out two minutes before the interval as Gillingham levelled. The host won a corner from a swift break and from Jake Hessenthaler’s cross former Hastings defender Leon Legge planted a thumping header past Ashdown.

Gillingham began the second half still boosted by that equaliser and almost took the lead through a carbon copy goal just after the interval when Legge headed narrowly wide from a corner.

Reds were now pegged inside their own half and were relieved to see a thunderous 25-yard drive from half-time substitute Bradley Dack skim the crossbar.

Gillingham continued to dominate and only some excellent defending from Lanre Oyebanjo prevented Legge from scoring from close range after Mat Sadler had given the ball away to Cody McDonald.

Reds nearly grabbed a late winner for the second match running when Jimmy Smith’s low shot hit hit fellow substitute Izale McLeod and deflected agonisingly wide.

There was still time for Gillingham to launch one more attack and Cody McDonald was denied a winner by another superb block from the impressive Oyebanjo.

Gillingham (4-4-2): Nelson; Hoyte, Legge, Egan, Martin; Mcglashan (Dack,46), Hessenthaler, Doughty (Norris, 78), Dickenson; Kedwell (Pritchard, 73), McDonald. Subs not used: Bywater, Fish, German, Hare.

Crawley (4-1-4-1): Ashdown; Oyebanjo, Leacock, Walsh, Sadler; Keane; Edwards, Simpson, Henderson (Smith, 71), Young (Bawling, 67); Harrold (McLeod, 85). Subs not used: Jensen, Bradley, Tomlin, Banya.