Southend United 1 - 1 Gillingham: Luke Norris earns promotion-chasing Gillingham a draw at Southend

Luke Norris' second-half equaliser secured Gillingham a 1-1 draw at Southend United.

The play-off pushing Shrimpers went ahead midway through the first half when Anthony Wordsworth fired home.

But Norris' well-taken effort kept the fourth-placed Gills five points behind the automatic promotion places.

Gillingham went close to scoring after just four minutes when Daniel Bentley denied Norris and Jake Hessenthaler in quick succession before Southend went in front in the 21st minute with Wordsworth netting from eight yards.

However, the Gills hit back to equalise six minutes into the second half when Brennan Dickenson's left-wing cross picked out Norris who netted with a cushioned finish from six yards.

Gillingham remained on top after drawing back level and Bentley twice did well to deny Dominic Samuel before Deji Oshilaja saw a header cleared off the line by Wordsworth.

But the draw saw Southend move up to ninth in the Sky Bet League One standings, three points below the play-off positions.