SWINDON Town interim head coach Gav Gunning admitted he felt mixed emotions after watching his side come from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 at home to Gillingham on Saturday.

Town took the lead through Jonny Williams inside the first minute at SN1 but conceded three times in the next 12 to be left stunned.

After Timothee Dieng, Will Wright from the penalty spot, and Tom Nichols all netted, Charlie Austin’s second-half brace – the first of which was also a spot-kick – helped Town roar back to snatch a point.

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy spurned a one-on-one chance to snatch victory for Swindon in the dying moments, minutes after Saidou Khan had picked up his second yellow card to leave the hosts a man down.

MATCH REPORT: Austin brace helps 10-man Town draw with Gills.

Reflecting on a game that had almost everything, Gunning said: “It’s mixed emotions. I was very disappointed at half-time – that wasn’t us.

“But after the second half, you can’t be any more proud. It was a fantastic performance – 45 minutes of top-calibre football.

“They struggled, they couldn’t deal with it, and in the end it was only us in the game – even with 10 men.

“But you’ve got to take your chances, so it’s a point gained probably when you look at the first half. But with the chances in the second half, it’s two points dropped.”

One of the biggest talking points among fans was the absence of club captain, Angus MacDonald from the match-day squad.

The centre-back is reportedly due to leave the club before Tuesday’s transfer deadline, but post-match, Gunning remained tight-lipped over MacDonald’s future.

Asked why MacDonald wasn’t in the squad against Gillingham, Gunning replied: “I don’t know.”

The follow-up question was: “Do you not pick the squad?”

“Thank you,” was the answer from Swindon’s interim head coach.

Gunning’s post-match debrief also featured a short but clear answer on how the interim boss felt about the two penalty decisions in the game.

The first was for an alleged handball against Frazer Blake-Tracy, while the second was a call against Wright for the same offence.

Gunning said: “Both penalties were rascal decisions to be fair. It is what it is. There’s no point talking about it because it’s done now, but it wasn’t acceptable.”