Gills manager Justin Edinburgh spoke to the media following his side's 4-3 FA Cup defeat to Brackley on Wednesday
Gills manager Justin Edinburgh said his side's 4-3 FA Cup first round defeat against Brackley Town at St James Park on Wednesday was "totally unacceptable".After Town raced into a 2-0 lead after 26 minutes, goals either side of the break from Jake Hessenthaler and Scott Wagstaff took the replay into extra-time. And despite Cody McDonald's late solo effort, two more Town goals earned the Vanarama North side an away tie against Blackpool in round two.
Edinburgh on...the result: "It's hugely disappointing. Brackley deserved to win; once again we were the creators of our own downfall. They didn't have to work hard for their goals. The turning point for me is that the full-time whistle probably came too soon [after Wagstaff's equaliser], but that's neither here nor there. We had another half-hour to go and win the game, and we did the opposite.
"I don't take any positives out of tonight whatsoever. Before they scored their first I didn't think there was any difference in the sides. But fair play to Brackley. It's not easy to take, but it's hurting me. We're all in it together. There's a lot to reflect upon and there's a lot to ponder. I feel totally let down. It's so, so frustrating.
"To have two goes at it [this tie], and to come back from two-nil down [and lose], it's unacceptable. You don't often get too many bites of the cherry."
Edinburgh on...Brackley's goals: "Everybody's aware of their roles and responsibilities, but one ball into the box, a header down and it's a goal. I can't go out and make people physically mark their man. Somebody has fallen short of their responsibilities. Another ball goes into the box and it's 2-0. We've got back into the game, and I felt only one team was going to win it, but for all the pressure we had, the ball perhaps didn't fall to us.
"If you concede six goals against a team three divisions lower, then you don't deserve to go through the cup tie."
Edinburgh on...returning to Sky Bet League One action on Saturday: "There's got to be a lot of soul-searching ahead of Walsall. There's got to be character and desire on the pitch on Saturday if we're to get anything out of the game."
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