The Gills manager reflects on Saturday's game
to Barnet at The Hive.Saturday’s 2-0 pre-season friendly defeatGillingham manager Justin Edinburgh spoke to the press following
Second half goals from John Akinde and Alex Nicholls gave the hosts the victory in a tight game.
“You have to put it in perspective. The result has to matter, because nobody likes losing, but in the grand scheme of things there are positives. For the first time this summer, a few of the players have completed 90 minutes without any injuries or side effects. I feel in the first half, once it settled down, I thought we looked bright and inventive. I think the two goals highlighted some inexperience in the back line, so we know there are some things to work on as we shift through the gears to get ready for the Southend game on August 6.”Edinburgh on…the result:
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Edinburgh on…the lessons from the game: “Nobody wants to see us concede the goals we did, but there are reasons for that. I think when we have Deji [Oshilaja], Max [Ehmer], Ryan Jackson and Paul Konchesky playing at the back, and maybe a couple of more options, we’ll be solid and more reliable. With those [players playing], you’d expect fewer opportunities like Barnet scored from today. Stuart [Nelson] hasn’t had to make a save, we looked comfortable.
“You want perfection as soon as you can get it. There is a lot to be excited about and there are a lot of things that I’ve seen that I have liked.
“We have to get the balance right. We have to be a bit more ruthless in that final third, we have to get the balance right, so that we are not too intricate and have too many passes with no end product.
“But I think we are learning. There are new players in the group and we are getting to know each other."
“I always want to meet players, sit down and speak with them, and I’ve done that plenty of times this week. But I want to get the right player. We’re progressing and I feel we’ll have another body or two in the squad soon.Edinburgh on…potential new recruits:
“We’ve had a fair look at trialists, but we don’t feel at this time any will improve the squad. At this time, we want players to make the starting XI better, and not just make the squad better.”
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