Steve Evans heaps praise on his squad with Gills still very much in the hunt for a top six finish.
Gillingham manager Steve Evans was full of credit for his players following Saturday’s 1-1 draw away at Hull City.
Gills went 1-0 down thanks to an early goal from former striker Tom Eaves. Olly Lee got Gills back on level terms midway through the second half, and Dominic Samuel almost found a last gasp winner on his return.
Despite the disappointment of not finding a winner, Evans was beaming with delight at the effort levels the squad has shown.
He said: “We are finding a way to get results. We’ve got players that are so committed, and I’m proud of every single one of them.
“We’ll continue to work on the training ground and continue to work hard.
“We are there with eight to go, and I’ve made it clear that we’ve got to be there with six to go.
“The boys are impeccably fresh. The spirit in the camp last night sitting at dinner; there was a real buzz.
“It’s scary because we have to drag them off the training ground on some days they work so hard.”
Olly Lee came off the substitute’s bench and made an immediate impact scoring six minutes after coming on. Evans knew the importance of his contributions and was happy with how the midfielder played.
Evans said: “Olly [Lee] made a difference when he came on. His general play in midfield, he played the ball around when he had the opportunity, and he scores a goal.”
Saturday was Dominic Samuel’s first appearance since being stretchered off through injury against Accrington Stanley, and he was so close to becoming the hero.
Evans was not hung up on the missed opportunity but instead took the chance to praise Samuel for how well he had done to get himself into the position he is in now.
He said: “In two weeks’ time, Dominic Samuel scores that, and we’ve been rushing Dominic. To get him on the pitch is a credit to him and the medical team that have done brilliantly.
“The kid is five or six weeks ahead of schedule, and it’s brilliant. We need him as we’re very limited in terms of numbers.”