Stephen Clemence reflects on Walsall draw.
Gillingham Head Coach Stephen Clemence was disappointed with the 1-1 draw against Walsall at Priestfield.
Walsall frustrated Gillingham throughout the game, taking the lead just after the hour when Isaac Hutchinson scored a penalty. Conor Masterson fired Gills back level in the 77th minute, but the points were shared despite Shad Ogie having a fantastic opportunity to win the game during the final ten minutes.
Jorge Hurtado provided a spark during the second half as Gills went in search of an equaliser. The Colombian forward on loan from Watford quickly won the admiration of the Gillingham supporters, and Clemence was pleased with what he saw from the 20-year-old.
Another deadline-day signing, Josh Andrews, was at Priestfield on Saturday, continuing his recovery from an injury he suffered with Accrington Stanley. The Gills Head Coach provided an update on the former Birmingham striker's fitness.
Thoughts on the game...
I am disappointed. I came here for three points today. I thought that we had a real chance, although I knew that we were playing against a very good team.
I expected us to play better than we did in the first half. I think that we are better than that. Some honest words were spoken at half-time, and I felt that in the second half, we were a little bit better. In the end, after going a goal down, I think that the boys did really well to come back and equalise.
We had a great chance where we should, with that sort of chance, win the game, but we didn't. We probably did not deserve to win the game, but we are a point closer to the seventh spot.
Jorge Hurtado's debut...
He was lively. You can see that he has got that South American style with where he is going to go and which way he is going to go. He has got a nice feel for the ball, and I think that the fans warmed to him very quickly once they saw him have a couple of touches. He did ever so well when he came on, and it was nice to give him his debut.
Josh Andrews' fitness...
He is probably still a couple of weeks from playing, but Josh is someone we've signed for the Football Club and is here on a longer-term deal. He is 22 years old and is ready for now. He can play. I have seen him play live on a couple of occasions this season. I saw him play at Salford earlier in the season and saw him play in the game he got injured at Accrington Stanley against Doncaster.
Robbie [Stockdale] worked with him at Rochdale, so we know what he can do. Hopefully, he will get back in a couple of weeks. The medical staff have checked him thoroughly, and he is on the grass already. However, because he has missed that bit of time, we now need to get him fit and up to speed for matches.