Gareth Ainsworth was pleased with how his side controlled the game in their 3-0 win at Dover on Tuesday night.
Kadeem Harris gave the Gills a first-half lead at Crabble before second-half strikes by Louie Dayal and Sam Gale added breathing room. Ainsworth was pleased with the tempo his two XI's showed in each half, despite the difference.
The Gills boss provided an update on Bradley Dack and Armani Little, who were forced off in the victory. He touched upon Ollie Wright's availability after the goalkeeper missed the friendly and discussed Cameron Antwi's timetable as he continues to work his way back to full fitness.
Charlton Athletic visit the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday, and Ainsworth talked about what to expect in the fixture, as he looks forward to a tough test.
Assessment of the game…
We controlled the play. We’re going to at a team that is a few divisions below us; we want to dominate the ball. I thought that we did that really well.
It’s not easy just dominating the ball. It’s not just staying on it; there are certain things that you have to do to stay on the ball. I thought that the boys did really well.
First half, very good. Second half, very good. There was a different sort of tempo in both halves, but I was really pleased.
We worked on attacking play this week, and I thought that we did carve some really good opportunities out. We scored from a set piece as well, which is great.
I think that Dover had a couple of shots from distance.
There was one from distance in the second half where I think that the boy wrapped his foot around it, and apart from that, I thought that we were very comfortable.
There were some real good showings from some of the new boys.
I am really pleased with everyone, and let’s hope that we can build on this.
Injury updates…
I picked up a couple of knocks, which I didn’t want. Bradley [Dack] has had to come off. He has had an Achilles tendinitis thing that he gets all the time, but it has gone a bit too far, and it’s too much pain for him to carry on.
He has tried his best to play through it, but I know that pain; it’s a horrible pain, so Brad will be rested for a few days. We will try to get him back round.
Losing Armani [Little] at the end there. He has walked off the pitch in a tackle with one of their boys, so we will have to assess that when we get back and see where that is.
It’s tough when it’s pre-season games, but it’s part and parcel of the game. We have to make sure that we’re ready. There are one or two back home with a couple of knocks as well. We have to get them fit.
[Ollie Wright’s absence]- Ollie has a knock, so we have to be careful with one or two of them in pre-season. We have two capable goalkeepers as well, so there is no point in risking him.
Update on Cameron Antwi…
He had two operations last year. He had to have a shoulder surgery, and he had to have an ankle surgery. He has recovered from both, but he is just a couple of weeks behind everyone. Cameron is one that we are looking forward to seeing and getting him on the pitch.
What to expect against Charlton on Saturday…
It will very likely be a split group again. We will have to get the heads together and make sure that everyone gets the right amount of minutes this pre-season.
We will make sure on Saturday that we are getting the fitness into the boys. A few little principles here and there. It’s Charlton. They’re a good side. They’re a championship outfit, so it’s not going to be like this [the game vs Dover]. It will probably be a reverse of the possession base.
As I have always said, possession is not my key stat. It’s goals and chances. I thought that we did really well with that tonight.
